The Heroines All Regretted It

Yoru gently patted Mai's fragrant shoulder, then took hold of her other hand.

"I only have you now... don't leave me..."

Delirious with fever, Mai spoke in a soft voice full of ambiguity.

Yoru didn't take it seriously.

But in truth, it was the truth.

Mai, who had vanished from the eyes of the entire world, only had Yoru left.

To her, it felt like dying of thirst in the desert and suddenly discovering a lush, safe oasis.

"Yeah... don't worry..."

Yoru carefully studied Mai—her silver-gray long hair, a pink bunny hair clip...

Sweat...

Wait?!

Only now did Yoru remember he had to report to Shuchiin Academy today.

It was already nearly eleven.

"Forget it, I can report any time."

He looked at Mai, who had closed her eyes and was dozing off, nearly asleep, and sighed.

He sent messages to Hiratsuka-sensei, Megumi, Gabriel, and Nanami.

He had something to deal with for now.

He couldn't just leave Mai here to die, could he?

Yoru could swear to the heavens that it wasn't because Mai was beautiful that he decided to help her.

If it were someone else, he would still lend a hand.

Though, maybe not go this far.

Besides...

Looking at the sleeping Mai again, Yoru muttered, "If only I could get her to help me... even dig up some dirt on the Shinomiya Conglomerate, hidden accounts, business plans..."

"There are other top-tier conglomerates in Japan besides the Shinomiya family..."

"And depending on that, we'll see if Shinomiya Kaguya is willing to apologize and compensate me."

Yoru wasn't someone who held petty grudges.

What he did to Eriri was purely because she brought it on herself.

It was all her fault—she nearly got him killed.

Sighing, Yoru went out and bought a bottle of coffee, then silently waited for the IV to finish.

It would take at least two hours.

He took a sip of coffee and rubbed his temples.

He was truly exhausted and tense. And hungry.

Back then, Fujiwara Chika was probably even more exhausted... my condition was worse, the reports were endless, and she was the one running around... but she never asked me for anything in return.'

Yoru downed the coffee and laced his fingers behind his head.

…

Afternoon.

"37.8°C."

"A mild fever."

Yoru looked at the thermometer and spoke to Mai.

She'd fallen asleep during the IV drip, and he hadn't woken her up.

"How long was I asleep?"

Mai sat up. Her body felt a lot lighter now, though her head was still a bit fuzzy.

"Over four hours. Get some more rest."

Yoru put the thermometer away and stood up.

"No... don't go..."

Startled, Mai instinctively rose and grabbed the hem of Yoru's shirt.

"Huh?"

Yoru froze.

"S-sorry... I..."

Embarrassed, she let go. Even she didn't know why she reacted like that.

"I'm just going to the bathroom. I'll be right back. Don't be afraid."

Yoru stepped closer, gently pressed her shoulders, and pushed her back into the chair with a soft voice.

Then, unable to hold it any longer, he dashed to the restroom and quickly returned, leaving Mai alone for a bit.

"What did I just do?!"

Her flushed face, which had finally calmed down, blushed again in an instant.

God!

What had gotten into her?

Why was she so flustered?

Also...

He was too good-looking.

When Yoru gently pushed her down, she'd been staring at his face the whole time.

Only now did she snap out of it.

Yoru returned in under a minute.

"Where do you live? I'll take you home."

Yoru asked.

"Sorry for the trouble... I live near Shuchiin Academy, by Platinum Takamatsu Station. I'm also a student there."

Sakurajima Mai nodded and stood up.

"Let's talk outside. I feel like the nurses are giving me strange looks."

Yoru twisted his mouth.

"Heh..."

Mai let out a soft laugh.

Her fever had almost subsided. Though still a bit warm, she could walk just fine.

She had medicine at home.

She followed Yoru out of the hospital lobby.

They sat down in a quiet corner before talking again.

"So, what's going on with you?"

Yoru asked curiously.

"About half a year ago, I noticed people started ignoring me sometimes..."

"Then... I met you at the station..."

"Then it became like this."

Mai stared at Yoru as if trying to figure something out.

After finishing a shoot, she had bumped into Yoru at the station, and from then on, no one could see her anymore.

"I see... that's really strange..."

Yoru had no intention of revealing the secret of the Golden Chest.

"I even thought about killing myself..."

Mai glanced sideways at Yoru. She could smell the sour sweat on herself, so she sipped some water and subtly scooted a bit farther away.

