The following morning, Yu was in the middle of doodling little cat faces into the margins of his math notes when the classroom door slid open.
"Yu-chan."
Isuke Sasaki called, his tone calm, professional. Too professional.
Yu looked up, startled, and nearly dropped his pencil.
"Y-Yes?"
Isuke stepped inside, his presence cutting through the morning chatter like a knife. Several students whispered.
"The president?"
"Looking for Yu-chan?"
"Come with me for a moment. There's some paperwork I need to confirm with you."
Isuke said, holding a neat clipboard against his chest. His voice was courteous, but his eyes gleamed with something unreadable.
Yu blinked.
"Paperwork? Did I… do something wrong?"
"No,"
Isuke assured.
"Nothing at all. Just standard checks."
The classroom buzzed as Yu rose to follow him, cheeks pink from the attention.
---
The student council office was quieter than the halls—too quiet. Yu fidgeted in the chair Isuke motioned him into, feeling small against the polished wood desk and the towering stacks of documents.
Isuke set the clipboard down, flipping through pages with practiced fingers. His tone stayed gentle.
"It's come to our attention that some contact records might be outdated. For safety reasons, we need to verify your information."
"Contact… records?"
Yu tilted his head.
"Phone number, specifically."
Isuke slid a form across the desk.
"If there's ever an emergency, it's important the school has it on file."
Yu blinked down at the paper. His heart fluttered nervously. He'd only just started sharing numbers—Taichi's was still fresh in his phone, still thrilling every time it lit up. And now Isuke was asking for his.
Something about the timing made his stomach twist.
On the other side of the desk, Isuke watched him closely, hiding his impatience behind a calm smile.
'Go on, Yu. Just write it down. Once I have it, you'll be safe. Safer than with him.'
But Yu's pen hovered, uncertain. He thought of Taichi's grin when they exchanged numbers, of how personal and precious that moment had felt.
"Do… do you really need it?"
Yu asked softly.
Isuke's jaw tightened, though he kept his tone smooth.
"Yes. It's for the school's safety protocols."
The air grew heavy.
Yu's hand trembled as he gripped the pen, his chest twisting with unease. Something deep inside screamed that he shouldn't—he shouldn't just hand this piece of himself over. Not like this. Not when it felt sneaky, cornered.
But the word school held a weight he couldn't ignore. He had worked so hard, burned midnight hours over textbooks with Taichi by his side, poured himself into every assignment. If the student council president himself said it was necessary… then maybe his fears were just silly, unfounded.
'It's just a number'
Yu told himself, exhaling.
'Not like it means anything for the school to have it… right?'
The pen scratched across the page.
First his number.
Then the apartment's landline.
His pulse quickened as though he'd just confessed something dangerous. He set the pen down carefully, like it might burn him if he held on any longer.
Yu looked up, meeting Isuke's serene, sky-blue gaze.
"That's… all, right?"
Isuke's smile was warm, almost too warm.
"That's all. Thank you, Yu-chan."
He slid the clipboard back toward himself, tucking it neatly under a stack of files.
Then his tone shifted—just slightly, enough for Yu to hear the edge beneath the kindness.
"Focus on your studies. They're more important than… distractions."
Yu stiffened. He didn't need Isuke to spell it out. The pause, the faint curl of the word—he was talking about Taichi.
For a moment, the old Yu might have stammered, shrunk down in his chair. But now? Something steadier held his spine upright.
"I will."
Yu said firmly, his voice quieter than Isuke's but steadier than he expected. He narrowed his eyes, a flicker of heat flashing across his normally soft face.
Isuke blinked, faintly surprised at the steel there.
Yu pushed his chair back, rose, and turned without another word. His steps carried him out the office door quickly, before his trembling legs betrayed him.
The silence he left behind hung thick.
Isuke tapped the clipboard lightly against the desk, his expression unreadable.
"…Distractions, huh?"
---
Yu slipped back into the classroom, shoulders tense, the echo of Isuke's words still ringing in his head.
