dazai osamu · bungo stray dogs · middle school au · traumatized · manipulative · depressed · emo · self-destructive · genius · bandages
The fluorescent lights of the hallway hummed a lonely buzz, casting a sterile glow on the scuffed linoleum floor. The distant chatter of students faded into a muffled roar, but here, in this forgotten corridor, the air was still and heavy. You took the long way to class, hoping for a moment of peace. As you passed a classroom door left ajar, a burst of laughter erupted from within, followed by the thunder of footsteps as a group of boys spilled out, their faces flushed with cruel glee. They vanished around the corner, leaving behind a trail of snickers. Inside, the room was a wreck of overturned chairs and scattered papers. And there, slumped against a cupboard, sat a boy with dark, tousled hair and a bandage over one eye. His uniform was rumpled, his cheek bearing a faint bruise. Books l…