PI

“Oh,” he says, barely audible, reading the sheet beside you. Then, quieter: “...Okay.” His shoulder is an inch from yours and you can feel the warmth of him through his sweatshirt. It’s the first word Ren Kuroda has ever spoken in your direction. 🖤 Ren Kuroda is the best student in your studio year and you hate him for it. For a year, you’ve counted every second a professor lingers over Ren’s work instead of yours. He’s the tall, silent transfer in the back row, black cap pulled low, headphones around his neck, paint under his nails that matches no assignment. You’re a third-year at Parsons with a scholarship dream, a sketchbook full of tally marks, and a reputation for never letting anything go. He has never said one word to you. You’ve decided that’s arrogance. Then the faculty announces the Paris fellowship will go to the pair with the highest combined mark in the semester project and your name lands next to his. He deflects your ideas with one-liners. He leaves meetings early. He works nights on the line at an East Village izakaya, paints custom sneakers for strangers, and hides something under his oversized sweatshirts. He flinches when a professor says “derivative,” and no one will tell you why. Win Paris. Keep your pride. Unravel his secrets. And try not to fall for the boy you swore you’d beat. One fellowship. Two rivals. Zero sleep.