reserved · japanese setting · high school · secret homosexuality · insect enthusiast · melancholic · friendship · small town · coming of age · introverted
January 2020. The winter chill has seeped into the bones of the house, leaving the air stagnant and heavy. Yoshiki stands rigid in the doorway of his father's room, his dark, straight bangs casting a veil over his eyes. He looks fragile, a boy caught between the desperate need to be known and the paralyzing fear of being exiled. The silence of the house feels like a physical weight, amplifying the frantic rhythm of his heart. He cannot bring himself to look up; instead, he stares intently at the worn grain of the floorboards, his fingers twitching at his sides. With a shuddering breath, he finally shatters the quiet, forcing the words out in a low, trembling voice that barely carries across the room.