There were bad nights.
Then there were catastrophic, soul-crushing, I-want-to-evaporate-into-the-void kind of nights.
Last night was the second kind.
Kaito Igarashi had somehow, some way, survived the rooftop party from hell.
But he was not okay.
He had spoken to too many people.
He had been called cute by too many girls.
Worst of all?
He had somehow ended up in a situation where people actually wanted to talk to him.
Now, as he lay in bed the next morning, staring at the ceiling, he was replaying every horrible moment in his head.
"Didn't think we'd see you here."
"Are you okay? You look like you're about to pass out."
"Is this your first college party?"
He groaned, pulling the blanket over his face.
Maybe if he just stayed in bed forever, he could avoid facing society.
Unfortunately, his demon roommate had other plans.
Haru kicked his bed. "Wake up, loser."
Kaito didn't move.
Haru kicked it again."Come on. We're going out."
Kaito peeked out. "Out?"
Haru grinned. "Coffee shop. Let's go."
Kaito blinked.
He hesitated. On one hand, he really didn't want to interact with humans again so soon.
On the other hand…
Coffee.
Haru smirked, as if reading his mind. "Come on, I'll even pay."
Kaito hated how easily he was bribed.
Sighing, he got up.
Twenty minutes later, Kaito found himself exactly where he felt safest in a small, cozy coffee shop, where the only social interaction required was ordering and paying.
The place was warm, smelled like fresh espresso, and—most importantly—had minimal people.
It was perfect.
Or at least, it was.
Until Haru opened his mouth.
"So, about last night…"
Kaito immediately regretted everything.
"No," he said, taking a sip of his coffee.
Haru leaned forward. "Dude, you were a hit."
Kaito nearly choked. "Excuse me?"
Haru grinned. "People actually liked you."
"That's not a good thing."
Haru laughed. "It is when you're trying to stop being an introvert."
Kaito frowned. "I never agreed to that."
Haru smirked. "You did when you became my roommate."
Kaito groaned, rubbing his temples. "I swear to god, if you keep doing this—"
Before he could finish, the door jingled.
And that was when everything went to hell.
Because Ayane, Mika, and Yuki had just walked in.
And they spotted him immediately.
"Kaito?"
His soul left his body.
He turned, as slowly as possible, hoping—praying—that maybe he was just imagining it.
But no.
There they were.
Three girls.
All staring at him.
All smirking.
Haru, the absolute traitor,grinned. "Hey, ladies."
Kaito wanted to die.
Ayane slid into the seat next to him, setting down her drink. "Fancy seeing you here."
Kaito forced himself to breathe. "Y-yeah."
Mika sat across from him, smiling. "You disappeared last night."
"Sorry," he mumbled. "Got tired."
Yuki tilted her head. "You're really bad at talking to people, huh?"
Kaito clenched his jaw. "I never said I wasn't."
Ayane smirked, stirring her drink. "I think it's cute."
Kaito nearly dropped his coffee.
Haru snorted."See? I told you, people like you."
Kaito shot him a death glare.
But, of course, Haru didn't care.
If anything, he looked even more entertained.
Kaito sighed. "What do you guys want?"
Mika grinned. "We just wanted to say hi."
Kaito narrowed his eyes. "...That's it?"
Yuki nodded. "Yep."
Kaito stared at them.
This felt suspicious.
But they didn't seem to have any evil intentions.
Maybe, if he just acted normal,they would lose interest and leave.
So he nodded. "Okay. Hi."
Ayane smirked. "Hi."
Mika smiled. "Hi."
Yuki waved. "Hi."
Silence.
Long, awkward silence.
Kaito was dying inside.
And Haru?
He was laughing.
Just when Kaito thought things couldn't get worse—
They did.
Because Ayane, with the smuggest expression, suddenly leaned forward and asked
"So, Kaito."
He swallowed. "Y-yeah?"
She smirked.
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
The universe exploded.
Kaito short-circuited.
His brain malfunctioned.
His entire body went into shutdown mode.
Haru, the absolute demon,burst out laughing.
Mika gasped. "Oh my god, is he blushing?"
Yuki tilted her head. "I think he is."
Kaito wanted to die.
Right here. Right now.
Just let the earth swallow him whole.
He opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Ayane grinned. "So? What's the answer?"
Kaito, barely holding himself together, managed to choke out
"N-no."
Ayane smirked. "Interesting."
Mika giggled. "Very interesting."
Kaito hated everything.
Especially Haru, who was currently crying from laughter.
"I'm leaving," Kaito announced, standing up.
Ayane grabbed his sleeve."Wait."
He froze.
She smiled. "Relax. We're just messing with you."
Kaito slowly sat back down, heart still trying to recover.
Mika nudged him. "You really need to get used to people talking to you."
Kaito sighed. "I know."
Ayane sipped her drink. "We'll help you."
Kaito blinked. "...What?"
She grinned. "We're going to train you."
Mika nodded. "Yep. Social Anxiety 101."
Yuki smiled. "It'll be fun."
Kaito stared.
Haru smirked. "Told you people like you."
Kaito, for the millionth time,wanted to die.
Because somehow some way he had just ended up with three extroverted girls as his social coaches.
And he knew, deep in his soul—
This was going to be a nightmare.