Monday morning arrived with sunshine, chatter, and… whispers.
Haruto noticed it the moment he stepped into class.
Eyes flicked toward him. People murmured in corners. Riku had a suspiciously mischievous grin plastered on his face.
Something's up, Haruto thought grimly.
Before he could even sit down, Riku draped an arm over his shoulder.
"Morning, lover boy."
Haruto froze. "What did you just call me?"
"Oh, you know…" Riku smirked. "Word on the street is you spent the weekend at Aoi-chan's house."
The classroom erupted.
"Wait, what!?"
"They had a date!?"
"Under the same roof!?"
"Her mom likes him already, apparently!"
Haruto turned red instantly. "W–Who told you that!?"
Riku shrugged innocently. "A little birdie named Aoi's brother came by the park yesterday. He was very talkative."
Haruto buried his face in his hands. "Oh no…"
Just then, the door slid open, and Aoi stepped in — humming cheerfully, as usual.
The class went silent.
Then, like a switch flipped—
"Good morning, Aoi~!"
"How was your weekend?"
"You and Haruto must've had fun, huh?"
Aoi blinked. "Huh? Oh! You mean the study session?"
"Study session," someone repeated with exaggerated air quotes.
Aoi tilted her head, confused. "...Why are you all looking at me like that?"
Haruto groaned. "Aoi, I think there's been a misunderstanding."
She blinked at him. "Misunderstanding?"
"The entire class thinks we're…" He hesitated, cheeks heating. "...dating."
Aoi gasped, then burst out laughing.
"Eh!? That's so silly!"
Her laugh was so genuine, so carefree, that even a few classmates started chuckling.
But Haruto just slumped forward, muttering, "I'm glad someone's enjoying this."
Riku leaned over. "Come on, man. You two are basically a couple already."
"We're not—!"
"Not yet," Riku added with a wink.
Aoi, still laughing, reached over and patted Haruto's shoulder. "Aw, don't look so grumpy! I don't mind if people think that. It's kind of cute, isn't it?"
He stared at her. "…You don't mind?"
She shrugged, smiling that same bright, teasing smile. "Not if it's you."
That sentence hit him like a freight train.
He could feel his heartbeat pounding in his ears.
Before he could find a reply, the bell rang, saving him — or maybe torturing him further.
---
During lunch, the rumors hadn't died down at all.
In fact, they'd evolved.
Now, people were whispering that Haruto had met her parents (technically true) and that they were already an official couple (absolutely not true — or… not yet?).
Aoi didn't seem bothered in the slightest. She cheerfully shared her bento with Haruto, laughing off comments like, "Aw, look at them feeding each other!"
Meanwhile, Haruto wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole.
---
Later that afternoon, as they walked home together — their usual routine now — Aoi hummed, kicking a small pebble along the road.
"You know," she said thoughtfully, "rumors are weird. One tiny thing happens, and suddenly everyone has a story to tell."
Haruto nodded. "Yeah. It's annoying."
"But," she added with a small smile, "sometimes, rumors come from people hoping something's true."
He glanced at her. "What do you mean?"
Her gaze softened — a little shy, but still playful.
"Maybe everyone's just rooting for us, you know?"
He stopped walking. "Us?"
Aoi turned back, eyes twinkling. "Well, if we were dating… would that really be so bad?"
Haruto's breath caught. The late afternoon sun framed her hair in soft gold, her smile both teasing and sincere.
He wanted to say something — anything — but his brain refused to cooperate.
Before he could reply, she waved her hand dismissively, grinning again. "Anyway! Don't look so serious. I'm kidding… probably."
And with that, she skipped ahead, humming a tune, leaving Haruto frozen on the sidewalk — face red and heart racing.
---
That night, as he lay in bed, he couldn't stop thinking about her words.
"Would that really be so bad?"
He sighed, covering his face with his pillow.
Maybe — just maybe — he didn't mind the rumors either.