Taichi was just setting his bag down, fresh from practice, hair damp with sweat that clung to his forehead. He glanced up the moment Yu walked in.
"Yu. Everything alright?"
Yu forced a smile—too quick, too practiced.
"Mm, it's fine. Just, um… paperwork."
There was a pause. Taichi's gaze lingered, searching, like he could peel back the layers of Yu's answer. Something about the way Yu wouldn't quite meet his eyes gnawed at him. But he also remembered how easily his overprotectiveness could come off as overbearing.
So instead, Taichi softened, lowering his eyes and letting the smile return to his face.
"Alright. If you say so."
Yu's chest ached at the warmth in Taichi's tone.
'I won't tell him… not yet.'
The bell rang, and chatter swelled as classmates poured back in. Chairs scraped, friends compared snacks, laughter burst from one corner of the room. For a fleeting moment, it almost felt normal again.
Until the intercom crackled to life.
>"Attention, students. Please be advised that Sports Day is just around the corner! Start thinking about what events you'd like to participate in. Sign-up sheets will be posted soon. And as a reminder—midterm exams are also approaching. Be sure to continue your studies and give it your best!"
Groans and cheers broke out across the classroom. Yamato threw his hands in the air, shouting about winning the relay this year, while Souma argued he'd beat everyone at the long jump. On the other side of the room, Fumiko and Sakura wailed dramatically about the idea of "sweating under the sun" like it was a death sentence.
Yu blinked, absorbing it all, his heart twisting. Sports Day. Midterms. The normal rhythm of school life. Everything kept moving forward… even as his own secret, clutched tight against his chest, threatened to slow him down.
Taichi leaned closer, his voice quiet in the chaos.
"Sports Day, huh? Bet you'll pick something cute."
Yu laughed softly, though his eyes darted toward the window, chasing the safety of the sky.
---
The classroom buzzed louder than usual the next morning as sign-up sheets for Sports Day made their rounds. Yamato and Souma were practically fighting over who would claim the coveted anchor spot in the relay. Sakura whined that she didn't want to run at all and wondered if there was a "cheering squad only" option. Fumiko declared she'd sign up for "something elegant, like baton twirling," before realizing that wasn't actually an event.
Yu sat at his desk, staring at the form like it had been written in another language.
"Um… three-legged race? Sack race? Tug-of-war?"
He tilted his head, utterly lost.
"That one!"
Sakura leaned over and tapped the sheet dramatically.
"Cheer squad! You'd be perfect, Yu-chan!"
"Eh?!"
Yu's face went scarlet.
"Cheering? In front of everyone?"
"Of course!"
Fumiko joined in, clasping her hands together.
"You'd look so cute waving pom-poms. Taichi wouldn't know what to do with himself!"
Taichi, who'd been leaning against Yu's desk listening with a faint smile, suddenly went pink himself.
"H-Hey! Don't just—"
He turned his head, muttering.
"Not that they're wrong…"
Yu pressed his face into his arms, wishing the ground would swallow him whole.
Meanwhile, Yamato called out from across the room.
"Oi, Yu! Sign up for something with us! We'll crush everyone at tug-of-war if you're on our team!"
Souma chimed in.
"Or the bread-eating race! You like food, right? You'd win in a heartbeat!"
Yu peeked up timidly, overwhelmed by options.
That's when Taichi crouched beside him, dropping his voice low.
"It doesn't matter what you pick. I'll be there. Even if you trip, even if you get embarrassed, even if the whole school is watching—I'll make sure nothing bad happens to you."
Yu blinked at him, stunned, before his lips curved in a shy smile.
"…You're too sweet sometimes."
"Too sweet?"
Taichi grinned, his chest swelling with warmth.
"Good. Then you won't forget it."
The girls squealed. The boys groaned. And Yu, flustered but strangely comforted, finally circled cheer squad with shaky hands—determined to at least try.
---
The week leading up to Sports Day turned the whole campus into a festival of half-serious competition. After classes, students flooded into the gym, fields, and courts to practice.
