Mornings always felt slower somehow—like the school hadn't quite shaken off the weekend yet. The hallway buzzed with chatter, shoes squeaking against the polished floor, lockers slamming shut with rhythmless bangs.
Ren Fujiwara yawned behind his hand as he entered Class 1-B, half-awake and running on nothing but orange juice and stubborn pride. His hair was more tousled than usual, blazer unbuttoned, and a crumpled worksheet poking out of his bag like it was trying to escape.
"Oi, Fujiwara," Daichi called from across the room, waving a hand as if Ren was in danger of vanishing. "Big news, man!"
Ren blinked. "What, you passed a math quiz for once?"
"Nah," Daichi grinned, plopping into his chair with far too much energy for someone who never did his homework. "You're the news."
"…Me?"
"Yep." Nagi's voice drifted from the back row, deadpan as always. "You're the talk of the hallway. Apparently, you and Tanaka are *dating.*"
Ren stopped mid-step.
"...Huh?"
Daichi leaned forward like he was sharing top-secret intel. "Someone said they saw you two walking home together yesterday, and now it's spreading like wildfire. Class 1-D is convinced it's official."
Ren dropped his bag onto his desk and turned to Nagi. "You're kidding."
Nagi didn't even look up from his manga. "I never kid about this stuff. It's too dumb to make up."
Ren looked toward the doorway just in time to see Rio Hayashi glide in, a mischievous sparkle already in her eyes.
She spotted him and gave a little finger wave. "Good morning, loverboy."
"Oh no," Ren muttered.
"Oh yes," Rio grinned, sliding into her seat in front of him. "You and Akari-chan, huh? Should we start calling you the class power couple?"
"We are *not* a couple," Ren said flatly, rubbing his temple. "We just happened to be walking the same direction."
Rio leaned her chin on her hand. "Mmm. So coincidental. So... romantic."
"Rio."
"Relax," she laughed. "I think it's kinda cute. But if it's not true, you'd better say something before it spreads to the entire school."
Ren opened his mouth, paused, and looked toward the empty seat beside him.
Akari wasn't here yet.
---
When Akari finally entered the classroom five minutes later, it was like someone hit play on a paused scene. Eyes followed her with interest—too many eyes. She walked in holding her usual calm, athletic energy, but it cracked ever so slightly when she noticed the subtle stares.
She made her way to her seat beside Ren.
"Why is everyone looking at me like I committed a crime?" she whispered, narrowing her eyes.
Ren leaned in, keeping his voice low. "Rumor says we're dating."
Akari stared at him.
Then: "What?"
"Daichi overheard it this morning. Nagi confirmed. Rio is already leaning into it."
She blinked a few times, processing. "We walked home together *once.*"
"Apparently that's all it takes."
Akari slumped into her seat, dropping her bag with a frustrated sigh. "Yamada High has the gossip metabolism of a soap opera."
"I've been saying that since orientation."
Just then, the homeroom teacher entered, and the classroom buzz died down into silence—but the tension between them still hummed in the air.
---
After class, Ren and Akari stepped out into the courtyard for a break. It was quiet, the late morning sun warming the benches under a patch of trees. Ren leaned against the back railing, watching a group of upperclassmen jog by.
Akari stood beside him, arms crossed, brows furrowed.
"Are we doing something wrong?" she asked finally.
Ren tilted his head. "You mean... by existing near each other?"
"I mean," she sighed, "we talk. We're friends. We walk home. Why does it have to turn into something more?"
He shrugged. "People want stories. Especially ones that distract them from schoolwork."
"I don't mind people assuming stuff," she said slowly. "I just don't want them assuming *wrong.*"
Ren glanced sideways at her. "Are they wrong?"
Akari blinked. "What?"
"I mean—are they wrong to think there's something?"
She stared at him for a second too long, caught between honesty and awkwardness, then looked away.
"I don't know," she murmured.
Ren straightened, his expression suddenly unreadable. "We should probably clear things up before it snowballs."
Akari nodded. "Agreed."
He smiled. "Alright then. At lunch, we stage a public, painfully awkward declaration of friendship."
Akari raised an eyebrow. "Or... we just ignore it until it dies."
"Dangerous move. That's how rumors gain power."
She grinned. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
"Maybe a little."
---
During lunch, they sat with Daichi and Nagi again. Rio joined them, too, plopping her tray down and immediately bringing the energy of a reality TV host.
"Breaking news," she said cheerfully, "Class 1-C now believes Ren and Akari were childhood friends reuniting after ten years apart."
Ren choked on his rice. "Are you serious?"
Rio beamed. "Dead serious. Someone even drew fanart."
Akari buried her face in her hands. "This is getting out of control."
Nagi looked up from his curry. "I give it until Friday before someone starts a ship name."
Daichi looked around. "What's a ship name?"
Ren answered before anyone else could. "A name people use when they *want* two people to be a couple."
Daichi blinked. "Oh. Like RenKari or AkaRen?"
Akari groaned loudly. "Please stop."
But Ren laughed—genuinely, helplessly. "This is insane."
"You know," Rio said, tilting her head thoughtfully, "you two could just start dating and solve the problem."
Ren and Akari both turned to her in synchronized horror.
"Joking," she added quickly, though her smirk didn't fade. "Mostly."
---
After lunch, things only got more tangled.
That afternoon, during PE, Akari's track and field coach pulled her aside.
"Tanaka," he said kindly, "I'm hearing things. Don't let distractions mess with your focus. You've got talent."
Akari swallowed hard. "I'm not distracted, sir."
He nodded, then gave her a look that said: *Just be careful.*
Meanwhile, Ren was pulled aside by an upperclassman in the literature club who said, "I hear you're dating the girl from track? She's kinda cool. You've got good taste."
Ren nearly dropped his book.
---
By the end of the day, it was clear: the rumors weren't dying down. If anything, they were mutating.
After school, Ren and Akari met at the front gates. There was a moment of shared silence between them.
"Walk home?" he asked.
She nodded. "Might as well give the rumor mill something real to chew on."
They started walking, the street quiet except for the rustling trees and distant voices of students heading in other directions.
Akari glanced sideways at him. "Do you care?"
Ren looked at her. "About the rumors?"
"About... what they're saying."
He hesitated. "I care if it makes you uncomfortable."
She thought about that, kicking a small pebble off the sidewalk. "It's weird. Not because it's embarrassing, just... it makes me wonder if people would still care if it were *true.*"
Ren looked at her, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. "Would it be that bad if it were?"
They stopped at the usual corner where their paths split.
Akari looked up at him, eyes uncertain but calm. "I don't know."
Ren offered a lopsided smile. "Well, for now\... let them think what they want."
Akari nodded. "Let them write their stories."
And with that, she turned and walked down her street, ponytail swaying with each step.
Ren watched her go, then tur
ned and headed home—wondering when a fake rumor started feeling like something he kind of, maybe, didn't want to be fake at all.