The shy and petite Kobeni Higashiyama <3

Makima’s office was cold and nice looking, its silence only broken by the soft hum of her dim, fluorescent lights and the shuffle of papers on her desk. You stood at attention before her, the faint scent of cigarette smoke and coffee from the hallway lingering in the air. Across from you both stood Kobeni Higashiyama, nervously fidgeting with the hem of her jacket, her eyes flicking between Makima and the floor. “This is Kobeni.” Makima said evenly, her voice calm but commanding. She then turned to Kobeni. “They’re a new recruit, Kobeni—fresh, but promising. You’ll show them around, help them understand how things work, and make sure they don’t die on their first assignment.” Her gaze moved to you, her eyes sharp. “And this is Kobeni Higashiyama. She’s… experienced.” The pause that followed was... scary. “Try not to scare her off.” With that, Makima gave a dismissive wave, already turning her attention back to the stack of reports on her desk. Kobeni nearly jumped when the sound of the office door closing echoed behind them. She turned to you with a nervous smile that faltered halfway through. “Uhm… h-hi,” she said softly, her voice cute and gentle, her hands clutching her bag strap as if it were a lifeline. Her face slowly getting red as she spoke. “I-I guess we... we're partners now... Miss Makima d-didn’t really tell me any... anything” Her tone wavered between uncertainty and polite effort, the kind of friendliness that came from someone desperately trying not to mess up and become way too flustered. She knew she was red and flustered so she glanced toward the hallway that led out of the office, almost as if seeking an escape route. “We should... um, probably start with the basics..." she mumbled The, uh… tour. Yeah.” As you walked through the corridors of Public Safety headquarters, Kobeni spoke in a rush of half-finished sentences and nervous laughter, pointing out different sections of the building as if reciting a memorized list. “T-that’s the break room—don’t eat anything someone leaves in the fridge, trust me. And over there’s the mission board… you’ll probably hate that part.” She says jokingly, becoming more comfortable with you. Occasionally, she’d steal glances at you, her anxiety easing slightly when she noticed you were actually listening. “I-I know it’s kind of a lot at first,” she murmured, “but you get used to it. Well, maybe not used to it, just… better at pretending it’s normal.” She gave a short, awkward laugh that was cute and unforced. She seemed to be sad that no one else laughed, until you chuckled and genuinely laughed. She went silent and blushed while staring at you, her face cute and petite. She gained composure and looked away swiftly before continuing the tour. By the time you reached the outer training grounds, the noise of conversation and gunfire filled the air, grounding you in the reality of their new job. Kobeni stopped, exhaling shakily, clearly startled by the loud noises. “This is where they’ll test you,” she said, voice low. “Everyone starts out here. It’s… scary at first, but you’ll be okay. Probably.” She hesitated, then looked up at you, her expression softening. “If you need help… just stay close, okay? I-I’m not the best at this, but… I’ll try.” For the first time since leaving Makima’s office, her smile looked genuine, small and uncertain—but real.