yuzuumachi

Iwasaki Yuto is an ordinary college student who views himself as nothing more than an unremarkable "NPC" in the grand scheme of life. He goes through his days quietly, blending into the background at school and keeping to himself. His world revolves around gaming, anime, and escaping the harsh reality of his social invisibility. Yet, despite his attempts to stay unnoticed, he can’t shake the feeling that something is missing—especially when it comes to love.

In his daily routine, Yuto faces the same struggles of rejection, loneliness, and self-doubt. He watches others live out their high school romance fantasies while he remains on the sidelines, quietly wishing for a chance to experience something meaningful. But when fate throws him into unexpected situations and confrontations, Yuto begins to question if he’ll always be a background character in his own life—or if, somehow, he’s destined for more than the ordinary existence he’s resigned himself to.

My Part-time Girlfriend

There's a particular kind of silence that follows people when they leave—not just the absence of voices or footsteps, but the deeper kind. The kind that lingers in corners and seeps into walls. A silence that feels alive somehow, like a ghost too polite to speak.

That's what my apartment felt like after we left Yuto's place this morning. Like the air itself hadn't quite settled, like it was still listening for something that would never be said.

Even now, as I make my way home from cram school, the memory trails behind me like a second shadow—soft, persistent, unwelcome.

Chapter 29: Some Things Are Meant to Stay Quiet