"Um..."

"That is..."

She stammered, trying to continue.

"If you've got something to say, just say it."

Yoru wasn't in a rush to go to school since he'd already taken leave.

"Could you maybe take care of me for a... few days?"

She knew she couldn't take care of herself like this.

Her only hope was Yoru.

"Don't worry, I still have money... I can pay you..."

Maybe fearing rejection, she quickly added that part.

This beautiful actress who'd started as a child star, won countless awards, and was one of the hottest names in the entertainment industry—

Even she was now worried about being rejected by a guy?

"If I take care of you... can you do something for me?"

Yoru looked at her and cautiously asked.

"You... you want to... do me?"

"Wait, no no no... do... what?"

Mai completely misinterpreted Yoru's serious expression.

"No, no..."

"It's something else. I won't hurt you. I'm not that kind of person."

Yoru quickly waved his hands. Did what he said really sound that ambiguous?

"Then why'd you say it like that? I thought you meant... you..."

Mai hugged her knees and buried her head in them.

"Anyway, just focus on getting better. I'm not in a rush. Let's see how things go."

Yoru responded with a helpless smile.

"I knew you were a good guy, Yoru-kun."

Mai peeked at him with just her eyes.

"Senpai, I don't want to be a good guy~ Let's go home, get out of the open."

Yoru stood up and dusted off his pants.

Mai got up as well, but her legs had no strength.

In the end, Yoru had to help her up.

"Can you walk on your own?"

He pulled out his phone to call a cab.

"If I hold your shirt, I can..."

Mai followed behind, clutching the hem of Yoru's shirt.

The taxi, hazard lights blinking, pulled up by the curb.

Yoru opened the door, got in first, then leaned out to grab Mai by the wrist and pulled her inside.

"Why is your fever back again so soon?"

"Didn't it go down just a while ago? Now it's hot again?"

Muttering, Yoru shut the door.

The taxi drove off.

Mai rested her head against the window, staring at the scenery flowing past, cheeks flushed red.

Maybe the high fever had fried her brain.

Only now did she fully recall how Yoru had treated her that morning, how she'd cried and begged him not to leave her...

Now that her fever had mostly subsided, her mind was clear again.

Embarrassment and shame burst forth inside her.

After a thirty-minute ride, Yoru helped the weak Mai down from the car and to the entrance of her apartment building.

It was a tall tower—a place for the wealthy.

He thought getting in would be difficult since buildings like this usually had tight security.

But Mai pulled out the resident key.

They took the elevator all the way up.

Yoru opened the door and helped her inside.

He took off his own shoes first, then helped her take off her brown leather loafers.

A pair of cute feet wrapped in black stockings appeared, toes reinforced, slightly sour but still adorable.

A pungent smell of pickled cabbage filled the air.

Yoru felt like he had walked into a sauerkraut processing plant.

"Ugh!"

"Ugh ugh!"

Yoru suddenly gagged twice.

"You! What are you doing?"

"I… I just sweat a lot…"

"Isn't that normal?"

Mortified, Mai stiffly tried to save face.

She had worn these socks for three days, too sick with a fever to change them.

She'd deliberately bundled herself up to sweat the fever out these past three days, sweating buckets in the process.

Not only her feet—her whole body had been sweating nonstop, soaked and stuffy.

Of course it would stink.

'My foot fetish is officially cured.'

Yoru held his breath and quickly helped Mai into her room, thinking that to himself.

The room was plainly furnished.

A few of Mai's posters hung on the wall, along with a family photo in a frame.

"Go out for a minute. I'm going to change. Turn on the bathroom heater too—I need a shower."

"You're still holding your breath? If you keep this up, I'll stuff it in your mouth!"

Mai sat back on the bed and glared at Yoru, grinding her teeth in annoyance.

"Senpai, I'm really sorry... maybe my nose is just too sensitive…"

Yoru forced out a smile and quickly stepped out of the room.

"Hmph..."

Mai let out a reluctant huff, but once Yoru left, her face turned bright red and she dove under the covers.

She mumbled frantically to herself...

A while later, she crawled out and wiped the cold sweat off her forehead.

The hormone meds were strong—no point holding back if you couldn't handle it.

"The fever's finally gone."

She lifted her wrist to check the needle mark, thinking of how focused and nervous Yoru had been while giving her the injection.

Then she quickly dove back under the blanket, forming a lump on the bed.

