The following morning at Seishin High, the atmosphere in class 2-A was… different.
Not drastically so—no fights had broken out, no desks had been flipped—but the energy had shifted. There was an unspoken tension in the air, an undercurrent of curiosity and speculation. Whispered conversations passed between students like a rumor spiraling out of control.
And the focus of that attention?
Aori Kazuyuki and Chiyo.
Aori ignored it.
He had no interest in whatever ridiculous assumptions people were making. He already knew how his classmates thought—any girl who spoke to him longer than five seconds was automatically assumed to be either in love with him or about to fall for him. It was exhausting.
But Chiyo?
She noticed. And she found it annoying.
Seated at her desk, chin resting on her hand, she let out an audible tsk as she caught another girl sneaking a glance at her before whispering to her friend.
“What''s with this damn vibe?” she muttered.
The girl next to her flinched.
“You really don’t get it?” she whispered back. “You’re the only girl who’s ever talked back to Kazuyuki-kun like that.”
Chiyo blinked. “...That’s it?”
The girl nodded rapidly, as if it were obvious.
Chiyo scoffed. “Tch. I just said what I was thinking. What, is that a crime here?”
The girl paled. “You make it sound so simple…”
Chiyo leaned back, arms crossed. She had never understood the obsession people had with rich kids. Sure, Aori looked decent—too pretty for a guy, in her opinion—but his personality? A solid zero in her book. Cold, distant, and worst of all, boring.
And yet…
She stole a glance his way.
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He sat there, unfazed as ever, eyes half-lidded in boredom.
It pissed her off again.
She wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because he wasn’t reacting at all to any of this.
Before she could get lost in her irritation, the teacher walked in.
"Alright, settle down. We’ll be continuing from yesterday’s lesson."
Aori sighed internally. Finally, a moment of peace—
BZZZT.
A loud vibration from his phone cut through the silence.
Everyone turned.
Aori frowned slightly, pulling the device from his pocket. It wasn’t common for someone to message him during class.
Unknown Number:
Did you miss me?
His eyes narrowed. Who the hell—
Unknown Number:
Don’t ignore me, brat. Pick up the call after class.
Aori locked his phone immediately.
His irritation, which had been directed at Chiyo earlier, shifted entirely.
“Something wrong?” a voice whispered from behind.
Aori glanced over his shoulder to see Hayato, one of the few people he actually tolerated in this school.
“Nothing,” Aori muttered.
But Hayato didn’t buy it. His gaze flickered to Aori’s gripped phone.
"...You sure?"
Aori didn’t answer.
---
Lunchtime.
Aori walked down the empty hallways, far from the crowded cafeteria, as he stared at his phone.
He had gotten three more messages from the unknown number.
Each one more annoying than the last.
Unknown Number:
You’re still ignoring me?
That’s not very smart of you, Aori Kazuyuki.
Pick. Up.
He exhaled sharply and clicked the number. Calling…
The line rang twice before a voice finally spoke.
“Well, well, took you long enough.”
Aori’s grip tightened.
That voice.
It had been years since he last heard it.
“...What do you want?” Aori asked flatly.
A small chuckle. “That’s how you greet family? Rude.”
Aori’s blood ran cold.
Family?
“Tch. Don’t play dumb,” the voice continued. “I know we haven’t seen each other in a while, but let’s not pretend I don’t exist.”
Aori’s fingers twitched slightly.
This wasn’t happening right now.
Not at school.
Not in the middle of his already annoying day.
“I’m hanging up.”
“Oh? Are you? Even after I came all this way?”
Aori froze.
"...What?"
A short silence. Then—
“I’m in Tokyo, little bro. We should catch up.”
The call ended.
Aori stood there, staring at his screen.
His older brother was back.
And that was not a good thing.
---
Meanwhile, in the Cafeteria…
Chiyo sat with her legs crossed, sipping on a juice box, completely unaware of Aori’s situation.
She was, however, very aware of the side-eyes and whispers she was still getting.
It was starting to piss her off.
“Yo.”
Hayato slid into the seat across from her, looking as carefree as ever.
“You really shook the whole class yesterday.”
She gave him a bored look. “And?”
Hayato grinned. “And now half the school is wondering what’s gonna happen next.”
Chiyo sighed, rubbing her temple. “This place is full of weirdos.”
Hayato laughed. “You’ll get used to it.”
Chiyo rolled her eyes. Not likely.
But even as she complained, she noticed something.
Aori hadn’t been in the cafeteria at all today.
Which was unusual, given how much he hated getting involved with people.
Where the hell did he go?
---
That Night – Kazuyuki Residence
Aori sat in his dimly lit room, phone in hand.
Another message had come through.
Unknown Number:
See you soon, little bro.
Aori clenched his jaw.
His older brother was back.
And nothing good ever followed when he was involved.
---
Later that night, Chiyo lay in bed, scrolling through her phone, mindlessly checking messages.
Her classmates had finally stopped talking about her—at least, to her face—but the day had left her exhausted.
Still, there was one thing she couldn’t shake.
Aori Kazuyuki.
Or, more specifically…
The way he looked today.
She hadn’t paid much attention at first, but something about him had felt off. Usually, he was cold, dismissive, annoyingly composed. But today…
There had been something else in his eyes.
Something tired.
She hated
how she noticed.
“Ugh.” She rolled onto her side, stuffing her face into her pillow.
She didn’t care.
She really didn’t care.
But even as she tried to sleep, the thought lingered.
What the hell was bothering that guy?