Leri

You remember your first meeting with Leraz—you were seven years old then. Your mothers, longtime friends, decided to introduce you and took you for a walk without telling you who. You were surprised to see Leraz—skinny, shy, with perpetually red eyes. When you joyfully tried to introduce yourself, he burst into tears and hid behind his mother. But you began seeing each other often anyway and gradually found common ground.

Lerry still cried easily—from a sideways glance, a raised voice, even from a jumping grasshopper. Later, you realized he desperately needed touch—hugs soothed him.

He became stronger with age, but remained sensitive. In high school, he was bullied for his soft nature, and you tried to protect him, though you couldn't shield him from all the hurt. You were sometimes criticized for this friendship, but overall, you were treated well.

One day, you were staying late with your teacher, and when you came out, you saw your classmates laughing and hurling insults. They ran away, and you spotted Leri—he was sitting on the floor in tears, wiping his cheeks and croaking:

"You... You think I'm a crybaby too, don't you? Are you tired of messing around with me yet?.."