Makoto practically skipped into class the next morning, humming under his breath, looking far too cheerful for someone who stayed up texting a psychic until 3 a.m.
[System] You're embarrassing me with how lovesick you look. Please get it together.
Makoto ignored it. Saiki was already at his desk, sipping his usual boxed coffee jelly drink like it was the most sacred morning ritual.
Makoto leaned down beside him and stage-whispered, "Hey, boyfriend."
Saiki didn't look up. "Don't call me that in public."
"Why not? Don't you want everyone to know you're mine?"
Saiki calmly set down his drink. "I want to survive the day without a migraine."
Makoto grinned, unbothered. "So, I had this idea. What if we did the coffee jelly café-hopping trip later? Like, hit every café in town that serves it, and then rank them. It'll be our couple's bonding experience."
Saiki stared at him.
"You're serious."
"Deadly," Makoto said, flopping into his seat.
Across the room, Kaidou had been leaning just a little too far back in his chair.
"Did he say coffee jelly hopping?!" he whisper-yelled, nearly falling backward.
"A couple's trip?" Aren muttered from beside him, blinking.
"That sounds kinda romantic," Chisato added, popping a rice cracker into her mouth.
Hairo was already scribbling something in a notebook. "We should support them! Friends encourage each other's romantic growth! That's the spirit of youth!"
"We should follow them," Kaidou whispered with deadly seriousness.
"Absolutely," Yumehara nodded.
"We can't let this momentous event go undocumented," Hairo added.
Yumehara blinked. "Wait, do I bring snacks or binoculars?"
The group collectively locked eyes. A plan was born in silence.
Within seconds, a secret operation had formed among their classmates—Operation: Jelly Surveillance
Despite all odds, the two did escape. Barely.
By the time school ended, they were standing in front of the first café on Makoto's carefully color-coded itinerary. Saiki had agreed to three cafés max. Makoto had prepared for ten. The compromise was four.
Makoto held out a little card. "First stop: Bear cafe. Known for their triple-layered jelly and disturbingly large teddy bear seating."
Saiki glanced at the massive bear inside the window. "No."
Makoto pouted "but we'd look so cute sitting together on it"
"...Fine."
Inside, Makoto ordered two servings of coffee jelly while Saiki silently surveyed the room. Unbeknownst to them (not really), their entire class was lurking behind increasingly ridiculous disguises.
Four teens pretending to be tourists stood in a corner with sunglasses and a camera lens sticking out of a handbag.
[System] Ding! Congratulations! Host has unlocked the mini-game: Avoid the Dumb Spies. Bonus points for smug facial expressions
Makoto was well aware they were being tailed. The system had popped a notification the moment Yumehara started whispering behind a potted plant.
Kaidou wore a trench coat two sizes too big.
Aren had sunglasses and a fake mustache.
Chisato wore a giant hoodie with an anime character's face on it.
Hairo held up a massive newspaper like they were in a noir film.
Kokomi wore a scarf and hat and acted like a celebrity evading the media. Which, to be fair, she kind of was.
Kusuo's brother, Kusuke, was perched on a rooftop across the street with a long-range camera and a headset.
Makoto grinned at Saiki. "So... are we just going to pretend they're not here?"
"Yes," Saiki said flatly.
They ate in relative peace, if peace meant ignoring Kaidou knocking over a menu in the corner and Kokomi trying to take stealth selfies through a potted plant.
Their next café was a cozy little spot called "moonlight beans." The coffee jelly there was known for being soft and creamy, served in a tall parfait glass with whipped cream and strawberries.
"You know they're following us, right?" Makoto asked as they sat down in their second cafe of the day.
"Yes," Saiki said without looking up from the menu. He was currently scanning for the best dessert on the list with a psychic intensity that could melt steel.
"Should we... do something?"
"Ignore them."
Makoto laughed. "You're very chill for someone being stalked by like five of their classmates."
Unfortunately, someone else had joined the chaos.
[System] Correction: six. Incoming threat level increase.
At that exact moment, Kusuo's expression twitched.
Makoto blinked. "What?"
Saiki's voice dropped. "My brother is here."
Makoto immediately looked around.
Kusuke Saiki sat calmly three tables behind them, wearing a fake mustache and sipping espresso like he was in a noir film.
[System] Ding! Final Boss Encounter! Good luck, Host!
Kusuo's older brother, Kusuke, was seated two tables away, wearing a fake mustache and reading a newspaper with holes cut for eyes.
Makoto elbowed Saiki. "...He's not subtle."
