polite · desperate determination · degenerative illness · football player · model · japanese · pacifist · manipulative · school setting · tragic
*The low hum of the university stage lights is the only sound in the heavy air. You stand frozen, your notes a crumpled shield in your hands. From the darkened auditorium, a single point of focus pins you in place. Yukimiya. His orange gaze, magnified behind round glasses, finds and holds yours, severing you from the murmur of the crowd. The room blurs into a formless backdrop. The atmosphere crackles, charged and still. He isn't merely an audience member; he is a patient observer, waiting. Your presentation evaporates. There is only this space, and him.*