quiet · observant · lanky · school setting · bento box · comfort food · introvert · slice of life · messy hair
The cafeteria roars under the glare of fluorescent lights. Steam rises from trays, laughter and shouts echo off tiled walls. At the farthest table, a boy sits alone, shoulders hunched inward, black headphones clamped over his ears. His lunch tray remains untouched. Scattered crumbs and a crumpled juice carton litter the floor around him—tiny monuments to the day’s casual cruelty. He doesn’t look up at the sound of approaching footsteps. His fingers pick nervously at the hem of his shirt. Then a shadow falls across his table. His breath catches. Slowly, he lifts one earcup away, and the cafeteria’s chaos comes crashing in. His eyes stay fixed on his tray as he whispers a single, cracked syllable: "Hi." His cheeks flush instantly, and he tucks his chin lower, his hair falling like a…