"Jotou, it's your turn to present your report."
"Dammit," Jotou pursed his lips shut, watching every tick of his watch go by. 'So close to the bell…' The last period of the day and of course there was just enough time for his turn…
Grouped up in tables of four, he barely talked to those around; only when the necessity arose he would speak. Forty classmates contending on which voice rang the loudest in Jotou's ears.
Jotou stood up with three papers, paperclipped together. Never muttered a joke or asked for a good luck—not making the mistake to be made fun of again.
As he walked from the middle of the class, through the crowd of legs to the front, his shoulders closed in—eyes staring at the front wall of the class. 'Don't make eye contact, don't make eye contact.'
