I woke up around 7 AM.
Takumi was still completely out cold.
Of course he was.
I was already getting ready for school while this idiot slept like nothing in the world mattered.
I grabbed my uniform from the closet and started getting dressed as quickly as I could. I checked the time again.
7:08.
"Seriously…"
I glanced back at him.
Still sleeping.
"How can you sleep this peacefully?"
He didn't even move.
I sighed and finished fixing my uniform, then grabbed my bag from beside the door.
That's when Takumi finally stirred.
"Mmm…"
His eyes barely opened.
I turned around.
"Good morning, babe~."
He stared at me for a few seconds like his brain hadn't loaded yet.
"...What time is it?"
"Seven."
He groaned and pulled the blanket over his head.
I stared at him.
"You have school too, you know."
"Yeah."
"You're going?"
A long pause.
"...Probably not."
I blinked.
"You're not even going to pretend?"
"I'm exhausted."
He sounded completely serious.
I couldn't help sighing.
"You really are hopeless."
"I celebrated the license too hard, you know? My body is wrecked, I need today to recover so I'm just gonna-"
He yawned.
"Call in sick."
And then he went right back to sleep.
I stood there for a moment, staring at him.
Unbelievable.
I had to go deal with school, classes, teachers, and everything else while he got to crawl back under the blanket.
And he did all that stuff while I was touring…
I sighed.
Go easy on him, Kurumi.
He really did look like a mess.
I glanced at him again.
His hair was all over the place, his face looked exhausted, and he barely even seemed awake when he talked to me.
The comedown was probably wearing him out.
And now I was getting annoyed at him for wanting to sleep?
...Yeah.
That was kinda unfair.
"...I'm going to school, babe. You should rest."
"Have fun."
"Don't say that like you're sending me off to war."
He gave a sleepy little laugh without opening his eyes.
"Good luck, shawty," he murmured sleepily.
I shook my head and picked up my bag.
"Thanks, idiot. Sweet dreams."
I stepped out into the cold morning air, waiting for the Uber I had just ordered.
But just as I was walking down the stairs, I heard a voice behind me.
A voice I really didn't want to hear.
"Kurumi?"
I didn't even have to turn around.
Suzuki Aika.
Seriously, how did Takumi manage to keep her being his neighbor a secret from me for so long?
Wait.
Technically, he kept that secret for longer than I have cheated on him—
Not the time.
I turned around slowly.
"Morning, Center-chan."
Aika blinked at me.
She was dressed normally, carrying her school bag, looking almost painfully innocent.
It was kind of funny seeing her like this.
No stage makeup. No idol outfit. No cameras.
Just Aika, trying to look like a completely normal high school girl.
"Yeah... good morning."
Her eyes drifted past me toward the building.
Then back to me.
She hesitated.
"So... you spent the night with Shiba-kun, right?"
I raised an eyebrow.
"Wow. Straight to the point this morning."
Her cheeks immediately turned pink.
"That's not what I meant!"
I smiled.
"Relax. I know what you meant."
She cleared her throat and adjusted the strap of her bag.
"Where is he?"
"Sleeping."
"He's not coming to school?"
I shook my head.
"Nope. Apparently celebrating his driver's license was more exhausting than he expected."
Aika stared at me for a second.
"...That sounds like him."
"Right?"
For some reason, we both laughed.
"He hasn't been to school a lot lately, to be fair. Our class president panicked so much she showed up at his door," she said.
Your class president is a girl?
Interesting.
I might have more competition than I thought.
"I imagine she has her hands full dealing with that idiot," I said, trying to sound casual.
Aika chuckled.
"You have no idea. Both of us do."
Oh, I know. More than either of you ever could, idiot.
I kept that part to myself.
We started walking down the stairs together.
"So, how was the tour for you?" I asked Aika, trying to change the subject. "For me it was boring."
"Exhausting."
I looked at her.
"I thought you loved this job."
"I do!" she said quickly. "I just don't love being exhausted."
I laughed.
"Fair enough."
She sighed.
"And Yui was being annoying the entire time."
"That's normal."
"She kept complaining about her feet hurting, then she'd start dancing again five minutes later."
I shook my head.
"Yeah, I was there."
"Good thing she has you," Aika muttered.
…What was that supposed to mean?
Anyway.
We reached the main street and stopped at the corner.
Aika glanced at her phone.
"I guess this is where we split."
"Yeah. My Uber should be here soon."
"Okay. See you at practice."
"Later, Center-chan."
