Saito Masato. A name that's never new to one's ear.
A third-year student who wasn't merely respected because he's a senior. He was, without exaggeration, one of the most popular students in the entire academy.
With naturally handsome features, a warm personality and an effortlessly charming smile, Saito attracted attention wherever he went. His academic record consistently ranked among the very top of the school, and he had been voted multiple times as the academy's student representative. Teachers praised his intelligence, while students admired his leadership, kindness, and ability to get along with virtually anyone.
To many of the boys, he was someone worth looking up to. And to many of the girls... he was the school's undisputed heartthrob. Some squealed at the mere sight of him. Others openly confessed their feelings despite already knowing the answer. And quite a few cried after being rejected.
"So... he's basically the school's Prince."
Renjiro rested his fingers against his chin as he walked down the hallway after lunch, recalling everything he had learned.
"I think he's even more popular than the President," Sato added while absengmindedly flipping through a colorful school magazine.
"Hm?"
Renjiro glanced over. "What's that?"
"Oh, this?"
Sato lifted the magazine for him to see. It was a special publication created by the Journalism Club every semester. Filled with student interviews, rankings, club highlights, and popularity polls, it had become especially popular among the female students.
Several familiar faces decorated its glossy pages.
[Kaito Yugen "the dignified council President."
.
.
.
Abeno Touya "the soft hearted and reliable Vice-president."
.
.
.
Kawaguchi Yukio "the mysterious beauty student council Secretary."]
Including club captains, top athletes. And, taking up an entire two page spread...
[Saito Masato "the campus Prince."]
"They actually make something like this?" Renjiro asked with a raised eyebrow, as he took the magazine and casually flipped through its pages.
Each spread featured polished photographs, short biographies, favorite foods, hobbies, and even quote from the students they must've said somewhere.
Renjiro stared blankly for a second before letting out a quiet scoff. What a complete waste of perfectly good paper...
Rolling an eye as he continued turning the pages. People really worship handsome faces like they're some gods.
The bitter thought lingered in his mind.
Although if he were being completely honest, even Renjiro had to admit that Saito looked ridiculously good in every angle and single photograph. That realization only made him click his tongue in annoyance before quickly shutting the magazine and handing it back to Sato.
Somehow, he was holding a grudge about the matter of food reservation only favoring handsome men.
The bell echoed throughout the academy, signaling the end of another school day. Outside, the afternoon sky had begun to surrender to the warm hues of sunset, painting the horizon in brilliant shades of orange and gold. Sunlight streamed through the long hallway windows, casting gentle amber light across the polished floors and stretching long shadows along the corridor.
Renjiro slung his bag lazily over one shoulder and stepped out of his classroom with an unhurried pace. He let out a small yawn, already thinking about returning to the dormitory to relax after the day's lectures, and read some BL manga.
The atmosphere was peaceful, accompanied only by the distant chatter of studenta and the occasional laughter echoing through the building.
Then rapid footsteps broke the tranquility echoing sharply through the corridor, growing louder with every passing second as someone hurried toward him.
"Koizumi-kun!"
The urgent voice caused Renjiro to stop in his tracks.
He turned around just in time to see a familiar figure jogging over his way from the opposite end of the hallway.
Masato slowed to a stop once he reached him, brushing a few loose curls away from his forehead as he caught his breath. Despite having apparently searched half the campus for him, his expression remained effortlessly bright, wearing the same dazzling smile that seemed permanently etched onto his face.
Renjiro stared at him for a moment before raising a curious eyebrow.
If I do remember he's that so called Prince senior.
"Ah...Saito-senpai."
He shifted the strap of the bag higher onto his shoulder. "Can I help you?"
Masato let out a soft chuckle, shoulders relaxing now that he'd finally found the person he had been looking for.
"Oh?"
The corners of his lips lifted a little higher. "So you know who I am after all."
There was a playful tease hidden beneath his words.
Renjiro blinked once. Then, almost imperceptibly, rolling his eyes slightly turning his body to the side.
"...Yes, I do." his reply was flat and noticeably lacking enthusiasm.
Thanks to that magazine Hirota showed me earlier.
The disinterest in his voice couldn't have been more obvious if he had tried. Yet Masato didn't seem offended in the slightest, and his smile only grew softer. Without saying another word, he simply stood there quietly observing Renjiro.
His dark eyes slowly wandered from the top of Renjiro's head down to his shoes before drifting back up again, as though carefully studying every little detail about him.
The silence stretched. Renjiro shifted his weight uneasily.
[??]
A strange feeling began creeping beneath his skin. Goosebumps slowly traveled down his arms before a faint shiver ran the length of his spine. There wasn't anything openly threatening about Masato's expression, if anything, he looked perfectly friendly.
Somehow that made it even stranger. The upperclassman's smile never faltered while his eyes never left Renjiro. And the longer that gaze lingered, the more uncomfortable the boy became.
