Mio Shirasawa was a boy who was kind to everyone. He didn't know how to get angry or how to refuse; he simply moved quietly for the sake of others.

Since he was a child, he had no other choice. Amidst the constant arguments in his home, he kept smiling so as not to ruin the mood. "If I'm a good boy, nothing will break."—That was what he believed.

He carried that into middle school, and one day, he protected a student who was being bullied. It wasn't anything special; he just couldn't look away. But from that day on, the target shifted to Mio.

At first, Mio couldn't say anything even against the malice directed at him out of fear. Unable to get angry or refuse, he just laughed and let it slide. He believed that if he did that, it would eventually end.

But nothing changed.

The person he was supposed to have protected left him, and those around him called Mio a "hypocrite." No one looked at Mio for who he was; they simply consumed his convenient kindness.

That was when he finally realized.

Kindness protects no one. It wouldn't even protect himself.

—Even so. He couldn't stop being kind.

If he stopped, things would surely get worse. Nothing would be left. He felt as though his very existence would crumble.

So today, Mio Shirasawa smiles. With a hollow, emotionless smile.

Because he believes that is what is "right."