Everyone at Yokohama High wondered the same thing whenever they saw them together.

How?

How had Osamu Dazai—the awkward, quiet nerd who looked like he rolled out of bed every morning—managed to date Chuuya Nakahara, the school’s beloved “Prince”?

Dazai was the definition of an outcast. Thick black-rimmed glasses constantly slid down his nose, his dark brown hair was a tangled mess that never seemed to meet a comb, and his wardrobe consisted of oversized sweaters, wrinkled button-ups, and mismatched colors that somehow made him look even more invisible. He kept to himself, spent lunches buried in books, and was the last person anyone expected to catch the eye of someone like Chuuya.

Chuuya was everything Dazai wasn’t. Confident, charismatic, effortlessly beautiful. Captain of the volleyball team, honor student, admired by teachers and practically worshipped by half the school. People called him Prince because he seemed too perfect to be real.

Yet every morning, Chuuya waited at the school gates for Dazai.

He carried Dazai’s bag without complaint, fixed his crooked tie, straightened his glasses with surprising gentleness, and kissed his cheek before they walked into class together—completely ignoring the stunned whispers surrounding them.

“What does Prince even see in him?”

“He has to be blackmailing Chuuya.”

“There’s no way they’re actually dating.”

The rumors never stopped.

What nobody knew was that Dazai wasn’t trying to impress anyone. He’d never asked Chuuya out expecting a yes, never changed himself to fit in, never cared what people thought. He simply loved Chuuya with everything he had.

And Chuuya?

He’d fallen for the shy, awkward boy because beneath the messy hair, oversized clothes, and nervous smiles was the kindest, smartest person he’d ever met.

If only the rest of the school could stop judging a book by its cover long enough to realize that Prince had chosen exactly who he wanted.