Aika smiled.
"See you, Kurumi."
She waved before heading off toward the station.
I watched her disappear into the crowd for a moment before checking my phone.
My Uber was almost here.
I got in and closed my eyes, not particularly bothering to check my phone.
The ride to school was thankfully uneventful. By the time I stepped out of the Uber, I was already wishing I could turn around and go back home.
Or even better, sleep next to Takumi.
Then I heard a painfully familiar voice.
"Kuku-chi! Good morning!"
I looked up.
Yui was standing near the school entrance, waving at me like an idiot.
Of course she was.
I walked over and lightly bonked her on the head.
"I told you not to call me that at school!"
Yui rubbed her head, pouting.
"Ow! Sorry!"
"You say that every time."
"Because you keep hitting me every time."
"Then maybe you'll learn eventually."
She stared at me for a second.
"...Probably not."
I sighed.
"You're hopeless."
Yui giggled.
"But you love me!"
I rolled my eyes.
"Let's just go to class…"
She didn't stop giggling as we passed through the school gates.
As we stepped inside, girls immediately started whispering about us, just like usual.
"Tachibana-senpai and Nakamura-senpai are so close!"
Meanwhile, the boys…
"Tachibana is kinda hot, not gonna lie."
"Nakamura's pretty cute too."
"Yeah. They're both way out of my league."
I rolled my eyes.
Same old shit.
Yui, the little gremlin she was, leaned closer with a huge grin.
"Psst, psst!"
"What?"
"It feels like we're idols even in our normal lives!" she whispered excitedly.
Her eyes practically sparkled.
"Ehehe~!"
My face fell.
Idiot.
"You're going to expose our secret to the entire school one day," I muttered.
"Eh?! No way!"
She giggled, completely unbothered.
"I'm careful!"
"You just yelled 'Kuku-chi' at me in front of everyone."
"Ah."
She paused.
"…Oops."
I sighed.
A few steps behind us, one of the boys suddenly grabbed his nose.
"Dude, you're bleeding."
"Huh?!"
Another boy looked at me and Yui, then immediately covered his nose too.
"Shit."
I glanced back.
"…What the hell is wrong with these guys?"
Yui covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
"Maybe we're too cute?"
"Don't encourage them."
Boys.
They're so fucking dumb.
At least, most of the ones I've dealt with are.
Half the time, they can't even talk to a girl without turning it into some weird competition. They see a cute girl and suddenly they're showing off, making stupid jokes, or trying to get their friends to notice them.
And if you reject them?
Suddenly you're a bitch.
I've never really understood it.
Girls aren't trophies. We're not some prize you win because you managed to say the right thing or look cool in front of your friends.
Maybe that's why Takumi feels so different.
He's still an idiot. Obviously.
But he's not like that.
He actually talks to me like I'm a person.
He doesn't need to prove he's the coolest guy in the room every five seconds. He doesn't treat me like I'm some untouchable idol, either.
He's just... Takumi.
And somehow, for a boy our age, that's surprisingly rare.
I guess that's what I like about him.
Well, that was at the beginning…
Then I started feeling a connection between us.
Girls love talking about that connections. Chemistry. That feeling that you just... click with someone.
I used to think it was kinda cheesy.
But with Takumi, I actually felt it.
And now that connection was getting tangled up in lies and complications I didn't even know how to untangle anymore…
Yui elbowed me lightly.
"You're spacing out."
I blinked.
"Sorry."
She looked at me, placing a finger against her lips as she thought.
"Hmm... you've been like that lately..." she said.
Then, as if she'd suddenly figured out the cause of all my problems, her eyes lit up.
A tiny gasp escaped her.
"Is it...?"
She leaned closer to my ear.
"...a boy?!"
I crashed.
"Y-Yui," I began.
She stared at me expectantly.
"...What?"
"How did you even come up with that?"
Yui tilted her head.
"Because you're acting weird."
"I am not acting weird."
"You're totally acting weird."
I crossed my arms.
"Maybe I'm just tired."
"Uh-huh."
She gave me a suspicious look.
"Then why are you blushing?"
"I'M NOT."
Yui giggled.
"Ehehe~! I knew it!"
I quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her a little away from the other students.
"Keep your voice down!"
"Why?"
"You know the rules. We're not supposed to date."
Yui tilted her head.
"Since when do you follow the rules?"
I froze.
"...I do."
She gave me a skeptical look.
"Kurumi, you secretly break half of them."
