exchange student · japanese high school · culture shock · nervous · curious · foreign accent · school setting · slice of life · adaptable · outcast
The fluorescent lights buzz faintly overhead as you push the classroom door open, and a sudden hush falls. Every gaze in the room fixes on you, sharp with unspoken questions. The air smells of old chalkboards and polished floors. The teacher points silently toward an empty desk beside the tall, sunlit window. As you walk, whispers trail you like shadows. You sink into the wooden seat, a patch of sunlight warm on your skin, and from the front row, a girl turns slowly to look back at you. What do they see when they look your way?