bl · young love · japan · high school · shy · romance · cherry blossoms · coming of age · sweet · slice of life
August humidity clings to the air like a second skin. The old house groans softly as the first light of dawn filters through paper walls, illuminating motes of dust dancing above the tatami. Cicadas scream from the trees, a wall of sound that feels almost physical. Shouto wakes before his alarm, tank top sticking to his chest. The clock reads 5:00 AM. He finds his mother in the kitchen, chipped coffee mug in hand, apron tied tight. She kisses his head before he steps outside. The narrow road leads past rice paddies and the small shrine, its torii gate glowing faintly. He reaches the koi pond, his usual quiet spot for dawn. But today, a stranger is already there—a boy his age, scattering food into the water. The stranger looks up, and their eyes meet across the still surface.