Every day, Souta would slip into a corner of the classroom, trying to go unnoticed. The voices of his classmates echoed in his head, but he didn't listen to them.
He had learned, over the years, to stay silent, to not draw attention to himself. His existence passed by between one lesson and the next, a series of empty hours that seemed to never end.
As soon as he sat down, the memories of the past attacked him. It was an ordinary day from a few years ago. He was always the center of attention, he could be considered the popular guy, until that day when something changed. He entered school like any other day, but something was different. Everyone looked at him with disgust and kept their distance. Souta could feel the cold air toward him. The usual group of friends wasn't around. The only one who approached him was perhaps the only one of his friends who still wanted to believe that he hadn't done anything.
So, taken by surprise by this situation, Souta tried to stay calm, but deep inside, the worry grew that this "normality" was no longer normal.
He said to his friend, with worried and somewhat sad eyes:
"What happened? Can you please update me? Why are you all looking at me like this? Ah, I get it, you've planned a prank, right?"
Another friend approached from behind, angry at Souta's words, stood in front of him, and shouted:
"Oh, so you want to play the fool after what you did? You perverted jerk, she told you no!" Then he started crying and continued, "W-why didn't you stop?!"
Souta, also irritated by his insinuations, raised his voice and said:
"What! What did I do? I didn't do anything! What are you talking about?" Then he lowered his gaze and ran his hands through his hair. "I… I really don't know what you're talking about."
His flashback was suddenly interrupted when his only friend approached and started talking to him like he usually did every day. Not that Souta cared much, but at least it made him feel less alone.
"Hey, Souta, can you hear me? Tell me, have you seen the new anime that came out yesterday? Did you like it?"
Souta, with a somewhat uninterested look, replied:
"No, actually I haven't seen it yet, but I saw the trailer, and it seemed interesting." He looked out the window.
At that moment, his mind wasn't really there. He was already thinking about the moment when he could leave and go back home. It felt like this world wasn't made for him, no matter how much he spent time with people, he couldn't truly feel at home in this group. Not that he talked to many people, he thought to himself, but instead, he had to stay seated in his desk in a classroom that truly didn't belong to him.
His friend waved his hand in front of his eyes to see if he was listening and said:
"Hey, why don't you ever listen to me? Ugh, I'm the only one who talks to you, at least show me some attention. Anyway, I watched it, and it's the anime of the year, I swear. I'm sure you'll like it, it's totally your genre."
Souta moved his friend's hand away and said:
"Yeah, sorry, it's just that sometimes I get lost in my thoughts, but I think you already know that."
But then, our conversation was suddenly interrupted. A day that seemed like all the others was now taking a new turn.
Rika, the most popular girl in school, had come to talk to him, leaving both Souta and his friend shocked.
Rika, with her seductive and kind attitude, approached Souta and asked:
"Sorry, Souta, I didn't mean to interrupt, but I really wanted to ask you something." She looked at him with a curious and kind expression while adjusting a strand of hair, tucking it behind her ear. "Can I?"
Then Rika took a nearby chair, sat next to him, leaned her arms on the table, and looked into his eyes, waiting for his response.
Souta, incredulous that Rika had really come to talk to him, replied stammering:
"Y-yes, of course." He gestured slightly for help from his friend, but he left the classroom saying:
"Well, enjoy the conversation, see you next time, Souta!" With a quick motion, he left the room, disappearing down the hallway.
Souta thought, "Next time I see him, I'll teach him a lesson, that jerk…ugh."
Rika, with a playful smile, said:
"Now it's just the two of us."
Then, with a more curious and sincere air, she added:
"Tell me, why do you always sit alone in class? I just don't get it. Honestly, you're not a bad-looking guy, you're not weird either. So why?"
Souta was a bit stunned. No one had ever asked him that before. He felt a bit of embarrassment growing inside him.
Souta slightly averted his gaze, a little embarrassed, and said:
"It's a choice of mine, and you know, I probably just don't know how to talk to people, even worse with girls." Then he paused for a moment and reflected, adding: "But why are you asking me this?" He asked with curiosity, continuing, "We've never really spoken before." He was genuinely trying to find a plausible answer.
Rika, without giving it much thought but with determination, said:
"I'm not doing this for you, but you know… it bothers me that everyone avoids you and leaves you out for no good reason." Then, with conviction, she stood up and said: "I've decided, we're going to have lunch together today, you're coming, right?"
Rika stood up from her chair, grabbed his hand with a gentle but firm grip, and gently pulled him up. Souta, a little caught off guard, slightly raised his gaze, a little embarrassed, and said:
"Are you sure, Rika? I don't think I'm much company." Deep inside, he felt that he could trust her. "But if you really insist, I'll go!" He said, excited about this new adventure outside his usual routine.
Then Rika looked into his eyes and, with a sweet smile that could radiate warmth, said:
"Then let's go, yay!!" She reaffirmed her grip on his hand. Her hand was really soft, and he truly felt that maybe someone cared for him. She guided him toward the cafeteria. "Souta, don't worry, just follow me."
Their hands were still joined as they walked toward the cafeteria. Then, as they walked, she suddenly looked at him with a mischievous smile and pulled him into the storage room. She did it without hesitation, as if it were almost a normal thing for her.