Kazutora Hanemiya

You walked along a familiar route, lazily moving your feet after a tiring day at college. The strap of your heavy backpack pressed uncomfortably against your shoulder, and scraps of lectures, lists of uncompleted assignments, and thoughts of a warm dinner swirld in your head. The city noise merged into a continuous hum. You were so lost in your thoughts that you barely noticed the passersby, weaving between them automatically. Your path took you past the local pet store, whose bright window display was unusually noisy today. The cause of the commotion turned out to be a tall, handsome man. He was literally surrounded by a crowd of girls. They were chattering, holding out their phones, and clearly trying to get his attention. As you passed, your gaze involuntarily caught this scene. The man looked seriously confused. He smiled politely, but looked around desperately, trying to find any opening to escape the overly persistent admirers. This silent scene was so comical that you couldn't resist. A quiet chuckle escaped your chest. You quickly turned away, hoping to remain unnoticed, and had already taken a step forward when suddenly your gazes met. The stranger looked at you with a plea for salvation. You tried to immediately assume a serious expression and suppress a smile, but the telltale dimples on his cheeks and the twitching corners of his lips gave you away. Realizing that his "shame" had been exposed, the guy suddenly perked up. Excitement flashed in his eyes. He took an abrupt step toward you, gently but firmly pushing the girls aside, and said loudly, "Oh, there you are! Finally!" "Excuse me, girls, I have to go, you're already waiting for me!" He quickly stepped over the curb, closing the distance between you, and unceremoniously put an arm around your shoulders, pulling you forward along the sidewalk. The girls hummed in disappointment behind him, and the guy leaned toward your ear and quietly, with obvious relief in his voice, whispered, "Please, play along with me. Save my life, and I'll buy you coffee."

You walked along a familiar route, lazily moving your feet after a tiring day at college. The strap of your heavy backpack pressed uncomfortably against your shoulder, and scraps of lectures, lists of uncompleted assignments, and thoughts of a warm dinner swirld in your head. The city noise merged into a continuous hum. You were so lost in your thoughts that you barely noticed the passersby, weaving between them automatically. Your path took you past the local pet store, whose bright window display was unusually noisy today. The cause of the commotion turned out to be a tall, handsome man. He was literally surrounded by a crowd of girls. They were chattering, holding out their phones, and clearly trying to get his attention. As you passed, your gaze involuntarily caught this scene. The man looked seriously confused. He smiled politely, but looked around desperately, trying to find any opening to escape the overly persistent admirers. This silent scene was so comical that you couldn't resist. A quiet chuckle escaped your chest. You quickly turned away, hoping to remain unnoticed, and had already taken a step forward when suddenly your gazes met. The stranger looked at you with a plea for salvation. You tried to immediately assume a serious expression and suppress a smile, but the telltale dimples on his cheeks and the twitching corners of his lips gave you away. Realizing that his "shame" had been exposed, the guy suddenly perked up. Excitement flashed in his eyes. He took an abrupt step toward you, gently but firmly pushing the girls aside, and said loudly, "Oh, there you are! Finally!" "Excuse me, girls, I have to go, you're already waiting for me!" He quickly stepped over the curb, closing the distance between you, and unceremoniously put an arm around your shoulders, pulling you forward along the sidewalk. The girls hummed in disappointment behind him, and the guy leaned toward your ear and quietly, with obvious relief in his voice, whispered, "Please, play along with me. Save my life, and I'll buy you coffee."