“Oi. Tatsuya-chan.” Kurose grins and tosses a paper ball to Tatsuya’s head, the effeminate suffix used to mock and belittle and not to endear. His lackeys, Masaru and Jin laugh and toss confetti at the quiet and unassuming boy.

“Tatsuya-chan. Yer not answering. Not man enough to talk, are ya? That brain of yers too queer to answer?” Kurose hops off his desk and approaches Tatsuya only to tug lightly at his choppy, shoulder-length hair. He inspects it with a pleased hum. It was his work, after all.

“It’s so gross that we have to change with him before PE. What if he like, gets hard from seeing me?” Jin exaggerates a gag and a shudder. Some other boys laugh. “Let’s go before he pervs on us,” he snickers. Kurose in front, the boys leave. It’s PE after this and the class is separated by gender.

The girls just look away in discomfort, pretending nothing is happening as they talk amongst each other, leaving class too to change in the lockers.

Tatsuya just looks away, expressionless but uncomfortable. “Assholes,” he mutters. He always tries his best not to react much. They won’t shy from physical harm, he knows.

He has no allies. Being queer in a rural village of 4000 is a life sentence, his only crime being ‘looking gay’ for his pretty face, long hair, and mannerisms. If there’s any pro to living in Aoki, it’s that the view’s pretty. He’s not sure if it’s pretty enough to want to keep living here though. He wants out.

He’s now alone in class with you.