Kaito Igarashi sat stiffly in his lecture hall seat, clutching his notebook as if it were a lifeline. Around him, students chattered freely, laughing, exchanging phone numbers, and settling into their seats as if they had been friends for years.
Kaito, on the other hand, was dying.
*Okay. Breathe. Just focus on the lecture. That's what I came here for. Not to socialize. Just to study. That's all.
The problem was, studying required a clear mind, and his was currently occupied with one singular thought:
*Where do I look?*
If he stared straight ahead at the professor's empty podium, he looked like a lost puppy waiting for its owner. If he glanced at his notebook, he seemed like a weirdo who was writing before the class even started. And if he accidentally made eye contact with someone—
No. That was **not** an option.
He settled for staring at the blank PowerPoint screen at the front of the lecture hall.
That was, until someone slid into the seat beside him.
"Yo."
Kaito flinched. He turned his head slowly, only to find **Haru Nishimura**, his overly extroverted roommate, grinning at him.
"Didn't think you'd be in this class," Haru said, leaning back casually in his chair. "Thought you were a literature guy or something."
Kaito swallowed. "I… I am."
"Then what are you doing in Psychology 101?"
"…It was one of the only general courses available."
Haru chuckled. "Well, lucky you! You got me as your lecture buddy. I'll keep you from falling asleep."
Kaito highly doubted that.
The lecture hall was filling up fast. The seats were almost full, students either whispering about their expectations for the class or texting on their phones.
And then, just when Kaito thought he could relax—
Two girls entered the room, scanning for seats.
One of them pointed to the empty one next to Kaito.
Kaito's soul left his body.
"Excuse me," one of them said, standing in front of him. "Is this seat taken?"
Kaito's brain short-circuited.
Answer. Say something. Anything.
His mouth opened—
Nothing came out.
He was frozen.
A simple "no" would have sufficed. But his throat refused to work, and in the three seconds of silence that followed, the girl gave him a confused look.
"…I'll just sit here, then."
She sat down, setting her bag on the floor.
Kaito wanted to jump out the nearest window.
Haru, on the other hand, looked like he was holding back laughter.
"Dude," he whispered. "You okay? You just got hit with a conversation starter and completely folded."
Kaito's face burned. "I—I didn't know what to say."
"It was a yes or no question."
"…I panicked."
Haru sighed dramatically. "Man, you really are a lost cause."
Kaito sank deeper into his chair, praying for the class to start so he could disappear.
Thirty minutes into the lecture, Kaito realized something terrible.
He had been so preoccupied with trying to seem invisible that he had forgotten to take any notes.
His notebook sat open on his desk, completely blank.
Meanwhile, the girl next to him was scribbling away effortlessly. Her handwriting was neat, precise, as if she had done this a hundred times before.
Kaito swallowed hard.
Maybe he could start now? Just casually pick up his pen and—
His arm twitched.
And then, because life **hated** him, his elbow accidentally **bumped** the girl's notebook.
The impact sent her pen flying off the desk, landing with a soft *clink* on the floor.
Both of them froze.
The girl slowly turned her head to look at him.
Kaito wanted to die.
"I—I—" he stammered. "I—sorry—"
The girl blinked, then gave a small chuckle. "It's fine."
She bent down to retrieve her pen.
Kaito, wanting to redeem himself, also bent down at the same time—
And their heads collided.
BANG.
A few students turned to look. Haru slapped a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing.
Kaito shot up, gripping his head in pain.
"Ahh…" The girl rubbed her forehead. "That hurt."
"I—I'm sorry! I—"
She laughed. "No big deal. Happens."
Kaito's brain did not compute.
She wasn't mad. She wasn't annoyed. She was… smiling?
"Here." She slid her notebook slightly toward him. "In case you need to copy anything."
Kaito stared at the offered notes as if they were a sacred text.
Was this… kindness?
A girl—an actual girl—was being nice to him?
He hesitated, then gave a small nod. "T-thank you…"
She smiled again before returning to her notes.
Haru nudged him under the table. "Bro," he whispered, "that was the most unintentional rom-com moment I've ever seen."
Kaito groaned and buried his face in his hands.
Surviving his first lecture had been bad enough.
But lunch?
That was a whole new battlefield.
Kaito stood near the entrance of the cafeteria, tray in hand, scanning the sea of tables. Most were occupied by groups of students chatting, laughing, already forming their friend circles.
He gulped.
This was the moment.The dreaded Where Do I Sit?dilemma.
He had three options:
1. Sit alone and look like a loner.
2. Try to find an open table and risk awkwardly getting rejected.
3. Stand here forever and starve.
Option three was looking really tempting.
Then—
"Kaito! Over here!"
He turned.
Haru was waving at him from a nearby table, where he was already sitting with two other people—one of them being Sayaka.
Kaito stiffened.
Haru grinned. "Come sit with us, man!"
Kaito hesitated. But standing here like a lost puppy was worse, so he shuffled over and awkwardly sat down.
Sayaka gave him a once-over. "Took you long enough."
Kaito picked at his food, unsure how to join the conversation.
Haru, however, had no such problem. "So, Kaito, how was class? Any cute girls?"
Kaito nearly choked on his food.
Sayaka rolled her eyes. "Don't corrupt him."
"I'm just saying! Our boy here is good-looking. He needs to embrace the attention."
Kaito turned red. "I—I don't…"
Sayaka snorted. "He can barely handle a simple conversation. What makes you think he can handle flirting?"
Haru shrugged. "Baby steps, Sayaka. Baby steps."
Kaito wished he could disappear.
After lunch, Kaito's goal was simple: survive the rest of the day without embarrassing himself.
That lasted all of five minutes.
Walking out of the cafeteria, he wasn't paying attention to where he was going when—
He walked straight into a trash can.
The impact sent the can tumbling over, spilling its contents onto the sidewalk.
Everyone turned to look.
A few people snickered.
Haru burst out laughing. Sayaka pinched the bridge of her nose.
Kaito stood frozen, heat creeping up his neck.
"I—I—" He scrambled to pick up the trash, but it only made it worse. The lid rolled away dramatically.
Someone muttered, "Damn, what a way to start college."
Kaito wanted to die.
Sayaka sighed. "Come on, let's help him."
Haru wiped tears from his eyes. "This is gold. Absolute gold."
Kaito glared at him.
Haru clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Congrats, man. You've officially made your first college memory."
Kaito groaned.
His first day of college was an absolute disaster.
To be continued…