"Once You Witness School Bullying, You Can No Longer Escape It."
"Because to the victim, bystanders—those so-called third parties—are really no different from the perpetrators."
This was part of a conversation between Kitagawa Ryo and Ichinose Honami. Addressing school bullying had always been a matter the two student council presidents took seriously. Unlike Honami's more diplomatic approach, Ryo—who had firm control over his school—tended to act more decisively.
In the case where Hirata Yosuke's friend was bullied, if Ryo hadn't arrived in time to stop the victim from jumping off the building, both he and Yosuke's lives might have been ruined. What remained a painful memory for the two could easily become nothing more than idle gossip to those involved—reminisced casually at future reunions, dinners, or chats.
They might forget the victim's name, but Ryo hoped they'd at least remember, just as the victim would never forget them.
Using that incident as leverage, Ryo forcibly curbed bullying at his school. It was during this process that he came to understand its true nature.
Perhaps due to that past, Ryo immediately noticed the girl during halftime.
She stood there, flustered from his unexpected response. Her high-class looks leaned toward the cute type, paired with a meek demeanor and a strange aura that seemed to scream "easy to torment."
"No way..."
"Why would he accept..."
"He probably just wants to toy with her."
The girls behind her whispered in disbelief. What had begun as a cruel prank had ended so unexpectedly that even they were stunned. Their confused, jealous remarks made the girl even paler.
"What's your name?"
Ryo—having accepted the sudden confession—took the girl's cold hand, clasping it warmly as if to share his own heat. His black eyes, filled with fire or perhaps twilight's reflection, burned in her sapphire ones.
"K-Karuizawa Kei."
"All right. Then I'll call you Kei, and you can call me Ryo."
Ryo pulled her closer, protectively shielding her as he stepped forward. Smiling at the other girls, he said:
"You must be Kei's friends, right? Since we're from different schools, I'll be counting on you to look after her."
The ringleader froze, but another girl rushed forward eagerly.
"Yes! I'm Kei's best friend! Of course we take care of her! Um, Ryo-senpai, can I follow you on Insta?"
Seeing one of them make a move, the rest swarmed over, all suddenly claiming to be Kei's close friends or clubmates. The chaos left Kei dazed, nervously gripping her yellow skirt and biting her lip. She seemed to want to step forward but lacked the courage.
"Ryo-senpai sure is popular," Hirata Yosuke commented, clicking his tongue. Though attractive himself, he always felt average next to Ryo.
"That guy's name is Kitagawa Ryo?"
Kei timidly asked, sneaking glances at Ryo.
"Yeah."
Yosuke studied her, then leaned in and whispered:
"Are they bullying you?"
"..."
Kei flinched. She first shook her head, then gave a slight nod before forcing a smile.
"N-Not really."
She knew this kind-looking senior couldn't help even if he wanted to. They weren't from the same school. Besides, she had grown used to being bullied over the past two years. The first time, she resisted, but that only brought harsher retaliation. Eventually, she grew numb—even fresh blood didn't faze her anymore.
She glanced back at Ryo. In the past, she had imagined herself as a tail-wagging dog, hoping flattery would save her. But even when she mastered fake smiles and constant apologies, they still found reasons to hate her.
Now she saw herself as something even more insignificant—a parasite.
As Ryo waved her over, she walked robotically toward him. The stares burning into her felt like spotlights. A finger brushed her brow—light and warm, not a slap.
For once, human touch didn't hurt. His strong hand wrapped around her smaller one, shielding her from the world. She could only see his lips moving.
She reminded herself it was just a kind senpai playing along. But still… she longed for the warmth. Like the little match girl, savoring the fleeting spark.
Before she realized it, Ryo had led her out of the stadium. Startled, Kei pulled her hand away, blushing furiously.
"U-Um..."
She looked up to thank him and locked eyes with his gentle smile.
"Hungry? There's a good ramen shop nearby. Want to go, Karuizawa-san?"
"Ah… sure."
His formal tone disappointed her a little, but she quickly recovered and asked softly:
"Just the two of us?"
Perhaps he didn't hear. Instead, he looked around and shouted:
"Honami, over here!"
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At the ramen shop, Honami quickly placed the order with the ease of a regular.
"Two Set A meals. Firm noodles, mild spicy, add vinegar, no cilantro, light broth. For one of them, swap the cold drink for miso soup with kombu and tofu."
