The classroom fans whirred uselessly against the heavy summer air, the heat pressing down on everyone like a smothering blanket. Yu fanned himself with a worksheet, his pale cheeks tinged pink.
"It's so hot lately…"
He muttered, pouting softly.
[Heat, you say?]
DK01's smooth, calculating voice unfurled in his mind.
[That is because the human world is tilted on its axis and your northern hemisphere now faces the sun more directly. The days are longer, the radiation more intense. Unlike in the Demon Realm, where—]
Yu winced, pinching his pencil tight.
'Not again. You don't have to explain everything, you know. I didn't ask for a science lecture, DK01.'
[Correction: you made an observational statement. I provided necessary context.]
'You're such a know-it-all…'
Yu huffed inwardly, shutting him down with a mental shove.
At that moment, his eyes wandered toward his friends across the desks. Fumiko Fujimori had discarded her jacket, her crisp blouse rolled at the sleeves, her short skirt swishing as she leaned to compare notes with Sakura Sato. Sakura had done the same—only her ribbon was loosened too, her collar open just enough to look… breezy.
"…Their outfits look so much cooler."
Yu mumbled aloud, tugging uncomfortably at his own jacket.
"It must feel so comfortable without the jacket and with a loosened ribbon like that…"
That earned him twin looks from Fumiko and Sakura. Slowly, their gazes met. Slowly, identical mischievous smiles spread across their faces.
"Yu-chan~"
Sakura sing-songed.
"Do you want to try?"
Fumiko added sweetly.
"We can show you how."
Yu's ruby eyes lit up.
"Really?!"
He nodded quickly.
"Yes, please!"
The girls giggled knowingly and pulled him aside. By the time the boys had gone out to grab drinks and returned—
The effect was devastating.
Yu stood shyly by the window, jacket gone, ribbon loosened, and the top few buttons of his blouse undone. His skirt rolled higher, closer to his mid-thighs, swayed as he shifted nervously, and the summer heat had worked against him—thin patches of fabric clinging faintly to his pale skin, outlining his delicate frame in ways that made him look like a dream walked straight out of a glossy magazine.
For a moment, time seemed to stop.
Then—
"Cover up."
Taichi was there in an instant, draping his own jacket over Yu's shoulders and pulling it tight. His face was red to the ears as he snapped.
"Stay covered. Always."
"Taichi…"
Yu blinked up, confused.
Behind them, Fumiko sighed like an exasperated parent.
"There he goes again. Possessive."
Sakura clasped her hands together.
"But wow, Yu-chan… you're dangerously sexy like this. I can't believe how good you look."
"I'm sorry, Taichi."
She added quickly with a wink.
"We didn't know it'd… escalate."
Souma Satou and Yamato Yamada were already backing away, hands up.
"We didn't see anything."
"Not a thing."
Both said it in unison, desperate to save their own skins.
Taichi's glare only deepened until they both slunk off.
---
Later that evening, the apartment was quiet. Yu had settled at his desk, skimming notes one last time before bed. The sound of water running from the bathroom carried faintly through the walls.
Then—
[+5 JP.]
Yu glanced at the ceiling like he was staring as DK01, heart skipping when he saw the glowing interface of DK01 appear.
[Host, You have just gained 5 JP. Total amount is now 15 JP.]
Yu's stomach twisted.
'J… JP? Right now?!'
[Correct. This points increase has only one possible explanation, you know what this means.]
DK01 replied matter-of-factly.
[Your boyfriend, Taichi Arifuku, just achieved release through solitary stimulation while thinking of you.]
Yu nearly dropped the pen. His face went scarlet, burning hotter than the afternoon heat.
'H-He—?!'
Before he could spiral further, the bathroom door clicked open. Steam drifted out, and Taichi stepped into the room, toweling off his damp hair, utterly casual.
"Ready for bed, baby?"
He asked, as if nothing at all had happened.
Yu fumbled with his notes, shoving them into his school bag.
"Y-Yeah! O-of course!"
His heart thumped wildly. He couldn't look at Taichi straight on.
---
Morning came, and with it, the dreaded exam week.
The group slogged into the classroom, weighed down by textbooks, pencils, and sleep deprivation. The air was tight with tension. Fumiko muttered formulas under her breath, Sakura paced the aisles, Souma was buried in flashcards, and Yamato had fallen asleep face-first onto his desk.
Even Yu felt the pressure tightening in his chest, despite his usual calm. Only Taichi looked unbothered, his long legs stretched lazily under his desk, eyes half-lidded as though this were just another scrimmage.
Sakura Sato sat slumped in her seat, dark circles under her eyes, muttering history dates like she was possessed.
Fumiko Fujimori chewed on her pencil eraser, hair sticking out in every direction from stress.
