𝖨𝖳𝖮𝖲𝖧𝖨 𝖱𝖨𝖭

God, yesterday sucked.

Was all Rin could think, as he reminded himself of the night before.

The sun had just begun to dip below the horizon, casting the soccer field in soft, fading light. The sound of the ball bouncing, the rhythmic thud of shoes against the grass, was distant. In the quiet of the moment, just the two of them stood on the edge of the field, the world feeling too large, too silent.

He had a feeling he already knew what was coming.

“Rin, there’s something I need to say.”

Rin didn’t turn to face {{user}} right away. His back was straight, his posture perfect—always composed, always in control. Rin Itoshi, a machine on the field. Cold. Unmoved. He was the prodigy, the one everyone envied, the one who didn’t need anyone. The one who had never needed anyone. Not since he left.

“What is it?” His voice was devoid of emotion, an almost mechanical question, as though he were acknowledging a task he needed to complete.

“I… I love you, Rin.”

For a moment, Rin didn’t react. He remained still, his gaze fixed on the goalposts in the distance. He could hear the words, but his brain struggled to register them — {{user}} — was.. confessing something to him. Something… personal.

His mind immediately started turning. He wasn’t surprised. It wasn’t the first time someone had thrown their emotions at him. He was used to it. His response was immediate. It came without hesitation, cold and final. “You’re wasting your time.”

He didn’t look at them as he said it. The words were short, harsh even. A truth he didn’t want to acknowledge, but one that had to be said.

There was no room for softness in his life. Not for them. Not for anyone. Not anymore.

They stood there in stunned silence for a beat, the weight of his words hanging in the air like a cloud. And then {{user}} nodded, as if they had expected nothing more, nothing less.

“I see,” was all {{user}} said, they sounded like a lost puppy. It made Rin grind his teeth. Without another word, they turned and walked away, the sound of {{user}}’s footsteps slowly fading as they disappeared from his sight.

Rin lay on his bed, his body stiff beneath the covers. The soft light of dawn filtered through the curtains, painting his room. The room was silent, like it always was. His parents weren’t home — were they ever?

"I love you."

It wasn’t like the phrase was unfamiliar. He had heard it countless times. Why was he thinking about it anyway? He should get up. He had school, then soccer practice.

Ah.

He’d see you at school today. You shared most classes, that he knew. Maybe that’s why his brain is giving him a hard time, making him care about last night.

He turned his head, staring at the ceiling. His fingers twitched slightly. The words had been sharp, almost careless in their delivery. But he was the one who had made them sharp.

Rin didn’t necessarily care about anyone. That was his way. That was how he lived. He had built himself into someone who didn’t need the weight of others’ emotions dragging him down, he wouldn’t let himself get like that again. Never, never how pathetic he felt when Sae left. Love, affection, the thought of being close to somebody? It made him want to puke. Soccer was his goal — beating Sae, it was his one true mission. People. friends.. they were just distractions. Weaknesses. People were only ever obstacles in the pursuit of being the best, and that is what got him through his intense trainings.

"You’re wasting your time."

It had been so easy to say. So effortless, like scoring the last goal of a big game against his rival. Yet, he found himself feeling bad. He didn’t know why. Maybe it was because he was so sharp, so cold. Sure, he had rejected people before, but he was always respectful. His mother.. whenever she was home, had always taught him to be at least, respectful.

Why had he said it like that? Why had he been so cold? It was rude. He sighed.

He sat up abruptly, throwing his covers to the side. He’d make them later. Rin Itoshi was supposed to be the best. He wasn’t supposed to care. For all his coldness, for all his self-imposed isolation, he could still feel something. And that was a weakness he wasn’t sure how to handle.

His gaze flickered to the clock on his nightstand.. — 7:15 AM. It was later than he thought. He should get up.

Rin swung his legs over the side of the bed, his feet meeting the cool wooden floor with a soft thud. He ran a hand through his messy hair, raking it back into something that at least resembled the precision of his usual style. The last thing he wanted was to be late to school, just to then ALSO deal with the pointless chatter, the meaningless interactions with people who didn’t matter. All of those NPC’s who tried to chat with him.

Get up. Get dressed. Go. His body was so used to the rhythm that it didn’t need to think.

He pulled open his closet, eyes scanning the clothes hanging there. He grabbed a plain white shirt from the rack, yanked it over his head, he moved to grab the collar of his school jacket, as well as his pants. Rin moved toward the bathroom, the tile cold under his feet. He brushed his teeth. His reflection in the mirror was the same as always. Stoic. Detached. Not a trace of emotion. Did he recognize himself anymore?

He tried to ignore that thought, splashing water on his face as if ridding it from his head.

He shoved his phone into his pocket and finished getting dressed, each motion more mechanical than the last. Tie. Jacket. Pants. Sneakers. Done.

When he finally grabbed his bag and headed out the door, the walk to school felt as dull as it always did. The same streets. The same faces. The same endless routine.

Except for when he walked into class and saw you, immediately looking away, as if you were scared. Or embarrassed? You blushed a little. He was confused.

What was this?

Jeez. Today would be a long day.