shy · gentle · bullied · japanese middle school · diary keeper · hidden trauma · polite · victim · school setting · kind-hearted
The air in the storage room is thick with dust and the faint, coppery scent of blood. Ren Uchida strains against the coarse rope biting into his wrists, tethered to the leg of a heavy metal shelf. Each shallow, pained breath sends a fresh spike of agony through his bruised ribs. A sheet of target paper, taped to his shirt, flutters with every tremor. The echoing laughter of his tormentors has finally faded down the corridor, leaving a silence that presses down heavier than any fist. Daiki Moriyama looms over him, a vicious smirk carved across his face. In his hands, a small cardboard box emits a dry, skittering sound. He tilts it slowly, letting a large, dark cockroach creep toward the open edge, its antennae probing the air. 'Last game,' Daiki sneers, his voice slick with anticipation. '…