There were many things in Kaito Igarashi's life that caused him suffering.
His social anxiety.
His constant overthinking.
His curse of being stylish but socially inept.
But none of these compared to the absolute nightmare of having Haru Fujimura as his roommate.
Because Haru was the exact opposite of Kaito in every possible way.
He was loud. Charismatic. Chaotic.
Where Kaito avoided people, Haru attracted them.
Where Kaito thought three hundred times before speaking, Haru spoke without thinking at all.
Where Kaito wanted peace and solitude,Haru wanted to turn their dorm into a goddamn party house.
And the worst part?
Haru had no shame.
Not even a little.
Which was why, right now,at 10:42 PM, Kaito was seriously contemplating throwing himself out the window.
Because Haru, his demon of a roommate, was standing in their tiny dorm shirtless, FaceTiming three girls at once.
"I'm telling you, the guy is literally right here!" Haru was saying, grinning like an idiot. "He's just too shy to talk."
Kaito, who was sitting at his desk, hunched over his laptop, froze.
Wait. Wait.
No.
Oh hell no.
Haru turned the phone towards him. "Kaito, say hi!"
Kaito's soul left his body.
On the screen, three girls giggled.
"Oh my god, he's cute!"
"Why is he so quiet?"
"Haru, are you sure he's not secretly a model?"
Kaito did the only rational thing.
He shut his laptop, stood up, and left the room.
Haru's laughter followed him down the hall.
By the time Kaito returned—after wandering around campus for a full hour just to escape—Haru was lounging on his bed, scrolling through his phone like nothing had happened.
Kaito glared at him.
"Dude," he said.
Haru looked up. "What?"
"Why are you like this?"
Haru grinned. "Like what?"
Kaito sighed, dropping his bag onto his bed. "Like a menace to society."
"Because it's fun."
Kaito groaned. "I don't know how to live with you."
Haru sat up. "Bro, you act like I'm that bad."
Kaito gave him a deadpan look.
"You're literally the human embodiment of chaos."
Haru laughed. "Nah, man. You just need to learn how to live with an extrovert."
Kaito sat on his bed, rubbing his temples. "And how do I do that?"
Haru leaned forward, smirking.
"Simple. You have three options."
Kaito raised an eyebrow. "...Three?"
Haru held up his fingers. "One—you adapt. You let yourself be corrupted by my amazing social skills and finally learn how to be a functioning human being."
Kaito frowned. "Not happening."
Haru grinned. "Two—you fight back. You set rules, boundaries, and try to stop me from making your life more exciting."
Kaito narrowed his eyes. "Also unlikely."
Haru wagged a finger. "Ah, but then there's option three."
Kaito sighed. "Which is?"
Haru grinned. "You surrender."
Kaito blinked. "What?"
Haru leaned back, hands behind his head. "You just accept your fate. Stop resisting. Let me drag you into the world of socializing."
Kaito stared at him. "I would rather die."
Haru laughed. "That's what they all say at first."
Kaito shook his head. "There's no way I'm letting you—"
Just then, his phone buzzed.
A text from Haru.
[Hey, guess what? I signed us up for a party tomorrow night. You're welcome.]
Kaito's blood ran cold.
He slowly—painfully—looked up.
Haru was smirking.
Kaito wanted to cry.
It wasn't that Kaito hated parties.
Okay. Maybe he did.
But it wasn't his fault.
They were loud.
They were crowded.
They were filled with people who expected you to talk to them.
And now, thanks to Haru, he was being forced to attend one.
The worst part?
It was a rooftop party.
Which meant there was no escape.
Unless he wanted to jump off a building.
Which… was becoming a tempting option.
"You'll be fine," Haru said the next evening, as they got ready.
Kaito shot him a murderous glare. "You say that like I have a choice."
Haru grinned."You don't."
Kaito sighed, looking in the mirror.
At least he looked good.
He had thrown on a black button-up, sleeves rolled up just right, paired with sleek dark jeans and a silver chain.
The problem?
Looking good only made things worse.
Because now people would notice him.
And noticing him meant talking to him.
And talking meant—
Oh god, I'm going to die.
Haru clapped him on the back. "Alright, let's go."
Kaito resisted the urge to scream.
The moment they stepped onto the rooftop, Kaito regretted everything.
There were so many people.
Loud music. Laughing. Neon lights.
He felt his chest tighten.
Too many faces. Too much noise.
Haru, of course, was thriving.
Within **five seconds,** he had already high-fived three people, fist-bumped another, and somehow ended up in a drinking game.
Meanwhile, Kaito stood near the edge, clutching his drink like a lifeline.
Maybe if he stayed still enough, he could blend into the background.
But, of course, that was wishful thinking.
Because then—
A familiar voice called out.
"Kaito?"
His stomach dropped.
Oh no.
He turned.
And there she was.
Ayane.
Smirking. Amused. Like she had just found a rare animal in the wild.
Mika and Yuki were with her, both looking equally entertained.
"Well, well," Ayane teased. "Didn't think we'd see *you* here."
Kaito wanted to run.
Mika giggled. "Are you okay? You look like you're about to pass out."
Yuki tilted her head. "Is this your first college party?"
Kaito swallowed. "N-no."
Ayane grinned. "Oh my god, it is."
Kaito hated everything.
Especially Haru, who was watching this unfold from across the rooftop with the biggest, smuggest grin on his face.
That bastard.
Kaito took a deep breath.
He could survive this.
Right?
…Right?