Yoru, now outside, took deep breaths.

He examined her home and found the shower room, turning on the heater.

Meanwhile, retching sounds came from her room.

A few moments later, Mai emerged, holding clean clothes in her arms.

"I'm a little hungry. Can you check the fridge for something to eat?"

She forced herself to sound calm.

"Got it. Just take your shower—don't soak too long."

Yoru gave a quick reminder.

Mai nodded and stepped into the bathroom.

Yoru went to the fridge. It was nearly empty.

There were a few bentos that looked edible, but they'd been sitting there almost a week.

Not suitable for a patient—especially oily food.

"I'd better go buy some ingredients."

Taking the resident key, Yoru left the tower.

Just a few hundred meters away was a shopping plaza with a supermarket.

Yoru looked up some recipes, bought what he needed, and returned.

As he stepped back into the building and got into the elevator—

From the opposite elevator, Yukino stepped out.

Back at the entrance, Yoru held his breath as he picked up Mai's cute brown shoes and neatly placed them on the rack.

Then he carried the groceries into the kitchen.

He planned to make some congee and also stew some snow pears in rock sugar to soothe her lungs.

After washing his hands, Yoru sniffed his fingers.

No smell.

Achoo—!

Mai, furiously scrubbing her snow-white feet with soap and a brush in the shower, sneezed.

She came out after finishing her bath.

Yoru's congee was ready.

"Come eat something."

He had only made enough for two—it would cook faster that way.

They hadn't eaten anything since morning, and it was already 4 PM.

They had burned a lot of energy too.

"Smells so good~"

Mai's stomach had been growling nonstop. She quickly walked over.

Yoru served two bowls of nourishing congee and sat down to eat.

"Did you turn on the heater?" she asked as she sat, hearing the air conditioner running.

"I didn't want you to get cold after the bath. Give it a minute and your body will adjust."

Yoru spooned a bite into his mouth, then added, "I also made snow pear with rock sugar. Once we finish eating, it should be ready. Then you can sleep."

"You're leaving?"

Under the table, Mai's soft feet had been brushing against his. Now they stopped, and she froze.

"Where else would I stay?"

Yoru shrugged and shot the question back at her.

"But I don't want you to leave. I'm scared."

"You can sleep here. There are plenty of rooms."

She had debated this in the shower.

After months of isolation, she had finally found someone she could talk to—an actual living person.

Yoru had helped her several times, and he was good-looking.

She didn't deny she already felt a bit drawn to him, and she really wanted someone to talk to.

So she hoped Yoru would stay.

"Really?"

Yoru looked genuinely surprised.

"I'm only keeping you here to take care of me. Don't get any funny ideas."

Mai narrowed her deep blue eyes slightly in warning.

"But you're not scared? I'm the only one in the world who can see you, Senpai."

Yoru blinked, inching his face closer.

He didn't even realize how handsome and charming he really was...

"You... ugh…"

Mai curled her toes beneath the table, then quickly lifted her bowl and took a sip of congee.

She meant to hide her embarrassment.

But the flavor of the congee was unexpectedly delicious.

Night fell, stars twinkling outside.

As the hormone medication wore off, Mai's fever and coughing returned.

But her condition had clearly improved.

38.3°C.

"Take your medicine and sleep."

Yoru handed her a glass of water.

"I can't sleep. Talk with me."

Mai spoke while taking the glass of water.

Even though she had a fever again, she looked spirited. She took the medicine with the warm water and shook her head.

Yoru didn't leave, quietly looking at Mai lying under the blanket.

"Do you have a younger sister?"

After a moment of silence, Mai slowly opened her mouth.

"No, I'm an only child. I've never experienced the joy of having siblings."

Yoru replied.

"I have a younger sister—half-sister actually—but she doesn't seem to like me..."

Mai turned her body and looked at Yoru.

"Why?"

Yoru pulled a chair over and sat down.

"I don't know... I actually really like her... cough, cough..."

Mai let out two light coughs.

"Is she jealous that you're a big celebrity? So she doesn't like you?"

Yoru responded casually. After all, they were half-related.

"Jealous? Probably not."

"Besides, I don't even want to be a celebrity."

Mai reached her hand out from under the blanket.

"You don't want to be?"

Yoru looked surprised.

Didn't she start working in showbiz since she was a child?

"My mom is my agent, and my dad is a famous director... cough, cough..."

"My job... it's all been her... arrang..."

