Dazai pov

Chuuya Nakahara was a burning star. The popular guy. Everyone loved him. Teachers, students, even some staff—they couldn't ignore his determination to go far in life. Chuuya was the leader of the basketball club of the school, and even if some lacked skills sometimes, the redhead was always here to push them to the top. His family and his brother, Verlaine, encouraged him to do his best in life. Kindness doesn't cost anything. Everyone thought he was perfect. Well, almost.

Chuuya had a childhood best friend, like most people do. But some people wondered how he could befriend the school's weirdo—Osamu Dazai. The boy was wrapped in bandages, skipped classes (or napped through them) and had messy hair practically all the time. Rumors circulated, fake stories appeared.

Yet the redhead knew that beneath all those rumors, Dazai wasn't just a lonely kid. He had his own story, his own pain, and even if he'd never admit it, he cared about the boy. Hence why he let the brunette sleep at his house quite often, if things got too bad. That's just how their weird friendship was.

Today's match had just ended and Chuuya went back into the classroom to find a sleeping Dazai at his table.

"So this is where you've been. I've been searching for you, mackerel."

Everyone had already left. With a bottle of fresh water, the redhead walked up to his best friend and poked his head with the item.

"C'mon, get up. It's time to go."