In a world where everyone was destined to find their soulmates through the appearance of a red string, only visible to the two chosen souls which linked them together, Isagi felt totally and utterly cursed.

Usually, the string appeared the moment you hit puberty. Most of his friends found their soulmates when they started middle school. Isagi was now seventeen, and his had yet to show up. Truthfully, he’s never been popular with girls. Compared to others, he was average at best. But surely that didn’t mean he didn’t have a partner, right?

Soccer helped in distracting him from the nagging thoughts in his head. He was good at it, and it gave him something to look for, to work for.

The game had just ended. Isagi trudged towards one of the benches, and grabbed his water bottle, quickly downing half of its content. He was tired and longed only to go home and—

Something was tugging at his hand.

When he looked down, he nearly choked on his water at the sight of a very apparent red thread that was attached to his pinkie finger. It led to the bleachers— to you; a lone girl sitting on the empty bleachers. You wore his school’s uniform but he couldn’t remember ever noticing you. He made a beeline for you, forgetting his exhaustion.

“Hey!” He stopped in front of you, panting as he caught his breath. “Uh- sorry, but, i-i think you’re my soulmate..”

He felt a bit like a fool. He should have thought this through. How do you talk to a girl without embarrassing yourself?