"You idiot, that wasn't a hallucination. When someone's right in front of you, just say hi properly," Hikigaya Hachiman muttered, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
Standing in front of him, his younger sister, Hikigaya Komachi, glanced back at Aoki.
After studying him again, a look of disbelief slowly spread across her face.
She turned to her brother and asked, "Wait... is this really suki-san?"
"Yeah," Hachiman replied.
"You mean the suki-san who sang Lemon?"
"Yep."
"You know suki-san?!"
"Probably the only friend I have in class."
"Ehh?! Are you serious?!"
Komachi stared at Aoki in disbelief.
After a few seconds of silence, Aoki caught on to the meaning behind her gaze.
Nodding slightly, he spoke up before she could ask, "Nice to meet you... I'm Aoki Kei, Hachiman's friend and, yes, I'm the suki-san you're talking about."
Hachiman gave Komachi a smug look that seemed to say, See? Told you so.
Komachi ignored her brother's expression.
She blinked, processing the situation—and then her voice jumped up a pitch as she practically shouted:
"Suki-san! I'm a huge fan! Could I please get your autograph? I absolutely loved your Lemon, and the duet with Kita-san on Uchiage Hanabi was amazing!"
"No problem," Aoki nodded.
Getting his approval, Komachi excitedly turned to her brother and clapped him on the back.
"Quick, get a pen and some paper! Go, go, go!"
Hachiman grumbled, "It's not like you can't get his autograph anytime. What's the rush?"
Still, he pulled a notebook and pen from his bag and handed them to Aoki. "Sorry for the trouble," he added politely.
"It's no trouble at all." Aoki scribbled a signature—first his name, Aoki, then the familiar moniker suki-san—and passed the paper back.
Komachi accepted it with both hands and gave a deep bow of thanks.
She stared at it for a moment, then suddenly looked up again with sparkling eyes as if she'd just remembered something important.
"Oh right, suki-san—!"
"Just call me Aoki," he cut in gently.
"Ohh, okay then! Aoki-senpai—"
She nodded, then continued—this time with a question that caught Aoki completely off guard.
"By the way, who do you like best in Kessoku Band?"
"..."
Aoki froze.
Of all the things she could've asked, he hadn't expected that one.
He opened his mouth, trying to find something to say, but nothing came out.
Sensing he might've misunderstood, Komachi quickly clarified, "I mean, between Kita-san, Nijika-san, Yamada-san, and Gotou-san—who's your favorite?"
He didn't answer.
If the question had been "Who do you feel most comfortable with in the band right now?" he could've given an honest answer. But this...?
He hesitated, just about to politely dodge the question—when Hachiman interrupted with a deadpan voice, "Are you stupid? Like he'd answer something like that. Apologize."
"Eh? Ah, r-right."
Realizing her blunder, Komachi quickly straightened her posture, bowed again, and said earnestly, "I'm sorry, Aoki-senpai. I got a little too excited."
"No worries," Aoki replied, shaking his head. "It's normal to be curious."
Then, sensing the awkwardness lingering between them, he paused a moment and smoothly changed the subject, "Anyway, it's the first day of school. If we don't hurry up, we're going to be late."
"Ah! You're right! C'mon, Onii-chan, let's go or we're gonna be late!"
"You were the one holding us up talking to Aoki just now..."
—
And so the morning encounter ended with Aoki's well-timed redirect.
After escorting Komachi to the school gate, she went off on her own.
Aoki and Hachiman walked together down the hallway toward their classroom, one in front of the other, neither saying a word.
But Aoki's mind was far from quiet.
Komachi's question had left him unsettled.
What if more people asked him that kind of thing in the future? How was he supposed to answer?
Even if it wasn't about who he "liked best," what if they asked who he was most comfortable with in the band?
Should he tell the truth? Or deflect?
Either option had its risks.
He could already imagine having to face similar questions in interviews and fan events.
Just the thought gave him a headache—and that was him, someone with relatively thick skin. How would the girls handle it?
Being in the public eye meant accepting this kind of scrutiny. Fame came with perks, but also with responsibilities.
As he mulled it over, they reached the classroom.
He pushed open the door and shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts out of his mind.
He took a deep breath and walked toward his seat—but immediately noticed something strange.
The moment he entered, the classroom got noticeably quieter.
Then it hit him: his identity was now completely exposed.
Still, he kept his expression neutral, walked calmly to his desk, hung his bag, and sat down, silently praying nothing dramatic would happen next.
And then— The peace shattered.
Students swarmed his desk in an instant.
"Aoki-kun! You're suki-san?! I knew your voice sounded familiar!"
"I love your music! Can I get your autograph?!"
"Suki-san, please go out with me!"
"Aoki-kun, can I add you on LINE?!"
"That red-haired girl who came to our class before—is she your bandmate? Are you two dating?!"
The barrage of voices echoed around him as Aoki took a deep, resigned breath.
There were plenty of upsides to Kessoku Band's rising fame.
STARRY's business was booming.
The band was getting more offers and recognition than ever before.
But there were also downsides—Like this.
And in this moment, Aoki had absolutely no idea how to deal with it.
He endured the chaos for the ten minutes leading up to class, answering as vaguely and politely as possible until his throat was going dry.
And this was probably just the beginning of his new daily routine.
What could he do? This was the price of attention.
He would just have to deal with it.
With that mindset, he survived the morning surrounded by his classmates' chatter.
Then came lunchtime.
Just a minute after the bell rang, most of his classmates—having satisfied their curiosity earlier—stayed put instead of crowding him again.
Finally, it seemed like he'd get a quiet meal.
But just as Aoki was about to leave the classroom with Hachiman—
A familiar voice called from the hallway:
"Kei-senpai! Want to have lunch together?"
—