Prologue – "Do You Want to Sit on My Lap, Senpai?"
The school rooftop was quiet.
No birds, no noise from below. Just wind, and the occasional rustle of clothes drying under the sun.
Lying flat on his back, one leg casually resting over the other, was a boy with black hair and sharp eyes—Kazumi Naoko, 16 years old, a second-year student in high school.
A single earbud played faint music into his left ear.
In his hands, a handheld console, the screen glowing brightly with his favorite RPG.
He didn't blink much. His gaze was fixed, expression unreadable. Like a statue playing video games.
If calm had a physical form, it was this boy.
He was handsome, no doubt about that. His cool, distant look and clean-cut face could've earned him a fan club in any other school romance story.
But somehow… no one noticed him.
No popularity. No rumors. No one even gossiped about him.
He was just… there.
And that was perfectly fine with him.
"...Tch. Missed the timing."
Kazumi muttered as he restarted the boss fight on his screen for the third time. It wasn't frustration—just a quiet complaint, like a guy whose vending machine gave him the wrong drink.
Peace. Silence. Nothingness.
Exactly the way he liked it.
Until—
Creeeeak…
The rooftop door opened with a soft metallic squeal.
Kazumi's eyes darted up—not from fear, but because almost no one came here during class hours.
And when he saw who it was, his brow lifted just slightly.
A petite girl with soft blonde hair walked over, her steps quiet and her face completely neutral. Her expression was unreadable—almost like she had no idea how emotions worked.
Rino Chisa.
A first-year student.
Cute… but incredibly bland.
Seriously. If you asked her, "Isn't today's lunch delicious?!" with a big smile, she'd just tilt her head and say:
> "Ohh. So that's what you think."
No smile. No excitement. Just default deadpan.
"...You lost?" Kazumi asked, sitting up a little, pausing his game.
Rino blinked slowly. "No."
"...Then what do you want?"
She walked up to him and stopped at a very awkwardly close distance. Her gaze didn't move. It was like staring into the eyes of a lizard—but, you know, a cute one.
"I want to get closer to my senpai," she said in a completely flat tone.
Kazumi stared at her.
His brain needed a full two seconds to process what she just said.
"…Why?"
"You seem lonely," she said. "Also, your face is my type."
"…Thanks?"
It didn't sound like a compliment. It sounded like a weather update.
Then, without any warning, Rino sat down right beside him. Her legs stretched forward for a second before she tucked them to the side and patted her lap.
"Come here," she said. "You can lay on my lap. That's what cute girls do for their favorite senpai."
"…Huh?" Kazumi's expression finally cracked. "I'm good. No thanks."
"I don't mind," she replied, still staring blankly. "Just do it."
"No, seriously, I—"
Before he could finish, Rino casually reached out, grabbed his sleeve, and with an almost concerning amount of strength for her 155cm frame, pulled him forward. In one smooth motion, his head was now awkwardly resting on her thighs.
"…Why are you so strong?" he mumbled, staring at the clouds now.
"Cheerleading club," she said. "I quit after two weeks."
Of course you did, he thought.
Her lap was soft… but not in that way. Rino was slim, barely above flat-chested, and Kazumi could feel how bony her legs were through his hoodie.
Still. Somehow… it was warm. And weirdly peaceful.
"Are you gonna say anything else?" he asked.
"No."
"...Right."
He sighed, repositioned his console, and continued his boss fight while laying on a kouhai's lap like it was the most normal thing in the world.
The wind continued to blow.
The sky remained empty.
And up there, two completely opposite people sat together, one emotionally deadpan, the other emotionally numb.
Maybe, just maybe… this was the start of something ridiculous.