Aiko woke the next morning to her phone buzzing incessantly with notifications. Still groggy from the previous night's events, she reached for the device expecting the usual mix of academy announcements and study group messages. Instead, her screen was flooded with tags, mentions, and messages from numbers she didn't recognize.
The first thing she saw was a video notification from Yuki: "OMG AIKO CHECK THIS!!!"
The video had been posted on multiple social media platforms with titles like "Hero Boyfriend Saves Girlfriend in Crowd Crush" and "Real Love in Crisis - Must Watch!" As Aiko watched with growing horror, she saw herself trapped in the crowd, Ryo jumping off the stage to reach her, and—captured in 4K crystal clear detail—that moment when they had been pressed together, faces inches apart, looking for all the world like a couple sharing an intimate moment in the midst of chaos.
The video had been filmed from an elevated angle, probably by someone near the balcony area, and it perfectly captured Ryo's protective embrace and what appeared to be an almost-kiss before security intervened. Set to dramatic music and edited with slow-motion effects, it looked like a scene from a romantic movie.
"This can't be happening," Aiko muttered, scrolling through the comments that ranged from swooning admiration to detailed analysis of their "relationship goals."
"The way he jumped off stage without hesitation! 😭"
"You can see the exact moment he realizes she's in danger - true love right there"
"They almost kissed!!! The tension is REAL"
"Band name is Rising Tide btw, this is their guitarist Ryo Nakamura"
"Anyone know who the girl is? She's gorgeous and so lucky!!!"
Her phone rang, startling her out of her horrified scrolling. It was Ryo.
"Aiko, please tell me you haven't seen social media yet," his voice was strained with anxiety.
"Too late for that. How bad is it?"
"Bad. The video has over two hundred thousand views across all platforms, and it's still climbing. Someone identified my band, so now our official accounts are being flooded with comments about our 'relationship.' My manager is simultaneously thrilled about the publicity and terrified about the privacy implications."
Aiko felt her stomach drop. "Have they identified me?"
"Not yet, but I'm worried it's only a matter of time. The video quality is too good—if any of your classmates see it..."
As if summoned by their conversation, her dorm room door burst open without warning. Mari stood in the doorway, still in her pajamas, holding her phone with a expression of shock and excitement.
"Aiko Matsumoto," she said slowly, "please explain to me why you're currently trending on three different social media platforms as 'Mystery Girlfriend of Rising Tide's Guitarist.'"
"I have to go," Aiko told Ryo quickly. "Mari found out."
Within minutes, her dorm room had filled with curious classmates drawn by Mari's excited announcements in the hallway. Students who had barely spoken to Aiko before were now crowding around her bed, watching the video on repeat and bombarding her with questions.
"Is this really your boyfriend?" asked Sakura, a second-year student who had never shown interest in Aiko's personal life. "He's incredibly romantic! The way he saved you!"
"When did you start dating?" pressed another girl. "How did you keep it secret?"
"Can you get us tickets to his next show?" asked someone from the back of the crowd.
Aiko felt overwhelmed by the sudden attention. These were the same students who had largely ignored her except when they needed tutoring help, and now they were treating her like a celebrity simply because of a viral video.
"I need some air," she announced, pushing through the crowd and escaping to the academy's gardens.
But even outside, she couldn't escape the viral video's impact. Students she passed were clearly recognizing her, whispering and pointing discretely. Some approached with congratulations and questions, while others simply stared with the kind of curiosity reserved for campus celebrities.
Her phone buzzed with a text from Professor Martinez: "Please see me in my office at your earliest convenience. We need to discuss a situation that has come to my attention."
The walk to Professor Martinez's office felt like a perp walk, with students continuing to stare and whisper as she passed. When she knocked on the office door, she was surprised to find Dr. Nakamura, the director of international programs, also present.
"Aiko, please sit," Professor Martinez said, her expression serious but not unkind. "I assume you're aware of the video that's been circulating on social media?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"The academy has received several calls this morning from media outlets asking about you specifically. Apparently, some enterprising individuals have already identified you as a Stellar Academy student."
Dr. Nakamura leaned forward. "While we're pleased that our students are building relationships and living full lives, we're concerned about how this level of public attention might affect your academic focus and, specifically, your Spain program application."
"I don't understand," Aiko said, though she was beginning to fear where this conversation was heading.
"The Spain program requires students who can maintain discretion and professionalism while representing our academy internationally," Professor Martinez explained. "Viral social media fame, while not necessarily disqualifying, does raise questions about judgment and priorities."
"But I didn't do anything wrong. I was just attending a concert, and the crowd situation wasn't my fault."
"Of course not," Dr. Nakamura said gently. "But the perception matters as much as the reality. International partners prefer students who can focus entirely on their studies without external distractions."
"What exactly are you saying?"
Professor Martinez chose her words carefully. "We're not making any decisions about your Spain application based on this incident. But we are advising you to be very careful about how you handle the attention going forward. Any additional public incidents or media involvement could affect how the selection committee views your candidacy."
As Aiko left the meeting, she felt the weight of unintended consequences pressing down on her. A simple fake relationship arrangement had somehow spiraled into viral fame that could jeopardize her most important academic goal.
Her phone rang again—Ryo calling back.
"How did your conversation with your friend go?" he asked.
"It's worse than we thought. The academy is concerned about how this affects my international program application. Professor Martinez basically told me that any more public attention could derail my chances for Spain."
There was a long pause. "Aiko, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. If I hadn't asked you to help with the Mika situation..."
"We both agreed to the arrangement. But we need to figure out how to manage this before it gets worse."
"My manager wants to capitalize on the viral moment with more public appearances and social media content. He thinks a romantic storyline could really boost the band's profile."
"Absolutely not," Aiko said firmly. "I can't afford any more publicity right now."
"I told him the same thing. But the problem is, now that we're public, just disappearing might look suspicious. People are going to be watching for us, expecting to see the 'happy couple' around town."
As they discussed damage control strategies, Aiko realized that their simple fake relationship had become a trap. They couldn't continue the public charade without risking her academic future, but they couldn't simply vanish without raising questions that might attract even more unwanted attention.
The viral video had changed everything, transforming their private arrangement into a public spectacle that neither of them had wanted or anticipated. And somewhere in the growing mess, Aiko couldn't shake the memory of that moment in the crowd when Ryo's protection had felt genuinely caring rather than merely performative.
Whatever their relationship was supposed to be, the viral video had forced them into a new reality where the lines between fake and real had become uncomfortably blurred.
The question now was whether they could navigate back to solid ground before the complications destroyed everything Aiko had worked so hard to achieve.