Walking into school hand in hand felt… strange. Liberating. And terrifying—all at the same time.
Gone were the days of hiding our closeness. Now, everyone knew. Or at least, it seemed that way.
"Whoa… is that Haruto and Aoi?"
A group of classmates whispered as we passed by. Some stared openly, others nudged their friends with knowing grins.
Aoi leaned closer to me, her cheek brushing my arm. "They're looking."
I smiled softly. "…Let them. We're official now, remember?"
She giggled, squeezing my hand. "Yeah… but it's still funny how everyone reacts."
---
During homeroom, even our friends couldn't resist teasing us.
"Finally!" one of Aoi's classmates exclaimed. "You two are so obvious! It's about time!"
Another friend, sitting next to me, smirked. "Haruto, you're lucky she's so clingy now that it's allowed."
I groaned, scratching the back of my head. "Thanks… I guess."
Aoi, meanwhile, beamed at the attention, clearly proud to show me off. "See, Haruto? I told you. We don't have to hide anymore!"
I rolled my eyes, but my heart warmed. She was right.
---
At lunch, we sat together outside, our friends giving us enough space to actually enjoy being together.
Aoi leaned her head on my shoulder, whispering, "I feel so happy… everyone sees us now. We're really a couple."
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, kissing the top of her head. "…Yeah. We are. And I love it."
Even a few boys who had previously glanced at Aoi now looked away respectfully, while some of the girls teased her lightly, saying, "Lucky you, Aoi-chan!"
We laughed together, enjoying the sweet normalcy of being a high school couple—finally free to show our love openly, without fear.
And as we shared small jokes, whispered comments, and gentle touches, I realized… this was the start of something wonderful.
Being a couple wasn't just about holding hands or kissing—it was about living every moment together, happily, proudly… officially.