On the third floor of an abandoned school building somewhere in Tokyo, Shouko sat with her legs slightly apart, her head tilted to the right, as if gazing into the distance.
Her profile, like a masterpiece carved by nature itself, wore a cold and distant expression.
Click, click!
The camera flash kept going off.
"Very good! Komi-san, now please sit on the classroom chair and rest your chin on your hand."
The photographer popped his head out from behind the camera.
Shouko moved toward the desk and chair with stiff, awkward steps, like a lagging frame in slow motion, occasionally glancing back to make sure Takashi was still there.
At the back door of the classroom, Chizuru stood with her hands behind her back, tilting her head toward Takashi.
"So? Satisfied with the job I introduced to her?"
The job Chizuru introduced to Shouko was as a magazine model.
Given Shouko's severe communication disorder, there were almost no jobs suitable for her.
But fortunately, Shouko held the trump card of beauty.
Sometimes, being good-looking really does mean you can do whatever you want.
Even if she said nothing at all and just stood there, Shouko easily secured the magazine model job.
Takashi leaned lazily against the doorframe.
"Thanks, Chizuru-nee. I owe you one for this."
"Are you free after the shoot?"
"Wait, are you going to confess to me? I'm sorry.
Even though you've helped me and I was a little moved for a moment, when I calmed down and thought it through, I realized it's not possible! So, sorry."
Chizuru ignored his nonsense and continued on her own.
"Recently, I went to visit my grandmother. She's been asking about my love life—either intentionally or not.
She even said she met another patient at the hospital and wants to introduce me to her grandson."
Takashi instantly understood what she meant.
"So… you want me to pretend to be your boyfriend?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Nee-san, I'm just a first-year high school student. I'm only sixteen—still a minor! And you're okay with that?"
Takashi crossed his arms over his chest and looked warily at the woman three years older than him.
He seriously thought Chizuru might be starving.
Just like how some bros, after being single for too long, start looking at the people around them—not just the girls, even guys weren't safe.
"You say one more word, and I'll immediately expose all those shady things you've been doing outside."
Chizuru smiled sweetly, though her eyes were anything but.
"Chizuru-nee, you're hardly one to talk. Haven't you been doing the same things?"
If it were anyone else threatening him, Takashi might have backed down.
But with Chizuru? Please. He wasn't afraid at all.
She dared to expose him? He dared to expose her right back.
Mutual destruction was always an option.
"Just say whether you'll help or not."
Chizuru really had no way to deal with Takashi.
"Since you're asking so nicely, how can I say no?"
Takashi chuckled.
Not just for Chizuru—if any of his classmates asked for help, and he could help, he wouldn't hesitate.
Takashi's life motto was: Worry more on ordinary days, and you won't panic when trouble comes.
Sometimes, helping others is helping yourself.
Because he knew—no one's life goes perfectly smoothly. Everyone hits bumps and hardships.
A little goodwill now might be what saves you later.
Good relationships make everything easier. That's just how it works.
What he said earlier? Just teasing for fun.
"Hmph."
Chizuru snorted softly through her nose, sounding somewhat satisfied.
As night fell, the shoot went smoothly without any incidents.
Even though Shouko was an amateur and didn't really know how to pose properly, her beauty and aura more than made up for it. Every casual shot of her was wallpaper material.
There wasn't even much need for post-editing—her raw photos were already amazing. Just a few tweaks to the background would do.
"Komi-san, thank you for your hard work."
"I'll try to get you on the magazine cover."
"Komi-san, here's my card. I hope we can work together again."
"Komi-chan, can we take a selfie together?"
After the shoot, Shouko was swarmed like the darling of the crew. Some handed her business cards, others asked for photos or her contact info.
Probably overwhelmed by such passionate people for the first time, Shouko stood frozen in place, looking completely lost. She didn't know what to do and looked to Takashi for help.
Takashi noticed her gaze and slowly smiled.
Shouko's eyes sparkled. If she had a tail, it would definitely be wagging right now.
