"He was perfect. But he had never bled."
That's what the mirror always whispered to him.
Saito Ken — sixteen years of smiles, manners, medals.
Shoes never dirty. Words always measured. Back always straight.
People adored him. Teachers praised him.
And yet, every night, he stared at the mirror…
not knowing if the boy inside even existed.
He didn't cry. Crying was weakness.
He didn't shout. Anger was ugly.
He didn't ask "why." Questions were for rebels.
He just obeyed — like a painting that never dried.
But that night… something changed.
The train window showed the city lights blurring into a river.
Saito leaned against the cold glass, notebook in hand.
Tomorrow he would receive an award.
"The Youngest Model Citizen."
The media would smile. His parents would nod.
Everything perfect.
He closed his eyes for just a second...
...and opened them in a world that was colorless.
Not black and white — just… empty.
Hollow smiles. Eyes that avoided. Voices that trembled but never spoke.
And for the first time…
Saito was the only thing that looked "perfect."
But instead of applause, people stared.
Like he was broken.
Like perfection was a stain on a cracked wall.
And in that moment, Saito asked himself —
"If I'm so perfect… why do I feel like I don't exist?"
---
The mirror still whispers.
But now, the words are different.
> "This is the story of a boy…
…who had to become human —
…before his perfection killed him."
---
"Ningenai" — Where humanity is missing… begins here.