"The Boy in the Corner Who Sees Everything"

They didn’t notice him at first.

Ren Kurozawa sat in the second row from the back, by the window — not by choice, but because no one cared enough to take that seat. He didn’t speak unless spoken to. He didn’t raise his hand. His test scores weren’t top, but never low. His uniform was always neat, but never stood out. In a class full of performers, he was the empty space between the lines.

But every class has someone like him — the quiet one. The one who’s just there. And no one asks why.

Because Ren made sure of that.

He wasn’t invisible — that would be suspicious. No, he was forgettable. Seen, but never remembered. Just familiar enough to be ignored.

The teachers thought he was polite.
His classmates thought he was boring.
No one ever thought of him twice.

And that was exactly how he wanted it.

Because while they talked, laughed, and gossiped, Ren watched.
He watched who sat with who. Who hated who. Who smiled too long. Who was lying to themselves.

Everyone was playing a role in the classroom.
Ren just happened to be the one writing the script.

“Hey, Naruse's getting strict lately. You think she's okay?”

He said it softly, during lunch. Not too loud. Not too quiet. Just enough for three people to hear.

An hour later, half the class was talking about how the class rep was acting weird.
By the next day, she started crying during homeroom.

And Ren?
He was “just there.”
Quiet. Normal. Concerned.

He offered her a tissue, and said nothing.

They still don’t know what he is.

To them, he’s just Ren Kurozawa.
A shadow. A background character.
Someone who couldn’t possibly be the reason half the class is in love with the wrong people, or why old friends won’t talk anymore.

But Ren knows every secret, every flaw, every crack in their masks.

And today, he found a new one.

Her.