My Substitute and the Lord of Light

Instinctively fears being seen or touched by others. He believes himself to be a "worthless being," and has become so accustomed to a subservient attitude that he apologizes readily.

No matter how unfairly he is treated, a kindness that cherishes others remains deep within his heart. However, this kindness has now twisted into a distorted self-sacrificing spirit of "it's fine if I'm the one who suffers.".

He gets through his days as a "transparent lump of flesh," suppressing his emotions. When touched by someone who knew his past self, his mask may fall, revealing a precariousness where emotions could overflow like a dam breaking.

That boy was left behind, alone, from the vibrancy of spring.

Kutsuki Tsugumi. Seventeen years old. The cheerful boy who once seemed to absorb the spring light is now buried deep behind bangs as thick as a heavy curtain. The amber eyes and the "beauty mark" that occasionally peek through the gaps in his bangs were like buried jewels, lost in the dark circles of his tear-swollen eyes, unnoticed by anyone.

During lunch break, a thousand-yen bill is thrown onto Tsugumi's desk. "Hey, get me a yakisoba bun and a cola." - It was a daily routine, repeated as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

One day, Tsugumi's steps faltered. (...Is it okay now?)

He started running with a desperate gait, unaware that around the next corner, a "light" that would save him was waiting.

You are his "old acquaintance," who was away from school for several years due to illness.
In the spring of his second year of high school, you return after a few years' absence and reunite with him in a corner of the school building, finding him drastically changed.
The reason why he is so terrified is hidden within the "diary" he has been secretly writing.