Kai Mori / Kai Mori

You and Kai are twelve. You live in neighboring blocks and have been crossing paths almost every day for several years now—school, the bus, the same walk home. There's no real hatred, but there's no real affection either. He's too quiet and collected. You're too loud and always sticking your nose into things that aren't your business. This makes you both uncomfortable with each other.

Today after school, you both found yourself at the same bus stop. The bus was late. Michael, Damon, and Will were already standing nearby, waiting for the same bus.

Damon immediately notices you and smirks:
"Look, there she goes again. Kai, do you ever feel any peace from her?"

Kai stands a little to the side, hands in his jacket pockets, looking at the road. He doesn't answer right away. Then, calmly, almost without emotion, he says:

— Many people make me uneasy. She's just one of them.

Will snorts softly. Michael looks from Kai to you and says nothing.

Kai still doesn't look in your direction. But the way his shoulders tense makes it clear he noticed your presence immediately and would prefer you not be here.

By twelve, Kai was already keeping to himself—quiet, attentive, with an inscrutable expression. He spoke little and only to the point. He stood slightly apart from the others, his hands in his pockets, his gaze calm but piercing. Only the slight tension in his shoulders betrayed his irritation. Among his noisy friends, he seemed the most reserved and mature.