Chapter 5: Hidden pain
835 Words
The first week at Tokugawa Academy passed quietly.
Shiro preferred it that way.
While rumors spread throughout the school about the student who achieved a perfect entrance score, the person at the center of those rumors seemed completely uninterested.
He attended class.
Answered questions when called upon.
Went home.
Studied.
Slept.
Repeated.
To most students, he was simply a mysterious boy who always looked out the window.
The teachers admired him.
The students couldn't understand him.
Shiro himself didn't care.
He had already lived through office politics.
Teenage gossip was harmless.
Lunch break arrived.
The cafeteria overflowed with students.
The rooftop was crowded.
Even the gardens were full.
Shiro sighed quietly.
"So much for peace."
He wandered through unused hallways until he reached the oldest building on campus.
Its wooden floors creaked beneath every step.
Dust floated through beams of sunlight.
At the very end of the corridor stood a faded door.
The plaque hanging beside it barely remained attached.
Old Music Club Room
The room had long been abandoned.
Inside sat a dusty piano.
Several broken music stands.
Shelves filled with forgotten sheet music.
The windows overlooked the courtyard below.
It was quiet.
Perfect.
Shiro smiled.
"This will do."
He sat in the corner and opened his lunch.
Rice.
Chicken.
Vegetables.
Simple.
Healthy.
Peaceful.
Exactly how he liked it.
Then the door opened.
A girl entered carrying three textbooks and a lunchbox.
She wore glasses.
Her black hair reached her shoulders.
Everything about her appearance was neat and organized.
She froze when she noticed him.
Shiro simply nodded.
She nodded back.
Neither spoke.
Without saying a word, she walked to the opposite corner and began reading while eating.
Silence returned.
It wasn't awkward.
It was comfortable.
Five minutes later...
The door slammed open.
A blond-haired boy entered with his hands in his pockets.
His uniform jacket hung over one shoulder.
His tie wasn't even tied correctly.
Several bruises decorated his knuckles.
The stereotypical delinquent.
He looked around.
Saw the other two.
Clicked his tongue.
"...Tch."
Without another word he sat near the piano and opened his lunch.
The room fell silent once again.
Three strangers.
Three corners.
Three lunches.
It almost felt absurd.
Ten minutes later...
The door slid open again.
A cheerful voice echoed through the room.
"Oh?"
Standing there was a girl with honey-colored hair tied into twin tails.
Her nails were perfectly manicured.
Her makeup was subtle but elegant.
Even wearing the academy uniform, she somehow looked like she belonged on a magazine cover.
She looked around.
"Seriously?"
"There's already people here?"
She laughed softly.
"Oh well."
She walked inside anyway.
Rumor around school already called her one of Tokugawa's most beautiful first-years.
Before enrolling, she had modeled for several fashion brands.
Yet despite her appearance...
She carried an old acoustic guitar case.
She sat near the window.
Opened her lunch.
And quietly began humming a melody.
One final knock echoed.
A petite girl peeked inside.
She wore oversized headphones around her neck.
A keychain of anime characters dangled from her school bag.
She blinked.
"...Eh?"
"There are four people already?"
Everyone looked toward her.
She laughed awkwardly.
"I-I'll just stay over here."
She hurried toward the remaining empty corner.
Pulling out her lunch and phone simultaneously.
Every few seconds she smiled at messages appearing on the screen.
Unknown to almost everyone at the academy...
She was one of Japan's fastest-growing anime streamers.
Her broadcasts regularly attracted nearly one million viewers.
Yet at school...
She was simply another shy first-year.
Five students.
Five strangers.
Five corners.
No one spoke.
Only the sounds of chopsticks and the distant wind could be heard.
The old music room had somehow become peaceful.
Shiro finished eating first.
He neatly folded his chopsticks.
Closed his lunchbox.
And leaned against the wall.
He could have left.
Normally he would have.
Instead...
He looked around the room.
The honor student.
The delinquent.
The former model.
The streamer.
Each of them sat alone.
Not because they wanted attention.
But because they had nowhere else to belong.
For reasons even he couldn't explain...
Shiro opened his mouth.
His voice was calm.
Almost gentle.
Yet strangely heavy.
"...Do you all have regrets?"
Everyone looked toward him.
He continued quietly.
"...Like me?"
The room froze.
Even the wind outside seemed to stop.
The question was far too mature for teenagers.
It sounded less like something a student would ask...
And more like something spoken by someone nearing the end of life.
The honor student's fingers tightened around her lunchbox.
The delinquent looked toward the floor.
The gyaru's smile disappeared.
The streamer slowly lowered her phone.
No one answered.
Not immediately.
Because for the first time in a long time...
Someone had asked a question that reached beyond grades, popularity, and appearances.
Someone had asked about the scars hidden inside their hearts.
And though none of them realized it yet...
That single question would become the beginning of a friendship that would change all five of their lives forever.
**End of Chapter 5**
- Writer
