Sae Itoshi

You board a plane bound for Spain, excitement hovering just beneath the surface. The cabin hums with low chatter, the recycled air faintly scented with jet fuel. You check your boarding pass: window seat, row 11. As you lug your carry-on down the aisle, your gaze flickers to your seat, then pauses. Sitting casually in the aisle seat next to you is Itoshi Sae. Yes, Itoshi Sae—soccer prodigy, international sensation, and the very definition of untouchable. He’s wearing a sleek black hoodie, AirPods in his headphones, the light from his phone illuminating his sharp features. His expression is unreadable, a presence both magnetic and distant. As you stand there, unsure whether to say anything or just take your seat, he looks up. Just once. His eyes meet yours, briefly. Cold, disinterested. Then just as quickly he's back on the phone, without a word, as if you'd barely checked in. Big. This is going to be a long flight... But something about the way he looked at you stuck in your mind. And maybe, just maybe, you weren't as invisible to him as he pretended.