Kaito Igarashi had a problem.
A strange, annoying, stupid problem.
People liked him.
And he hated it.
It wasn't his fault. He wasn't particularly interesting. He wasn't the type of guy who effortlessly made friends or commanded a room with his presence. If anything, he was just another socially anxious college student trying to survive.
But for some reason for some damn reason—people kept noticing him
And it was all because of two things:
1. He knew how to dress.
2. He was decent-looking.
Not movie-star handsome. Not model-tier perfection.
But just handsome enough to make things annoying.
It wasn't something he actively tried to be. He didn't style his hair for hours or pick out outfits to impress anyone.
He just had an eye for fashion. A natural instinct for what worked.
Black turtlenecks, silver chains, layered jackets, the perfect balance between effortless and stylish
He looked like someone confident.
When in reality?
He was a walking disaster.
And that created a paradox.
Because people assumed—wrongly—that he was cool.
And cool people were supposed to be social.
Which he was not.
So now, as he walked across campus, minding his business, he could feel the problem unfolding.
Two girls were whispering near the vending machines.
"That's him, right? The guy from Psychology 101?"
"Yeah, I think so. He's so quiet, though…"
"He's kinda hot."
Kaito's soul left his body.
He wasn't eavesdropping on purpose. But when people were talking about him two feet away, it was hard not to hear.
He hunched his shoulders, adjusting his bag, pretending he didn't notice.
Ignore it. Just walk faster.
But of course, fate hated him.
Because one of the girls suddenly called out—
"Hey!"
Kaito froze.
Slowly—painfully—he turned his head.
The girl smiled. "You're in our class, right? Psychology?"
Kaito **panicked.**
Words. He needed **words.**
"…Y-yeah," he stammered.
The girl's smile widened. "Cool! I'm Ayane. This is Mika."
Mika gave a small wave. "Nice to meet you."
Kaito's brain short-circuited.
He didn't know the rules. How was he supposed to respond? Was he supposed to introduce himself? Say nice to meet you too? Compliment her hair? Run away?
He just… stood there.
For way too long.
Until the silence became awkward.
Ayane giggled. "You're kinda quiet, huh?"
Kaito died inside.
Mika nudged her. "Don't scare him."
"I'm not! I think it's cute."
Kaito's brain blue-screened.
He needed to escape. Immediately.
"I—I have class," he blurted, even though he absolutely did not have class.
Then he speed-walked away.
Like a coward.
Later that evening, back in their dorm, Haru was howling with laughter.
"Oh my god," he wheezed, clutching his stomach. "You're telling me you RAN AWAY?"
Kaito glared at him from his bed. "I didn't run. I walked. Fast."
Haru wiped tears from his eyes. "Bro. You are hopeless."
Kaito groaned, flopping back onto his pillow. "I didn't know what to say."
"Anything, man! Literally anything!"
"I panicked."
Haru sighed dramatically. "Damn. And here I thought you were supposed to be cool."
Kaito threw a pillow at him.
Haru dodged it effortlessly. "Nah, but seriously, this is hilarious. You're living proof of the handsome introvert paradox."
Kaito frowned. "The what?"
Haru sat up, suddenly serious.
"Think about it," he said, gesturing wildly. "You look like the kind of guy who's mysterious and intriguing. Girls see you and think, Wow, he must be deep. A brooding genius. A poetic soul with hidden pain."
Kaito scowled. "I'm none of those things."
"Exactly!" Haru exclaimed. "You're just an anxious mess. But they don't know that. So the more silent and awkward you are, the more interested they get."
"That makes no sense."
Haru wagged a finger. "Oh, but it does. You, my friend, are a tragic figure. A stylish recluse. A man of few words. And women love that."
Kaito buried his face in his hands.
"Please shut up."
Haru smirked. "No can do, buddy. You need to accept your fate."
Kaito refused.
There was **no way** this was going to keep happening.
Right?
The next day, Kaito made a mistake.
A huge mistake.
He went to the campus café alone.
Normally, he would just grab his coffee and leave.
But today, every single table was full.
Which meant—
He had to sit with people.
Kaito hesitated near an empty chair. It was a shared table with two other students—a guy absorbed in his laptop and a girl flipping through a notebook.
Maybe if he sat quietly, they wouldn't notice him.
He slowly—carefully—slid into the chair.
For a moment, everything was fine.
Then—
"Oh, hey! You're that guy from psych class, right?"
Kaito nearly spilled his coffee.
The girl across from him was smiling. He vaguely recognized her—she sat two rows behind him in lectures.
"Uh…"
She tilted her head. "Kaito, right?"
He swallowed. "Y-yeah."
She beamed. "I'm Yuki! Nice to finally talk to you. You're always so quiet."
Kaito wished the floor would swallow him.
Why did people keep pointing that out?
She leaned in, resting her chin on her hand. "So, do you just not like talking, or are you secretly a philosopher?"
Kaito had no idea how to answer that.
"Uh… neither?"
She chuckled. "Mysterious. I like it."
Kaito nearly choked on his coffee.
And then—because the universe hated him
Another voice chimed in.
"Wait, wait, hold on—you talk to him, but when I try to start a conversation, he just runs away?"
Kaito stiffened.
Ayane.
She and Mika had just walked in. And now both of them were standing right there.
Mika snickered. "Well, Yuki is pretty."
Ayane gasped. "Excuse me? Are you saying I'm **not** pretty?"
"I didn't say that."
"But you implied it."
Meanwhile, Kaito was having a crisis.
How had this happened?
He came here for coffee.
Not to be surrounded by girls.
Not to be noticed.
And definitely not to have every social anxiety alarm in his body screaming at once.
Yuki laughed at his expression. "Relax, Kaito. We're just messing with you."
Ayane smirked. "Yeah. But seriously, why do you keep running away?"
Kaito wished for death.
But instead of answering, he did the only thing he was good at.
He grabbed his coffee and left.
Fast.
Behind him, he heard Haru's voice from across the café.
"Damn! That's my boy! He's a legend!"
Kaito groaned.
College was going to kill him.
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