Chapter 1: The Bump
Sogen College was always alive with noise at noon—students spilling from lecture halls like river water breaking through gates, filling the quad and cafeteria with laughter, footsteps, and the rustling of textbooks. But for Kyoshi Satuno, the world moved a little slower.
He sat alone, as usual, in the far-left corner of the cafeteria, by the window that overlooked the second-year garden. His tray was mostly untouched—just a steaming bowl of miso soup, some cold rice, and his sketchpad half-covered in graphite smudges.
Kyoshi wasn't exactly invisible, but he certainly preferred the quiet shadows over the spotlight. A second-year student with average grades and a disinterested attitude toward social life, he had long accepted that he wasn't the kind of person people noticed.
Except—he had noticed her.
Hikari Haruka.
Every corridor she passed through brightened just a little. Top of their year. Always on the honor list. Kind to everyone. Elegant but never distant. She moved through Sogen College like the spring wind—gentle, warm, and quietly intoxicating.
Kyoshi had been watching her from afar for nearly a year. Not in a creepy way—at least, that's what he told himself. He didn't stare. He didn't follow. He just... noticed. Her laugh, clear like wind chimes. Her handwriting, neat and graceful. The way she always offered the last seat at the library to someone else, even when she clearly needed it.
And he, Kyoshi Satuno, with his faded hoodie and ink-stained fingers, was simply a background character in her story.
Until today.
It happened in an instant.
He was standing, tray in hand, making his way back to his seat after grabbing a bottle of tea. A blur of movement came from the side. Someone turned the corner too fast.
And then—
Crash.
The collision knocked his tray sideways. The bowl of soup flipped, the rice scattered, and the bottle rolled in a lazy arc beneath the tables.
"Oh my god—I'm so sorry!"
The voice hit him before the face registered.
Bright brown eyes. A delicate hand brushing miso off his hoodie. A rush of jasmine and lemon shampoo.
Hikari Haruka.
Kyoshi froze, his brain fumbling for words, actions, anything. But all he could do was stare.
Hikari looked mortified. "I wasn't watching where I was going. I didn't hurt you, did I?"
He opened his mouth, but his voice caught like a cough.
"No. I—I'm fine. Just... soup." He looked down at the mess on his shirt, heat rising in his cheeks. Smooth. Real smooth.
She gave a small laugh, more out of relief than humor. "At least it wasn't curry," she said, kneeling to pick up the bottle. She handed it back to him, her fingers brushing his.
He blinked. "Thanks."
"I'll help you clean this," she offered, already looking around for napkins.
"No, really—it's okay. I can handle it," Kyoshi said quickly, unsure if he wanted her to stay or go.
But Hikari didn't leave.
Instead, she smiled at him—an actual, sincere smile—and said, "Well, then maybe I'll buy you a replacement meal. It's only fair."
His heart skipped. He knew this had to be a dream. No one like her ever noticed someone like him.
And yet, here she was.
Hikari Haruka.
Looking right at him.
Smiling.
"Okay," he heard himself say. "But... only if you sit and eat with me too."