Rio Fujimiya — a boy burdened by misfortune.
His life was a shadow that refused to leave his shoulders. Every day, his parents' voices struck him like thunder, as if affection had long been erased from that home.
School was no better; his teacher scolded him endlessly for the zeros that never changed on his report card.
And so, the world seemed united in mocking Rio.
Amane Takeshi and Honekawa Arata — two boys starving for attention — made him their daily target.
Rio would only cry, then fall silent.
In time, he stopped speaking altogether, stopped interacting, and simply sat by the window, staring blankly outside — as if his soul had long flown away from his body.
Amane glanced at Arata, a twisted grin curling his lips.
"Hey, Arata... what if we beat up Rio after school? I'm sick of his face," he whispered, half-laughing.
"Sure. I'm pissed anyway. My mom yelled at me just for getting an eighty-seven," Arata muttered bitterly.
Rio knew they were whispering about him — but he didn't care.
He turned his gaze back to the sky beyond the glass, like a bird longing for its lost wings.
"Why is my life like this? Was I born unlucky... or did this world simply never want me in the first place?"
he thought quietly, his heart cracking under the weight of his own words.
Suddenly—
BANG!
The classroom door slammed open. Every student froze.
Their teacher stepped in — tall, sharp-eyed, voice like a whip, and famous for shouting at Rio whenever his score was zero.
"Sit down! We're starting class. But first, I'd like to introduce a new student. Come in!"
All eyes turned toward the door.
Whispers filled the air — the boys hoping for a pretty girl, the girls hoping for a tall, handsome boy.
Rio didn't move.
He just kept staring at the sky — its blue felt foreign, as though even heaven was mocking his loneliness.
Then, the sound of soft footsteps echoed.
Someone entered — every motion graceful, every step deliberate, time itself slowing to make way.
The girl was too beautiful for an ordinary school. The sunlight pouring through the window seemed to choose her alone.
"Wooooah!"
The class erupted in awe — the noise loud enough to reach the next room.
The teacher slammed the desk.
"Quiet! One more sound and you'll stand in the hallway!"
Instant silence.
"Alright, Aihara. Please introduce yourself to the class," the teacher said, his tone softening.
The girl stepped forward, bowed slightly, and smiled brightly.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Aihara Misaki. You can call me Aihara, or Misaki. Nice to meet you all."
That smile brought spring into a classroom that had long felt like winter.
"Aihara, sit next to Rio. But be careful... if you talk to him too much, you might catch his stupidity,"
the teacher said jokingly — half in humor, half in cruelty.
Aihara heard it — but didn't respond.
She walked gracefully to her seat beside Rio.
A few boys muttered under their breath — how could a girl like her end up beside him, the "dumbest kid in Japan?"
Aihara smiled softly.
"Hi, Rio. The teacher said that's your name, right? Nice to meet you."
She held out her hand.
But Rio didn't move.
He simply picked up his notebook without looking at her.
Aihara froze.
This was the first time a boy — especially one as quietly handsome as Rio — had ever ignored her.
"Why is he so cold? And why do all the girls seem to hate him?"
she wondered, eyes tracing the shape of his unreadable face.
Class began.
Aihara tried to focus, but her eyes kept drifting toward Rio.
Rio noticed, turning slowly.
Their eyes met — and time stopped.
Rio's eyes were cold... yet impossibly deep.
That gaze pierced through Aihara's heart, making her cheeks flush.
"Why are you staring at me like that?"
Rio's voice was calm but sharp.
"Are you curious about me, Aihara Misaki? If you don't want your friends to avoid you, then stop looking at me that way."
He turned back to the board, as if nothing happened.
Aihara froze in place. Her heartbeat thundered.
"So close... so sharp... why is my heart beating this fast?"
Someone tapped her shoulder.
"Aihara, focus! The teacher's watching — you'll get scolded," her friend whispered with a giggle.
Aihara quickly looked back at the board.
But by the time the teacher erased the notes, she hadn't written a single thing.
Without a word, Rio slid his notebook toward her.
"If you need notes, copy mine. Hurry, ten minutes till the bell."
Aihara blinked, then nodded gratefully, scribbling furiously.
Ten minutes later, the school bell rang.
"Alright, you can all take a break. But anyone who hasn't finished copying, stay in class,"
the teacher warned.
As everyone rushed out for the cafeteria — today's twenty percent discount too tempting to miss — Rio stood up slowly.
He looked at Aihara, still copying from his notebook. Sweat dotted her cheeks, but she kept writing.
"When you're done, put my notebook in my bag. But don't look inside it. If you do... I won't help you again."
His tone was calm, but his eyes were sharp.
Aihara said nothing. She just wrote.
Rio walked out — his face expressionless, but his mind not as calm as he looked.
"Why did I stare into her eyes that long? Now she didn't even get a proper break…"
he muttered softly.
---
The School Cafeteria
The cafeteria buzzed like a festival.
Students pushed and shouted, fighting for food. Rio moved quickly, eyes locked on his one goal: his favorite bread.
Only one was left.
His eyes narrowed. He slipped through the crowd like wind — slender, determined, unstoppable.
Bodies shifted, voices clashed, but Rio didn't care.
Finally—
He grabbed it.
Sweat covered his forehead, his breathing heavy — but for once, a faint smile formed on his lips.
"Finally… got it. My favorite bread…"
But suddenly, the air changed.
Cold. Silent.
Goosebumps crawled down his arms.
He looked up — the sky above was swirling, clouds twisting as if hiding something descending from beyond.
"Hais… don't tell me… an alien invasion?" he muttered, squinting.
He rolled up his right sleeve.
A strange watch clung to his wrist — not ordinary, but alive, pulsing faintly with light.
The hands trembled… as if sensing something vast approaching.
Rio's face grew serious.
A powerful aura descended from the heavens.
The world seemed to hold its breath.
And in that fading light, Rio realized —
Time was no longer a mere sequence of numbers turning on the hands of a clock. It had transcended hours and minutes—becoming something alive.