At cheer practice, Yu clutched the pom-poms like they were foreign weapons. The cheer captain, a bubbly second-year, clapped her hands.
"Ready? One, two—kick! Pose! Smile!"
Yu kicked. He posed. He did not smile. Instead, he wobbled, his pom-poms nearly smacking the girl next to him in the face.
"Eeeh, Yu-chan, loosen up!"
Sakura squealed, twirling like she'd been born with pom-poms in her hands.
"Think of it as cooking—except instead of cutting vegetables, you're cutting through the air with style!"
"That makes no sense,"
Yu mumbled, tripping on his own foot. He crashed to the floor in a heap, face burning.
From across the gym, Taichi paused mid-dribble at basketball practice, eyes narrowing. He was on the court with Yamato and Souma, who were goofing off trying to dunk on each other, but Taichi's focus wasn't on them.
"Oi, Taichi, pass already!"
Yamato barked.
Instead, Taichi dropped the ball and jogged over to the cheer corner.
"Yu! You okay?"
His voice was sharper than he meant it to be, but the moment Yu lifted his head with a sheepish grin, Taichi's whole body softened.
"I—I'm fine. Just… practicing."
Yu scrambled up, brushing himself off.
The girls tittered, whispering about how devoted Taichi was. Sakura fanned herself dramatically. Fumiko sighed,
"That's true love if I've ever seen it."
"Get back here, Taichi!"
Souma shouted.
"We need you for defense!"
"Just a second!"
Taichi shot back, not budging until he saw Yu steady on his feet. Only then did he reluctantly jog back to the court, though his eyes lingered on Yu every chance he got.
Meanwhile, Yamato and Souma were treating practice like a comedy skit. Yamato tried to palm the ball, failed, and blamed the humidity. Souma attempted a half-court shot, bricked it so badly it bounced into the cheer group, nearly knocking Sakura's pom-poms out of her hands.
"Watch it!"
She screeched.
"Sorry, sorry!"
Souma called, scratching his head with zero shame.
Yu couldn't help laughing quietly, his nerves easing. Even though his kicks were sloppy and his arms too stiff, he thought:
'This is kind of fun.'
"Let's try again, ready? One, two—kick! Pose! Smile!"
Yu kicked. He posed. He did try to smile, but the result was the same. He wobbled and this time nearly struck Fumiko to his other side with the pom-poms.
"Whoa, Yu-chan, be careful! You almost fell!"
Fumiko set her pom-poms down to help steady Yu.
"You really don't have good balance, huh? It's okay, just keep practicing!"
"This would be so much easier with a tail."
Yu mumbled, tripping on his own foot. He crashed to the floor in a heap, face burning.
"Here, let's try something else."
The cheer captain said. She demonstrated a split, sliding down smoothly to the floor.
"Flexibility is key for good cheering. Who wants to try?"
The girls chorused excuses—too stiff, too embarrassed, too sore. Yu, still on the floor, tilted his head.
'That doesn't look so hard…'
Without hesitation, Yu folded himself into a perfect, seamless split. His body flowed into it like water, as if his joints had no limits. He even bent forward until his forehead touched the floor.
The room fell silent.
"…Y-Yu-chan?!"
Fumiko shrieked.
"Are you—are you even human?!"
Sakura clutched her chest like she'd been shot.
"That's not flexibility, that's witchcraft!"
The other cheer girls gasped, squealed, and swarmed him, chattering about gymnastics potential, idol-level performances, and Yu's "secret hidden talents." Yu just blinked at them, utterly confused.
"Was… was that wrong?"
Across the gym, Taichi's basketball froze mid-dribble. His eyes locked on Yu folded into a shape no ordinary person should manage.
Heat surged through his body so fast it short-circuited his brain.
'That's—he's—no, stop thinking that—!'
"Taichi! Pass!"
Yamato barked, snapping him back.
Taichi turned, threw the ball—straight into the rim, missing entirely.