Mai coughed again, lifted the blanket, and got up to drink some water.

"Why don't you resist?"

"You have money. You're an adult. You could totally live on your own."

Yoru seemed puzzled.

Everyone grows up differently.

Their thoughts, values, and ways of handling people are all different.

"She's my mom..."

Mai did want to talk things out with her mother.

After drinking water, she sat cross-legged on the bed.

"Don't worry. Maybe one day things will get better."

Yoru comforted her gently, glancing at the family photo on the wall.

Sure enough, he saw a blonde girl standing beside Mai.

"What do you want me to help with?"

When she heard Yoru say that, Mai already had her suspicions—it must be something that required taking advantage of her current situation.

Yoru looked at her, trying to compose himself, but his gaze was unconsciously drawn to her bare feet.

At first, Mai thought Yoru was thinking deeply, but then she realized he was staring at her feet.

In that instant, she remembered what had happened that afternoon.

"What are you looking at!"

Embarrassed, Mai dove back under the blanket and hid her feet, scolding Yoru.

He'd caught a whiff of her stinky feet—how humiliating!

"Sorry, Sakurajima-senpai."

Yoru gave an apologetic smile, bending over and resting his chin on his hand.

"I'm warning you, stop staring!"

"And enough about me, let's talk about you."

Mai first warned him through gritted teeth, then looked him over with a curious gaze.

He used to be a big fatty, but now he's ridiculously handsome…

"I have a body type that gains weight easily. I gain fast and lose fast. I lost it all recently."

"Fast to gain, fast to lose."

Yoru shrugged indifferently, but his expression wasn't exactly cheerful.

"You're not happy about losing weight?"

Mai asked.

"Even if I lost weight, I'm still not good-looking—"

"Ugh—"

Yoru scratched his head awkwardly and forced a smile.

"Pfft!"

Mai nearly spat out blood.

Thank god she was a worldly celebrity and also sick, or she would've already fallen for that smile and blushed secretly.

"You look this good and still think you're not attractive?"

She took a deep breath and rolled her eyes—beautifully.

She couldn't even bring herself to look directly at Yoru, especially when he smiled and spoke gently like he did during the day.

She'd get too shy.

"I look good?"

Yoru touched his face in disbelief.

"Of course. Haven't you noticed?"

Mai frowned slightly and looked him over again.

"No way..."

With that melancholy aura and doubtful expression—he looked amazing!

"I've been fat my whole life. People would mock me, call me ugly, disgusting, fat nerd..."

"I only lost weight recently, and even when I look in the mirror... I still can't really see it..."

Yoru's tone grew slightly emotional.

"Cough..."

"Then let me tell you clearly... you..."

Mai looked at him sincerely, clearly wanting to express it.

But halfway through her words, she found herself unable to finish.

Yoru just looked too good. Too charming...

She felt like if she told the truth, she'd get embarrassed. Such a weird feeling.

She felt oddly shy and ashamed.

So she backed off a bit, cutting her words by a lot, and said something she didn't really mean.

"You look... not bad. Kind of... kind of handsome..."

"Mmhmm..."

"Really?"

Yoru stood up in surprise, eyes shining.

When he got a haircut recently and looked in the mirror, he thought he might be a little handsome.

Then he dismissed it as wishful thinking.

Turns out, he did inherit his mom's good genes.

"Hmph..."

Mai turned her head and let out a small snort. Her pink toes twisted at the bedsheet under the blanket, bored.

Yoru was a bit excited and happy—his mood soared.

"I'm going to sleep. Pick a room and sleep wherever."

Mai lost interest in chatting and pulled the blanket over herself.

"Get some rest. You'll need another IV tomorrow. Call me if anything comes up."

Yoru calmed down and moved the chair away.

"Good night. If you try a night raid, you're dead!"

Mai looked at Yoru one last time, still nervous deep down.

It was her first time letting a guy stay over…

"Good night. If Sakurajima-senpai washes her feet clean, I might raid at night."

Yoru stepped back to the door, turned off the light, and joked cheerfully.

"Go die, pervert!"

Mai was instantly triggered at that sore spot and turned over in shame and frustration.

Yoru left.

He found an empty room, turned on the lights, and lay down.

Couldn't sleep.

Too much had happened today.

He stared at the ceiling, thinking about Mai.

His mind wandered to a pure love doujin.

The had a situation similar to Sakurajima Mai, except she was cursed by black magic—and the way to lift it was to do it with the male lead a hundred times...