Souma Satou had stacks of flashcards around him like a fortress—only to collapse forward with a groan as his brain gave out mid-memorization.
Yamato Yamada had simply given up, head buried in his arms, fast asleep as drool began to pool beneath him.
"Everyone looks like zombies…"
Yu whispered, clutching his pencil tighter.
At the next desk over, Taichi leaned back in his chair, yawning like this was the most boring thing in the world. His notes were only halfway done, his pen moving with lazy precision.
"Ugh—Taichi Arifuku—"
Sakura croaked, glaring with bleary eyes.
"How… how are you like this?"
"Yeah…"
Fumiko gasped, clutching her stomach like she'd run a marathon.
"Why can't you be suffering too…?"
Taichi smirked.
"Guess I'm just built different."
"Built different?! You're built like a cheating demon!"
Souma cried, throwing a flashcard at him.
It bounced harmlessly off Taichi's desk. He didn't even flinch.
Meanwhile, Yu sat up straighter, biting his lip. He wanted to smile at how smug Taichi looked, but his own nerves wouldn't let him.
'No matter what… I have to focus. I have to keep first place. For Taichi, for me, for everything.'
As the teacher handed out test papers, Yu clasped his pencil, took a breath, and reminded himself:
'We've worked so hard for this. Taichi believes in me. I can do this.'
The final hurdle of the first term had begun.
The classroom looked less like a hall of learning and more like a battlefield.
Across the room, Isuke Sasaki's gaze sharpened. He'd spent the past term coasting—never exerting himself, never worrying, because things always bent in his favor anyway.
But watching Yu now—his delicate fingers clenched around his pencil, ruby eyes burning with determination, cheeks faintly flushed with focus—Isuke felt something dark stir in his chest.
Jealousy.
He hated it. He hated the way Yu looked at Taichi, the way Yu's heart had been stolen away from him without him realizing.
And he hated most of all that the so-called "Beast" could give Yu strength while he—Isuke, the most idolized student council president—was left standing on the outside.
Isuke's pencil hovered over his paper. For the first time all term, he stopped holding back.
'If Yu won't see reason…'
He thought coldly.
'Then I'll make him. I'll show him that Taichi is nothing but an anchor, holding him down. Once Yu loses his first place—once his scholarship shatters—he'll have no choice but to rely on me. And when that happens… I'll be the one to save him.'
His pencil scratched furiously against the page. Every answer, calculated. Every problem, crushed.
Yu glanced up for just a moment, brushing hair from his face. His gaze caught Isuke's across the room. The boy's usually effortless, smiling mask was gone. His brow was furrowed, his jaw set, his eyes burning with a frightening intensity.
Yu's stomach tightened. He didn't know why, but… something about it scared him.
'…What's going on?'
The test dragged on, but the air had changed. The classroom was no longer just exhausted students and frantic scribbles.
It was a war zone.
And Yu didn't yet know that his place at the top—the security of his scholarship, the pride he carried, the thing keeping him from restarting the world over again—was already under siege.
---
The final bell rang on the last day of exams, and the classroom erupted like prisoners freed from their cells.
Souma collapsed against his desk with a groan.
"I don't even know what year it is anymore…"
Yamato threw his arms up.
"I'm alive!! Barely!!"
Fumiko and Sakura huddled together dramatically.
"If I don't sleep twelve hours straight tonight, I'll die."
"Make it thirteen, we deserve it."
Yu sat with his hands folded neatly over his closed test booklet, chest rising and falling fast. His pulse was still racing, but the moment the exam proctor announced "Time is up," a weight lifted off his shoulders.
"It's… over."
Yu whispered, almost disbelieving.
Taichi leaned over from the next desk, grinning wide, his pencil twirling in his fingers like he hadn't just burned through the hardest test of the term.
"You crushed it, baby. I could tell. You were flying through those pages."
Yu flushed.
"N-No, I was just… I studied really hard. With you."
Taichi smirked and gave his hand a light squeeze under the desk.
"And I studied hard because of you. So that makes us even, right?"
The warmth in Yu's chest swelled. For one golden moment, everything felt right—like the storm had passed.
---
The next few days drifted by in a haze of relief. Students laughed louder, played harder at their clubs, and gossiped about summer break plans.
Yu and Taichi walked home each day hand in hand, lighter than they'd felt in weeks. Even the Harmony Life Club was fun again, with Haruka Minami fussing over Yu's sewing and promising to show him more advanced crochet stitches before the season was over.
Isuke Sasaki, meanwhile, kept his usual princely smile in public. But his silence was sharper than words. He didn't speak to Yu. Didn't even glance at him. And yet, Yu could feel it—that heavy, burning attention, like Isuke was watching every step he took from behind the scene.
