The next day at school, Izumi felt like all eyes were on him. It wasn't paranoia—people were actually looking at him differently. Whispers filled the classroom as students stole glances in his direction.
"Hey, did you hear? Izumi spent the weekend at Marina's house!"
"What?! No way!"
"I heard they were alone together for hours. What were they doing?"
Izumi sighed, rubbing his temples. Of course, the rumors had already spread. He turned to Marina, who sat beside him, elegantly flipping through a light novel as if she didn't notice the attention.
"Marina," Izumi whispered. "Did you tell anyone about...you know, me going to your place?"
Marina tilted her head, a small smirk forming on her lips. "Not at all. But my bodyguards might have mentioned it."
Izumi's face paled. Of course. The bodyguards. Those men were practically Marina's personal gossip network.
Before he could respond, Niko burst into the classroom, dramatically pointing at Izumi. "YOU! YOU HAVE COMMITTED A GRAVE SIN!"
"W-What?!" Izumi nearly jumped out of his seat.
Niko slammed her hands on his desk, eyes sparkling with curiosity. "How dare you go to the Snow Princess's castle and not report back to me with details?! This is an unacceptable betrayal!"
"It's not like that!" Izumi waved his hands frantically. "She just invited me to see her anime collection!"
Niko gasped. "So it was a date?!"
"No!" Izumi's face turned red. "It was just—"
"Hmph." Niko crossed her arms. "A private invitation to a girl's house, spending hours alone together, and now you're acting all flustered. The evidence speaks for itself!"
Marina chuckled softly beside him. "You're making such a fuss, Niko. Izumi was very well-behaved."
Niko's eyes widened. "SO SOMETHING DID HAPPEN!"
Before Izumi could protest, Anzu and Yuki approached, both looking extremely amused.
"Izumi-kun, you really move fast, huh?" Anzu teased, slinging an arm around his shoulder. "What's next? Meeting her father for a formal proposal?"
"He already did." Marina said casually, sipping her tea.
"WHAT?!" The whole group screamed in unison.
Izumi groaned. "Marina, don't say it like that!"
Anzu burst out laughing. "Damn, I was joking! You actually met her dad?! What did he say?!"
Marina smirked. "He told Izumi to take care of me."
Anzu gasped, dramatically clutching his chest. "Izumi, my boy, you've already gotten father-in-law approval! This is a historical moment!"
"It's not like that!" Izumi shouted, feeling his soul leave his body.
Meanwhile, Yuki, who had been silently observing, smiled warmly. "Still, it's nice. Marina doesn't usually open up to people. You must be special, Izumi-kun."
At Yuki's words, the teasing momentarily halted. Marina looked down at her tea, a rare, soft expression on her face.
"I suppose...he is," she admitted.
A brief silence settled over them before Niko suddenly slammed her notebook on the table. "New anime idea! 'The Cold Heiress and Her Dorky Butler—A Forbidden Love Story!'"
"STOP WRITING FANFICTION ABOUT ME!" Izumi cried out.
Laughter erupted, filling the classroom with warmth. Even with all the teasing and misunderstandings, Izumi couldn't help but smile. Maybe, just maybe, being close to Marina wasn't so bad after all.