Morning light slipped through the broken edge of the curtain.
It wasn't bright.
It wasn't warm.
It just… existed.
Ayinakoji Tempest opened his eyes.
For a few seconds, he didn't move.
He just stared at the ceiling.
There was a small crack above his bed. It stretched from one corner to the other like a thin line drawn by someone who didn't care to finish it.
He had counted it before.
Seventeen times.
Today would be eighteen.
"…Still there," he whispered.
His voice was soft. Almost like he didn't want the room to hear him.
Slowly, he sat up.
The bed creaked a little, like it always did. The sound echoed in the quiet room, louder than it should have been.
No one called his name.
No one ever did.
The house was already awake.
He could hear plates moving in the kitchen. A chair scraping the floor. Water running.
Voices.
But none of them were for him.
Ayinakoji got up and walked out of his room.
Each step was careful. Light.
Like he was trying not to exist too much.
His mother stood by the sink.
His father sat at the table, reading something on his phone.
Neither of them looked up.
"…Good morning," Ayinakoji said.
Silence.
Not even a pause.
Not even a glance.
It was like the words never left his mouth.
He stood there for a moment.
Then nodded to himself.
"…Maybe they didn't hear me."
He walked to the side quietly and picked up a glass.
There was a little water left in the jug. He poured it slowly, careful not to make noise.
The sound still came out.
Too loud.
His father frowned slightly.
Not at him.
Just… in general.
Ayinakoji froze.
Then slowly turned away.
He didn't sit at the table.
He never did.
Instead, he stood near the wall and drank his water.
One small sip at a time.
"Did you check the report?" his mother asked.
"Yeah," his father replied.
"He's not improving."
Ayinakoji blinked.
They weren't whispering.
They weren't hiding it.
They were just… talking.
Like he wasn't there.
"…We should stop expecting anything," his father added.
His mother didn't reply.
She just sighed.
Ayinakoji lowered his eyes.
"…Okay."
He said it softly.
Not to them.
To himself.
A few minutes later, he picked up his bag and left the house.
No one stopped him.
No one said goodbye.
Outside, the air felt colder.
Or maybe it was just him.
The road to school wasn't long.
He walked it every day.
Same cracks in the pavement.
Same broken sign near the corner.
Same stray cat sitting on the wall.
Today, the cat looked at him.
For a second, their eyes met.
Ayinakoji gave a small smile.
"…Good morning."
The cat didn't move.
Then it slowly turned its head away.
Like he wasn't worth looking at.
The smile faded.
"…It's okay."
He kept walking.
School was loud.
Voices everywhere.
Laughter.
Footsteps.
Energy.
Ayinakoji stepped inside.
And somehow…
It all felt distant.
He walked to his classroom and sat in his seat.
Back row.
Near the window.
Always the same place.
Students talked around him.
Shared jokes.
Passed notes.
Called each other by name.
No one called his.
A boy dropped his pencil nearby.
It rolled across the floor and stopped near Ayinakoji's foot.
He picked it up.
Stood.
And walked over.
"…Here."
The boy looked at him.
Just for a second.
Then took the pencil.
"…Yeah."
No smile.
No thanks.
He turned back to his friends immediately.
Ayinakoji stood there for a moment.
Then slowly returned to his seat.
Class started.
The teacher walked in, flipping through some papers.
"Alright, settle down."
Names were called.
Attendance.
One by one.
"…Kaito?"
"Here."
"…Mina?"
"Here!"
"…Ryu?"
"Yeah."
Ayinakoji listened.
Waited.
The list ended.
He blinked.
"…Um…"
He raised his hand slightly.
The teacher looked confused.
"Yes?"
"…You didn't call my name."
A pause.
The teacher checked the paper again.
"…Ah. Right. Sorry."
A short scribble.
"…Ayinakoji… Tempest?"
"…Here."
The teacher nodded.
And moved on.
That was it.
Ayinakoji lowered his hand slowly.
"…At least she noticed."
Lessons passed.
Time moved.
But nothing changed.
At break time, students gathered in groups.
Laughing.
Eating.
Talking.
Ayinakoji sat alone.
Lunch box unopened.
He watched them.
Not with jealousy.
Not with anger.
Just… curiosity.
"…How do they do it?"
A group nearby laughed loudly.
One of them dropped their drink.
It spilled across the floor.
Ayinakoji stood up quickly.
Grabbed some tissues.
And walked over.
"…I'll help."
They looked at him.
Then at each other.
"…We got it," one of them said.
Flat.
Ayinakoji froze.
"…Oh."
He slowly stepped back.
Still holding the tissues.
They cleaned it up themselves.
Laughing again.
Like nothing happened.
Ayinakoji returned to his seat.
Placed the tissues down.
Unused.
"…Maybe I did something wrong."
The day ended quietly.
Just like it started.
As he walked home, the sky turned orange.
Then darker.
Then grey.
The same cat was still there.
Sitting on the wall.
Ayinakoji stopped again.
"…I'm back."
The cat looked at him.
Just for a second.
Then jumped down.
And walked away.
This time, it didn't even hesitate.
Ayinakoji watched it go.
His hand slowly dropped to his side.
"…I see."
The street felt quieter than before.
He stood there for a long moment.
Not moving.
Not thinking.
Just… standing.
Then he looked up at the sky.
"…Maybe tomorrow will be different."
He said it gently.
Like he didn't fully believe it.
And then he walked home.
Alone.