Who's actually reading this?
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Saturday morning arrived with a clarity that felt almost intentional. For the first time in years, Kyso didn't wake up with the heavy, lingering dread of the school halls. Today was his first official hangout with Toru, or as she had aggressively termed it, a "Best Friend Date."
In front of his mirror, Kyso struggled. He tried to style his ash-grey hair, but the strands were stubborn, remaining messy and wind-swept no matter how much he fussed.
He settled on a pair of black jeans and a matching shirt, layering it with a worn leather jacket he'd spent thirty minutes digging out from the back of his closet. It felt like armor; it made him feel less like a boy falling apart and more like someone who belonged in the sun.
When he stepped into the kitchen, the domestic warmth hit him like a physical wave. His mother, Sora, was at the stove, the sizzle of breakfast filling the air. His father, Mikhail, sat at the table, his massive frame dwarfing the furniture as he focused on the morning newspaper.
"Not waiting for breakfast?"
Sora asked, her eyes widening as she took in his outfit. "Where are you going all dressed up, honey?"
Mikhail lowered his paper, a single silvered eyebrow raised in a silent interrogation.
Kyso felt the heat creep into his cheeks.
"I'm... just going out with a friend."
"A friend?!"
The reaction was simultaneous, a chorus of shock that made Kyso wince.
"Why didn't you tell us?"
Mikhail spoke first, his deep voice carrying a rare edge of genuine excitement.
"It just... it never came up," Kyso stammered, shifting his weight.
Sora looked at her son, really looked at him, and saw the light in his red eyes that hadn't been there a month ago. She smiled, her expression softening into pure mirth.
"Well, still! I suppose I can forgive you for skipping my cooking just this once. Go on, enjoy yourself."
"Bye, mom. Bye, dad."
As the door clicked shut, Mikhail let the newspaper slip from his fingers, a relieved, weary smile grazing his lips. "He actually got a friend, Sora. A real one."
"I'm so proud," she whispered, her eyes shining as she turned back to the stove with a renewed, rhythmic energy in her step.
–––——
Toru Hagakure was a whirlwind of invisible energy waiting by the park gates. She checked her phone for the tenth time, giggling at Kyso's frantic "I'm almost there!" messages.
When she saw him jogging around the corner, his leather jacket catching the breeze and his messy hair bouncing, she felt a surge of genuine pride.
"Aww! You didn't have to!" she chirped as Kyso reached her, breathless, holding out a single, perfectly intact flower. She snatched it up before he could overthink it, tucking it carefully behind where her ear should be.
"Good morning, Toru," he panted, his smile lopsided and shy. "Where to first?"
"Oh! Oh! We are going to the carnival!"
——
The carnival was a sensory overload, a kaleidoscope of soaring ferris wheels, neon lights, and the scent of fried sugar. For Kyso, it was a challenge.
He was hyper-aware of his hands, keeping them deep in his pockets to avoid the brush of a passing shoulder. But Toru didn't care about personal space. She dragged him toward a game stall, her empty sleeves flapping with excitement.
"Look at the bunny! It's huge!" she cried, pointing at a plush toy the size of a small child.
"I'll make you bankrupt, old man!"
She paid the vendor and threw the balls with theatrical flair, missing every single can by a comical margin.
"Nooooooooooo!" she wailed, clutching Kyso's sleeve. "It's rigged! Kyso, you try! Avenge me!"
Kyso stepped up. He took the ball, his cracked fingers gripping the leather. For a second, he zoned out.
He looked at Toru, who was hopping up and down beside him.
Because of his Entropy, Kyso didn't just see the world; he saw the vibration of things, the way energy moved and faded.
He saw the light bending around her invisible form, creating a shimmering, prismatic outline that no one else noticed.
She was a riot of movement, a spectrum of life that didn't need a face to be beautiful.
He thought of the vibrant pinks and yellows she described in her fashion magazines, colors he could see on others, but not on her.
'She's the brightest thing here,' he thought, a strange ache in his chest. 'Full of all the colors I can't see.'
"Kyso? You're spacing out!"
He blinked, snapped back to reality, and threw the ball. By sheer luck, it struck the center, and the entire pyramid collapsed. The vendor handed over the giant bunny. Kyso took it and held it out to the empty space where Toru was.
"Here," he said. "I think it matches your flower."
"Eeeek! It's so soft!" The bunny suddenly lifted into the air, looking as if it were getting a massive, invisible hug.
"You're a natural, Kyso-kun! My hero!"
–––
The rest of the day was a blur of laughter and sticky fingers. They moved to a cotton candy stall, where Toru insisted on the "Galaxy Swirl." Kyso watched, fascinated, as bits of pink and blue sugar seemed to vanish into thin air, leaving only a faint sticky residue on her gloves.
They walked along the boardwalk, the giant bunny tucked under Kyso's arm because Toru "wanted to hold hands instead."
Every time a group of kids walked by and gave Kyso's cracked skin a wide berth, Toru would just swing his hand higher, chattering loudly about which ride to hit next.
She was his shield against the world's judgment, not with armor, but with sheer, stubborn joy.
As the sun began to dip, casting long, purple shadows over the fairgrounds, they sat on a bench overlooking the water.
Kyso looked down at his bandaged hand, then at the invisible girl swinging her feet beside him. For the first time in his life, the future didn't feel like a countdown to something breaking. It felt like a story that was just beginning.
———
This is the first chapter with over 1000 words, i'm spoiling my zero readers too much.