"That's not the point."
Her smile faded slightly.
"You really have to be careful, though. If the company finds out, it's not just us who get in trouble. One photo, one rumor, and suddenly everyone online is talking about SIX STAR."
I sighed.
"I know."
Yui looked at me for another second.
Then her grin came back.
"So... what's he like?"
I stared at her.
"Annoying."
Yui blinked.
"That's it?"
"He's an idiot. He's stubborn. He does whatever the hell he wants."
She stared at me for a second.
"...You really like him, don't you?"
I looked away.
"Shut up."
Yui giggled.
"Ehehe~."
"Come on. We're going to be late."
We finally reached our classroom.
The second we walked in, Yui was already greeted by a few of the more popular girls.
"Yui-chan! Morning!"
"Morning!"
Yui immediately joined them, chatting like she's never been with me.
I stood there for a moment.
I wasn't exactly unpopular.
I just... wasn't really part of any of this.
I dropped my bag beside my desk and sat down.
A few boys near the back glanced over.
"Man, Tachibana's really hot."
"I know."
"Think she has a boyfriend?"
I sighed.
Of course.
I pulled out my phone and ignored them.
Apparently, this was going to be a long day.
__________
Classes came and went, and I couldn't be bothered to pay attention to any of them.
Lunch break came before I even realized it.
I was heading to the rooftop like usual when I noticed Yui glance at me from across the hallway.
Then I overheard the girls she was with.
"Should we invite Tachibana-san to eat with us?"
"Isn't she kind of scary?"
Yui immediately looked offended.
"Kurumi isn't scary!"
The girls looked at her.
Yui hesitated.
"She's just... intense."
"That's basically the same thing."
"It is not!"
One of the girls giggled.
"Okay, okay. But would she even want to eat with us?"
Yui glanced over at me again.
"I think she would."
"Really?"
"Yeah! She's actually nice."
I raised an eyebrow from where I stood.
Nice?
That was debatable.
"So... should we invite her?"
Yui smiled.
"Obviously."
Ok, that was surprising.
And then they actually approached me.
The bob-haired girl who suggested inviting me over stepped forward.
Shizuka Murayama, I think.
"Tachibana-san? Want to eat with us?"
I looked at her, then at the rest of the girls.
"...Sure. Why not?"
Yui immediately lit up.
"See? I told you!"
"Don't make it sound like I just agreed to a marriage proposal."
Yui smirked mischievously.
"But Kuru-chan, I'd be the perfect wife for you~."
I froze.
Yui froze too.
Her face turned bright red.
"J-just kidding."
She looked away.
"Unless..."
The girls immediately started giggling.
"See? This is exactly why people ship you two."
"I knew there was something going on between you guys."
"There's nothing going on!"
Yui practically shouted it.
I stared at her.
Honestly…
Yui was pretty cute.
And, yeah, I wasn't exactly blind to girls either.
But no.
I was going to be loyal.
I've already fucked up enough.
No more boys.
And definitely no girls.
I wasn't giving myself another excuse to screw this up.
Then, we headed to the cafeteria.
Yui was walking right next to me.
The other girls followed behind us, talking amongst themselves.
Shizuka was the first one to catch up.
"Tachibana-san, what are you getting?"
"Probably curry."
"Again?" Yui asked.
"What do you mean, again? I like curry."
Yui laughed.
"You've had it like three times this week."
"And?"
She shook her head.
"Nothing. You're predictable."
The other two girls laughed.
The short-haired girl beside Shizuka was Ayaka Fujimoto. She had a round face and usually wore her hair tucked neatly behind her ears. She was pretty quiet, but she laughed whenever Yui started messing with me.
Next to her was Reina Moriyama, who had long dark hair and thin glasses. She was the more serious one of the group, although she wasn't nearly as boring as she looked.
"I'm getting yakisoba," Reina said.
"Of course you are," Ayaka replied.
"What does that mean?"
"You always get yakisoba."
Reina pushed her glasses up.
"Because it's good."
"That's literally the same argument Tachibana-san makes about curry."
I pointed at Ayaka.
"Exactly. Finally, someone understands me."
Yui immediately looked offended.
"Hey! You're supposed to agree with me!"
"Why?"
"Because I'm your best friend."
"That sounds like a you problem."
Yui pouted.
"Mean."
I laughed.
We reached the cafeteria and joined the line.
There weren't too many people yet, but enough that we had to wait a couple of minutes.
"So, Tachibana-san," Shizuka said, glancing at me, "how was your weekend?"