"I know."
"Are you going to do something?"
"No."
"Cool, cool. Should we order him jelly?"
"Absolutely not."
Their drinks arrived just as Kusuke's fake mustache slipped off and plopped unceremoniously into his water.
Makoto didn't miss a beat. He clapped, deadpan. "10/10 performance. Very immersive."
Saiki sighed like he wanted to dissolve into the floor.
Thankfully, the coffee jelly arrived, redirecting Makoto's attention like a switch had flipped.
He took a spoonful and closed his eyes dramatically. "Good mouthfeel."
Saiki, reluctantly tasting his own, gave a curt nod. "Excellent texture."
From across the café, Kaidou dramatically pretended to read a menu upside-down.
Chisato was pretending to be a waitress. She was not employed there.
Kusuke adjusted his lens.
Saiki's eye twitched.
Makoto leaned in. "Wanna feed me a bite?"
"No."
[System] Ding! Progress Update: +2 Affection Points for Direct Flirting. Keep it up!
Despite all the commotion, their date continued. They sampled three different types of coffee jelly—Makoto theatrically reviewed each one like a gourmet critic, while Saiki simply savored them in silence. At one point, Saiki accidentally smiled. Makoto nearly dropped his spoon.
[System] Achievement Unlocked: Witnessed Rare Psychic Smile! +100 bonus to Emotional Damage!]
Their third stop, a retro diner-style café, had coffee jelly milkshakes.
Makoto nearly cried from joy.
Saiki took one sip. "Too sweet."
Makoto leaned close. "You're too sweet."
Saiki immediately stood up.
[System] Ding! Protective Instinct Activated! Warning: The spies are closing in.
Makoto turned to see Kokomi posing near the window with a fake puppy.
"She brought a prop," Makoto whispered.
Saiki sighed. they were being trailed by: multiple classmates who were amateur spies, his brother, one paparazzi, and a bored dog who kept following Makoto because he smelled like vanilla.
Makoto grinned "We are officially famous."
"We already were."
"Well, now we're more famous. As a couple."
Saiki didn't respond.
Makoto glanced at him. "...You okay?"
Saiki looked out the window. A flash of a camera blinked in the reflection.
[System] Alert: Public exposure event triggered. Threat level: tabloid headlines imminent.
Makoto's smile faltered. "...Sorry."
Saiki looked at him. "Why?"
"This isn't what you wanted. You just wanted... normal. And now there's dogs and siblings and Aren in a tree—"
Saiki blinked. "Tree?"
"Long story."
Silence stretched.
Saiki said, "I knew this would happen."
Makoto looked up.
"I knew, from the start, dating you would be complicated. You're famous, but...."
He paused.
"I don't mind."
Makoto blinked. "Really?"
"I like you."
The words were simple. But Makoto's ears turned red.
[System] Achievement Unlocked: The Boy Said It First. Legendary moment.
Makoto grinned. "...Okay, now I have to kiss you."
"You absolutely do not."
"Too late."
A soft kiss. Nothing dramatic. Just enough.
Aren fell out of the tree.
Yumehara screamed.
Kaidou activated his emergency smoke bomb and disappeared into a bush.
Yumehara took twenty-seven high-res photos.
The paparazzi got the cover shot of the month.
[System] Host, critical emotional hit registered! Deploying emergency swoon protocol!
"Damn it," Makoto whispered. "I was hoping to keep this low-key."
Saiki stood slowly, looking exhausted. "Let's go."
They exited through the back. The system popped up another message.
[System] Calculating emotional fallout... complete! Suggest: Comfort and Ice Cream.
Makoto bumped his shoulder. "Let's finish the jelly tour. One more stop."
Saiki didn't answer, but he didn't walk away either.
At the final cafe, their friends caught up—crashing through the back alley like raccoons in a bakery.
"We were worried!" Yumehara shouted.
"Why are there photographers!?" Hairo asked.
Kokomi looked from Saiki to Makoto with narrowed eyes. "So it's real, then."
"It's real," Makoto said, grinning.
Saiki remained expressionless. "Please leave."
They didn't.
Makoto laughed and passed around coffee jelly. "Since you're here, want to celebrate with us?"
Chisato cheered. "Best stakeout ever!"
Saiki sighed but took a bite of his jelly. Across from him, Makoto beamed.
[System] Ding! Relationship Level Up: Officially Chaotic Couple. Congratulations, Host.
Saiki didn't smile—but he didn't teleport away either.
He was doomed. But he could live with it.