Then she turned to Kei. "Karuizawa-san, order whatever you'd like."
Kei, still stunned by Honami's efficiency, just picked the recommended combo without even reading it.
"U-Um, Ichinose-san..."
"You can just call me Honami." Honami gave her a dazzling, harmless smile and took a sip of her drink.
"Hey, I want a cold drink too," Ryo muttered.
"You just exercised. Cold drinks aren't good for your stomach." Honami pushed a steaming bowl of soup his way.
Watching the two of them interact, Kei felt like an outsider. She bowed her head and sipped her sour plum juice.
"Do you like that drink, Kei? This shop's version is really good."
"It's nice," Kei replied nervously.
"I heard you confessed to Ryo after the game?"
Kei froze, clutching her cup. "Y-Yeah, I guess..."
She sneaked glances at Honami's face. Despite having just drunk something, Kei's throat felt dry.
"Ryo's the type girls like—handsome, smart, kind, athletic."
"That sounds weird coming from you," Ryo commented.
"I'm seriously complimenting you."
Kei knew they were avoiding the real issue: that Ryo had accepted her confession.
"You don't need to overthink it. Accepting your confession on the field just seemed like the best choice at the time. You don't have to feel pressured to act like my girlfriend," Ryo said sincerely.
"Once this blows over, just say you dumped me."
"Wouldn't that affect your reputation?"
"I don't care. Plus, I'm heading to the U.S. after summer—boarding school for a year."
"Oh, that's... good," Kei replied. Seeing a flicker of sadness on Honami's face gave her a strange sense of satisfaction.
Their ramen arrived, halting the conversation. Ryo quickly finished his bowl, then pulled out his phone to kill time while the girls continued eating.
"Are you dating Kei now?"
"You accepted her confession on purpose, right?"
"What's so special about her? Date me instead!"
Messages flooded in. To put an end to it, Ryo had an idea.
"Kei, look up."
Kei, overwhelmed by the spicy ramen, looked up just in time to see Ryo push a giant fruit parfait toward her—complete with two heart-shaped straws.
"Ah, thank you..."
She began sipping it, only to freeze when Ryo leaned in and sipped from the other straw.
Then he snapped a photo and whispered:
"Couple... cheese!"
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"Eating ramen with my girlfriend."
He posted the photo with a caption. Then, smiling sheepishly, pushed the parfait closer to Kei.
"Sorry. Breaking up the same day would've been too jarring. This should keep things quieter."
Kei stared at her buzzing phone, then choked on a chunk of fruit. Honami patted her back to help.
"I-I don't mind," Kei said quietly. Truthfully, she was quite pleased.
"If it's Ichinose-san—"
"Call me Honami."
Waving a hand, Honami glanced at Ryo and teased:
"Ryo must have had his reasons. It's just pretend after all."
She wiped her mouth and smiled as usual.
"Besides, I'm not Ryo's girlfriend..."
She paused, then looked straight at Ryo—half joking, half serious:
"Right?"
"Honami, didn't you say back in first grade that you'd marry me when we grew up?"
Ryo casually picked at his nails, speaking as if nothing was unusual.
"That kind of promise doesn't count," Honami replied lazily, resting her chin on her hand.
"My birthday's coming up, you know."
"Didn't you say you were past the age of caring about birthday gifts?"
"Well, what if I suddenly want one this year?"
"..."
Ryo sighed and leaned in close, whispering by her ear:
"Fine, fine. I'll get you a gift."
Whether it was his words or the warm breath against her ear, Honami's face flushed with rare shyness as she muttered:
"Fine then. I'm not mad at you anymore."
Kei stared at the photo on her phone—the one where Ryo was bathed in sunset light. Her quiet social media had exploded with messages. Some confused, some congratulatory, some curious, some explanatory.
She was almost lost in the illusion. That picture felt like its own world—a place she could retreat into. A place where she had a real boyfriend to hug. Even someone as small and insignificant as a parasite could feel soft, innocent, and deserving of love.
That was a feeling she hadn't had in a long, long time.
Then she looked up and saw Ryo whispering into Honami's ear, watched her blush and smile.
Passionate feelings don't prove love's existence. They only show how lonely and bored the people involved were beforehand.
[Story CG: False Love, complete.]