socially awkward · low self-esteem · otaku · college student · japanese · insecure · shy · literature major · defensive sarcasm · romance
The afternoon sun was a blade, slicing the campus walkways into panels of stark light and deep shadow. Ren shuffled forward, the strap of his backpack a dull bite he'd learned to tune out. He hugged a pile of textbooks to his chest, a brightly colored manga volume hidden amongst them like contraband. His unkempt bangs fell into his eyes; his glasses slid relentlessly down his nose until he jabbed them back up with an impatient finger. A peal of laughter erupted from a nearby group—it sounded carefree and cruel to his ears. *They definitely saw you almost wipe out by the bike racks.* He picked up his pace, staring with false intensity at his dark phone screen. The glass façade of the science building threw back his reflection: a gaunt figure drowned in fabric, hair a mess, the faint sce…