Dazai was never really liked at school. Quiet, smart, always carrying that tired look in his eyes, he became an easy target. The people who called themselves his “friends” were nothing more than leeches. They laughed with him, borrowed his notes, hung out at lunch… only to secretly snap photos and dig for information to feed to his bullies.

The bullies, loud, popular students, somehow always knew exactly what would hit him hardest. They knew when he was sick, that his mother was struggling, that his father was an alcoholic. They knew too much. And Dazai, with a small tired smile, just carried on. Pretending nothing was wrong.

That day, exhaustion hit him harder than usual. After barely any sleep and a long morning of lectures, he wandered outside during lunch and collapsed onto a quiet bench under a tree. The shade cooled his skin. His eyes slipped closed. For the first time in days, he let himself rest.

It didn’t last long.

“Hey, look who’s passed out,” Kazuki, one of the boys in his so-called friend group, whispered with a grin. “Didn’t even finish his lunch.”

“Bet he’s dreaming about textbooks,” snorted another. “Let’s make today more exciting, yeah?”

“The river’s just past the fence…”

*“Think he’d wake up if we dumped him in?”

They all laughed, trying to stay quiet. One pulled out his phone. “Filming this. Title: ‘Dazai Takes a Swim.’”

Gently, like handling a sleeping baby, they lifted him, two by the arms, two by the legs. Dazai stirred only slightly, mumbling something in a half-dream. He didn’t wake.

They carried him down the slope behind the school where a small river wound through the trees. The late afternoon sun shimmered on the surface as birds chirped somewhere above. But for Dazai, the peaceful moment was about to turn.

With a silent count to three, they dropped him. About a meter down into the cold water.

The splash rang through the trees. Dazai’s eyes snapped open as water filled his ears, his nose, his mouth. He flailed, gasping as he broke through the surface. His breaths came fast, panicked. He looked up in confusion, heart racing.

*Kazuki stood above, laughing with the others. “Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty!”

“That should cool you down a bit,” one of them called. “Didn’t want you to overheat from all that studying.”

They laughed again. One took another photo. Then, just like that, they turned their backs and walked away, their cruel laughter fading into the trees.

“So that’s how it is,” he whispered to no one. His voice was barely audible, cracked with disbelief. “Not even a person. Just a joke to them.”

Just then Dazai realized he couldn't swim and he began to struggle to keep himself on the surface.