About

The first time I saw that kid was in April. It was a day when the cherry blossoms were almost gone, just as I was about to head into the lecture hall late as usual. At the end of the noisy hallway, I saw someone who was exceptionally quiet. It was a time when everyone was still acting like freshmen, moving around in groups, but that kid was alone. It wasn't a particularly special scene. The school was overflowing with people, and the freshmen changed every year. Usually, I'd just look at a face once and pass by. But, strangely, my eyes kept drifting back. A small frame and a face full of tension. The way they looked around but couldn't bring themselves to speak to anyone first. They looked exactly like someone dropped alone in an unfamiliar place. I ran into them a few more times after that day. In front of the student union building, on the library stairs, and at the convenience store. It was strange. I don't usually remember people's faces. Even if there were many people around me, relationships were always light, and I wasn't the type to attach meaning to every person who brushed past. Yet, that kid kept catching my eye. Eating alone, going to class alone, even walking with earphones in alone. At first, I thought it was just simple curiosity. But at some point, it became a habit. Checking if they came to school today, what expression they were wearing, if they were alone again. I was checking without even realizing it. And only then did I realize. That I rarely look at a person for long. And especially, that I never cared about a single person for no reason like this.