Hearing what the girl had said, Renjiro felt his soul physically leave his body.
No way. They think that?!
He turned to glare at Haruyuki, who only smiled wider, clearly delighted by the chaos. Haruyuki leaned in slightly.
"Oh look," he said softly, "you're getting popular."
"Yeah, in the worst way." Renjiro sarcastically answered.
"You know," Haruyuki added after a beat, "if you would smile just a little, you might become popular."
"Maybe if you had just left me alone—I'll be just fine." Renjiro muttered.
Haruyuki followed him until the end of the hallway, hands in his pockets, steps light, and deliberately unbothered.
"You can go ahead," he said with a mock cheerfulness, "cause I'll still be right behind you."
A stalker—if you will.
Renjiro didn't bother looking back. "Great. Just what I needed."
"You'll get used to me," Haruyuki replied. "Think of me as... part of your daily routine now."
Renjiro stopped in his tracks and turned sharply. "Dude, seriously, daily routine? Do you plan to do this the rest of the school year?"
"If that's how long it's gonna take for you to get to know me—why not?"
"What exactly do you want from me?"
Haruyuki's smile didn't waver. "Oh, nothing big. Just an honest confession is all."
Renjiro narrowed his eyes. "Confession?"
"Mm-hmm." Haruyuki stepped closer, lowering his voice like he was sharing a secret. "That you know me. That you've seen every clip, every show, maybe even followed me on socials online. And that you've been a fan—even if you hate yourself for it now."
Renjiro flinched barely. But Haruyuki caught it. Of course.
"You're delusional—it's quite scary," Renjiro muttered, brushing past him.
Haruyuki simply turned and followed as if tethered to him by something invisible.
"Maybe," He said, "but I've got time. I'll make sure you're gonna admit it!"
What a very stalker behavior for an actor himself!
"It's fan-service," Haruyuki corrected with a smirk.
"What—you can read minds now?!"
Haruyuki shrugged. "I just had a hunch you'd say I'm acting like a stalker."
Later that afternoon, Renjiro finally cracked.
He slumped onto his desk with Sato, dragging a hand down his face in pure frustration. "He keeps following me! It's annoying!"
Sato blinked, taken aback. It's the first time he'd seen Renjiro this frustrated. "Who? You mean, Hanazawa-san?" He curiously asked.
"Who else?" Renjiro snapped. "He shows up everywhere. At the cafeteria. By the track. Even in the hallways or on my way to the bathroom! Who does that?"
Sato scratches his cheek thoughtfully. "Um... maybe he just wants a friend?"
Renjiro froze mid-rant. "A what now?"
"A friend," Sato repeated, a little cautiously. "Think about it," he said, shifting to face him. "He's a well-known child actor, right? Everyone watched him growing up. All his his life just depends on movies, dramas, and variety shows—he was everywhere. Even I liked him back then."
Renjiro snorted. "You and half the country, huh?"
"Exactly," Sato said. "I heard something happen at his last school. No one really knows what, but it was serious enough that he transferred here without so suddenly.
Renjiro was quiet for a beat, the edge in his expression dulling just slightly.
"So you're telling me," he muttered, "that he's fed up with being treated like some celebrity, and now he just wants a normal friend? Him?"
Sato gave him a sheepish smile. "It's possible."
Renjiro leaned back, eyes narrowing as if trying to figure out if this was all some elaborate trick. "You know what's not normal?" Following someone like a lost puppy. That's not friendship. That's harassment."
"Last time I checked, you don't follow someone even to the toilet just to be friends."
"But didn't you also do the same to Miura-kun before?"
Renjiro froze.
Then, he leaned in and refuted. "Hey, that was different! This and that are totally different!
"You mean, it wasn't this extreme?"
Sato sighed softly.
"You haven't exactly told him to go away either, right?"
Renjiro glared at him. "Actually, I have."
Sato shrugged. "Not hard enough, I guess."
Renjiro scowled, but for the first time since Haruyuki started tailing him, he didn't seem quite as furious—just confused. Maybe even a little thoughtful.
The very next day, like clockwork, Haruyuki was right behind Renjiro as they entered the classroom.
Renjiro didn't even flinch this time. He just sighed. "You ever get tired?"
"Of what?" Haruyuki grinned.
Before Renjiro could reply with something cutting, a small group of girls squealed and rushed over.
"Hanazawa-kun! There you are..."
"Can I get an autograph later?"
"Let's have lunch together next time."
Haruyuki handled them like a pro, smiling, joking lightly, answering questions without giving too much.
Renjiro slipped past them, uninterested. But he didn't go too far—just far enough to pretend not to be watching.
Not everyone was enjoying the show. A few students, especially some boys by the front row, muttered among themselves. One of them—a tall, lean guy with a bitter edge to his tone—finally raised his voice.
"Hey, Hanazawa!"
The girls went quiet, and even Haruyuki's smile wavered for half a second.
"Is it true?" The boy continued, folding his arms. "That you transferred here because you stole some upperclassman's girlfriend at your last school?"
The air tensed. A few gasps, a few giggles, and confused. Most eyes darted between the two.
"What are you talking about?" One girl snapped.