I froze for half a second.
"Pretty normal."
Yui glanced at me.
I gave her a tiny look.
Don't.
She immediately looked away.
"Mine was boring," Ayaka said. "I stayed home and watched movies."
"Which ones?" Reina asked.
"Some romance movie."
"Was it good?"
"Not really."
"Then why did you watch the whole thing?"
"Because I wanted to know how it ended."
Yui giggled.
"That's exactly how Kurumi watches movies."
"Hey!"
The girls laughed.
Eventually, we reached the front of the line.
"I'll take curry rice," I said.
"I knew it," Yui muttered.
I ignored her.
Ayaka ordered ramen, Reina got yakisoba, and Shizuka went with a simple set meal.
We found an empty table near the windows and sat down.
For once, I wasn't sitting with the girls from SIX STAR.
I was just sitting with some classmates.
And honestly?
It was kinda nice.
Yui nudged my shoulder.
"See? I told you you'd have fun."
I took a bite of curry.
"Don't get used to hearing me say this, but…"
I smiled.
"You were right."
The conversation slowly moved away from me.
"So, did you finish the math homework?" Shizuka asked.
Ayaka groaned.
"Don't remind me. I spent like an hour on it."
"It wasn't that hard," Reina said.
"Easy for you to say, Reina-chan."
"You're the one who spent twenty minutes trying to solve the first question."
"I thought it was a trick question!"
Yui laughed.
"It was literally the example from class."
"Shut up, Yui."
I laughed along with them.
They started arguing about the homework, and then somehow that turned into a conversation about our math teacher.
I mostly stayed quiet, eating my curry while they talked.
And then, my phone buzzed.
I ignored it.
Probably some group message.
It buzzed again.
I sighed and reached into my bag.
Unknown number.
I frowned, opening the message.
There was no text.
Just a photo.
A girl with a black wig. Next to a delinquent. In Tokyo.
Me.
My fingers clutched the phone.
...What the fuck?
My blood ran cold.
How fucking stupid could I have been?
Going out in Tokyo late at night while disguised, like nobody could possibly recognize me.
Apparently, I was that stupid.
Someone knew who I was.
And if that photo got out, everything would be over.
Everything I have worked so hard for. Every verse, every practice session, everything I have endured clinging to the hope that one day I will be free from the idol industry.
And the worst part is that it wouldn't just fuck up my career.
It could ruin SIX STAR.
Yui.
Nono.
Saya.
Even Aika.
None of them deserved to get dragged into this because I couldn't control myself for one fucking night.
And Takumi…
He'll break up with me too.
I stared at the photo again.
This was horrible.
Actually, no.
"Horrible" didn't even cover it.
This was the kind of stupid mistake that could follow me for the rest of my life.
Yui noticed me staring at my phone.
"Kuru?"
I looked up.
She was already watching me, her usual grin gone.
"You okay? You look kinda pale."
The other girls turned toward me.
Shit.
I locked my phone and forced myself to breathe.
"Yeah..."
My voice sounded normal enough.
"I just... need to go to the bathroom."
Yui tilted her head.
"Right now?"
"Yeah."
She looked at me for another second.
Then she smiled slightly.
"Don't get lost, Kuru-chan."
"Shut up."
I stood up before she could ask anything else.
I needed to get away from them.
Now.
My pulse was racing as I hurried to the girls' bathroom and locked myself inside a stall.
I pulled out my phone.
Took a screenshot of the conversation.
Then I sent it to Uncle.
A few seconds passed.
Then my phone buzzed.
Uncle: You got careless.
I stared at the message.
Yeah.
I fucking knew that.
Me: I know.
Another message appeared.
Uncle: Don't worry about it.
I frowned.
Me: What?
Uncle: I'll handle it.
I stared at the screen.
That was it?
He didn't even lecture me.
Somehow, it made me breathe a little easier.
Me: Are you sure?
His reply came almost immediately.
Uncle: Have I ever let you deal with something like this alone?
I looked down at the photo again.
My stomach was still twisted.
But Uncle knew.
And if he said he'd handle it, I believed him.
Me: Thanks, Uncle.
There was a short pause.
Then another message appeared.
Uncle: Be more careful next time.
I sighed.
Yeah.
I deserved that one.
I locked my phone and leaned back against the stall door.
For the first time since I'd seen that picture, I could breathe normally again.
Uncle would take care of it.
Everything would be fine.
At least…
I hoped it would be.