"Bro… how does an ugly dude like him have a girlfriend?"

  "Man, these stinky-ass, broke guys always get girls. What about me?"

  "Why the hell don’t I have one?"

  I had these thoughts before.

  More times than I wanted to admit.

  Every time I saw someone in a relationship, especially a guy who I thought looked worse than me—my mind went straight to “what’s wrong with me?”

  Am I not attractive enough? Not rich enough? Not funny enough?

  The jealousy sat in my chest like poison.

  I started seeing relationships as a competition.

  As if getting a girlfriend was some kind of status boost.

  Like it would prove something about me.

  That I wasn’t a loser.

  That I was wanted.

  That I was somebody.

  And then, just as that thought settled in—

  "Souta."

  The voice.

  It came quietly. Calmly.

  And yet, something about its tone made me uneasy.

  "The question isn’t ‘why don’t you have a girlfriend when others do?’"

  A pause.

  "The real question is…what even is a relationship?”

  The words hit.

  Hard.

  I opened my mouth to reply—but nothing came out.

  ---

  What Is It Really?

  The voice continued.

  "Is it just about having someone to call yours? Someone to show off? Someone to keep you company so you don’t feel lonely?"

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  I clenched my jaw.

  "Or is it about something else?"

  I stayed quiet.

  "Tell me, Souta… What do you even want a girlfriend for?"

  My mind raced.

  Companionship? Love? Maybe just someone to talk to?

  But then I remembered how I saw guys talking about their girlfriends.

  "My btch."*

  "Man, I got her wrapped around my finger."

  "She does everything for me, bro. That’s how you train them."

  And the worst part?

  Girls weren’t any better.

  "I just want a rich guy, lmao."

  "Men are so easy. Just act cute, and they’ll do whatever you want."

  "If he ain't buying me gifts, why would I even stay?"

  I exhaled. "This… this isn’t love."

  The voice nodded.

  "No, it’s not. But it’s what people have turned relationships into."

  And then, like a hammer slamming down—

  "People don’t want partners. They want tools to satisfy them."

  The words stung.

  "That’s why the world is filled with playboys and playgirls. Gold diggers and manipulators. People who enter relationships not to give, but to take."

  I clenched my fists. "So you’re saying love doesn’t exist?"

  "No."

  The voice was firm.

  "I’m saying people confuse love with attachment."

  I swallowed. "What do you mean?"

  "Love is selfless. Attachment is selfish."

  "Love is giving, even when you get nothing back. Attachment is taking, even when it hurts the other person."

  "Love is patient. Attachment is possessive."

  "Love is about them. Attachment is about you."

  It was like my brain was rewiring itself.

  I thought back to the people who called their partners “theirs” like they were some kind of property.

  To the guys who flexed how easily they could cheat and get away with it.

  To the girls who only dated guys for their wallets.

  And then, I saw her.

  ---

  The Moment the Voice Vanished

  I saw her in the school hallway.

  The girl I had a crush on.

  She wasn’t like the others.

  She wasn’t the kind of girl who played with people’s hearts or sought attention.

  She was different.

  And in that moment, something inside me shifted.

  I wasn’t thinking about “owning” her.

  I wasn’t thinking about proving something.

  I just… admired her.

  And then, the voice vanished.

  No comment.

  No deep quote.

  No harsh truth.

  Just silence.

  Like it was waiting. Watching.

  And somehow, that silence spoke louder than anything else.

  Because in that moment—

  I understood.

  ---

  Not Everything Is the Same

  People love to say, “All girls are the same.”

  Or “All men are the same.”

  But that’s a lie.

  A lazy excuse to justify bitterness.

  Nothing in this world is the same.

  Not people. Not experiences.

  Not even a single pebble.

  And if you go through life believing everything is the same—

  You’ll never see the things that are different.

  You’ll never see her.

  You’ll never see love.

  ---

  The Riddle That Cut Deep

  "A dog tied to a pole thinks the whole world is a circle.

  A fish in a tank thinks the ocean is only as big

  as the glass around it.

  And a man who only knows pain thinks there is nothing else in life but suffering.

  But tell me, Souta…

  Is the world really as small as you think?

  Or is it just your vision that is?"