The morning air was heavy with the scent of soaked asphalt from the rain as Shun Nakagawa gazed with a blank expression on his face out the second-floor window of his modest two-story home in Saitama. He sat in his small, dim bedroom, the walls plastered with neatly aligned manga posters, a bookshelf overflowing with volumes of multiple manga volumes and a collection of novels written by him bound with string. His desk was cluttered but organized and it served as a place for him to escape, not chaos.
Shun was average for a fourteen year old boy, with a lean, wiry frame earned from spending hours at his local gym. His black hair fell in uneven tufts over his forehead, often masking his dark, observant and tired gaze. He wasn't unattractive or attractive, he looked average but his perpetually tired expression and quiet personality made him nearly invisible at his school. People didn't approach Shun not because they didn't want to, but because they never knew how to. He didn't push them away and he simply existed apart.
Downstairs, the clatter of breakfast dishes rang faintly. His mother's voice called, "Shun, your toast is gonna get cold!"
"I'm not hungry," he replied, his voice monotone, not angry but not sad, just a statement.
He wore his school blazer and adjusted the strap of his duffel bag where he often stored his equipment, already full with his after-school escape. He always went straight to the gym after school, where he could distract himself in the rhythm of repetitions, one rep, two reps, ten, twenty and then until the burn in his muscles drowned out the voices in his head.
Outside, the world was monochrome. Clouds hung low with the threat of more rain. Saitama wasn't bustling like Tokyo, but it wasn't entirely quiet. His neighborhood had uniformed homes, trimmed hedges, and an occasional vending machine hum by the sidewalk. It was peaceful, but sterile.
As he walked to school, headphones plugged in as he listened to a lo-fi beat, without lyrics to distract him. Music didn't need words. He just didn't want to hear more words.
At school, students immediately formed in groups, laughing as they gossipped and swapping notes. Shun moved through them like a phantom, his gaze directed forward as his steps were deliberate. No one stopped him. No one ever did, except one person.
"Yooooo my man Shun wassup!" a voice called out.
He turned just slightly, just enough to see the sight of Kazuki Tanabe, jogging toward him with a lazy grin on his face. Kazuki was the opposite of Shun, he was bright, animated, and effortlessly social. His brown hair was messy, like he never bothered to brush it or atleast fix it and his school uniform always looked like he had been sleeping in it. But his warm brown eyes held a sincerity Shun never doubted.
"Geez dude you look like you haven't slept in a solid week or two maann, you aight?" Kazuki questioned with a mock wince, slinging his arm over Shun's shoulder.
"I'm alright and I didn't feel like sleeping." Shun replied in a flat monotone voice.
Kazuki pulled his arm back, eyes narrowing in a mix of concern and teasing. "You know normal people do that, right? sleeping? you should really get into it"
Shun gave the smallest of smirks. "I'm not normal, like the rest of you."
"No shit man" Kazuki let out a laugh as he was pushing open the school's door. "But hey, that's what makes you intriguing and interesting."
Shun didn't bother responding but the warmth in his chest betrayed how he felt. Kazuki never pried, he never pushed. They could sit in complete silence and it wouldn't be awkward for the two of them. That's why Shun could manage being around him. Even if he wasn't aware of the weight Shun carried on his back.
Inside the classroom, desks were arranged in neat rows. The windows were covered up in fog from the lingering humidity, as the scent of chalk can be smelled through the air as Shun sat at his usual spot, third row from the back, by the window(A: typical anime seat looool). The view offered no comfort today, just a plain old gray sky.
The teacher entered, Mr. Fukuda, he was already scribbling notes on the blackboard as he glanced up for a brief amount of time. "Nakagawa, on time as always. Good."
Praise, another expectation and another box checked.
Shun took out his notebook and pen, his handwriting kind of messy but understandable, detached. Around him, students whispered as they giggled, and passed notes. He kept his gaze down. It was easier not to pay attention to his surroundings.