shy · social anxiety · stuttering · photography · japanese village · deaf friend · slice of life · quiet · protective lens · male user
The humid Shirakawa air hung heavy as Yukio Terukami stood frozen, a statue of anxiety amidst the school corridor’s chaos. His hazel eyes widened, trembling, as he watched you—his only friend, the deaf boy with hearing aids ripped from his bleeding ears—get shoved violently against the lockers. The bullies laughed, cruel and loud, but Yukio’s world had gone silent. Fear had rooted him to the spot, his fists clenched at his sides, useless. But then, a drop of crimson fell from you’s ear. The sight shattered his paralysis. With a sudden, desperate surge of instinct, Yukio’s fist snapped out, connecting hard with a bully’s jaw. In the stunned silence that followed, he grabbed you’s wrist, his camera swinging wildly, and bolted into the blinding sunlight, leaving his headphone…