Inside the recording booth, Izumi Yuu was visibly excited.
"I've been following all the updates about Aoki-sensei and Kessoku Band lately. I've learned so many interesting things."
She glanced over at Aoki, paused for a moment, and continued with a teasing smile:
"According to what you said before, and based on the videos floating around online, you're ranked first in your year at Shuchiin Private High School... That's amazing."
"It's just luck after a lot of hard work," Aoki replied modestly, choosing to stay humble on air.
But clearly, Yuu wasn't focused on that part.
She nodded as if agreeing, then added,
"Especially that one video making the rounds online. I've watched it several times now..."
She stifled a laugh, took a deep breath, then composed herself before speaking with exaggerated seriousness:
"Thank you for the promotion, Aoki-sensei."
"..."
Aoki fell silent. A familiar sense of dread crept in.
And sure enough, the next moment confirmed his fears.
"Eh? Did Aoki-senpai do some promo work for the show?" Nijika asked curiously.
"Mhm! He did!"
Yuu was back in control now that the conversation had steered away from romantic topics.
Putting on a serious expression, she accepted a preloaded tablet from one of the staff members.
"It was during Shuchiin's opening ceremony. He mentioned the radio show in his speech. I've got the video here—want to see?"
Of course, both Nijika and Ryo, who hadn't seen the speech, were intrigued.
They nodded without hesitation.
Yuu placed the tablet between them and hit play.
The video was short—about three minutes long—and captured only Aoki's speech on stage.
The first half was about study habits, with lines like "I owe my grades to talent and hard work," which honestly came off a bit cocky.
But the second half… was when he tried to plug the radio show—only to be cut off mid-sentence.
His puzzled "Eh? I can't say that? Sorry, sorry..." was clearly unscripted.
The contrast in tone and expression between the two halves was almost comedic, especially for anyone who knew Aoki.
After watching, Nijika turned away with a cough, trying to hide her amusement.
Ryo covered her mouth and, pretending to tease, said with a smirk:
"'Eh? I can't say that?' Pfft... You were too cute, Suki-san."
Aoki stared blankly at the mic, pretending not to hear, face devoid of expression.
Yuu jumped in again, smiling brightly.
"Aoki-sensei really does have an interesting personality. Oh! I've also got some of the video comments here—want to hear them?"
At that, Aoki's neutral expression faltered slightly.
He had seen those comments before.
Most were about his grades and personality—but there were some that made him cringe... Hearing them aloud was a whole different level of embarrassment.
"Let's maybe not—" he tried to object.
But his opinion didn't matter at this point.
Even Kita and Bocchi, who hadn't seen the video yet, perked up.
All four girls nodded eagerly. Ryo cut in with a blunt "Let's hear them," shutting him down.
Ignored again.
"I'll read a few out loud, then—" Yuu beamed mischievously.
"You're super popular, Aoki-sensei. Just listen to these praises! Like this one:
'A-kei is just too adorable with that kind of personality!'
And here's another:
'Top of the class, amazing singer, super talented, and handsome… the perfect high school boy!'
Ooh! This one's wild:
'That's it! I'm applying to Shuchiin next year! I'm gonna be Suki-san's kouhai and make him my boyfriend!'
Wow, you're so popular, Aoki-sensei!"
After reading, she paused and turned to him again with a curious glint.
"By the way, Aoki-sensei... that last comment gave me a question: If you were to date someone someday, would you prefer someone older or younger?"
Nijika and Kita stiffened slightly.
Ryo and Bocchi leaned in, quietly curious.
And as for Aoki...
He had already zoned out the moment Yuu started reading the comments.
Just hearing the first one had sent a wave of secondhand embarrassment through him.
Reading them was one thing—hearing them aloud was unbearable.
He'd already lost count of how many times he'd checked the clock.
So when the question hit, he wasn't even fully listening.
Half on autopilot, he replied, "Whatever's fine. Doesn't matter. Ah... right, I'm a cat person."
Ryo caught the meaning instantly, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
The others blinked in surprise, then burst into laughter.
Something about the timing, the dry tone, and the sheer absurdity of the moment made it feel like a deadpan punchline from a comedy skit.
After a good laugh, Yuu smoothly steered the conversation back to the music.
She asked about new songs, gave a plug for Fireworks, and even tried to push a bit of PR.
But eventually, the conversation drifted back—naturally—to Kessoku Band.
Because this band really was special. Whether it was the music or their group chemistry, it was just different.
They didn't act like typical rising stars.
Instead of putting on airs, they were easy to talk to, easy to be around.
And even though the world now saw "Suki-san" as this one-in-a-million high school genius... when you actually spent time with Aoki, he never carried himself like one.
No wonder they were blowing up.
All of this only made Izumi Yuu more curious.
She wanted to understand Kessoku Band better—all of them.
Which brought her to her next question.
This time, though, she turned to Ryo.
"By the way, Yamada-san. I've been wondering—Ichiji-san, Kita-san, and Gotou-san all call Aoki-sensei 'Aoki-senpai' or 'Kei-senpai.'
But you still call him by his online handle. Why is that?"
"..."
Since the question wasn't directed at him, Aoki stayed quiet.
The other girls turned to Ryo, also waiting for her answer.
Ryo paused.
She glanced at Aoki, blinking slowly with her usual unreadable gaze.
The question wasn't strange—it was just Yuu being curious.
But being asked this way, in front of everyone, stirred a strange feeling inside her.
Like something that had once been hers alone was now slipping away.
She sat up straighter, her expression rare and serious, and answered with quiet resolve:
"Names don't matter. Kei-kun, A-kei, Kei-nii-chan—whatever works."
"But... the nickname 'Suki-san'—I'm the one who gave that to him.
So it's not that 'I still use his online name'—
It's that he used the nickname I gave him as his online name."
Aoki turned toward Ryo, a little surprised.
The others blinked, momentarily stunned.
Yuu, meanwhile, simply nodded in realization.
"Ah... I see."