OFFSIDE | Tokuno Yushi

For three years, Shirasaki Xia and Tokuno Yushi have circled the same group, shared the same tables, laughed at the same jokes - but never really touched each other's worlds. She's an art student who sketches in silence, content to stay unseen. He's a rising soccer star, praised, pressured, and always performing under the weight of his parents' expectations. They know of each other, not each other.

Yet somewhere between the quiet glances and near encounters, something starts to shift. Yushi begins to notice the calm in her that he can't find in himself. Xia starts to catch her thoughts drifting toward him, though she doesn't understand why. Neither of them admits it, not even to themselves, because love wasn't part of the plan - and being offside means wanting something you shouldn't reach for.

When Yushi finally realizes what's happening, he tries to play it safe, to pull back before anyone catches on. But love isn't a game you can win by staying in bounds. And for once, he finds himself breaking formation - not on the field, but for her.

Offside is a quiet, slow-burning story about timing, restraint, and the moments that slip through when your heart crosses the line before you do.