The world is shining today…
But me? I'm the king of boredom.
Not for me. How pitiful.
Same road. Same shops. Same boring routine.
But right now—there's something more urgent.
I need to run like an athlete!
I'm ten minutes late for university.
Everyone will call me "Ruka, the King of Latecomers."
Third time already! Dammit.
The teacher will definitely dump penalty homework on me again.
Yes, yes—I finally reached. Time to take my seat.
"Ah, the king has arrived. We may proceed now, students."
Everyone turned to look at me, and then the room exploded with laughter.
Our professor was the one who said it. And of course… he meant me.
I slid into my seat, pretending not to care. Borrowed the notes from my best friend, scribbled down the missing work.
Then he leaned over with a mischievous grin.
"Ruka, come to a party with us. It'll be fun."
Party? Me? As the self-proclaimed king of boredom, no chance. Laziness is my specialty.
I rejected him instantly. Probably the real reason my life feels so dull.
"I have penalty homework," I said, trying to escape.
But he smirked.
"I'll help you with your penalty work. But you have to come with us. If not… we won't even let you go home."
What kind of threat is that?!
In the end, I had no choice. When university ended, I was dragged along.
And to my surprise, it wasn't just a party.
It was… a blind date.
I sighed, whispering to him,
"Why are we here? I don't want to meet any girls."
He just laughed.
"We should enjoy today. It's my treat, so don't complain."
This guy… seriously, such a thug. Still, I followed him into the karaoke lounge.
Just then—
"Kento?"
A familiar female voice.
It was my friend's girlfriend. He froze instantly.
"Uzume! What are you doing here?"
She smiled awkwardly.
"I came with my friends. They wanted me to check out some boys at this blind date. Of course I couldn't say no…"
Kento forced a laugh.
"Well, that's nice. You should enjoy time with your friends too. By the way, you remember our plan for next Sunday, right?"
Uzume blushed.
"Of course I remember… we're going to watch a movie. But… why are you here, Kento? Are you meeting someone?"
"N-No, I just came with my friend. Party, you know."
Then another female voice cut in—
"You're Kento, right?"
Kento stiffened.
"Wh-Who are you…?"
Uzume looked between them, suspicion in her eyes.
"You… know him?"
The girl nodded.
"Yes. He approached me online and convinced me to come on this blind date. That's why I asked you, Uzume, to come today—to verify these guys."
Without hesitation, Kento pointed at me.
I froze, then sighed.
"…Yeah, yeah. I'm the one who's here for the blind date. Kento's just my… supporter. He only came to help."
The entire room went silent.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three.
Then Uzume burst out laughing.
"Pfft—ha ha! I was terrified you were cheating, Kento. Don't scare me like that. Let's just move forward and enjoy."
And just like that, the storm was over.
We went inside. Karaoke started. Kento sang first, full of energy.
I just sat there, eyes drifting toward the girl beside me. White dress. Pretty.
Suddenly, Kento shouted,
"Ruka, your turn!"
My brain froze. My chest tightened. A thousand useless thoughts exploded in my head.
Before I could even touch the mic, the girl stood up and walked out.
I blinked. Confused. A moment later, Uzume followed her.
Outside—
"What happened, Mika? Why did you leave?" Uzume asked.
Mika's voice was sharp.
"Uzume, what do you think my standards are? I can't date a boy who doesn't even have confidence. His looks are fine, but without confidence… he's not my type."
Uzume tried to defend me.
"Mika, you decided too fast. We just met Ruka. He's shy, yes, but I think he could be a good person."
Mika shook her head.
"Enough, Uzume. You already have Kento. Don't expect me to waste time on a boy who doesn't even know his own potential. If he can't believe in himself, how could he ever make me happy? Sorry, but I'm leaving."
She ran off.
I overheard everything.
My chest hurt, but I couldn't even be angry. Just thought to myself:
Why am I like this?
Maybe this world isn't for me.
Kento patted my shoulder.
"Don't worry, bro. These things happen. It's just not the right moment for you."
And with that, the party ended.
On the way home, I asked,
"You know what you said about penalty work?"
He laughed.
"Another time, man. I've got my own stuff to do."
Well… at least he gave me a treat today.
Walking home, I saw Mika again. Standing by the street. My chest tightened.
But I didn't have the guts to approach her. I walked straight, pretending not to notice.
Then—her voice.
"Today I just gave an excuse to meet you guys… but honestly, I couldn't ignore you. You're my best friends, my top priority. Hehehe."
She was speaking to some puppies wagging their tails.
I almost laughed. So that was it? She wasn't even serious about the blind date?
Strangely, I felt relieved. At least she didn't reject me personally. She just had other priorities. Maybe… that wasn't so bad.
Finally, I reached home.
The loneliness sank in, as always. Silence filled the room like a heavy blanket. Out of habit, I tried calling Kento, but his line was busy.
I sighed. Picked up my controller. Maybe a game would kill the boredom.
But after a few minutes, even that felt empty. Frustrated, I opened my notebook for the penalty homework… but, as the king of boredom, I couldn't sit still for long.
Then—ding.
A notification lit up my phone.
"Hello Ruka. I know you overheard my conversation with Uzume, and I want to apologize for my behavior.
But as you noticed on the street, I already have some priorities. I left karaoke clumsily, and it probably messed things up.
I'm sending this because I feel guilty. Don't get the wrong idea—I'm not interested in romance. But… if you're willing, I'd like to be friends. If you can forgive me, please accept my request."
I stared at the screen. Frozen.
Mika… messaged me?
I didn't even know how she got my number. But her words didn't feel fake.
Maybe she wasn't a bad person. Maybe she just had her own world. Her own priorities.
And that part of her… was kind of cute.
A faint smile tugged at my lips.
Knock, knock.
Someone was at the door.
My body stiffened.
At this hour, no one ever visited me.
Slowly, I walked to the door. Peered through the hole.
And when I saw who it was—
my heart nearly stopped.