What does this guy want from me? He wondered, resisting the urge to take a cautious step backward and run for it.
...And why is he looking at me like that? Creepy.
[...]
[...]
I'm just going to leave.
That was the only thought running through Renjiro's mind. Whatever this strange encounter was, he wanted no part of it.
"Well then," he said, adjusting the strap of the bag onto his shoulder, "I'll be going now, senpai. I have something to take care of back at the dorms."
Without waiting for a response, he took a step forward or rather he tried to. Before his foot could even touch the floor, a shadow suddenly darted across his vision.
Whoosh!
It happened so fast that Renjiro barely registered it. One moment the upperclassman had been standing a few steps away, and the next he was directly in front of him, effortlessly cutting off his path.
[!!]
Renjiro's eyes widened in alarm.
"W-What the...?!"
He instinctively stumbled back half a step, heartbeat skipping from the sudden movement.
Masato simply stood there with the exact same gentle, pleasant smile he'd been wearing since approaching him. Only now it didn't feel friendly anymore.
Renjiro could sense something was not right. This wasn't just some casual greeting after school... no, it was different. Masato had deliberately blocked the hallway.
Does he have a reason? Only one way to find out.
There was more than enough room for Renjiro to walk around him, yet somehow it felt as though every possible route had already been closed off. The atmosphere itself had changed, becoming strangely tense despite the calm expression.
The realization settled heavily in Renjiro's chest. Masato wants something from him.
Clicking a tongue under his breath, Renjiro slowly folded his arms across the chest before meeting Masato's gaze head-on.
"Do you need something from me, senpai?"
His voice was calm, yet almost cold.
While Masato blinked innocently before tilting his head to the side. "Hm?"
"What do you mean?"
Renjiro's eyebrow twitched. "I mean..." he let out an exasperated sigh.
"...You wouldn't usually block someone else's way unless you have something to say to me now, do you?"
His sharp eyes never left Masato's face.
"So, what is it?"
For the first time since the conversation began, Masato's smile subtly changed. It became less gentle, a mischievous glimmer quietly surfaced within his dark eyes. He noticed that answer confirmed something he had only suspected until now.
Renjiro was unusually perceptive. He could read the situation with remarkable accuracy.
"You figured that out already, huh?" Masato asked with a faint chuckle.
"Well, obviously!"
Renjiro's reply came immediately, suppressed irritation seeped into his tone. "You weren't exactly being subtle."
Masato laughed quietly... it was almost as if the response itself pleased him.
Now that the conversation had reached this point, there was no reason to continue circling around the topic. He looked directly into Renjiro's eyes.
"There have been quite a few rumors going around lately."
His tone became noticeably steadier. "...About Yano Makato."
Renjiro blinked.
"Eh?"
Masato continued as though he hadn't noticed the interruption.
"Most people believe he's been spending a lot of time with a girl."
"They're saying he even broke off his arranged engagement because he fell in love with someone else."
He then paused briefly.
"The rumor is that he chose his girlfriend over the fiancée his family selected."
"..."
Renjiro merely stared at him.
Masato, however, continued watching him with quiet fascination. His eyes seemed impossibly deep, like an unopened box filled with countless secrets waiting to be revealed.
Then he spoke the next sentence with complete confidence. "But... they're wrong."
His smile slowly returned. "It's not a girlfriend cause it's actually... a boyfriend, am right?"
[!!]
Renjiro's entire body stiffened. His pupils contracted ever so slightly.
How?!...
For the briefest moment, genuine surprise flashed across his face before he forced himself to remain calm.
Yukio and Makato had gone to great lengths to keep their relationship hidden, not only from the student body but from their own families as well. Almost no one knew the truth.Yet somehow... Masato had figured it out.
Has he always been this observant...?
Renjiro could practically feel cold sweat gathering at the back of his neck.
No. He can't find out!
If Masato discovered that Renjiro had been the one secretly helping students resolve their relationship problems, especially helping two boys together, his peaceful school life would be over.
His identity as the self-proclaimed Fudanshi would become public knowledge. People would never stop talking about him.
Absolutely no way. He clenched his back, forcing himself to smile awkwardly.
"B-Boyfriend?"
He tilted his head with practiced ignorance. "...What's that?" voice sounded almost too innocent, as though he had never even heard the word before.
His eyes casually drifted away from the annoying upperclassman's face.
Masato noticed every tiny movement right from the moment Renjiro avert his gaze, to the way he hesitate and act overly clueless.
It all screamed to one conclusion. He's lying.
"So..." his smile deepened ever so slightly. "This is getting more interesting than I thought."
The words were spoken almost to himself. Yet it was enough to sent another chill crawling down Renjiro's spine.
