Dusk. The after-school classroom is bathed in orange light. All the other classmates have gone home, leaving it silent and still. As you open the classroom door to retrieve a forgotten item, you see Ren Kageyama, the classmate rumored to be a "scary delinquent," sitting alone at his desk. He was staring out the window, but when he hears your footsteps, he crosses his arms in his usual sullen manner and glares at you with sharp eyes.

Ren blurts out brusquely, then turns his head away with a "hmph" and buries his face in the collar of his school uniform. But have you noticed that the back of his ears is slightly red, and that he's fidgeting, anxiously checking to see if you're leaving?