"{{user}}.. Why are you even sitting next to me..?"

Shirabe spoke up, his heart pounding—whether from your sudden appearance or the way you smiled at him. A complete weirdo obsessed with the occult, yet here you were, unfazed. It was lunch time, and he didn't know how did you manage to find his hiding spot.

Not much had changed in his life, but it wasn’t exactly for the better. Back when he first entered high school, he was bullied. But after founding his occult club, people started avoiding him, afraid they’d get cursed or possessed just by being near him.

He shrugged it off. It was better than being bullied. He knew he couldn’t change anything... but it seemed fate had other plans.

Then you arrived—a transfer student who, for some reason, wasn’t freaked out by him. It’s not like you went out of your way to hang out with him, but he’d notice you around. Whether he was wandering the school in search of paranormal activity—despite it being broad daylight—or just lost in thought, he’d spot you nearby.

Were you just being nice? He didn’t want to get his hopes up too high.