Meanwhile—

The bedside lamp glowed faintly in soft yellow light.

The room fell completely silent.

Mai sat up cross-legged again, touched her forehead, and looked out at the starry night sky.

If she stayed like this forever...

How should she interact with Yoru?

That was something she needed to seriously think about now.

The first day of the new semester.

First period, after class.

Shuchiin Academy returned to its usual liveliness.

Classmates who hadn't seen each other all summer, boys and girls alike, gathered in groups, chatting about interesting things that happened during their vacation and sharing travel photos.

Aoyama Nanami slouched over her desk, yawning out of boredom.

She listened to the buzz of conversations around her, her ears perking up with curiosity, a little envious.

Her summer had been spent either working part-time or practicing her voice acting and preparing for exams.

It had been a fulfilling break.

But on the very first day back, bad luck landed right on her head.

After the seat rearrangement—

In the seat diagonally in front of her on the right, sitting in front of her new desk partner, was Kanda Sorata.

Ever since the time Kanda Sorata had pretended to be her boyfriend and spun a web of lies just to confront Yoru, Nanami had come to loathe him completely.

The more she looked at him, the more furious she became.

"What bad luck..."

Feeling annoyed, Nanami muttered softly in Sorata's direction.

"Was Aoyama-san just looking at me?"

Sorata had been secretly watching the girl he had a crush on—Aoyama Nanami.

Not seeing her all summer, he'd been desperate to meet her again.

"It's been months. Surely she's not mad at me anymore, right?"

"Should I go say hi?"

Sorata had been thinking this since last semester.

Time heals all wounds, right...

With that thought in mind, he tried to relax, stretching his waist while sneakily glancing at Nanami.

The girl of his dreams was right there in front of him.

After a moment of hesitation, Sorata fixed his hair and flashed what he thought was a handsome smile.

"Good morning, Aoyama-san. It's been a whole summer."

Sorata stood up and stepped over to Nanami's side.

"Do you need something?"

A brief flicker of disgust flashed in Nanami's eyes.

"I just wanted to say hi."

Sorata smiled, thinking that if Nanami was willing to talk to him, he could humble himself.

"I don't want to talk to you, and I don't want you saying hi either."

"Please get out of my sight."

Nanami sat up straight, her expression cold, showing no friendliness to Sorata, who had come over to greet her.

She was stubborn—stubborn enough to fight with her own family and refuse to go home. Why would she care about someone like Sorata?

As soon as she spoke—

Sorata, who had still been blissfully daydreaming, was frozen on the spot, utterly embarrassed…

Even a little furious.

He'd done it all for her, after all.

And yet she wouldn't even show him a kind expression—still hanging out with that disgusting fat slob who was even a known thief.

Everyone hated that guy.

"Aoyama-san, I just don't get it..."

"Why do you insist on staying with Kitakami?"

"He's just a disgusting fat slob—ugly, and he even stole Kasumigaoka Utaha-senpai's stockings and panties..."

"I'm doing this for your sake! I can even apologize!"

Sorata started complaining, gradually raising his voice.

As soon as Nanami showed a reaction, he kept going, exaggerating further.

"You really don't need to give me that kind of attitude, do you?"

"That disgusting slob didn't even come to school today…"

Early in the morning, Sorata had leaned on the balcony railing, waiting for Nanami to arrive, hoping to catch a glimpse of her.

But he didn't see Yoru.

Nanami sat up, took a light breath, and looked up.

"Are you finished?"

"Huh?"

"I said, are you done?"

Sorata, caught off guard, nodded in surprise.

"Then get lost."

"And don't you dare badmouth my friend, you bastard!"

OhNanami's expression turned fierce as she glared and warned Sorata, correcting his insult toward her friend, Yoru.

That was exactly why she despised him so much.

Some people are just self-righteous.

They believe something is "good" and force that belief on others under the guise of caring.

Even if the other person doesn't want it—or worse, gets hurt by it—they'll still think that person is just crazy or ungrateful.

"Aoyama-san, what did you say?!"

Sorata shouted in surprise, raising his voice.

Several classmates nearby turned to look, curiosity sparked as they began eavesdropping.

As the center of attention, Nanami focused only on Sorata.

"I have nothing to do with you. Stop bothering me already, Kanda Sorata."

She raised her voice too.

"You'd rather be friends with Kitakami than me?"