But just as she thought Takashi would come help, he turned away and continued chatting with Chizuru, acting like he hadn't seen anything—completely ignoring her.
What the heck~
A look of grievance appeared on Shouko's delicate face.
Throwing a socially anxious person into a crowd and just leaving them? What kind of friend does that?
I'm not talking to him for the rest of the day!
Shouko puffed her cheeks in annoyance and turned her head away.
…
By the time they left the shooting location, night had completely fallen.
The sun had quietly slipped below the horizon, leaving behind a spreading dusk.
The sky darkened from a deep blue to a rich navy.
And since they were in Tokyo, stars weren't visible.
Shouko lived quite far from the shoot location. It was late, and Takashi didn't feel safe letting her go back alone, so he decided to walk with her.
Still upset that he hadn't helped her earlier, Shouko didn't say a single word during the entire walk.
Only when they arrived at her door did Takashi finally speak.
"Alright, I'm off."
He gave a short farewell and was about to leave—when Shouko grabbed his sleeve.
Takashi blinked.
"What is it?"
Shouko raised a prepared sign:
[Why didn't you help me back there?]
"Why should I help you?"
Takashi replied with a question of his own.
Shouko parted her lips to speak, then slowly closed them again without saying anything.
"Your goal is to make a hundred friends, right? Then you need to overcome your communication issues yourself—not rely on others and expect them to help."
Takashi leaned lazily against the wall.
"Putting your hopes in others just sets yourself up for disappointment. You'll live your life passively."
If someone relies on others too much, they'll never grow. And in the long run, that doesn't lead anywhere good.
That's how emotional infants are born.
Takashi had a friend like that.
Whenever something happened, his first instinct wasn't to try solving it himself, but to ask for help.
Once or twice was fine, but after a while, no one wanted to deal with him anymore.
"Little one, let me give you one more piece of advice."
Takashi reached out and gently pinched Shouko's soft, fair cheek.
"Don't expect too much from anyone. No one will stay by your side forever. You need to learn to grow up, got it?"
Shouko widened her big, innocent eyes, looking confused but still utterly adorable.
"You silly girl."
Takashi rubbed her head, then waved her inside.
Shouko walked a step, looked back.
Another step, another look.
Just ten steps took her a full minute to reach her door.
Even as she closed it, her eyes never left Takashi.
Takashi had both hands in his pockets, watching her with a smile in his eyes.
Before the front door fully closed, Shouko softly said, barely audible, "Goodbye."
Right after speaking, Shouko bashfully shut the door.
Leaning against it, just as she was about to walk away, she suddenly heard from the other side: "Goodbye."
Hearing that "Goodbye!", a pure smile like a blooming white flower appeared on Shouko's face.
Just as she was about to tell her family about her part-time job, she looked up and saw Tadano Hitohito standing in front of her, arms limp at his sides and an obviously forced smile on his face:
"Good evening, Komi-san. The teacher asked me to bring these materials to you."
Shouko averted her eyes slightly. For some reason, she felt a faint sense of guilt.
…
Outside, Takashi was going through something similar.
At the street corner in front of him stood a girl wearing a hoodie over a white shirt, with flawless features that not even a magnifying glass could find fault with.
Even though they hadn't seen each other for just a few days, Takashi noticed that the always-perfect girl looked unwell—her complexion pale.
At that moment, they were staring at each other from a distance.
At the girl's feet was a shopping bag with snacks scattered on the ground.
Seeing the girl standing at the corner, Takashi's facial muscles twitched slightly, but he still forced a smile: "Good evening, Doma-san."
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What Takashi said is actually good to follow.
Help if you can, life goes around. Who knows if somewhere in the future when you need help, they will help you back.
Kinda contradictive but ""Putting your hopes in others just sets yourself up for disappointment" is also true lmao.
So, help if you can but never hope for them to pay you back.
Just like in gacha games, don't hope for 'luck' to save you, always assume the hard pity but when you do get it early (luck's help) it will feel amazing.
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