There are three areas in which Seiryuu High is great: exams, club rivalry, and spreading whispers into wildfires.
Kaito Fujimura's life had become the third by Monday morning.
It began in locker room whispers.
"Have you seen Kanzuki and Fujimura at the mall?"
"I heard they had coffee. By itself."
She touched his shoulder! I saw her!"
"Maybe he's blackmailing her?"
"No way. He's her secret boyfriend. You can tell."
And then the photos arrived.
Grainy. Close-up. One of them caught them in front of a bookstore. Another of them walked side by side with them, Arisa smiling over something Kaito had just said. The worst photo: Kaito holding shopping bags beside Arisa like some oddly stylish bodyguard-slash-boyfriend.
The captions didn't help.
Queen and Pawn
"The Accessory Boy!"
"Did Arisa Kanzuki end up falling for some nobody?"
The school was in complete meltdown by the third period.
So,
Kaito could hardly make his way down the corridor without noticing dozens of eyes boring into his back.
Inside his desk in school, he discovered a note neatly folded: "Enjoy sitting on the hot seat while it lasts."
He did not know the handwriting.
A person had posted in the cafeteria a cartoon of him with a tiara on, clutching designer purses.
To his amazement, Arisa peeled off the sticker in silence, wadded it up, and went about as if nothing mattered.
However, the difference was made.
To everyone else.
The change in energy could not be overlooked.
Arisa's name, once spoken in awe, is now spoken with suspicion. She heard it in the change of tone from her classmates' admirers, who have turned into critics. Allies in the council are sending abbreviated remarks. Jealous friends side-eyeing her in the school corridors.
And central to everything, of course, he was.
The invisible boy who had mysteriously found himself in the inner court of the queen.
Hikari, of course, did nothing to stop the fire.
She didn't start the rumours.
She just… let them breathe.
She made no public accusations. But her expression said everything when asked. A slight frown. A raised brow. A vague, "I'm sure they have their reasons."
It was enough.
And it stung.
Even Aya was distant again, watching him carefully like she was waiting for a confession that still hadn't come.
By Wednesday, it boiled over.
They were in gym class, playing basketball—because nothing tests teenage patience like competitive sports and unresolved romantic tension.
Kaito tried to keep a low profile, sticking to passes and defence, praying for the bell to ring.
But Ren Tanaka had other plans.
He moved like a shadow—fast, precise, silent. Every pass of the ball ended up back in his hands.
Every glance between teammates was directed by his presence.
And his eyes?
Locked on Kaito.
Kaito tried to pretend he didn't notice.
It didn't work.
Ren finally stopped mid-play, catching a pass and spinning on his heel.
"Fujimura," he called, voice sharp.
Kaito froze.
Everyone turned.
Ren tossed the ball once in his palm. "Let's settle something."
"Settle what?" Kaito asked, wiping sweat from his brow.
Ren stepped closer, throwing the ball to Kaito hard. "You and Kanzuki. You think you're clever, sneaking around? Playing in the shadows?"
Kaito caught the ball, startled. "That's none of your business."
"She's a public figure. She leads the council. Everything she does is public. And dragging her into whatever game you're playing—it's reckless."
Kaito's temper flared. "You don't know what you're talking about."
Ren stepped closer. "Don't I? Because lately, I've been losing time. I see flashes. Moments I don't remember. A conversation I had that didn't happen. A shot I missed that I made. And you're always nearby."
A hush fell across the court.
Ren's voice dropped to a snarl. "I don't know what you're doing to her. But I know it's you."
Kaito stared, breath caught.
Then said, "You think I'm manipulating Arisa?"
"I think you're hurting her."
The words hit like a punch.
Kaito stepped forward now, the basketball falling to the ground with a thud. "You don't get to decide what she feels. Or who she chooses to trust."
"You think she trusts you? You're a pawn."
"And you're jealous."
Ren's fist clenched. "What did you just say?"
"You liked her. Maybe still do. But she never picked you."
The air crackled.
Ren took a swing.
Kaito ducked.
The two crashed to the gym floor in a mess of limbs and shouts as students screamed and teachers ran in.
It didn't last long—just enough to get both of them dragged apart, breathing hard, bruises already forming.
Principal Saito was less than amused.
"You've never been in trouble before, Fujimura," he said, flipping through his file. "And now? Fights? Rumors? Disruption?"
Kaito sat, bruised cheek swelling slightly. He didn't speak.
"Care to explain?"
Kaito opened his mouth, paused, then said, "It's complicated."
The principal sighed. "It always is."
He was suspended for a day. Ren too.
But the damage wasn't done in the office.
It was done in the court of public opinion.
By evening, #KaitoFujimura was trending on the school's private message boards.
Half the school thought he was a hero for standing up to Ren.
The other half thought he was a manipulator, dragging Arisa down.
But one thing was clear—
There was no going back to being invisible.
Not anymore.
That night, he sat alone in the park near his apartment, watching the wind stir the cherry blossoms.
His phone buzzed.
[Arisa Kanzuki]
You okay?
[Kaito]
I don't know. Maybe. Ren knows too much.
[Arisa Kanzuki]
So do you.
He stared at that for a long time.
Then she sent another.
Want company?
He didn't reply right away.
But a few minutes later, she sat down beside him.
No words.
Just the two of them. Bruised. Tired. Quiet.
Two people caught in a timeline bigger than themselves.