They say trouble walks in on two legs. Riku Saionji practically glided in—long-legged, broad-shouldered, his blazer unbuttoned like a drama prince who forgot the rules of public decency. Girls squealed. Boys groaned. Koharu dropped her lunch bread mid-bite.
"You're drooling," I said, dry.
"I'm not," she wiped her mouth furiously. "And anyway, he's kind of—look, you wouldn't get it."
"Because I don't have a working pair of ovaries?"
"No, because you're basically a vending machine with anxiety."
"Touché."
The teacher introduced him like he was announcing a new species. "Riku Saionji, transferring from a performing arts school in Tokyo. He was a child actor, I believe?"
Riku smiled like a toothpaste commercial. "Only in some small things. Commercials. A drama or two. Nothing serious."
The girls behind us were already planning his fan club.
Koharu leaned close to me. "Can you believe it? A real actor. Not like our 'stiff stick NPC protagonist.'"
I glared. "Why are you like this?"
She blinked innocently. "Because it's fun?"
---
By lunchtime, the school was buzzing. And by sixth period, the Theater Club had announced dramatically that Riku Saionji would be joining as a "guest advisor" for the school festival play.
Of course, Koharu dragged me to the meeting.
"This is stalking," I muttered.
"It's research," she countered. "Also, we're in the play, remember?"
We stepped into the clubroom—and it was like entering a cologne ad. Riku stood at the center of a half-circle of swooning underclassmen, flipping through the script like it owed him rent.
"Oh? You must be the famous… 'Senpai.'" His eyes landed on me. "The one playing the male lead?"
I gave a noncommittal shrug. "Koharu forced me into it."
"She's good at that." His smile was sharp.
Koharu grinned. "It's his punishment for being too boring."
Riku chuckled. "Well, you're not exactly giving off 'main character' energy. More like the guy who dies in episode one so the heroine has motivation."
I felt that in my soul.
---
The next hour was a blur of rehearsals, rewrites, and ego collisions. Riku wasn't just talented—he knew it. He glided through the script, offering notes, changing blocking, and throwing out lines like a screenwriter on a sugar high.
"It's just... stiff," he said, holding up a page. "This scene doesn't breathe. It needs more heat. More stakes. Something raw."
Koharu, of course, nodded. "Right?! I keep telling him we need a kissing scene."
I choked. "We absolutely do not."
"But imagine!" she clasped her hands like a fangirl. "Under the spotlight, her eyes wide, her lips trembling, and then—BAM! He kisses her like a man possessed!"
"Is that acting or your fanfic?"
"It's both," she said without shame.
Riku flipped to the next page. "Actually... I like it. But maybe she kisses him. More modern. Strong female lead."
Koharu looked thoughtful. "Ooh, yes! Surprise attack! Bonus points if he stumbles and falls over."
"Why am I always the victim in your fantasies?"
"Because you're so cute when you panic."
The two of them laughed. I stared at the script and debated spontaneous combustion.
---
Later, as we were leaving, Riku pulled Koharu aside near the shoe lockers. I pretended to be busy tying my laces for the third time.
"You're wasted on small stages, Minami," he said smoothly. "Have you ever thought about applying to Tokyo Performing Academy?"
She blinked. "Huh? That fancy school?"
"I could help. You've got instincts. Raw, but honest."
Koharu smiled sheepishly, scratching her cheek. "No one's ever said that before…"
He leaned closer. "Well, I'm not just 'anyone,' right?"
Okay. That was enough.
I stood up, walked over, and tapped his shoulder. "Hey. You're leaning into her locker. Some of us still want to get home before we die of cringe."
Riku turned with an easy smile. "Ah, sorry, didn't mean to block your route. Or was it your heroine I was in the way of?"
Koharu snorted behind him. "Oof. That's got to sting."
"Not really," I said flatly. "NPCs don't have hit points."
"Yet you're still standing between us," he said. "Curious."
"Maybe I'm programmed that way."
He tilted his head. "Then let's hope the festival lets us recode some things."
I had no idea what that meant. But it sounded annoying.
---
The next day, things got worse.
Rehearsals became warzones. Riku kept suggesting changes to scenes that put him closer to Koharu's character. Extended hand-holding, prolonged stares, and in one cursed draft—a shared bath scene set in the Edo era.
"The school will never approve this," I deadpanned.
"But imagine the cultural depth!" Riku argued.
Koharu laughed. "Let him have it. Besides, maybe Senpai will finally get to touch my hand."
I turned red. "That's not... I already held your hand that one time."
"That was to stop me from falling down the stairs."
"Still counts."
"Oh yeah? What did it feel like?"
"Like holding a drunk puppy."
She gasped. "You jerk!"
"And you're a menace."
The club members watched us like we were a real rom-com.
Riku just smiled faintly, flipping the script again. "Ah... young love. So much bickering. So little kissing."
---
After practice, I walked Koharu home. She bounced beside me like usual, poking my shoulder every few steps.
"So?"
"So what?"
"What do you really think of him?"
"Riku? He's fine. Talented. Smug. Possibly a lizard."
"You're jealous."
"No."
"You so are."
"Only of his jawline."
She grinned. "You're cute when you're petty."
"I'm cute when I'm asleep. The rest of the time I'm tolerable."
She walked backwards, facing me with that chaotic smile. "Don't worry. You're still my protagonist."
"For now."
"Unless Mitsuki-chan makes a move," she teased, wagging her finger. "That puzzle girl is giving major 'quiet-but-horny' energy."
"I don't think you're allowed to say that."
"I just did. Also, I saw her doodling hearts in her planner next to your name."
"What?!"
Koharu winked. "Better step up, Senpai. You're not the only route in this game."
---
As we parted ways near the train station, Koharu hesitated.
"I'm really gonna try," she said suddenly. "With this play. With acting. With… everything."
I blinked. "That's new."
"I usually quit when stuff gets serious. But not this time."
"Because of Riku?"
She stuck out her tongue. "Because of you, idiot. I want to prove you're not just an NPC."
She waved and ran off. Her bag flopped against her hip, her shoes half untied, her hair a mess in the wind.
And me?
I stood there, heart thumping like I was the one being chased in a dating sim.
Maybe Riku was right.
Maybe something was being rewritten.