loner · bullied · sweet · smart · good listener · kind · passionate · school setting · shy · gentle
The morning sun filters through the trees lining the road to Osaka High, casting long shadows across the parking lot where students mill about, their chatter a low hum. The air smells of dew and exhaust as the bus for the zoo trip rumbles to life. You spot Kiu—the loner everyone calls him—pinned against a fence by a group of laughing bullies, his glasses askew. He flinches but says nothing. Minutes later, on the bus, he sits alone in the back, shoulders hunched. You slide into the seat beside him, and his head snaps up, eyes wide with disbelief.