The teacher continued explaining the lesson, her voice steady as chalk moved across the board.
Some time passed.
Arashi rested his chin lightly against his hand, staring ahead—until something started to feel… off.
He slowly realized it.
Almost no one was actually paying attention to the class.
Instead, countless glances kept drifting in the same two directions.
Mizuki.
And Ayane.
Some students were openly staring at Mizuki, whispering to each other without even trying to hide it. Others kept sneaking looks at Ayane, their curiosity obvious in the way their eyes lingered a second too long.
The classroom felt restless.
Distracted.
Arashi shifted slightly in his seat, an uncomfortable feeling creeping into his chest.
This is… strange, he thought.
Then another thought surfaced.
What was my first day like…?
He tried to remember.
But the memory was blurry—too blurry.
No matter how hard he tried, nothing clear came back to him. No strong emotions. No specific faces. Just fragments that refused to connect.
"…I really don't remember much," he thought quietly.
With a small exhale, he decided to let it go.
Whatever happened back then didn't matter now.
Still, another thought made his shoulders tense.
If people stared at me like that… I'd probably die of embarrassment.
He glanced briefly at Mizuki, then at Ayane.
This is seriously weird. I don't even know how they're handling this.
Before he could think further—
The bell rang.
Break time.
The sound exploded through the classroom, and instantly, students stood up, chairs scraping loudly against the floor.
Within seconds, the room split almost perfectly in half.
One group surrounded Mizuki.
Another gathered around Ayane.
Questions flew from every direction.
Arashi watched it all from his seat, feeling oddly detached from the chaos.
Just then, Miyu walked up to him, arms crossed, clearly annoyed.
"I'm seriously jealous," she said bluntly. "Those two just arrived and already became the school's models."
Arashi let out a quiet breath and nodded.
"Yeah," he replied. "You're not wrong."
Then his expression shifted slightly.
"Go check on Ayane," he added. "Make sure nothing happens to her. You know how she is—she might pass out."
Miyu rolled her eyes.
"Relax," she said confidently. "Hina's with her."
Then she turned around and raised her voice.
"Takumi! Satoru!"
Both of them looked over.
"Come on," Miyu said. "Let's go get something to eat. Who knows when those two will be free?"
With that, the three of them headed out together, laughing lightly as they left the classroom.
The noise level dropped just a little.
Arashi finally stood up from his seat.
There were too many people crowded around him—especially around Mizuki—and the air felt suffocating.
He walked over to the window near the side of the room and leaned against it, looking outside.
Behind him, Mizuki was still being bombarded with questions.
"What school were you at before?" "So, do you read manga?" "What's your favorite anime?" "Do you have a boyfriend?"
The moment that last question reached her ears—
Mizuki stood up from her seat and walked straight toward Arashi.
She stopped right in front of him and lightly tapped his shoulder.
"Wow," she said casually, loud enough to be heard. "You really don't care about me at all, do you?"
Arashi turned, confused.
"I'm starving," Mizuki continued, crossing her arms dramatically. "And you're just standing here, staring outside like nothing matters. You should at least have some awareness of your girlfriend."
The moment the word girlfriend left her mouth—
The classroom froze.
Complete silence.
No whispers.No movement.No breathing, it seemed.
Every single pair of eyes snapped toward them.
Mizuki.Arashi.
And then—
The silence shattered.
Whispers erupted everywhere at once.
"No way… Arashi has a girlfriend?""That's impossible.""What does she even see in him?""This makes zero sense.""Her and him? Seriously?""He's such a loser—how did that happen?"
The words weren't even subtle.
Arashi heard everything.
Every single comment.
But strangely—
None of it hurt.
Because the truth was simple.
It is what it is.
And more importantly—
Mizuki herself had warned him about this exact thing.
People will ignore all your good qualities, she had told him before.They'll latch onto a single flaw and obsess over it—because that's just human nature.Don't let their words affect you.
Those words stayed with him.
And now, standing there, surrounded by judgment and disbelief—
He felt calm.
Mizuki turned slowly, her gaze sharp as she addressed the room.
"Anyone can say whatever they want about Arashi," she said confidently. "I don't care."
Then she looked back at him and smiled.
"But this is the truth—whether you accept it or not."
She reached out, grabbed his hand without hesitation, and pulled him toward the door.
"Come on," she said cheerfully. "Let's go get something to eat."
Before anyone could react, she dragged him out of the classroom.
They stopped near a vending machine in the hallway, the hum of the machine filling the quiet space.
Mizuki turned to him.
"Don't listen to them," she said firmly. "Okay?"
Arashi shook his head.
"I'm not," he replied honestly. "You were the one who told me this would happen."
