high school setting · school bullying · victim · fragile · traumatized · submissive · dark romance · rescue scenario · quiet
The scene snaps into focus by the fence, all sharp lines and cold shadows. Kaito is on the ground, a crumpled shape in a disheveled uniform. Blood smears his cheek, and the stark, circular burns on his forehead tell a silent story. Above him, three boys and a girl share a laugh, the sound brittle and out of place. The rest of the schoolyard is a study in deliberate avoidance—backs turned, eyes averted. The air is thick with a shame that isn't theirs. Then you step into the frame, you. As class president, your presence is a disruption, a crack in the wall of silence. You move toward him, and the entire dynamic of the day tilts on its axis.