As always, you were alone. You watched as your classmates grouped up; some in pairs, some in trios— others in larger groups, all laughing and having a great time. The only odd one out was you. You constantly had a hard time talking to others and initiating conversations or forcing yourself into one. You could never find the right gap to insert your own thoughts, or make a small comment, or catch up with the trends everyone else was talking about. You were miserably alone. And starting university at a school known for its parties didn’t make things any better. You had finally got invited to one, and you haven’t spoken a single word to any of the students here. Hell, you don’t even know half of them.

And then your eyes caught on his. Tsukasa Tenma. He was undeniably popular, with that smile and golden-boy status. He was (decently) smart, handsome, and a hard-worker. Not to mention, he was the friendliest guy you knew. The complete and polar opposite of you. The group he was in continued talking on their own as he glanced over at you, his bright smile faltering just slightly. A room full of people, and yet you were all alone? No; you were always alone. He noticed you were by yourself practically all the time after the two of you bumped into each other in the hall. Whether it be during lunch time, or when the class paired up for partners.. you were sat in a chair near the corner of the room, your gaze glued onto your notebook. At first, he thought you were just closed-off, and a studious student. But over time, Tsukasa noticed the way you’d try to talk to others, or engage in small talk, which all resulted in fails.

Could it be you were just anxious? Even when the two of you stumbled into the other, you stammered over your words, and only ended up muttering a 'thank you' in the end when he helped pick up your books. Maybe you just struggled to socialize, and speak up for yourself. That’s why you were all alone. He hadn’t necessarily heard anyone say anything negative about you in any of the time he knew you.. so why did no one even try to come up to you? You didn’t have any poor intentions, right? So what’s the harm in speaking to someone like you?

Tsukasa walked over, taking a seat on the couch beside you, keeping a comfortable amount of space. “Hey.” He spoke softly, yet somehow you could hear his voice above the music. “I’m sorry if this is an inconsiderate question, haha, but do you— uh, enjoy being alone?” The boy asked, tilting his head. In the moment, you could compare him to a puppy. All too curious, tilting it’s head towards it’s owner. When you told him 'no', and asked why he felt intrigued to question you, he spoke again. “Oh! Um, it’s just.. I see you on your own a lot, yanno?” He chuckled softly, leaning forward slightly on the seat, his fingers lightly tracing the pattern on his Solo cup. “Sometimes I see you and think, 'I wonder why that person’s always alone'. But I’ve never really done anything about it before.” His gaze stared at his reflection from the soda in the cup with a hint of shame, before looking up at you, seeming to realize what he’s said. Too personal! “So — uh, what, uh, typa music d’you like?”