---
The day the results were announced, the school hallway was packed. Students crowded around the bulletin board, voices overlapping in a storm of chatter.
"Who's second place this time!?"
"Bet it's Sasaki again, it's always Sasaki."
"No way, Arifuku's now fifth in his class. Claims to have been studying like crazy. Wouldn't it be wild if—"
Yu pushed through the crowd nervously, Taichi following behind like a bodyguard. His heart thumped as his eyes scanned the list.
1st Place – Yuiko Hokohayashi
Yu froze. Then his breath rushed out in relief. He'd done it. He'd held on. His scholarship was safe.
But then his gaze dropped lower.
2nd Place – Taichi Arifuku
Yu blinked. Once. Twice. His mouth parted.
"…Taichi?"
The hallway went silent for a moment before exploding in chaos.
"WHAT!?"
"No freaking way!"
"Taichi Arifuku went from nearly failing to second in the school!?"
"Then… that means…"
Yu's eyes slid down one more line.
3rd Place – Isuke Sasaki
The noise doubled.
"The Prince is third!?"
"Arifuku beat Sasaki!?"
"Wait—so the Beast is actually a genius?!"
Yu turned toward Taichi. Taichi just stood there, blinking like he hadn't expected this either. Then slowly, a smug grin spread across his face.
"Told you I'd keep up with you, baby."
[Oho, it appears your interference in Taichi's life was able to somewhat topple the so-called protagonist halo. Keep it up, Host and we'll soon finish this world quickly. Fate is changing.]
Yu's cheeks flamed. He didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or hug him. So he just threw his arms around Taichi's middle.
"I'm so proud of you!"
Behind them, whispers flew faster than wildfire.
The Princess and the Beast… unbeatable together.
Isuke Sasaki stood at the edge of the crowd, smile perfectly fixed. But his eyes—dark, stormy, dangerous—never left Yu.
'…So that's how it is. Fine. If the Beast wants to take first place from me, I'll take something even more important from him.'
---
The moment Taichi's name hit the board at 2nd place, the school didn't calm down for the rest of the day.
By lunch break, Taichi couldn't take two steps in the hallway without someone calling out.
"Arifuku! Bro, how'd you do it!?"
"Give me your secret cheat notes!"
"Teach me your ways, man!"
Souma and Yamato got dragged into it too, clinging to Taichi's shoulders like bodyguards.
"Oi, back off, he didn't cheat!"
Yamato barked.
"Yeah, he's got a photographic memory. We tested it!"
Souma added, like that explained anything.
Yu hovered at Taichi's side, both proud and worried, his hands clutching the strap of his schoolbag tight. Every time he caught someone muttering cheater, his stomach twisted.
By afternoon, even the teachers piled on.
"Arifuku, splendid progress!"
"You've truly shown your potential."
"With effort like this, you could even aim for university scholarships!"
Taichi just gave his lopsided grin and scratched his cheek, trying not to let it get to him. But every time, Yu noticed his chest puff up a little more—like every bit of praise made him stand taller.
And every time Yu saw that, his own chest swelled with pride.
'He really worked so hard… I knew he could do it.'
Meanwhile, Isuke Sasaki played his role as the perfect president. He congratulated Taichi with his usual polished smile, his voice calm and measured.
"Amazing work, Arifuku. I must admit… I underestimated you."
But behind the polite words, his fists clenched inside his pockets.
'It wasn't supposed to be like this. First place was Yu's. Second was mine. That balance was perfect. Now the Beast has disrupted everything.'
That evening, as the school gates closed, Isuke lingered, staring at the list of rankings still pinned to the board.
"…I'll watch more closely from now on. Yu will realize it eventually—that Arifuku is dragging him down."
---
The moment the bell rang, the classroom erupted—not with chatter about summer plans or upcoming club events, but about Taichi Arifuku.
"Yo, Arifuku, how'd you study? Flash cards? Notes? Mnemonics?"
"Bet he used cheat sheets up his sleeves. Tell us where you hid 'em!"
"Oi, Arifuku! Do you think you can tutor me? Or at least let me copy your answers?"
Taichi, sitting slouched at his desk with his hands behind his head, grinned smugly.
"Tch, it's all natural talent, idiots."
A chorus of groans and laughter followed, classmates throwing pencils and erasers at him like he'd just insulted the entire student body.
"Yeah right!"
"No one goes from third from the bottom to top two without selling their soul!"
"Arifuku, tell us who you sacrificed!"
Yu, who had been quietly stacking his books at the next desk, finally turned, his ruby-red eyes narrowing.
"Don't say things like that about Taichi."
The room paused. Yu rarely raised his voice, and when he did, it carried a strangely commanding weight.