"Yeah, stop making stories up," said another, frowning.
"Don't listen to him, Haruyuki," added a third. "He's just jealous cause girls don't like him."
The boy clicked his tongue. "This isn't some made-up story. I have a friend who goes to his old school. He said it got ugly."
Haruyuki's expression didn't change immediately, but the warmth in his smile thinned, replaced by something unreadable.
He stayed quiet.
The boy smirked. "So you're not even gonna deny it?... Guess it's true, then."
Gasps rippled across the classroom.
The girls surrounding Haruyuki immediately jumped to his defense.
"Oh shut up, Shinoda! You're running your mouth with that nonsense again!"
"Right! What an attention seeker."
"He's barking like a stray dog again."
Shinoda's expression twisted. He gritted his teeth, voice rising.
"But it's true! Some said he even slept with teachers at that school."
"..."
He took advantage of girls who idolized him. One of them already dating someone—Haruyuki knew. Yet, he still went for that girl... according to Shinoda.
"That's why he he transferred here!"
Not because of some family move, nor career changes—he was scared. Scared that people would see him for what he truly is.
"A playboy who hides behind his fame!"
"Enough!" One of the girls shouted.
"You don't know that!"
"Yeah, you're just spreading lies!"
Shinoda shook his head, then pointed straight at Haruyuki. "Then ask him yourself. Ask who Tanaka Ai was to him."
The room froze.
Even the chatter from students not involved in the confrontation quieted down, as if that name alone carried something heavy.
All eyes shifted to Haruyuki, who was still seated.
He hadn't moved.
Hadn't spoken.
His face no longer held a smile. No quirk of amusement.
It's just a kind of stillness that felt... real.
Renjiro, from his seat, watched him carefully.
There was something there. Not shock—but recognition. That name meant something.
And Haruyuki didn't deny it
Didn't say a word.
He didn't defend himself. Didn't even lash out. Nothing.
That silence was louder than anything.
Shinoda scoffed. "Exactly." He turned and stalked back to his desk, muttering, "Pathetic."
Some of the girls exchanged worried glances. A few looked at Haruyuki uncertainty, but none dared ask.
Haruyuki finally moved. Slowly. He blinked once, like walking from a distant thought, then exhaled.
Without looking at anyone, he stood up and exited the room.
No one inside tried to speak or make a single noise. It was awfully quiet.
The room was silent. Uncomfortably, unbearably silent.
Then—
A voice cut through the stillness.
"That was... a lot to hear," Renjiro said suddenly, his tone calm but pointed.
Heads turned. Eyes locked onto him.
He leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. "Ever heard of fact-checking before blasting out rumors to everyone?"
Shinoda narrowed his eyes, twisting around. "What?"
"Even I know who Tanaka Ai is," Renjiro said. "And I don't even go to that school."
A few students gasped softly. Confused murmurs rippled across the room.
"How did I know?"
Renjiro reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and tapped the screen.
On the screen was a news article. A real one.
"She's not anyone's girlfriend," he said. "She's a twenty-four old woman. A stalker. She was harassing Hanazawa—sending him inappropriate photos of her, and even the ones she took of him from God-knows where."
Eyes widened. A few mouths fell open.
"She was arrested two months ago. Caught trespassing at Hanazawa's apartment. His agency tried to shut the rumor at first, but then they let this article come out to clear his name instead."
Renjiro stood up and tucked his phone away.
"I have a credible source." Renjiro's tone serious, "And what? Yours is your friend with his imaginary stolen girlfriend?"
Shinoda frowned.
"You know," he added, glancing around the room, "the problem with you lot is that you believe every rumor you hear. Doesn't matter how twisted it gets, as long as it's juicy enough to spread."
He paused at the door.
"I hope you guys try to look up what's true than spreading lies."
Then he walked out, leaving behind stunned silence once more—but this time, for a very different reason. Shame.
A few minutes later, Renjiro sat alone on a quiet bench behind the school building. The Kate afternoon sun filtered through the trees, casting speckled shadows on the ground. The world felt calm again.
He flipped a page of his favorite BL manga, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. This was his usual routine—just him, a peaceful breeze, and the comfort of familiar characters.
That peace didn't last long.
A shadow fell over the pages of his book, darkening the panel mid-confession scene.
Renjiro sighed—long and keep—before even bothering to look up.
"What is it this time?" He asked, already suspecting who it was.
Haruyuki stood in front of him, awkward and uncertain. His hands were clenched at his sides, and he looked like he'd rather be anywhere else.
Renjiro raised an eyebrow.
Haruyuki flinched slightly at the question. He took a breath—shaky, but determined—and finally said, "About earlier... thanks."
Renjiro blinked.
Wait, so he heard me...?
There was something oddly quiet about Haruyuki now. He wasn't glaring or biting back words. His eyes avoided Renjiro's, flicking toward the trees, the sky, the bench—anywhere but at him.
This look is kind of new. Renjiro's expression softened, almost imperceptibly.
Then, as if feeling that moment, Haruyuki finally looked at him. Their eyes met.
"I-It's not like I asked you to do that for me," Haruyuki muttered, voice barely above a whisper. "So don't even get the wrong idea—"
"I'm not," Renjiro said, cutting him off gently.
