That morning, on my way to school, I found out that Suzuki lived next door.
I'd left earlier than usual, and just as I stepped into the hallway, her door opened too. We both paused.
She looked surprised when she saw me. Only for a second, though—then her expression settled back into that calm, composed smile of hers.
"Good morning, Shiba-kun~," she said, waving lightly.
"Yo," I replied, raising my hand in what might have been a greeting.
I walked over, and we headed down the stairs together.
"Still… I'm surprised," Suzuki said with a small smile. "To think you'd end up as my neighbor, Shiba-kun."
She let out a quiet giggle.
I didn't know when my life started feeling like a manga. Coincidences like this weren't supposed to happen in real life.
"…Yeah. Same here," I said, bowing lightly out of habit.
"I'll be in your care, Ai-chan-san."
For a split second, she froze.
Then her cheeks flushed bright red, and she looked away a little too quickly.
She clearly hadn't expected the nickname.
She shook her head and quickly regained her composure.
"I only use that name on stage, Shiba-kun," she said, trying to sound firm. "I'd rather not hear it outside of that."
Then, more quietly—almost shy—she added,
"So… don't call me that."
"Got it," I said, raising a hand to my forehead like a soldier taking orders. "Sorry."
"N-No, it's not like it bothered me," she said quickly, a little too fast to be convincing.
For a moment, we just looked at each other.
Then, almost at the same time, we laughed.
"I saw your new video," she said, as we waited on the platform.
"I guess… everyone has by now."
Yeah, true.
It passed a million views, after all.
"So… what did you think?" I asked, waiting for her answer.
She hesitated for a moment.
"It's your best verse so far," she said. "And you actually appear in the video this time. The ones on your channel before only had artwork."
…So she really had looked through my channel.
"Thanks," I said, as the train arrived—
the screech of metal on rails swallowing whatever might've come next.
"You know," she said, stepping onto the train. "I wouldn't mind doing a song with you." She winked.
I blinked and followed after her.
If I thought about it...
From SIX STAR, the person I'd actually want to do a song with right now is Kurumi. She's the closest girl to me right now, after all.
But Suzuki? You and I had a beef. So, maybe it's better to wait.
Better to let it blow up. Let the whole thing spread. When the public reconciliation finally came, it would hit harder. For now… I could let the heat build, and watch.
Besides, being involved with SIX STAR was no small thing. They were the come-up group in the idol world, the inside track to visibility and influence in Japan.
A song with one of their members would give me a massive boost—more than a million views ever could.
And I had the opportunity to do a song with two of them.
______________
Apparently, I became the talk of the town. A gyaru and some guy agreed I was cool.
Another guy insisted I was still a delinquent.
I didn't care. Not really.
I had bigger things on my mind. Tetsu and I made a bet: 10k if I didn't skip a single class. So, yeah… I was more interested in counting yen than counting gossip.
Still, I wasn't stupid enough to think they'd just let me slide. And… as embarrassing as it was to admit, I didn't know most of my classmates' names.
I texted Yamashita, asking her who had been talking about me.
She replied quickly. The blonde gyaru was Inazuki Mika. The quiet, nodding guy was Kenta Rintarou. And the loudmouth? Mori Yuusuke.
I glanced at Yamashita in class. She gave me a small, almost sheepish smile, like she couldn't quite believe how clueless I could be.
I texted her a simple "good night" and went back to sleep.
I'd slept until lunch break.
Then, I slipped out of the classroom and went straight to the rooftop.
A couple of minutes later, Yamashita appeared, carrying a bento box.
A sharp gust of wind caught her skirt and lifted it higher than intended. White panties — plain, simple, with a small ribbon in the center. Almost cute in their innocence.
I memorized the sight in a split second, then quickly turned my head away.
"S-Sorry… the wind…," she said, pushing her skirt down with both hands, the bento box awkwardly caught between her knees.
Sorry? I should be thanking you.
Of course, I wasn't dumb enough to say that out loud.
She forced a sheepish smile.
"Please… don't tell anyone, okay? I'd die of embarrassment…"
"Let's just pretend that didn't happen," I said flatly.
Her shoulders relaxed, just a little. She took her place beside me and opened the bento box.
She'd really outdone herself—omurice, fried chicken, egg rolls.
The rice had a small heart drawn in ketchup.
She really cares about me, huh?
I dug in, hunger winning over everything else.
"It's good," I said after chewing some rice. She blushed quietly, looking down at her hands.
"By the way… I think it's obvious at this point, but yeah," I added, trying to fill the silence before it could get too awkward, "I'm the Forsaken dude."
"Yeah, I know," she said softly, eyes on the bento. "I watched the video… Everything about it feels very… you."
