Chapter 8: First Day Rumor?

The first day back at school.

Here I was again, standing before the grand entrance of Akizawa University, staring up at the familiar iron gates. They stood tall and imposing, their once-polished metal now dulled by time, the university's silver crest still gleaming faintly at the center. Beyond them, the campus stretched out in a mix of old and new—modern glass buildings reflecting the sky, while ivy-clad brick halls whispered of decades past. The crisp autumn air carried the scent of damp earth and freshly brewed coffee from a campus café, blending with the distant hum of voices and the occasional rustling of fallen leaves.

Students streamed through the gates, their laughter and chatter filling the air. A group of girls huddled together near a bulletin board, giggling over something on a phone screen. A couple strolled past, their fingers intertwined, lost in quiet conversation. Nearby, a group of guys joked loudly, shoving each other playfully as they walked. A cyclist zipped through the crowd, music blasting through his headphones, while a professor adjusted his glasses as he shuffled through papers, already looking exhausted despite the early hour.

And then there was me—standing still in the midst of it all. Just another face in the crowd, another nameless student blending into the backdrop of campus life. If this were a story, I wouldn't be the protagonist. Just an NPC, a background character watching from the sidelines while everyone else moved forward.

Well, it's not just a feeling—it's the truth.

I sighed, shoving my hands into my pockets as I walked toward the entrance. Another normal day, another quiet walk to class—

Huh? Wait a minute.

That's new.

Why the hell is there a girl standing in front of the gate? That's… unusual.

I squinted, trying to get a better look. Wait—Kaori?

I freeze for half a second before instinct kicks in. My eyes dart away, pretending I never saw her. Just ignore her. That's the rule, right?

At school, she doesn't care about me—why would she? She has her image to maintain: the perfect girl, admired, untouchable. And me? I'm nothing more than a side character in her story, a background detail no one pays attention to. I'm just her fake boyfriend, a convenient role she slips into when needed. In reality, she's more like my part-time job—my part-time girlfriend.

Nothing real. Nothing beyond our little act.

If I walk up to her now, if I acknowledge her in front of everyone, it might ruin everything. Not for me—I have nothing to lose—but for her. And that's not part of the deal.

But still.

Approaching her would only make things awkward. She had a reputation—polished, untouchable, the kind people admired from afar. If I suddenly walked up to her, people would notice. They'd talk. They'd ask questions neither of us wanted to answer.

And for what? To pretend for a few extra seconds? To blur the already thin line between reality and our little act? No, that wasn't part of the deal.

This wasn't real. It never was. She wasn't really my girlfriend, and I wasn't really hers. I was just playing a role, filling a space in her life when it was convenient. A part-time job, a part-time boyfriend. Nothing more.

So yeah, let's just act like nothing happened yesterday and move on.

Walk. Walk. Walk.

I walked past her without breaking stride, my eyes fixed straight ahead, acting like I hadn't seen her. Just keep moving. Just blend in.

But then—

"Hey, Yuto!"

Her voice cut through the noise of the hallway, sharp and unmistakable.

Crap.

I hesitated for a second but kept walking. Maybe if I ignored her, she'd drop it.

"Hey, Yuto, I said!"

Ah, hell. I could feel her glare burning into the back of my head. People were starting to stare.

I stopped, turning awkwardly. "O-oh, it's Kaori… H-Hi."

She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "Is that how you greet a girl like me?"

Huh? Was there a manual for this?

"B-but I already said hi…" I muttered.

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Come on."

I rubbed the back of my neck, looking away. "Well, you know… I'm bad with girls."

Kaori tilted her head. "Oh?"

"I always get rejected," I blurted out before my brain could stop me. "Like, a lot. Actually, I even counted. I've been rejected seventy times, to be exact. So, yeah. I have proof that I'm this bad at talking to girls."

The words hung in the air like a terrible joke no one laughed at. The hallway buzzed with the usual noise—footsteps echoing off the tiled floor, lockers slamming shut, distant chatter blending into a low hum—but in my head, everything went dead silent.

What the hell did I just say?

Dude, why would you tell a girl that? That's so—

Kaori blinked, her expression unreadable. For a split second, I braced myself for the worst—mocking, pity, maybe even a disgusted look before she walked away, leaving me to stew in my own awkwardness.

But then, she laughed.

Not a cruel, mocking laugh. Not the kind that made you wish the ground would swallow you whole. It was soft, light—almost genuine. The kind that made something tighten in my chest, like I'd just accidentally said something funny instead of exposing my embarrassing history.

My face grew hot.

Why was she laughing? And more importantly—why did I kind of like the sound of it?

"Seventy times? You even counted? That's kinda creepy," she teased.

"I know, right?" I groaned.

Still giggling, she reached out her hand toward me. "Anyway, good morning, Yuto."

I stared at her hand for a moment, my mind scrambling to catch up with what was happening. She was standing there, so close, with that same casual confidence she always had—like nothing was out of place. But this felt wrong. We weren't supposed to interact like this in school.

In the hallways, we were supposed to be strangers—just two people pretending to know each other for some carefully rehearsed act. No one needed to know that we were supposed to be "together," but not really.

So why was she acting so... normal? So friendly?

My eyes flickered between her hand and her face, trying to piece things together. Was this part of the joke? Or was I reading it all wrong?

I swallowed, the awkwardness pressing down on me like a weight. After what felt like an eternity, I managed to squeak out, "G-good morning."

Her gaze sharpened, and she clicked her tongue in obvious displeasure. "Tch. That's weak."

I blinked, confused. What?

Kaori straightened up, clearing her throat with dramatic flair. Then, with exaggerated precision, she put on a smile, almost like she was pretending to be some cheerful morning person. "Good morning, Yuto!" she said, this time louder, almost like she was training me.

Training me?

I stumbled over my words, still trying to figure out where this was headed. My mouth moved before my brain could catch up. "G-good morning, Kaori!"

There. I said it. Was that what she wanted? Was that how it was supposed to go? I felt my heart race, my palms suddenly clammy. This wasn't how things were supposed to play out. But the way she was looking at me, so sure of herself—did she want me to play along? Was this another one of her games?

I had no idea what was real anymore.

She smiled in satisfaction. "Much better. Now, let's go before we're late."

I nodded, still slightly dazed. "Y-yeah…"

As we walked toward the main building, the buzz of students filling the air faded into the background, leaving only the sound of our footsteps. I tried to keep my focus, but my mind kept drifting back to everything that had just happened.

I couldn't help it. I glanced at her again—Kaori, walking beside me with that effortless confidence. The morning light hit her just right, making her look even more untouchable than usual, yet somehow… different. She was talking, laughing about some trivial thing, and it hit me all at once—

I had no idea she was this talkative.

The way she laughed, the way she casually pointed out random things, made it seem like she was just another person in the crowd. It wasn't the untouchable girl I'd always seen at school.

And honestly... it was kind of nice.

For a moment, I let myself feel it. Her presence, her voice, the normalcy of it all. Was this what it was like when we weren't pretending? When there wasn't some act to uphold?

I quickly looked away, feeling my heart race for some reason. The thoughts swirled around, tangled in my mind.

But I wasn't ready for this. Not yet.

I tried to push it all down as we reached the entrance to the main building, but something about today felt different. Maybe it was her. Maybe it was me.

Either way, I had a feeling things were about to get a whole lot more complicated.

And I wasn't sure if I was ready for that.