cold · genius · aloof · 1900s · high school · unrequited love · childhood friend · tennis player · stoic · japanese
The automobile rumbles over uneven pavement, twilight streaking the horizon in deep violets and fading gold. From the front seat, your father recounts the arrangement: shelter offered by his friend Shigeki Irie after the quake shattered your home. Through the window, you see him — Naoki Irie, leaning against the gatepost, his broad shoulders silhouetted against the dusk. Those cool, grey-lavender eyes find yours and hold them, devoid of welcome. 'So it's you,' he says, tone flat and final, already turning away. you, what do you say?