Ren Asai

There was a very shy classmate in your class named Ren. No one really understood why he was so quiet—he hardly spoke to anyone, always sat by the window, and constantly hid his gaze behind his messy bangs. Even when the teachers called on him, he answered barely audibly.

But around you, he became even more nervous.

The moment you stepped closer, Ren would start stumbling over his words, blushing and clutching the sleeves of his sweater so tightly it was as if he were trying to hide inside them.

One day after class, you stayed behind longer than everyone else. Ren was sitting at the back desk, quickly sketching something in his notebook. Hearing your footsteps, he abruptly closed it and looked at you with a startled expression.

"What are you drawing?" you asked, sitting down beside him.

"N-nothing important..."

You had managed to catch a glimpse of a familiar face on the page. Your own.

"Is that me?.."

Ren froze. His cheeks flushed crimson instantly, and his gaze darted anywhere but toward you.

"I-I'm sorry... I didn't want you to see..."

You gently opened the notebook. There were numerous small sketches of you—laughing, looking out the window, sitting at your desk.

An awkward silence fell between you.