"So, um… what do you think?" I asked, rubbing the back of my neck, awkward as ever.
"I like the song," she said simply, a small smile lighting her face.
My chest warmed despite myself.
"Thanks…" I muttered.
She let out a soft giggle, just for a moment, and then we went back to eating.
For a little while, it was just the two of us—and the gentle sound of the wind around the rooftop.
______
At some point after school, Inazuki started following me.
I noticed right away.
She was trying way too hard to make it look casual—and honestly, that was the funniest part.
I smirked to myself and kept walking.
"Oh—Shiba-kun. Hi," she said, catching up at last. She gave a small wave, smiling like this just happened naturally.
"Yo, Inazuki," I replied.
Just like that.
Come to think of it, that was our first real conversation.
And yeah… I already had a pretty good idea what she wanted to ask me.
"So… is it true?" she asked, lowering her voice. "You're that Forsaken guy from the video?"
She glanced around once, just in case someone was close enough to overhear.
Guess she was actually thinking about my privacy. I'll give her that.
"Yeah," I said. "It's true."
Her eyes widened just a little. "No way… that's kinda crazy."
"But don't tell anyone," I added. "I'm not trying to keep it a secret forever. I just don't wanna go public like that yet."
She tilted her head, blonde hair shifting over her shoulder. "Huh… so you're waiting?"
"After I graduate," I said. "That's when I'll do it properly."
She let out a soft laugh. "Damn. You're way more serious about this than I thought."
She played with a loose strand of her hair, eyes drifting to the side.
"I think that's cool, though."
Then she looked back at me and grinned, bright and easy.
"Don't worry," she said, sing-song. "Your secret's safe with me~"
"Thanks. So… how much do you actually know about me?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
She tilted her head, thinking for a second.
"Well… I know about your beef with Ai-chan. I saw your diss—and her response."
Then her eyes lit up, sharp and playful.
"So?" she leaned in just a bit. "Where'd that come from?"
Her voice had that unmistakable buzz to it—like this wasn't just curiosity, but prime gossip.
I couldn't tell her that Ai-chan is Suzuki. She'd want her identity known even less than I would.
So, I made up a story in my head, quick enough to deliver it smoothly.
"My sister's a huge fan of Ai-chan," I said. "We met at a handshake event. Well—outside of it."
I shrugged. "I showed her a song, and she said I was a second-hand artist who uses way too much autotune."
A half-truth, wrapped neatly inside a lie.
Inazuki blinked. Once. Twice.
Then she burst out laughing.
"Yeah—no," she said, waving a hand. "That checks out way too hard."
She waved it off with a shrug.
"Y'know, I like Ku-chan more. Ai-chan kinda feels fake to me."
I stopped the smirk before it could show.
If Suzuki heard that…
Still, I didn't agree.
She isn't fake.
She's just trapped.
Like a bird in a cage.
"There's a rumor Ku-chan and Ai-chan don't really get along," she said.
Yeah. That figures.
Kurumi and Suzuki are way too different.
She twirled a strand of hair around her finger, a faint, with almost shy smile on her lips.
"You know, Shiba-kun," she said, "I've got a part-time modeling gig too."
She pulled out her phone. "I can show you, if you want."
Inazuki tapped the screen and held it out.
"Here—my Instagram," she said. @CandyRushx6__
I scrolled quickly. Outfit shots in every kind of background—casual summer looks, street fashion.
And then… a bikini shot. Black with a floral pattern. A two-piece, clinging smoothly to her hourglass figure.
I looked away almost immediately, though not before taking it in.
Gyarus are bold.
"Nice," I said, handing the phone back. Then, I pulled out mine. Almost without thinking, I opened Instagram and followed her account.
Inazuki blinked at the screen, a small smirk creeping on her lips. "Oh? You're following me already? That was fast," she teased, her tone light, but her eyes sparkled with amusement.
"Truth is," she added with a soft laugh, "I wanted to ask for your contact info. Thought we could… start as friends."
Start as friends?
I froze for a moment, trying to understand what she meant by that. Was she being casual or serious? Or something in between?
"…Friends," I echoed, testing the word on my tongue.
She tilted her head, still smiling, but there was a subtle tension there—like she was measuring my reaction.
"Yeah. You know. Friends who talk. Hang out. Normal stuff," she said, waving her hand as if it were obvious.
She tapped her phone, and mine buzzed almost immediately.
"There, I followed you back," she said, smirking.
Then, as if remembering something, she turned to me.
"Oops… got a little carried away. Truth is, I have a photo shoot in an hour. Can't be late."
She rocked lightly on her heels as she passed me, giving a playful wave.
"See you around, Shiba-kun~"
And then she was gone, running off before I could say anything.
I stayed there, frozen, dumbfounded, staring after her.