His voice was calm. Serious. His eyes are unreadable.
Haruyuki blinked. Something shifted in the air between them.
A pause stretched. Not tense, not awkward—just quiet. Heavy with things unsaid.
Renjiro returned his gaze to the book in his hands, flipping the page with a practiced ease.
But he didn't move right away.
Instead, he stood there for a moment longer, watching Renjiro.
"Is there anything else?" He added casually, not looking up this time.
Haruyuki hesitated. "W-Well, I was just wondering if you—"
"Seriously," Renjiro cut him off again, "do you actually want a friend at this point?"
Haruyuki jolted a little bit. He blinked. But he tried to deny it otherwise. "Don't... I-It's not like...!"
A small smile touched his lips—not smug, just knowing.
"Such a tsundere," Renjiro muttered under his breath.
Not even a second had passed before Haruyuki sat down next to him.
Renjiro glanced sideways at him, the faintest curve forming on his lips.
Of course. Like he'd go away that easily.
Then, suddenly—
"Koizumi-san, there you are," a familiar voice called.
Renjiro turned his head and spotted Sato approaching. He wasn't alone—Ken was with him.
He straightened with a grin. "Oh, look what we have here."
He sprang to his feet and greeted them with his usual casual energy. "Hey there, you two. What's up?"
"We've been looking for you," Sato replied, adjusting the strap of his bag. "I was thinking of eating lunch together but..."
His voice trailed off as his eyes shifted past Renjiro's shoulder—and landed on someone unexpected.
"Ah! Haru?!" Sato gasped.
Haruyuki met Sato's gaze.
And there it was—the same reaction he always got. That flicker of recognition. That subtle shift in body language. Like someone seeing a puzzle piece, they weren't sure they wanted to fit.
Rwnjiro raised a brow, glancing between the two of them.
Then he shrugged, causal and aloof. "Nah... I was just about to leave anyway."
Sato blinked, confused. "You are?"
Before Renjro could say anything else, Haruyuki stood abruptly. "No! He's with me!"
Renjiro turned to him, mild irritation crossing his face. "What?"
"So... Are you guys hanging out now?" Sato asked, glancing between them.
"No, we're not—" Renjiro snapped.
"Something like that," Haruyuki said at the same time, voice light with amusement.
Sato beamed, taking it all at face value—completely misreading the energy. "That's good to hear. Koizumi-san."
What's good about it?! Renjiro bristled internally. Does he think me and this guy are friends now?!
Renjiro was just about to correct him—firmly—when Ken suddenly stepped closer.
He titled his head, looking straight at Haruyuki. "So, you were really here."
Both Renjiro and Sato glanced between them, puzzled.
A beat passed.
Then Haruyuki let out a quiet sigh, like someone accepting an inevitable truth. "Oh, yeah. Well, what can I do?"
Renjiro's eyes narrowed slightly.
Wait a second... Huh? Do they know each other?
Sato, just as confused, turned to Ken. "You guys...?"
Ken nodded calmly. "Yeah. Our parents are friends. We've known each other since we were kids."
"What? Seriously?" Renjiro looked back at Haruyuki in disbelief.
Haruyuki didn't answer.
Renjiro studied him for a second longer, then finally said, "Huh. Guess even tsunderes have childhood friends."
"Shut up," Haruyuki muttered.
But the corner of his mouth twitched. Just a little.
At the hallway.
He's back at the dorm at last after class was dismissed.
A lot of interesting happened these past few days.
Thinking about it only made Renjiro chuckled to himself. Then, he turned his head behind, Haruyuki was there—as usual, following him.
Renjiro raised a brow as he said, "Are you really going to follow me to my room?"
Haruyuki blinked, caught off guard by the question.
"I wasn't following you," he mumbled, averting his gaze. "Our rooms are the same hallway, idiot."
Renjiro raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.
"Oh? Then why are you walking right behind me like a lost puppy?"
"I—! I just happened to be going the same way, alright?! Don't make it weird."
Renjiro chuckled under his breath, amused. His hand reached for the door handle.
It clicked open.
Haruyuki finally noticed the number on the door.
Before he could step back or process what was happening, Renjiro had already stepped inside—and turned to look at him expectedly.
"Aren't you gonna come in?"
Haruyuki hesitated.
With a sudden movement, Renjiro reached out, fingers curling around Haruyuki's necktie. He tugged—firm but not rough—pulling him forward with a practiced ease.
Haruyuki stumbled slightly, his hand flying to the doorframe for balance.
Their faces were close now. Too close.
Haruyuki's breath caught in his throat.
Renjiro smirked, his tone low and teasing. "What? You follow me everywhere but hesitate coming into my room?"
Haruyuki's cheeks flushed a deep red—not because of what Renjiro had said, but because their faces were now just inches apart.
His grip on the doorframe tightened slightly.
Renjiro noticed. He let go of the tie slowly, deliberately, finger brushing the fabric as he pulled away.
He laughed softly, stepping back. "Just get in already. Do you play games?"
Still flustered, Haruyuki stepped inside—and closed the door behind him.