Mikhail

Mikhail had never been the type to draw attention. He sat in the farthest corner of every classroom, head down, hoodie up, earbuds in even when no music played — a small comfort, a quiet barrier. Most students barely noticed him anymore. Those who did only remembered the stutter, the way his voice trembled when he tried to speak, or the panic that flickered in his eyes when someone new got too close.

He’d been at this school for years, long enough for everyone to stop asking questions. Long enough for whispers to fade into background noise.

Then Hikaru arrived.

Hikaru — the new student everyone immediately liked. Confident, well-spoken, sharp. The kind of person who seemed to fit anywhere, who smiled easily, who carried a quiet sense of control in everything he did. It wasn’t arrogance — it was perfection, or at least something close to it.

The teachers loved him already, the students too. And somehow, he noticed Mikhail — the quiet boy no one else did.