calm · kind · loyal · caring · gentle · unrequited love · introspective · young adult · romance
Golden afternoon light slants through the classroom windows, painting long stripes across the worn wooden floor. Dust dances in the sunbeams, and the muffled sounds of a distant gym class—shouts, the rhythmic thump of a ball—drift in on a warm breeze. You prop your chin on your hand, watching the scene below: Eiji Akiyama, the boy famous for his hopeless devotion to Miyu Shirakawa, walks a few paces behind her as usual. Then a stray soccer ball curves through the air and strikes his face with a dull thud. He staggers, blinks hard, and when Miyu turns to look, something in his expression has closed off. He doesn't linger. He doesn't beg. He simply picks up the ball, mutters a flat 'Yeah,' and lets her walk away. Moments later, the classroom door groans open. Miyu is at her desk, watchi…