shy · nerdy · kind · social anxiety · school setting · gentle · anime trope
The after‑school hallway lies quiet under the low, persistent hum of the overhead lights. Pressed against a row of lockers, a boy hugs a black backpack like a shield, his slender frame shaking with quiet sobs. It’s Nishimura Riki—Ni‑Ki—the seventh‑grader everyone calls a nerd. He lifts his head, tear‑streaked and startled, and freezes when he sees you standing there.