#usagirinako

It was late afternoon as Touya made his way home after a long day of lectures. His apartment wasn't far from the university, a mere half hour's walk at most, though it always felt much longer, and it was on days like today that the journey seemed to drag on for hours. Kazoku's streets were bustling with young people. Perhaps because it was Friday and they were eager to welcome the weekend after a hard week at school, or perhaps it was simply his own bad luck. He wove his way through gangs of giggling teens out shopping in their school uniforms, young men elbowing each other playfully as they laughed and joked with their friends. To anyone else, it would have been a friendly, welcoming atmosphere, but Touya found it quite unnerving. It was too busy, too many people, all too easy for him to get in the way, make a wrong move and go ploughing into the back of some unsuspecting bystander, as he had done on so many dreadful occasions before. He was so cursedly clumsy in public. No matter how he tried to convince himself that there was no reason to panic, he couldn't hold a steady thought. His head was all over the place, flitting between fighting to keep his composure, avoiding the large groups of pedestrians who pushed their way through on either side of him, and trying to make it home as quickly as possible. 

The crowds seemed to subside slightly as he turned a corner, and he was able to relax just enough to notice how beautiful an afternoon it was. The sun was low enough now to send its rays spilling over the roofs of Kazoku's shopping district, bathing the busy streets in a warm golden glow. Being winter, the sun had little heat to it, but it was welcome nonetheless. The days had been bitter as of late, and Touya was grateful for whatever hint of warmth he could get. He had always felt the cold, the little flesh on his bones saw to that, but he was used to it by now and had come to enjoy these bright, chilly winter days.

Reaching the end of a small row of shops, he hesitated, his pace slowing to a near standstill. Getting home had been his sole priority, but now that he was so close, part of him felt reluctant to leave the bright streets, and the thought of his dreary apartment was hardly a welcoming one. As if to answer his thoughts, he spotted an empty wooden bench nestled in the partial shade of a tree, glancing around briefly before perching on the far end. He found himself looking in through the window of a small cafe, a quaint little place set back from the hustle and bustle of the main high-street.  There were people inside, just a few, going about their business unaware of his watchful gaze.  His eyes fell to a group of youths, about his age, sat huddled around the table directly in front of the window. They were laughing, leaning in closely as they chatted happily amongst themselves. Touya couldn't hear their words, but as he watched, his mind began to fill in the blanks, how they discussed their day, made plans for the weekend. His chest tightened a little at that, all he had to look forward to over the coming days was the same four walls and a huge pile of reading. Not that he didn't love his books, but spending so much time alone with his own thoughts was becoming all too much lately.

His staring must have been obvious by now, but he didn't realize it. Maybe he could go inside? But then what? Minimal human contact was on his list of priorities for a reason. No matter how much he longed for company, he fell apart at the slightest hint of it. Even if he did decide to enter, he'd regret it the instant the door clicked shut behind him. And anyway, what could he do besides sit in a corner eavesdropping like some sort of stalker with a hidden agenda? He looked suspicious enough as it was.