📘 Chapter 1: Back Row, No One Notices Me
I sat in the last row, third seat from the window.
Not because I liked it. Not because it was "cool."
But because nobody cared where I sat.
New school year, new school, same me — a thin, quiet, nerdy guy just trying to survive. I wasn't bullied, but I wasn't remembered either. If I disappeared tomorrow, I doubt anyone would even notice my chair was empty.
And that was fine… I guess.
"Hey, pass the attendance sheet."
The boy in front of me didn't turn around — just extended his arm backward.
He didn't even look at me.
I passed the sheet without a word.
The day crawled by.
Classes blurred together — Physics, Math, English — all easy. Too easy.
I noticed her during the third period.
Her. Reiko.
She sat in the second row. Long black hair tied loosely, a soft expression like she belonged in a painting. She wasn't talking much, but even sitting silently, she looked like a spotlight had been placed only on her.
Boys stared. Girls stared. I stared... then quickly looked away.
Of course, someone like her would never notice someone like me.
At lunch, I ate alone. Not by choice.
I didn't bring much — just some rice and boiled egg.
No one joined me. No one asked me anything.
From across the courtyard, I saw Reiko laughing with her friends.
That kind of laugh that made everything around her seem warm.
I smiled without realizing.
Then I stopped.
Because people like me don't smile at people like her.
We just pretend not to exist.
After school, I went home, like I always did — alone.
I studied for the upcoming entrance tests. Solved two mock papers. Timed myself. Got full marks.
It's not like I enjoyed it.
It's just… when you're invisible, getting perfect scores is the only way to make a dent in the world.
Tomorrow would be the same.
Sit alone.
Eat alone.
Go home alone.
Until something changes.
Until someone notices.
Until she says yes.
My name is Masako.
And this is how everything began.
> [To be continued…]