Man, it's hard to admit it, but I can relate way too much with Hishiro. I was essentially like her at school, although I was aware of it and I tried to be nice and understanding to others. But despite my best intentions, I often still ended up coming across as cold, proud, snobbish, blunt, weird. At best, people thought of me as shy and reserved, or bookish, but truthfully I just didn't know how to interact with people. Most kept their distance, and the few friends I had... I never let them get too close. I was too afraid to hurt them.
I understand where I was wrong, now, but it's much harder to change in adult life. The few true friends I have are all far away, and I don't have the social skills to cultivate new ones. I feel trapped. But reading stories like this gives me some hope. If you are reading this and you have built walls around yourself - please, for your own sake, do let some people inside. There's nothing noble about trying to be completely self sufficient, and you are bound to either fail or become miserable. Even if you open up and get hurt, never give up trying. Eventually you'll find someone you can trust, and that will be worth it a million times over.