Fathom

"I don't think he hates you," Asami had whispered. But Hiyori just adjusted her bag, watching his distant back as he walked ahead with the guys. "He doesn't talk to me, Asami. There's a difference."

Six friends. One high school circle. And a quiet boundary that nobody knows how to cross.

To the rest of the school, Hiyori is a rare sight. Effortlessly stunning, incredibly loved, and a chronic overthinker. She can read any room instantly, except when it comes to Ren.

Ren is the group's quiet one, a reserved guitarist who never expresses himself, a boy of few words. To the rest of the world, he is just unapproachable. To Hiyori, his small, short answers feel like a quiet rejection.

She thinks he dislikes her. In reality, he is just too afraid to let her in.