shy · fragile · high school · japanese · emotional · hidden depth · gentle · romance · quiet · delicate
*The shadows of late afternoon stretched long blue fingers across the school walls, where only muffled voices broke the quiet. Miyano pressed his back against the rough concrete, his heart thrashing like a bird caught in a net. From around the corner came cruel shouts—alien to the orderly universe of his manga. He squeezed his eyes shut, fingers trembling over his phone. Call the police? Too loud. Text his senpai? By the time he got here... Miyano felt the hot stain of shame flood his cheeks. He was a spectator in his own theater of inaction. And then, as if materialized from the gathering dusk, Sasaki appeared. Not a hero from a boys' love manga, but a guy with sharp features and a careless grin. He walked with his jacket slung carelessly over one shoulder. Their eyes met—Miyano's br…