The coffee shop Ryo had chosen for their emergency meeting was thankfully quiet and tucked away from the main student areas. Aiko arrived first, having donned sunglasses and a baseball cap in what felt like a ridiculous attempt at disguise. The past three days since the video went viral had been a nightmare of unwanted attention, with students constantly approaching her and social media notifications that never seemed to stop.
"You look like you're about to rob the place," Ryo said as he slid into the booth across from her. His own attempt at anonymity—a hood pulled low over his face—wasn't much better.
"I feel ridiculous, but two separate people recognized me on the way here. One actually asked for a selfie." Aiko pulled off the cap and sunglasses with relief. "How are you handling all this?"
"My band mates think it's the best thing that ever happened to our career. Our streaming numbers have tripled, and we've had three venues reach out about booking us." Ryo's expression was troubled despite the good news. "But my manager is pushing hard for us to capitalize on the 'romantic storyline,' as he calls it."
"What kind of capitalizing?"
"Joint Instagram posts, coordinated public appearances, maybe even a music video featuring our 'love story.'" Ryo looked genuinely apologetic. "I told him absolutely not, but he's not giving up easily. He keeps saying this is a once-in-a-lifetime publicity opportunity."
Aiko felt her anxiety spike. "Ryo, I can't do any of that. Professor Martinez made it clear that more public attention could destroy my chances for the Spain program. I've worked too hard to let a viral video derail everything."
"I know, and I completely understand. That's why I wanted to meet—I think we need to end this arrangement before it gets any more complicated."
The suggestion should have been a relief, but Aiko found herself hesitating. "What about Mika? Has she backed off at all?"
Ryo's expression darkened. "Actually, that's gotten worse. Much worse."
He pulled out his phone and showed Aiko a series of screenshots. Messages, comments, and posts that made her blood run cold.
"She's been following you?" Aiko asked, reading through threats directed at her specifically.
"Not just following. She's figured out your class schedule, your dorm building, even your favorite study spots. Look at this." He scrolled to a photo that had been posted on one of Mika's social media accounts—a picture of Aiko walking across the Stellar Academy campus, clearly taken without her knowledge.
"This is stalking," Aiko said, feeling genuinely frightened for the first time. "Have you reported this to the police?"
"I tried, but they said unless she makes direct physical threats or attempts to harm someone, there's not much they can do about social media posts and being in public spaces."
Aiko studied the messages more carefully, noting the escalating language and increasingly specific references to her daily routine. "She's not just angry about our supposed relationship anymore. She's convinced that I'm somehow manipulating you, using you for fame."
"Which is ironic, considering our arrangement is actually the opposite of that." Ryo paused, looking uncomfortable. "Though I have to ask—has any of this felt... not fake... to you?"
The question hung between them, referring to that moment in the crowd when they'd been pressed together, when the line between performance and reality had blurred unexpectedly.
"I..." Aiko started, then stopped. The truth was complicated. She had felt something in that moment—gratitude for his protection, respect for his instinct to help her, and yes, an undeniable attraction that had nothing to do with their fake arrangement. "I think we both got caught up in the intensity of a dangerous situation."
"Right," Ryo said, though his tone suggested he wasn't entirely convinced. "The important thing is figuring out how to handle Mika's escalation and the media attention without making either situation worse."
"What are you thinking?"
"We need to stage a breakup. Something public enough to be convincing but private enough to avoid more viral content. If people think we've ended things, maybe Mika will lose interest in harassing you."
The plan made sense strategically, but Aiko found herself oddly reluctant to agree. Over the past few weeks, she had genuinely come to like Ryo as a person. His music was thoughtful, his character under pressure was admirable, and their conversations had revealed someone with depth and integrity.
"How do we make a fake breakup look real without creating more drama?" she asked.
"Gradual withdrawal. We stop appearing together, maybe post some slightly melancholy song lyrics or cryptic social media updates that suggest things aren't going well. Eventually, people will just assume we broke up and moved on."
"And Mika?"
"Hopefully, she'll see that her campaign 'worked' and find something else to focus on. Though I'm worried she might try to contact you directly to gloat or something."
As they discussed the logistics of ending their fake relationship, Aiko's phone buzzed with a text from Yuki: "Emergency friend meeting tonight. My place. Hiroshi's making dinner, and we're going to help you figure out this social media mess."
"I should go," Aiko said, showing Ryo the message. "My friends want to help with damage control."
"Before you do—I want you to know that I'm really sorry about all this. When I asked for your help on that bus, I never imagined it would turn into something that could hurt your academic goals."
"I know. And despite everything, I don't regret helping you. Mika's behavior isn't your fault."
As they prepared to leave separately to avoid being seen together, Ryo hesitated.
"Aiko? Once we end this arrangement and hopefully resolve the Mika situation... would you maybe be interested in getting coffee sometime? Actually getting to know each other without all the fake relationship complications?"
The invitation surprised her, though perhaps it shouldn't have. Despite the circumstances that brought them together, they had developed a genuine rapport that went beyond their strategic arrangement.
"Ask me again when all this craziness dies down," she said with a small smile. "When we can both think clearly about what we actually want versus what situations we're trying to escape."
"Fair enough."
As Aiko walked toward Yuki's family home, she reflected on how much had changed since that day on the bus when she'd agreed to help a stranger with his stalker problem. The fake relationship that was supposed to provide simple cover for both their situations had evolved into something more complex—genuine friendship, mutual respect, and yes, attraction that neither of them had anticipated.
But she couldn't afford to let romantic complications derail her academic goals, no matter how much she was beginning to care about Ryo as a person. The Spain program remained her priority, and everything else would have to wait until she had secured her professional future.
The question was whether Mika's escalating behavior would allow them the luxury of a gradual, quiet resolution to their complicated arrangement.