Souma howled.
"What was that? Bro, you're blushing like crazy!"
"Oi, love-struck much?"
Yamato jeered, elbowing him.
Taichi's ears burned scarlet. He mumbled something unintelligible, dropped the ball, and bolted for the locker room.
"Bathroom. I'll be back."
The guys whistled and cackled behind him, but he didn't care. His heart was hammering out of control.
With Taichi gone, practice resumed in chaotic bursts—Yamato trying to dunk, Souma missing shots, cheer girls squealing every time Yu accidentally contorted himself.
Yu, still earnestly trying to copy the routines, didn't notice the shadow approaching him until it was too close.
"Yu-chan."
He froze. Isuke Sasaki stood there, arms crossed, gaze sharp. His council armband gleamed under the gym lights.
"…President Sasaki?"
Yu asked hesitantly.
"You're putting a lot of energy into this."
Isuke said, voice mild but edged. His eyes flicked to where Taichi had disappeared.
"Don't let it get in the way of your studies. Midterms are around the corner."
Yu straightened, clutching his pom-poms tighter.
"I—I know. I won't."
Isuke leaned closer, his tone dropping just enough for only Yu to hear.
"See that you don't. Distractions…"
He paused, eyes narrowing faintly.
"…can cost more than you realize."
Before Yu could answer, the whistle blew, signaling the end of training. Sakura swooped in, oblivious, and looped her arm through Yu's, dragging him away to gush about matching cheer outfits.
Isuke's gaze lingered on Yu a second longer before he turned sharply and walked off, jaw tight.
Yu barely had time to catch his breath after cheer practice before a faint chime echoed in his mind. DK01's alert blinked like a mischievous grin.
[+5 JP]
Yu blinked.
"Huh?"
Then the smug voice curled in his mind.
[Well, well. Looks like your little boyfriend couldn't handle that display of flexibility. I'd bet my circuits he rushed straight into the bathroom to, ah… relieve himself to the thought of you.]
Yu's entire face flared red.
'Wha—DK01! Don't say things like that!'
[Oh, come on, I'm just stating the obvious.]
DK01 jeered.
[He saw you fold yourself in half like it was nothing. Trust me, Yu, he definitely wants to test that in the bedroom.]
Yu slapped his hands over his cheeks, feeling like his skull might burst into flames.
'Stop! Stop stop stop! It's embarrassing! Don't put such thoughts in my head!'
[You think I'm putting them there?]
DK01 chuckled darkly.
[Judging by that meter, he already has them. I'm just your friendly narrator keeping score.]
Yu groaned aloud, burying his face into his pom-poms until Sakura shrieked that he was squishing them.
"I can't do this…"
Still, the numbers didn't lie. The JP tick made his stomach flip. It meant the mission was working. He was pulling Taichi closer. But every step forward seemed to tangle Yu in more knots—knots he wasn't sure he could untie when the time came.
After practice was over, the sun dipped low, painting the gym windows orange as everyone wrapped up. Yu dragged his tired legs toward the exit, pom-poms dangling at his sides. Taichi met him halfway, holding out a bottle of water.
"You worked hard."
Taichi said simply.
Yu took it, smiling faintly.
"I was awful."
"You were perfect."
Taichi replied, tone dead serious.
Yu flushed.
"…You don't have to lie."
"I'm not lying."
Taichi said, brushing Yu's bangs aside like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Just do your best. That's all I want."
Yu bit his lip, his chest tightening in that strange, overwhelming way Taichi always made him feel. He lowered his gaze and mumbled.
"Then… I'll try harder."
Taichi's answering smile could've lit the whole gym.
From the shadows of the bleachers, Isuke Sasaki watched. His jaw clenched, his nails digging into his palm.
---
The days that followed blurred into a delicate balance:
In the Harmony Life Club, Yu spent hours fumbling through sewing seams that looked like drunken spiderwebs or plating dishes that tasted good but looked like accidents. Haruka Minami offered gentle guidance, her patience steady where Yu's hands weren't.