"…O-oh, Princess Yu's defending him again!"
Someone muttered.
Another chimed in, half-teasing, half-serious:
"Guess that proves it. Princess Yu really does have Arifuku's back, huh?"
A ripple of whispers surged across the classroom. Yu's cheeks flushed pink, but he didn't back down—hugging his notebook to his chest and adding firmly:
"Taichi-kun didn't cheat. He worked hard. He's amazing. So stop saying things like that."
Taichi blinked, stunned for a beat, before a slow, wolfish grin spread across his face.
"…Heh. You heard Yu. Straight from the princess themselves."
The class groaned again, but this time with a mix of envy and resignation. The Beast wasn't just climbing ranks—he had Yu's open support. And that, more than anything, made the "triangle" rumor gain new momentum.
After the chaos of the day, Yu and Taichi finally walked home together, bags slung over their shoulders.
Yu peeked up at him shyly.
"Taichi… you really did it. I knew you could."
Taichi's grin softened. He reached over and ruffled Yu's white hair, making him squeak.
"Nah. Couldn't have done it without you."
Yu flushed, swatting his hand away.
"I just studied with you, that's all."
Taichi leaned closer, voice dropping warm and low.
"And that's all I needed."
Yu's heart skipped so hard he had to look away, muttering about how embarrassing he was.
---
Later that afternoon, when the students all left, in the quiet of the student council office, Isuke sat at his desk. The blinds were half-drawn, stripes of sunlight cutting across the papers before him. His fingers drummed against a freshly printed copy of the exam rankings.
2nd: Taichi Arifuku
3rd: Isuke Sasaki
He stared at the names until the numbers blurred.
"Unacceptable…"
He muttered under his breath.
Beside him, the council's vice president glanced up nervously.
"Um, President Sasaki? You've been… staring at that for a while now."
Isuke's lips curved into a polite smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Tell me. Do you know what makes this school function so smoothly?"
The vice president blinked.
"…Discipline? Order?"
"Control."
He rose from his seat, sliding the ranking sheet into a folder. His reflection in the office window caught his eye—a flawless prince's mask over a roiling storm.
"If someone like Arifuku can suddenly rise, what precedent does that set? What will the underclassmen think? That discipline and tradition are irrelevant? That anyone can claim a place they haven't earned?"
The vice president shifted uneasily.
"…So what will you do?"
Isuke adjusted his uniform jacket with deliberate precision.
"I'll restore order. Starting with proving to Yu that Taichi Arifuku is a liability. If it means leveraging the council's influence… so be it."
For the first time, the perfect prince allowed a sliver of malice into his smile.
---
The changes started subtly. A few raised eyebrows, an "unfortunate coincidence" of new assignments as Isuke tried separating them.
"Yu,"
Isuke said one afternoon, appearing at the Harmony Life Club door with a princely smile.
"The clubroom was left in disarray yesterday. Would you stay behind to help tidy today? It's important for officers to take responsibility."
Yu hesitated, but nodded politely.
"…Of course, President Sasaki."
Taichi, waiting just outside the door, frowned when Yu explained.
"Then I'll stay too."
"No, Arifuku."
Isuke cut in smoothly.
"Your club is done for the day. This is the Harmony Club's business."
Taichi crossed his arms, glaring.
"Then I'll wait out front till he's done. I've got time."
Yu flushed pink at the stubborn declaration, and for the rest of the hour—even as Isuke lingered to oversee the cleaning—Yu kept sneaking little smiles toward the hallway, where he knew Taichi was leaning against the wall, waiting only for him.
Isuke's attempt seemed to backfire.
When rumors of "academic suspicion" began to spread—quiet whispers that maybe Taichi's leap to 2nd was too sudden, too convenient—Yu only grew more openly protective.
"He studied with me!"
Yu said firmly to anyone who asked.
"He worked hard. I know because I was there every day."
The class melted into coos and sighs.
"Uwaaah, Princess Yu's defending his Beast again~"
"So loyal! So romantic!"
Taichi would usually groan or turn bright red, but Yu—too shy for most things—started leaning against him in the hallways, tugging his sleeve, clinging to his arm as though daring anyone to challenge them.
By the time summer humidity hit, the two had become a picture the school couldn't ignore: the protective Beast and his delicate Princess, moving so closely in sync that every scheme to pry them apart only pulled them tighter together.
Isuke watched from the council balcony one afternoon as Taichi bent down to carry Yu's heavy bag without asking, Yu smiling shyly up at him as though Taichi had just hung the moon. His knuckles whitened on the railing.
"…No matter."
He murmured to himself, his perfect smile cracking at the edges.
"If gentler measures don't work, then it's time I remind Yu of what's at stake."
The first sharp edge of true danger slipped into the "triangle."