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The morning sun rose through the classroom window, its warm light shining on a boy who stared blankly outside.
His name was Kento Arashi, and while everyone else listened to the lesson, his mind drifted somewhere far away.
"Kento!" the teacher called.
He didn't react.
"KENTO!" she shouted this time.
He blinked, snapping back to reality.
"Y-yes, Miss?" he stuttered, startled.
The teacher sighed. "Am I boring you, Kento?"
Kento's cheeks turned red. "N-n-no, Miss…"
The class burst into laughter.
He lowered his head in embarrassment.
When the bell rang, the students rushed out like wild animals, cheering for freedom.
The teacher sighed, "Can't they walk out like normal people?"
Kento slowly packed his bag, keeping his head down. As he was about to leave, the teacher called out again.
"Kento… is something wrong? You've been daydreaming a lot lately. I'm starting to get worried."
He froze at the door.
"N-n-no… nothing is wrong," he said softly, avoiding her eyes.
She gave a tired but gentle smile. "If you ever need to talk, I'm here to listen — not judge."
He nodded once and walked out, closing the door behind him.
---
Outside, Kento walked with his hands in his pockets, eyes fixed on the ground.
A kid bumped into him hard, not even saying sorry.
Kento sighed, picked up his bag, and kept walking.
At the field, he saw a group of boys laughing and playing soccer.
For a moment, he smiled faintly — then looked down again.
My life is boring, he thought. I have no dream. No purpose.
No friends, because I'm too shy. And this stupid stutter… I can never talk right. They'll just laugh at me.
He crossed the street as a car passed by.
Sometimes, dark thoughts whispered inside him.
Maybe if that car hit me… it would all just end.
He paused. No… I can't. My family's already poor. I can't make their lives harder.
He sighed and kept walking.
---
At home, he opened the door quietly.
His younger sister looked up from the couch. "Hey, brother. How was school?"
Kento sighed. "Same as always."
She crossed her arms. "Mine was bad too. The kids keep picking on me! I hate bullying!" she said dramatically.
Kento didn't respond, just walked into his room and closed the door behind him.
His sister groaned. "Ugh, what kind of brother doesn't even help his sister?"
No answer.
Lying on his bed, Kento stared at the ceiling.
I just want to sleep and never wake up, he thought.
His mind drifted again. Our father passed away. Mother ran away. It's just me, my sister, and my little brother…
After a while, he got up and walked to the kitchen.
His sister's voice came from behind him. "There's no milk left if you want coffee!"
He frowned. "Really?"
"There's money in the drawer!" she replied.
Kento sighed, took the money, and left the house.
---
The sky had started to turn orange as he walked back from the store with a carton of milk in hand.
Then he noticed something — a girl standing alone near a hill.
She stood dangerously close to the edge.
Kento's eyes widened.
Is she going to jump?
Before he could think, his body moved on its own. He ran up the hill.
Just as the girl leaned forward, he grabbed her and pulled her back.
She fell into his arms, trembling and crying.
"Let me go!" she screamed. "Just let me die!"
Kento froze.
Those words… they were the same ones he had once said.
A flashback burned in his mind — a rope, his own tears, and a man cutting him down before it was too late.
He swallowed hard.
"C-calm down," he said gently. "Just… take a deep breath."
The girl wiped her eyes. Her voice trembled. "Why… why did you stop me?"
Kento hesitated. "Because… I once wanted to do the same."
She looked at him, startled. "You… wanted to end your life too?"
He nodded slowly. "Yeah. But I realized it's not worth it."
Tears welled in her eyes again. "Life is just… so hard."
"Please don't cry," Kento said awkwardly, looking away. "Life will always be hard. But… you just keep moving forward. That's all you can do."
The girl sniffed and tried to smile faintly.
He smiled back, nervous. "H-how about… we g-get something to eat?"
She nodded quietly.
---
They sat together in a small diner, both staring at their plates in silence.
After a while, Kento spoke, voice shaking. "M-my name is… Kento Arashi. A-and you are…?"
She glanced at him. "Suzuki. Suzuki Hoshino."
He looked down, embarrassed. I'm so bad at talking to people…
After a moment, he asked softly, "W-why did you want to… you know…"
Suzuki looked away. "Why should I tell you?"
Kento hesitated. "Because… I almost did too."
She froze. "You did?"
He nodded. "Yeah. But I'm glad I didn't."
Tears returned to her eyes. "Life hurts so much…"
He sighed. "I know. But we can't give up. Even when no one sees us… we still exist."
Suzuki's eyes widened. She looked at him strangely.
"What did you just say?"
"Huh?"
"You can… see me?"
He blinked. "Of course I can."
Her hands trembled. "You don't understand. No one can see me."
Kento frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"
"I know it sounds crazy," she whispered. "But… watch."
She stood up and walked over to a man nearby, gently patting his shoulder.
The man didn't react. He didn't even look at her — just walked past as if she wasn't there.
Kento's eyes went wide.
Suzuki walked back, tears in her eyes.
"In my class, no one could see me. Sometimes, I'd get locked inside the room… alone. I thought I was invisible. I thought I was dead."
Kento pulled out his phone, heart racing. He searched her name online.
A post appeared:
> Please help find my daughter — Suzuki Hoshino. Missing for two years.
Kento's hands trembled.
He looked up at her — she was crying.
"Yeah…" she whispered. "That's me. But I'm not missing."
She looked around at the staring people.
Kento noticed the whispers.
"Why is he talking to himself?" someone said.
Kento's eyes widened in horror.
He looked at Suzuki — and realized no one else could see her.
His mouth fell open.
And then—
everything went quiet.
To be continued…
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