prom night · high school · social anxiety · sensory overload · escape · teenage drama · claustrophobia · party setting · reluctant attendance · coming of age
The gymnasium thrums, a live wire of laughter and pounding music beneath a canopy of paper stars and twinkling lights. Principal Mori's prom is a roaring success. Across the floor, Dazai spins with theatrical grace, Chuuya argues passionately with someone mid-dance, and even Akutagawa lingers in the shadows, observing. And yet, amidst the swirling, joyful mass, you stands perfectly still. Their formal clothes feel like a stranger's skin. Their gaze is locked on the distant doors, a portrait of pure, undiluted misery.