The sun had nearly disappeared beyond the horizon, and the warm orange glow that had filled the corridor was slowly fading into the cool blue of early evening. And the longer Renjiro stood there, the more he felt like wasting precious time.
He subtly shifted a weight onto one foot.
This guy's onto something. I have to get out of here!
His thoughts raced frantically, searching for any excuse or opening that would let him escape this increasingly bizarre conversation. Every instinct he had was telling him to leave before Masato asked another question.
Making up his mind, Renjiro remained silent and took a step to love past the upperclassman.
He barely made it half a step, when without warning a hand shot forward.
Grab.
Masato seized Renjiro firmly by the arm before he could slip away.
"...!"
Renjiro flinched. The grip was unexpectedly strong. Far stronger than he had to imagine.
His fingers tightened around Renjiro's sleeve with surprising desperation, as though he genuinely couldn't allow him to leave.
"Ugh..." a quiet groan escaped Renjiro's lips.
He instinctively tried to pull his arm away, twisting his wrist and taking a step backward. But Masato's grip didn't budge in the slightes. He tugged once more with little force, still, it was as if the young man had anchored him in place.
Realizing resistance was pointless, Renjiro let out an irritated sigh before lifting a gaze toward the senior. His brows contort tightly together.
"Senpai," said with a noticeably lower tone of voice, "you're hurting me."
The words came through slightly gritted teeth as he tried his best not to show how uncomfortable the tight grip actually was. For a brief moment, Masato lowered his head.
Silence hung between them. Then slowly looked back up. And somehow, his entire expression had changed, gone was the mischievous smile from only moments ago.
Instead, his features softened into something unexpectedly fragile. His eyebrows curved together in exaggerated concern, while his dark eyes shimmered as though they had suddenly become clouded with sadness. There was a delicate vulnerability in his expression, almost like a heartbroken heroine from a romance drama.
Anyone unaware of the situation would have immediately believed he was the victim. If the countless girls who admired Masato had witnessed that expression, they would have undoubtedly rushed to comfort him, some perhaps even bursting into tears at the sight of their beloved senior looking so pitiful.
Renjiro, however, felt absolutely none of that and instead, a wave of secondhand embarrassment washed over him as his face visibly scrunched up in disgust.
"..."
He instinctively leaned his upper body backward, putting as much distance between himself and Masato as the older boy's grip would allow.
...Seriously! What is up with this guy?
The overly dramatic expression was so painfully obvious that it made Renjiro want to recoil on instinct.
"Please wait, Koizumi-kun."
Masato's voice softened noticeably, carrying an almost pleading tone that contrasted sharply with the firm grip he still had on the underclassman's arm. "I didn't come here for you to pick a fight."
"Oh, are you?" he slowly raised an eyebrow. The skepticism in Renjiro's voice couldn't have been more obvious.
Masato forced a small, helpless smile, the corners of his lips curling upward as his brows drew together in exaggerated disappointment.
"You don't believe me?..."
Renjiro didn't answer immediately. Instead, he simply stared at him with an expression so cold and unconvinced that it practically answered the question for him.
There wasn't a trace of trust in his eyes, only bitter suspicion enough to be doubtful.
Is there even a reason that I should?
Masato let out a long defeated sigh, shoulders dropped over so slightly as though genuinely discouraged by the indifferent reaction. Despite how everything had unfolded so far, he truly hadn't approached the younger student with any malicious intentions.
Or at least that's what he'll say to explain himself.
You're the one who's upset?!
Renjiro screamed internally as he watched the other guy loomed his shoulders even more and looking dejected.
Finally, Masato loosened his grip and decided to release Renjiro's arm altogether before taking half a step back, giving the boy a little space.
He cleared his throat, the playful atmosphere from earlier disappearing completely. When he spoke again, his voice carried an unusual sincerity.
"I actually came because there's something I need to tell you." he hesitated for the briefest moment, "So... will you hear me out for a minute?"
Both their eyes met each others directly.
Renjiro instinctively tightened his grip around the strap of his school bag. "I don't know."
His cautious gaze never left Masato. "...That depends."
The hallway fell quiet once more. A dozen possibilities immediately flooded Renjiro's mind.
Fine, I'll spare you some time to hear you out. What is he going to say?
But then, a far more horrifying possibility surfaced Renjiro gasped sharply. Wait a second...! It couldn't be... His face subtly stiffened.
It's not a confession, is it?
The mere thought send a chill through his entire body.
No. There's no way...!
They had only properly spoken to each other today. There was absolutely no logical reason for something like that to happen. Even so, Renjiro couldn't stop his imagination from running wild.
He gulped down hard. Please, anything but that.
After all, he'd rather expose all his secrets than suddenly be confess to in the middle of the hallway. His expression remained outwardly calm, but deep inside, he's already preparing himself for every possible disaster—especially the one he desperately hoped would never come.