"How did that disgusting slob trick you, Aoyama-san?!"

Sorata tried to hold back his anger but yelled in frustration.

"You…"

"I've told you a million times, stop badmouthing my friend!"

"And Kitakami-kun has never lied to me. You, on the other hand, did lie to me!"

Nanami was furious.

She snapped back at Sorata, practically shouting.

What started as a debate turned into a full-blown shouting match.

The entire class turned to watch them argue.

The name Kitakami, that "disgusting fat slob," coming from both Nanami and Kanda Sorata's mouths, drew everyone's attention.

In the minds of the onlookers, a greasy, repulsive image began forming.

A few girls even got goosebumps and looked visibly disgusted.

"Aoyama Nanami, are you crazy?!"

Sorata roared.

"You're the one who keeps bothering me!"

"You're the crazy one, disgusting freak!"

Nanami flinched at the outburst, but quickly regained composure and yelled back.

"You even pretended to be my boyfriend! You're the disgusting one!"

And just to drive the nail in, she shouted it even louder.

Her voice was so loud it carried into the next classroom.

The students around them started whispering and gossiping.

"There was something like that? Kanda pretended to be Aoyama's boyfriend?"

"Wow, I didn't realize Kanda had a thing for Aoyama until now."

"Didn't you catch what she said? That Kitakami is her friend?"

"Haha, that's hilarious. A guy getting chewed out that bad by a girl."

What the boys were saying was very different from what the girls were whispering about.

"Aoyama Nanami's friends with that fat slob? That's gross!"

"She's from the 'impure' category, right? Of course she hangs out with those kinds of people."

"I see her working part-time a lot. Her family must be poor…"

"Do you think she's doing compensated dating?"

The girls were far more gossipy, forming little cliques with clear class divisions, speculating in whispers.

One dorm room with four girls could still have eight different gossip circles.

Nanami had always stood out in class. She didn't have any close friends among her classmates, and people didn't really know her.

Naturally, no one wanted to stand up for her.

"You… you're spouting nonsense! When did I ever pretend to be your boyfriend?!"

Sorata snapped out of it, realizing all the stares on him. For the sake of pride, he dug in his heels.

"You wanted to chase me, so you made up rumors, pretended to be my boyfriend—and now you denying it?!"

Fueled by anger, Nanami shouted back without noticing all the stares and whispers around her.

"Ew? Is Kanda really that gross?"

"Chasing after a country bumpkin from Kansai? Lame…"

"Keep going, keep going, this is getting good..."

Voices once again filled the classroom.

"I didn't! And it's laughable you say that—when you became friends with Kitakami..."

"I don't get how you were even fooled by him!"

"Don't you feel disgusted being around him?"

Sorata, flustered and red in the face, blurted out without thinking.

"Kanda Sorata, you bastard! Get lost!"

"Kitakami-kun isn't disgusting at all! You're the disgusting one!"

"Actually, I think he's a decent guy... you're the one who's ugly!"

Nanami glared at Sorata, her face flushed with anger, shouting back fiercely in defense of Yoru, her friend.

She was livid.

She couldn't accept Sorata talking trash about Yoru, especially after denying that he'd pretended to be her boyfriend.

She looked like she wanted to keep arguing, opening her mouth, but aside from "bastard," she couldn't think of anything else to say.

While the two of them were having a heated exchange, a nearby group of girls were already buzzing with chatter.

"Wait, what? Aoyama Nanami is actually friends with that Kitakami Fatty? Is she crazy? Isn't that gross?"

"I think Kanda saw her hanging out with him and went to check on her, only to get yelled at."

"Would any normal girl hang out with that gross fat guy? There has to be some hidden reason."

"What if Aoyama was doing enjo kōsai(compensated dating) with Yoru, and Kanda just happened to catch them? Then she used the 'we're friends' excuse to cover it up?"

"No way… enjo kōsai?"

"Well, she really does look strapped for cash. I've seen her working part-time a lot… could it be true?"

Their chatter soon reached the ears of the boys nearby.

Teenage boys don't exactly think before they speak—especially when it comes to juicy rumors about a classmate involved in compensated dating.

"Oh! I remember now. During finals, I saw Aoyama walking with Kitakami..."

"I thought they were just walking close together or something."

"You're telling me it was actually enjo kōsai?"

"I heard Aoyama's from Osaka, and people from Kansai are all super materialistic. Most of the girls doing that kind of thing in Ikebukuro are from there..."

