Nao Nishimura

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2021

Stories (6)

6 Stories

113 karma pts

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“Social Anxiety” by Nao Nishimura

Submitted to Contest #89

The sound of my combat boots against the floor of the train station already felt as if they were twice as loud as anyone else’s shoes here. Along with that, every coherent thought of what I could say to break a horrifyingly empty silence disappear at my lips the second they open to speak. I’d like to think that the same was happening to her as I look over at her fumbling fingers against the strap of her bag and the way her head is turned ever so slightly away from me. “Did you cut your hair recently?” I make a mental plea to any entity ...

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“Frangipanis” by Nao Nishimura

Submitted to Contest #86

One spray to start, depending on how many flowers are in the vase, and then another if it doesn’t seem damp enough. Then you wipe each leaf gently, he was always sure to remind me to be gentle, to stroke off the dust that forms over time. He was much better at this process than I ever was, or will ever be, and seemed to find more pleasure in doing the tedious task each week than I find myself being.Back then, we filled our apartment with flowers of all kinds, much more than the amount here now, no matter the time of year, and opened the slid...

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“Strawberry Cherry Blossoms” by Nao Nishimura

Submitted to Contest #86

“Spring’s almost here, isn’t it, Nao?” I rubbed the soft white fur of her underside, smiling as she purred and flailed her paws around. The air was still cold despite the impending spring, bitter winds and snow-filled driveways causing me to wish I could jump to the up and coming spring that was bound to have the most beautiful cherry blossoms. Nao doesn’t seem to mind the cold though, maybe because she likes how her fur matches the color of the snow. She’s eating more than usual today, finishing nearly all of the bowl of tuna brough...

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“the next time I forget” by Nao Nishimura

Submitted to Contest #84

Forgetting becomes easier the lonelier you let yourself become. Everything blends into something just under nothing at all. But it’s easier that way, she says, it’s simpler that way, she says. Or thinks. There’s no point in saying things that no one will hear. She thinks that too. The morning paper that she picks up every day before school says that it’s February 15th today, but she could’ve sworn it was the 8th just yesterday. To most people, the lack of memory that spanned over days at a time would be something that should ...

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“typical summers” by Nao Nishimura

Submitted to Contest #83

Typical summers brought intervals of working at unpaid internships and taking summer classes in order to graduate early, all whilst wishing she was napping in some sun-kissed island she sees in her dreams. What summer is not supposed to bring though, are tall blondes that look like foreigners yet somehow aren’t, who stand so tall anyone next to them would feel like an ant. And that she did. Rather, she wished she would become an ant just to prove the point that walking through her suspiciously cheap hotel room door and seeing a man i...

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“the sun, the stars, and us” by Nao Nishimura

Submitted to Contest #83

If I close my eyes tight enough for only the whispering shadows of the golden sun to seep through, I can almost remember exactly what she looked like the day we came here a year ago. I can almost remember exactly what that day smelled like as the ocean tides rippled out the deep aroma of saltwater mixing in with her intoxicating perfume. I can almost, almost remember exactly what her laugh sounded like as she shoved me under the water and I pulled her leg down with me. What I do remember clearly though, was the feeling of warm, rushi...

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Author bio

I like to think my strong suits are either writing, drawing, having paragraphs of why certain anime characters are so well written memorized, or all of the above.