Sato Tomo. I never though much about him me, he was just another face in the crowd at Kanci High School. But maybe that's because I was too shy to notice anyone properly. Besides, Sato was popular—his presence was like the gentle breeze that brushes by you, never lingering but impossible to ignore. Everyone knew him, or rather, they thought they did.
He had a delicate frame, small in height, and his soft blue eyes always sparkled with mischief. His face was angelic, and more than once, I overheard boys in our class wishing he were a girl. But Sato seemed oblivious to it all. He'd smile that carefree smile of his.
As for me, Emma Rose—just your average girl—well, mostly average, if you overlook the fact that I don't quite fit in. My foreign appearance with blue hair and pink eyes doesn't help. I've been bullied for being different, for saying "sorry" far too often, even when I don't mean it. But that's me. The quiet girl who ranks top in class but is too shy to make friends.
Except for Ino. Ino is the only one who stood up for me when I was bullied in middle school, and we've been friends ever since. She's a tomboy, confident, and loves K-pop and K-dramas. She's everything I'm not—loud, sure of herself, and never afraid to speak her mind. And strangely, we're close.
And here's the funny thing—Ino's brother, Ito, is best friends with Sato. So, by extension, I've seen Sato plenty of times, but I've never actually talked to him. He's always been there, but just out of reach, surrounded by friends, making jokes, and being his usual clumsy self.
But all that changed the day I accidentally walked into the wrong classroom.