How to Look Like a Pervert

"You perverted creep!" This was the first compliment he had ever received.

And it was just a brief teaser of what was yet to come.

Kaito Kobayashi, 16, sat on a park bench, lost in thought, unaware of what was about to unfold.

He held a sandwich in one hand and a notebook full of scribbles in the other.

He was in the middle of his lunch time break, trying to rest while mentally crunching numbers in head.

At that moment, a young girl was dragging two heavy suitcases in his direction, looking utterly exhausted.

Misaki Okada, also 16, approached with an air of grace, but she was clearly out of breath.

"I'm making 100,000 yen from my part-time job, 75 goes to rent, 10 for food, 5 for bills... and with school starting next week—"

Kaito muttered, lost in his finances, barely noticing the girl until she politely interrupted.

"Excuse me, can I sit down for a moment and catch my breath?"

He barely glanced up, lost in his calculations, and mumbled, "Uh-huh."

She slumped onto the bench, sighing and gazing up at the sky, her face tinged with sadness as she placed her bag between them.

Just then, her phone rang. Reluctantly, she rummaged through her bag to find it.

Grabbed the phone, and held it up, unaware that her wallet had slipped out and fallen to the side.

Without even glancing at the caller, she let out a long sigh, holding the phone to her ear as she muttered reluctantly, "Hello, who's this?" still gazing at the sky.

On the other end of the phone was Misaki's aunt, Naomi Sato, 34, her voice excited and almost childlike.

"Well, well, well, what's my favorite niece up to?"

Misaki, shaken from her thoughts by Naomi's voice, managed a faint smile.

"I've made it to Shibuya. I'll be there soon," she said.

"Oh, really? Awesome! I got your favorite chips—family size!"

In the background, the loud crunching of chips echoed, followed by Naomi's playful voice, "But, hurry up, or I'll eat them all!"

"Auntie!" Misaki shouted, her voice filled with playful jealousy, as she sprang to her feet.

"What can I say? I can't resist!" Naomi laughed before hanging up.

Fuming, Misaki grabbed her bag and her suitcases, her pace quickening as she stormed off.

A short while later, Kaito's attention was caught by a new notification on his phone from the delivery service he worked for.

Just as he was about to accept the order and head to his bike, his eyes caught sight of something on the bench—a wallet.

He picked it up, glanced around, and scratched his head in confusion.

Then, he remembered the girl who had been sitting next to him. "Could it have been...?"

He looked in the direction Misaki had gone, and realized that she was almost out of sight.

Not wanting to lose track of her, Kaito quickened his pace, a sense of unease building up inside him.

He had a hunch it was hers, but he couldn't be sure yet.

As he walked, his thoughts were consumed by the possibility, but then a new idea struck him.

He hesitated for a moment, but eventually opened the wallet and started rifling through it.

"If there's some ID..." he reasoned. "That way, I can make sure it gets back to the right person."

Sure enough, he found Misaki's ID in the wallet. A wave of relief washed over him as he pulled it out and took a closer look.

That's when he saw the photo. Misaki had clearly put effort into it that day, and she looked absolutely stunning in the shot.

"My god, she's so beautiful..." Kaito whispered, before immediately scolding himself in frustration. "I didn't even look at her once!"

Suddenly, Kaito's steps seemed to quicken on their own, as if his body was drawn to witness the beauty he had just glimpsed.

Unknowingly, Kaito's quick steps triggered something in Misaki's instincts. She wasn't sure, but a nagging feeling crept in—was someone following her?

As Kaito approached, his pace slowed. Along with the rising tension in the air, a wave of anxiety started to gnaw at him.

He wasn't used to talking to girls, especially not someone as beautiful as her.

He had no idea what to do. For a while, he just shuffled behind her, tripping over his own feet, completely unsure of how to even begin a conversation.

Misaki's suspicion grew, and so did her anxiety. Something felt off, and she was determined to figure it out.

In a split second, she turned sharply, changing direction. Without thinking, Kaito mirrored her, unwilling to lose sight of her before returning the wallet.

At that moment, Misaki was certain she was being followed. The feeling was strange and unsettling, leaving her unsure of what to do.

It was the first time something like this had happened to her. Her steps slowed, and the tension spread through her entire body.

As she slowed down, Kaito did the same. His approach made her heart race and her cheeks flush.

As Kaito mentally rehearsed what to say while handing over the wallet, he failed to notice the growing tension in Misaki's posture.

For a while, they moved at a pace that could only be described as slower than a snail's crawl. Finally, Kaito caught up to her.

Without a second of hesitation, Misaki whirled around, her eyes flashing with irritation as she snapped, "Are you... following me?!"

Kaito hadn't seen this coming at all. All the lines he had rehearsed in his head vanished, crushed under the weight of her accusing words.

His mouth went dry, and his words failed him. Staring at her with a flushed face, he stood there like a deer caught in the headlights.

A surge of panic coursed through him, a desperate need to fix things before they spiraled out of control.

Just as he finally mustered the courage to speak up, wallet in hand and words ready to spill, an unexpected sight stopped him cold.

A truck barreled toward them, its door flung wide open. Kaito's heart dropped as his eyes locked onto the oncoming danger.

Without a second thought, he grabbed Misaki and pushed her with all his strength, throwing them both to the side of the road.

As they tumbled to the ground, the truck veered sharply at the last second and sped off, missing them by mere inches.

Misaki was still trying to process what had just happened. She hadn't seen the truck coming, and everything felt like a blur at that moment.

Kaito hovered just above her, their faces so close that he could feel the warmth of her breath.

For a moment, time seemed to slow as he gazed at her, utterly captivated by her beauty.

His heart fluttered, and he couldn't help but smile, feeling an overwhelming sense of tenderness.

The time seemed to freeze for him. Kaito just stared at Misaki, completely lost in the moment. So this was "love at first sight," he thought, his heart racing.

But then, Misaki felt an odd pressure on her chest, and her gaze instinctively shifted down.

To her shock, she realized Kaito's hand was pressed there, gripping her tightly.

Kaito, however, was completely unaware. The rush of the moment had left him oblivious to where his hand had landed.

Misaki's face flushed bright red, both embarrassed and frightened. She lay frozen, unsure of what to do, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.

At that moment, two elderly women strolled by, caught sight of the awkward scene, and began whispering to each other.

"I think this kid's a pervert..."

"Do you think she needs help?"

The words snapped Misaki back to reality. Her eyes widened as the situation sank in, and without hesitation, she shoved Kaito off with surprising force.

Stumbling backward, he flailed to steady himself, desperation written all over his face as the weight of what just happened came crashing down on him.

Before he could even explain himself, Misaki's furrowed brows and furious voice hit him like a ton of bricks.

"You perverted creep!"

He stood there, paralyzed, her words ringing in his ears. His eyes, dull and lifeless, stared ahead like those of a dead fish.

His unfocused eyes drifted to the tear in Misaki's pantyhose, a glaring reminder of his blunder.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" he muttered, guilt crashing down on him as he frantically checked Misaki again, praying she wasn't hurt.

His second glance didn't escape Misaki's notice. Realizing he was looking at her feet, she instantly covered them with her hands, her face flushing a deeper shade of red.

Kaito, completely lost in helplessness, was ready to dig a hole and bury himself in it forever.

He couldn't find the words to apologize, and with the growing crowd watching, the situation became even harder to navigate.

As if things couldn't get worse, he noticed someone in the crowd was holding up their phone...