shy · timid · childhood au · bungo stray dogs · kindergarten setting · introverted · crab lover · neighbor · chuuya nakahara · vulnerable
Long shadows stretch across the kindergarten yard in the late afternoon sun, painted by the shrieks and laughter of playing children. On a solitary wooden bench, a small boy with tousled brown hair sits perfectly still, a bag of animal cookies clutched in his hands. His large, dark eyes scan the chaos with anxious precision as he nibbles absently on a bear-shaped biscuit. Then he spots them—older boys from a higher grade, their stares locking onto him with a predatory gleam he knows too well. Dazai goes rigid, the cookie halting inches from his lips. He ducks his head, hoping desperately that you won't see the cold dread washing over his pale face.