Outsider Syndrome | ✓

Chapter 10 - "Meant to be Alone"

It wasn't unnatural for the two to bicker. While Hachi was popular for his outgoing and sunshine-like personality, Narumi's dark demeanour allowed him to be dubbed Hoshizaki Academy's 'Ice Prince'. Truly two opposites of a pole.

Still, it didn't explain why these two were having this farce right in front of me. There were countless empty desks around us, and tons more classmates.

"Rumi!" Hachi complained after breaking free. He huffed and puffed to regain his breath. Then, cradling his cheek, this time with genuine pain in his voice, he ducked behind me. "You can't threaten a student just because of a little mistake!"

"Little?" Narumi's glower was bone-chilling. He whipped out a shredded piece of paper. "You destroyed our class list for the Sports Festival!"

"That's why we're here to rewrite it, right?" Hachi frowned, resting his arm on my shoulder. "Jeez, Rumi. And you wonder why you have so many wrinkles. Lighten up."

Narumi's jaw twitched.

I sweatdropped.

Oblivious to the thick malice in the air, Hachi straightened up and beamed down at me. "Anyway, Shiina. The original copy of what students signed up for the Sports Festival is ruined so Rumi and I are going around to ask everyone to sign up again."

All the theatrics for a conversation that could've ended within a minute.

Sighing, I dug into my desk for my supplies. "Anything's fine."

Hachi blinked dramatically. "Anything? Are you sure?"

"Yup." I rested my chin on my palm. "Even if I chose a sport, our classmates will ask me to switch with them anyway. Save me the trouble by putting my name last."

The silence was overbearing.

Hachi crouched, placing his elbows on my desk. His emerald green irises stared up at me. "Is everything okay, Shiina?"

Tears pricked the corners of my eyes. It wasn't intentional, and I batted them off before he could notice, but the heaviness in my chest remained.

I'd always admired Hachi. He was kind to everyone. Friends with everyone. There wasn't a single person who didn't hit it off with him. Although the two did argue here and there, the same applied to Narumi. They spent a lot of time together, completing their duties and conversing. Hachi made it look easy to befriend somebody who otherwise wouldn't give him the time of day.

Maybe in the beginning being greeted by Hachi or being complimented after gym class, touched me. But I soon realized his kindness wasn't selective. There was no point thinking I was special; that he genuinely cared about someone like me—the constant object of ridicule by our peers—when he had so many others at his side.

There was the chance it was sincere, that he truly did care about everyone equally, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. Just because I talked to Hachi wouldn't change that I ate my lunch alone every day. That I had no friends to hang out with on my way home. That I had nobody other than Rin-Rin to text about nonsensical things.

Taking his kindness for granted wouldn't pull me out of the shadows and into the light. Just like he was meant to have friends, I was meant to be alone.