Though I hate to admit it, this obvious late-stage chuunibyou fatty is one of my few school friends. His name’s Wu Ze. His absurdly obese frame carried a weird charm, thick round glasses covering half his face. A hardcore otaku—he adored dating sims, light novels, anime, you name it. His weird phrases and bizarre antics made most classmates avoid him.
“Fatty, if you wake me up during nap time again, I’ll go to your house and dismantle all your ‘girlfriends’.”
“Are you kidding? Do you know how expensive those hand models are? My eyes hurt like hell too—don’t you owe me an apology?”
“You deserve it!”
I yawned, rubbed my eyes to clear the sleepiness, then asked, “Where are Little Prince and Eagle?”
“My dear friend, they’re converting void energy at the end of the invisible boundary line.”
“Speak human!”
“They went to buy drinks at the store.”
Talking to this shut-in was exhausting. Sometimes I just wanted to stomp twice on his fat face to vent.
Wu Ze snorted a laugh, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Next class is PE. Wanna head to the bathroom together, bro? Time to unleash the dragon and swap pants.”
I knew he just meant changing into sportswear—but why did it sound so damn uncomfortable?
…
During PE, students lined up on the field. After roll call, we ran laps around the track.
Post-run, boys and girls split up: basketball for us guys, volleyball for the girls.
Unlike other groups cramming seven or eight players on half a court, our four-person squad dominated half the court. No one ran for ten minutes without touching the ball.
All thanks to the man leaping high to snatch the rebound—Zhao Yin. We called him “Eagle” behind his back. At six-foot-three with muscles packed tight, he stood like a human Gundam on the court. No one dared challenge him.
Worse, his face radiated menace. Narrow eyes pinned you like a venomous snake’s stare. Just standing there, he gave off such vibes that you’d think: *One more glance and I’ll kill you, bastard.* That’s what “awe without anger” really meant.
Most classmates kept their distance. Gossips whispered rumors: *“He’s in the triads.” “Has blood on his hands.” “Seen fighting gangsters off-campus.”*
He was a lone wolf—untouchable, solitary.
At least… that’s what I thought before I knew him.
Zhao Yin charged for a layup—but Xiao Wangyi blocked him clean, slamming the ball away.
Xiao Wangyi was our odd one out. Unlike Wu Ze’s troll face, Zhao Yin’s killer aura, or my own invisibility in class, Xiao Wangyi was peak rich pretty boy. His styled hair and flawless face had stolen countless girls’ hearts. Thanks to his name’s homophone, we nicknamed him “Little Prince.”
Only our court drew crowds of girls—all here for Xiao Wangyi. Even when Wu Ze tripped him face-first, the fangirls shrieked, *“So cool! So cool!”*
The ball rolled to a freckled girl at courtside. Xiao Wangyi jogged over, smiling gently. “Sorry about that. Didn’t hit you, right?”
Flustered, she stammered, “N-no… I’m fine.”
“Good. I’d never forgive myself if you got hurt.” He extended a hand, sunshine warming his smile. “Could you pass the ball?”
Coming from a handsome guy, even such a cheesy line felt natural. The freckled girl’s heart raced—*Am I the heroine in a romance novel? Is this my destined prince?*
She snapped out of her daze only after he repeated, “The ball?”
“Th-thank you! I’d love to get a meal sometime.”
Xiao Wangyi took the ball with a nod and jogged back to us.
The bell rang. We left the court, sweat-soaked despite the mid-September chill. Wu Ze looked like he’d been fished out of a river.
“Hach… hach… Shower time?” he panted, tongue lolling like a dog’s. Xiao Wangyi sidestepped away, grimacing.
“Don’t come near me, fatty. Your heat’s contagious.”
The school bathhouse for boarders sat beneath the sports field.
As I turned to follow them, my gaze snagged on the volleyball court—Class Rep Zong Jun was alone, gathering stray balls into a basket.
“Zong Jun! We’re leaving without you!” Xiao Wangyi called from ahead, annoyed.
“Coming!” I snapped back to reality and hurried after them.
…
In the showers, Xiao Wangyi rinsed beside me, casual. “You were checking out the class rep on court, huh?”
“Huh?”
“Don’t deny it. I’ve always wondered—you two get along way too well. Secretly dating?”
“Shut up…” I shot back instantly, lathering shampoo into my hair until white foam bubbled.
Wu Ze, soaping his belly, suddenly yelped, “Whoops! Slippery hands!”
The soap *plopped* to the floor, slid across tiles, and stopped at Xiao Wangyi’s feet.
Xiao Wangyi stared at the soap. Then at Wu Ze’s mischievous grin. The air froze.
“Little Prince~ Help a bro pick up the soap?”
“Roll the hell away!”
