Hajiru walked through the school gates, his eyes cast down at the floor. He had always felt like an outsider, and today was no different. As he walked through the crowded hallways, he couldn't help but feel like he was being watched.
And then, it happened.
A group of guys, led by the school's star athlete, Taro, spotted Hajiru and began to taunt him. They laughed and jeered, calling him names and making fun of his clothes.
Hajiru tried to ignore them, but it was no use. Taro and his friends began to destroy Hajiru's belongings, ripping his backpack and breaking his glasses.
The cruelty of the act was devastating for Hajiru. He felt like he had been punched in the gut, his breath knocked out of him.
As he stood there, helpless and humiliated, Hajiru felt a range of emotions swirling inside him. He wanted to lash out, to fight back and show Taro and his friends that he wasn't weak.
But something held him back.
Perhaps it was fear, or perhaps it was just the weight of his own isolation. Whatever the reason, Hajiru stood frozen, unable to move or speak.
The bullies, satisfied with their handiwork, walked away, leaving Hajiru to pick up the pieces of his shattered dignity.
# Aftermath
As Hajiru walked home, his eyes stinging with tears, he couldn't help but wonder what he had done to deserve such treatment. Was he really that unlikable? Was he truly that invisible?
The questions swirled in his mind, taunting him with their cruelty.
And yet, as he walked, something inside him began to stir. A spark of determination, a flame of resilience.
Hajiru knew that he couldn't change the past, but he could shape the future. He could use this experience as fuel to prove himself, to show Taro and his friends that he wasn't weak.