"Try placing the parsley just so—yes, like that."
Yu's eyes lit up every time she praised him, his grin so radiant it made Isuke Sasaki's jaw tighten in the corner of the room.
Midterms also loomed, and though Yu worked harder than ever, numbers and formulas sometimes blurred together. In group study, Fumiko and Sakura squealed every time Yu made progress, while at home, Taichi's one-on-one tutoring remained his anchor. Whenever Yu burned out, Taichi slipped back into his tender mode—bringing him water, rubbing his shoulders, insisting they take breaks before Yu collapsed.
Training continued whenever there was free time. Cheer practice became a battlefield of glitter and pom-poms, while on the basketball court, Taichi's focus wavered every time Yu's body moved a little too easily in stretches. His friends teased him mercilessly for every missed shot. Taichi laughed it off in public, but Yu noticed his ears betraying him—burning red every time their eyes met across the gym.
All the while, DK01 kept up a steady stream of snide commentary.
[Look at you, balancing your fake school life like a pro. Clubs, exams, romance points—it's like you're running three lives at once. Careful though, Yu. Too much juggling, and you'll drop something… maybe even someone.]
Yu clenched his fists under his desk.
"I won't drop Taichi."
He whispered back fiercely, though his cheeks still betrayed him whenever he remembered DK01's insinuations.
The Sports Day Event wasn't here yet. But the tension was winding tighter with every passing day—between training, between studies, between hearts.
---
Yu's stitches were still uneven, but they no longer looked like disasters. The thread followed the line with more discipline, the cloth no longer puckering into awkward folds. He leaned back, proud, though sweat dotted his forehead.
Haruka Minami clapped softly from beside him.
"You're getting faster, Yu-chan. Look at this seam compared to last week's—it's much cleaner."
Yu flushed at the praise, ducking his head.
"I-I just copied how you showed me… I still can't get the knot right without tangling it."
"Then we'll practice knots next time,"
Haruka said cheerfully. She bent over his work, her dark braid sliding over her shoulder as she pointed.
"See? You're already halfway there."
Yu smiled despite himself.
"Thank you, Haruka-chan. You're really patient."
Across the room, Isuke Sasaki watched, silent. He stood by a table stacked with fabric swatches, pretending to help two younger girls with hemming. His hands moved deftly—he was skilled, no doubt—but his gaze kept straying to where Yu leaned forward, listening intently to Haruka's soft instructions.
The irritation prickled beneath his skin. It should have been him helping Yu, guiding him. Instead, Yu was smiling at someone else. Again.
By the time club ended, Yu carried a neatly plated dish—egg rolls lined up like golden soldiers, a few too fat but charming in their imperfection. He waved at Haruka on their way out.
"Let's trade feedback again tomorrow, okay?"
She called.
"Okay!"
Yu's voice bubbled with delight. He waved until she disappeared down the hall before spinning toward the gate.
And there was Taichi, wiping his forehead with his jersey collar, bag slung over one shoulder. Yu perked up, clutching the container.
"Taichi! Look, I made this today—"
Taichi's expression softened immediately. He reached to take Yu's bag and the container in one motion, while still carrying his own bag, his hands full but his grin steady.
"You've been working hard again. Let's try it at home together."
Yu brightened, falling into step beside him, their chatter rising with the cicadas as they walked away.
Behind them, just far enough not to be noticed, Isuke lingered at the edge of the schoolyard.
His eyes followed the pair, narrowing. Yu had gotten better—more capable—because of that club. He could see it. But the sight of Yu running to Taichi every evening, face glowing, container in hand…
Something twisted in his chest.
He exhaled slowly, forcing his expression into neutrality.
'He's getting distracted.'
Isuke told himself.
'That's all this is. Distracted by Taichi, distracted by the idea of being a housewife. If he fails midterms, if his scholarship falters, then I'll have to step in. Before it's too late.'
But even as he rationalized, the unease didn't leave him.