Yuu Kurose didn't really mind being alone. He preferred it, honestly. The classroom was noisy most of the time—buzzing with conversations, laughter, gossip—but his desk in the back corner was like a little island. People left him alone. That was how he liked it.
Or at least, that's what he told himself.
Then one morning, everything changed.
The teacher walked in and clapped her hands. "Okay, class. We've got a new seating arrangement starting today."
Groans filled the room. Yuu sighed. It wasn't like anyone ever got seated next to him. He was "the quiet guy." People didn't even look at him unless they had to.
"Rika Amamiya, you're next to Kurose."
That got a reaction.
"Huh?" she blinked, blowing a pink bubble with her gum before it popped. "Wait, back row guy?"
Rika Amamiya—the school's loudest, brightest girl. Blonde-streaked hair in curls, chunky platform shoes, glittery phone case. She wore her uniform loose and short, decorated with pins and accessories. Everyone knew her. Everyone noticed her.
She plopped into the seat beside him without hesitation. "Yo."
Yuu blinked once and turned back toward the window.
She leaned in. "You always this gloomy, or are you just allergic to girls?"
He didn't respond.
She grinned.
Over the next few days, Rika kept talking to him. About random things. Her nails. The new bubble tea place. How boring math was. Whether or not aliens were real. She didn't seem to care that Yuu only nodded or replied with a quiet "Mm."
Eventually, she started sitting with him during lunch too.
"Don't look so panicked," she teased on the third day. "I'm not in love with you or anything. It's just fun seeing you react like a frozen deer."
"I'm not reacting," he muttered.
"Exactly," she said. "Creepy. Fascinating."
And somehow, she stayed.
Even when he was quiet. Even when he didn't laugh at her jokes. Even when he told her nothing about himself. Rika kept showing up, showing off, and poking at the cracks in his wall.
It was annoying. And comforting. And terrifying.