Then, after a brief pause—
"…Thanks, Mizuki."
For a second, she looked surprised.
Then she smiled.
A genuine one.
Just then, footsteps echoed from the stairwell.
Miyu appeared, carrying snacks, with Takumi and Satoru right behind her.
She let out a relieved laugh.
"Thank God," Miyu said. "You two are here."
Almost immediately after—
Ayane and Hina arrived as well.
Ayane stopped the moment she saw them.
Her eyes went first to Mizuki.
Then—
To Arashi's hand.
Still held in Mizuki's.
And in that moment—
Something quietly shifted.
Inside Ayane's heart, a quiet realization began to take shape.
Watching Mizuki stand up for Arashi so openly…Say those words without hesitation…Take his hand and pull him forward without caring who was watching—
It stirred something in her.
She did something I could never do, Ayane thought.
Mizuki stood beside him. She protected him. She didn't hesitate.
Ayane lowered her gaze slightly.
Maybe… she really does deserve Arashi more than I ever could.
The thought hurt—but it didn't feel bitter.
Instead, it felt honest.
If I want to protect myself… or anyone else, she continued silently, I'll have to become stronger. Like her.
I need to learn how to stand up—for myself, and for others.
Just then, Miyu clapped her hands lightly.
"Alright," she said. "Let's go to the stairs near the roof. No one will disturb us there."
Everyone nodded, and together they headed toward the stairwell.
The space near the rooftop stairs was quiet, away from the noise of classrooms and hallways. They sat down casually, food spread between them.
Mizuki sat first, opening her snack, then glanced toward Ayane with a curious smile.
"So, Ayane," she asked gently, "how does it feel being here? Honestly… I feel both really good and really strange at the same time."
Ayane nodded slowly.
"Y-yeah," she replied softly. "M-me too."
Hina tilted her head thoughtfully.
"Your friends from your old school must miss you," she said kindly.
Ayane blinked.
"…Friends?"
The word seemed unfamiliar on her tongue.
She paused for a moment, then shook her head lightly.
"I didn't have any friends at my old school," she admitted quietly. "I was always alone."
She kept speaking, her voice calm but sincere.
"It didn't really bother me," she continued. "I'm not good at talking to people unless I spend a lot of time with them."
She clasped her hands together.
"At first, some people tried to talk to me. They came up to me during the first few days… but I didn't respond much. So, little by little, everyone stopped trying."
She smiled faintly—without sadness.
"After that, I was alone again."
There was a brief silence.
Then Ayane lifted her head.
"But coming here… it felt different," she said. "You all are my first friends."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"I don't even know what would've happened if I hadn't met you. If you weren't here…"
Hina smiled warmly and placed a hand near Ayane's.
"It's okay," she said gently. "That kind of thing happens. Sometimes we have friends, sometimes we don't."
She glanced around at everyone.
"What matters is that you're with us now."
The others nodded in agreement.
"Yeah.""Exactly.""You're not alone anymore."
Ayane looked at them, her chest feeling unexpectedly light.
A few moments later, Takumi leaned back slightly, a mischievous grin spreading across his face as he looked at Mizuki.
"Hey," he said, tilting his head, "I've got a question for you."
Mizuki raised an eyebrow, finishing her bite of food. "Yeah? What is it?"
Takumi smirked. "How do you even know Arashi?"
Mizuki paused for a second, a thoughtful look crossing her face. Then she replied with a small smile, "Hmm… that's a secret."
"Come on, tell me!" Takumi insisted, leaning forward.
"No," Mizuki said firmly, shaking her head. "You're not ready for it yet. Later."
Takumi groaned dramatically. "That's not fair!"
Arashi, listening quietly from the side, furrowed his brows slightly.
…How exactly did she know me? He thought.
The curse… that had always been strange and confusing. Mizuki's presence made it feel even more mysterious. He didn't understand how she fit into it all—but honestly…
It doesn't matter.
He shook his head, brushing off the thought. What matters is that I found her. That she's here.
With that decision made, Arashi turned his attention back to his own food, letting the warmth of the meal ground him.
Time passed.
The bell rang again. Class resumed. Lessons went on. The day slowly unfolded—less stressful, less awkward than the morning—but still full of small, subtle tensions that made Arashi's mind race occasionally.
Eventually, the day came to an end.
The final bell rang.
Students gathered their belongings, chatter filling the hallways as everyone prepared to leave.
On the way home, Arashi waved goodbye to Miyu, Hina, Takumi, and Satoru.
"See you all tomorrow," he said, smiling faintly.
The group waved back, calling out playful goodbyes before splitting off.
Arashi and Mizuki walked together for a while, keeping pace with each other as the familiar streets led them toward their homes.