"If she's really doing enjo kōsai, is she that poor? Didn't she get a scholarship to Shuchiin?"

"How did she stomach being with that pig? Isn't that disgusting? Even the client was gross..."

At that moment, the rumors about Aoyama doing enjo kōsai with Yoru spread through the classroom like wildfire—in just a minute or two.

Only then did Aoyama realize what was happening. Her face turned pale, and she looked completely overwhelmed.

How had a simple argument with Sorata turned into this?

Yoru had actually expected something like this.

When he first met Gabriel, he'd worried people would gossip about her being seen with him at school.

But Gabriel didn't care at all.

Strangely enough, those worries never came true with Gabriel. Instead, they ended up happening with Nanami.

Even though they'd only been classmates for one semester, Nanami, who balanced school and part-time work, was always quiet and distant in her classmates' eyes.

She never really fit in.

And in a school like Shuchiin, where social class divides are sharp, Tokyo students look down on anyone from outside the city—even within Tokyo, there's a clear pecking order.

Because she was smart and attractive, people didn't bully her directly.

But now things were different.

Nanami had become a target—like a dog fallen into the river. Some people just loved to kick her while she was down.

"Aoyama... you... I..."

Sorata realized things were getting out of control.

How had this turned into Aoyama being accused of doing enjo kōsai with Kitakami?

The worst part was, as he followed the thread of gossip, he started to imagine it himself—and his expression grew increasingly twisted.

A crowd of students gathered, and someone noticed Kanda's conflicted face.

"Aoyama, you didn't actually… with Kitakami…?"

If the girl you secretly liked actually did enjo kōsai for money, Sorata felt like he might just die from frustration.

"No… I didn't..."

"I didn't do anything like that! Kitakami-kun and I are just friends!"

"What are you all saying?!"

Dozens of skeptical eyes locked onto her. Nanami's innocent heart was rattled with anxiety and panic.

The more she tried to explain, the worse it looked.

To everyone watching, it only seemed more like the truth.

If yelling could fix things, Yoru wouldn't have nearly gotten expelled.

"Wait, did she actually do it?"

"If you're gonna do enjo kōsai, at least pick someone better. Aren't you worried he'll crush you?"

"Ugh, stop talking. I'm gonna throw up just thinking about that fat pig's face..."

"Kanda, did you fall for a sugar baby?"

Almost the entire class had gathered around, surrounding Aoyama in the center, tossing out cruel speculation and disgusted comments.

Sorata slipped away awkwardly, his face uncomfortable and stiff.

Everyone saw his reaction and assumed it confirmed the rumors.

No one bothered checking facts. They just fully believed whatever someone else had said.

"No… this isn't true..."

"How did it end up like this?"

"Don't say that stuff! Kitakami-kun and I are just friends. I'm not doing enjo kōsai..."

"You need proof to say stuff like that! Don't make things up..."

"And besides, I think Kitakami-kun's really good-looking! He's not ugly or gross at all..."

Her face was drained of color. She waved her hands in panic, not knowing where to put them.

And she wasn't wrong.

Yoru really was handsome—ridiculously so.

If he were at school right now, and the girls saw how slim he had become...

He only needed to smile, and they'd either shyly lower their heads or scream in excitement.

They might even throw themselves at him.

But he wasn't here.

And now, vicious words and stares were like arrows, piercing into a defenseless girl.

Nanami, who had argued with her family to chase her dream of becoming a voice actress, who came to Tokyo alone, who lived in poverty, sometimes didn't have money for food, who studied hard despite everything and secretly cried at night in bed.

Her pain, her struggle, her effort—all ten times more than her peers.

"What? Aoyama, are you crazy?"

"You think that gross pig is good-looking? Seriously?"

"Ugh. Disgusting. She's just a sugar baby..."

"Blegh..."

Scorn came at her from every direction.

Nanami, proud and sensitive, couldn't take it anymore. She sat down with her head in her hands, trembling all over.

She was furious... confused... helpless... overwhelmed...

She couldn't speak.

She couldn't fight back.

Just when she was about to break, the class bell rang—saving her from completely breaking down.

To someone as proud as Nanami, being labeled a sugar baby in front of the whole class felt worse than death.

It was humiliating. It was cruel.

Even as the class dispersed, eyes still lingered on her.

All across the classroom, words like "sugar baby," "gross," "whore" "gold digger," and "bitch" echoed like crashing waves.