Chapter Text
Every day was pretty much the same for the sixteen-year-old Japanese boy.
He woke up, or sometimes he didn't when he ended up pulling an all-nighter watching anime, ate breakfast with his family, went to hell, and then returned home just to watch more anime before eventually going to sleep and doing it all over again the next day.
It was always like that.
Sometimes the students from his school would wait for him outside the gates so they could torment him a little longer, and on those days he got home later than usual.
His parents had sent countless emails to the school over the years, complaining about the way their son was being treated by his classmates and the other students, but they didn't know the half of it.
Niko fought back most of the time.
Not physically, usually.
The problem was that telling the teachers or the principal wouldn't actually accomplish anything. The people who hated him would continue hating him, and the people who laughed would continue laughing. The only thing that changed was that they became slightly more creative about it afterwards.
Today was no different.
While walking to school, a group of boys rode past him on their bikes.
"Hey Ikki! I'm not forgetting your outburst from yesterday, fucking loser! Be careful who you touch with your filthy hands!"
Their laughter echoed down the street as they disappeared around the corner.
Niko ignored them.
It didn't really matter whether he fought back or not. Sometimes reacting made things worse, and sometimes ignoring them made things worse. There wasn't much logic behind it.
Every time he passed people he could feel them staring, whispering or secretly taking pictures of him when they thought he wasn't looking, observing him the same way people observed some strange animal in a zoo.
Not a beautiful animal or a rare animal.
The kind people wished would go extinct.
He passed through the school gates and made his way toward his first classroom while students rushed around him, talking loudly with their friends, laughing over jokes he couldn't hear, playing games on their phones or desperately trying not to be late.
He hoped nobody would notice him.
Yet he noticed everyone.
Unlike most people, who only paid attention to themselves and their little friend groups, Niko had spent years quietly observing the students around him, and somewhere along the way he had developed the habit of making mental notes about almost everyone he met.
He knew their friends.
Their habits.
The people they secretly liked.
The people they pretended to like.
The people they hated.
Even their secrets sometimes.
It wasn't actually that difficult.
Most people practically revealed everything about themselves if you watched them long enough.
For example, Shidou.
Probably the loudest student in the entire school.
Probably the most dangerous too.
He had a crush on Sae Itoshi.
Most students assumed he was joking whenever he shouted about it across the hallway, but Niko wasn't stupid. The way Shidou talked about him, the way his attention immediately shifted whenever Sae entered a room, the way he somehow managed to bring him up in every conversation—it was obvious.
Not that Shidou really tried to hide it.
In a school like this, boys weren't exactly expected to like other boys.
Niko admired that a little.
Although he doubted Shidou would ever admit it in a serious tone.
Besides, he was far too loud for Niko's liking, and unfortunately most of his friends seemed to view Niko's existence as a personal insult.
Then there was Rin Itoshi.
A classmate.
Rin wasn't like the others.
Yet he wasn't a loser reject like Niko, but he clearly didn't want anything to do with the people around him either.
The difference was that Rin chose that life.
If he wanted to, he could probably become the most popular guy in his year by next week.
He had the looks for it.
The talent.
The reputation.
Everything.
Yet he spent most of his time glaring at people as though their presence physically irritated him.
Everyone except Yoichi Isagi.
Isagi was a nice guy.
Niko knew that.
One time he had spoken to Niko without sounding disgusted, which already placed him above most of the school.
And for someone to be good enough for Rin's standards was an achievement all by itself.
Isagi had many friends, which wasn't surprising considering he was good-looking, athletic and genuinely kind to almost everyone he met, and yet despite already having a friend group that stretched across multiple grades he still waited outside Rin's classroom almost every day.
Niko never understood that.
Why would someone like Isagi put so much effort into becoming friends with someone as rude, selfish and angry as Rin?
Wouldn't it be easier to spend time with the giant friend group he already had?
Bachira.
Kurona.
Hiori.
And countless others.
Isn't it funny?
Niko knew all of them.
He knew which ones got into arguments with their parents.
Which ones had crushes.
Which ones secretly hated each other.
Which ones cried in the bathroom during lunch breaks.
Yet none of them knew anything about him beyond "that weird anime kid with the long bangs."
"Hey anime nerd, why don't you bring your body pillow to school?"
A voice called out from behind him.
Niko resisted the urge to sigh.
Will they ever let that go?
He didn't even own a body pillow.
Not because he had anything against them.
He just never bought one.
Niko didn't bother turning around.
There was no point.
Defending himself only encouraged them.
"Pff, dude, he can't hear you because of his hair."
The second boy laughed.
Niko immediately recognized both voices.
Of course he did.
He knew exactly who they were.
He knew their names, their grades, their friends and even what convenience store they stopped at after school.
They, meanwhile, probably couldn't name a single thing about him besides the anime.
"Don't fucking ignore me!"
The irritated boy's name was Ikirita Katsuta.
Niko just continued walking, ignoring him even though it wouldn't make much of a difference if he responded.
Ikirita always wanted something from him. Always needed to cause Niko problems. Why couldnt he just live his own life and leave Niko alone?
“You know Niko, have fucking fun after school then. See how long you can ignore me then.”
….
Niko entered the classroom and took a seat where he always sat: in the very back of the classroom, in hope that no one would even regognise his presence.
Teacher Anri looked different today. She looked stressed about something. Maybe she had a fight with principal Ego again, or something happened at home. She was ruffling through papers while the class didnt stop making noice. Normally, she wouldve told them to be quiet already, guess today was a conception.
“Okay class. Today is a special day!”
(called it)
The class fell a little quieter but ofcourse Ikirita was still talking loudly.
Anri ignored him and continued. “There is a new person joining us today, so please be respectful and nice towards him.”
(Oh? You dont hear that every day. Maybe today really is special.)
Ikirita also fell silence and looked hyped by the news. Probably because the new student is either a new victim or a new best friend.
Niko didn't really care about a new student. They were all teh same really. no one really stood out that much in this school. Everyone was the same. They were all bowling pins, that Niko would strike out if life was a game.
All thoughtless and cruel, they think they're so cool. Niko doesn't think they deserve another day.