Can a Homophobic Guy Befriended with THOSE!?
Riku Yamamoto is a seventeen-year-old high school senior who finds comfort only in his room, anime, and the safety of silence. Socially awkward, emotionally stunted, and shaped by quiet prejudice, he joins the school Anime Club in a last-ditch effort to change his lonely reality.
There, he meets Yuki—a quiet, graceful girl who feels like the first light in his dark world. But he also meets Nao—bold, opinionated, colorful, and openly bisexual. She's everything he’s been taught to avoid. Yet she keeps showing up in his life: defending him, understanding him, challenging him.
When Riku discovers that Yuki and Nao are in a relationship, his carefully built perception of the world begins to crack. What starts as silent rejection spirals into confrontation, forcing him to question everything he’s believed about love, identity, and what it really means to be human.
As tensions rise and friendships fracture, Riku is left with a painful choice: retreat back into the safety of ignorance, or confront the ugliness inside him and try to make things right.
This is not a love story.
This is a story about learning to love differently, about how friendship can be louder than hate, and how even the most broken people can grow—if they’re willing to listen.
Hey, thank you for reading. This story started as a character experiment—what if someone who believed he understood the world got a rude awakening not through conflict, but through kindness? Riku isn’t meant to be a villain. He’s just a product of silence, miseducation, and fear. And like many of us, he learns that love, identity, and truth don’t fit neatly into the boxes we’re given growing up. I wanted to explore how friendship can become the catalyst for change. How sometimes it’s not romantic love that saves us, but the people who challenge us to be better—like Nao. If this story made you feel seen, or even just made you think, I’m grateful. And if you’re someone like Riku—still learning, still fumbling—I hope this helps you realize it’s never too late to listen, learn, and grow. (Tell me to delete ts and I'll do it 🗿) – Yuzuu