"Let's go." Yuu offered his hand to her and they started walking.
Again, much like the hospital Yuu stayed in which is closer to Yuu's house, their school, Asahi Gakuen is closer to their current home. Aoi told him that he specially chose the house not just for its insides, but so they could do stuff like this on their way to school.
The two had started walking with their hands connected and their fingers intertwined, with their bags on the arm opposite of what they're using to hold hands. The distance to the academy is around a 10 minute walk.
"...and you know what Hina did? She destroyed him mentally!"
"Haha— she loves doing that sort of stuff, huh?'
"That's right, I told her to change for the sake of his boyfriend, but she said 'Don't worry, he doesn't care about that one bit!'"
As they were walking, the two were chatting about their friends while laughing together. Hina— Hoshizora Hina is Aoi's best friend and also her childhood friend. She is of course, one of the school's beauties, and for her, she dominates in the "cute" beauty. She has a cute, small physique with short slightly brown hair with darker tips. Apparently Aoi also stated that she had a boyfriend. But, that boyfriend is someone both actually known for 3 years during their whole middle school. That's Kurokami Sora. He is undoubtedly the most beautiful boy in the academy, in fact— he is considered as the Academy's Prince as he had silky beautiful hair and a charming face. He does have a habit of overstyling his hair, hence the nickname Kusokami, but that didn't give any negative effects, just the opposite. It just raised his charm more.
Of course, as the most charming boy in school, he was confessed to by a lot. Although, he had politely rejected all of them. After all, he already had his heart for someone, and that someone is now his girlfriend, Hoshizora Hina.
"Ah— we're here."
After a while of walking and laughing, Yuu had realized that they had already arrived and almost went past the Academy. Both separated in the shoe locker to take their change. Their shoe lockers aren't that far, just 2 rows away. Yuu had finished changing his shoes a few seconds before Aoi does, so Yuu waited for her by the side of the locker.
"Thanks for the wait. Let's go, Yuu."
"Mm."
Yuu took her arm and they started walking, and going up staircases. Yuu had been feeling stares all over them as soon as they left the shoe locker room. He had already expected something like this, but he never expected this much. The stares given to him are so strong that one might break down, but his will and love for Aoi are stronger than that, so he didn't falter.
The two entered their classroom after a while walking up the stairs, both their legs are slightly sore from climbing a few minutes, so they had both gone to their seats, separating their hands. Yuu was closer to the window side, only one row off, but Aoi was completed on the other side of the room.
"Then, remember, Yuu. I don't want our relationship to be too hidden, so don't worry about answering the truth."
Although Yuu had already expected this, and had already experienced it just a few minutes ago, the stares in the classroom were quite strong as well.
"'morning, Kusokami."
"Sharp tongue first thing in the morning, huh?"
Kurokami Sora was just sitting beside him, and the past 2 years as well, so they just got along, and now they're apparently best friends. He didn't even bother asking him their current relationship, after all, he's practically the mastermind of it all, or rather, the cupid. Yuu's other classmates, mainly the boys, is a different problem though. A boy immediately approached him, and it was someone he doesn't even know that much. He does know the name, but… that's about it.
"Hey, hey, Awagami, what was that? Why did you come to school together with Higabana-san?"
The boy took the currently vacant seat beside Yuu and started asking him.
"Hmm… Is that a big of a deal?" remembering their deal, Yuu answered nonchalantly, and quite coldly.
"Of course that is! You aren't even dating!"
"..."
He took a glimpse at the side and saw Aoi looking at him with a gentle smile. 𝘚𝘩𝘦, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳. Is what came to Yuu's mind.
"Haah—" Yuu exasperatedly sighed. "She's not my girlfriend." Is what he answered, and saw Aoi by the side, pouting and slowly walking towards them.
"Actually she'd be mad at me if I call her that."
"That's right." the boy replied to him with a relieved smile.
"After all, she's my…" as Aoi had reached Yuu, he stared at her, eye to eye and he smiled, "...fiancé."
"..." Aoi then went red up the ears due to the sudden surprise attack that Yuu given her, but the real problem is the people around them.
"..."
The whole room went silent for a few seconds, until…
"HAHAHAHAHA—" all of them began bursting in laughter.
"Fiancé? You might still be dreaming, Awagami—" the boy chuckled at him and took a glance at Aoi beside him. "E-Eh?! Higabana-san?!" he had noticed how embarrassed she was and was already visually confused.
"...I did say not to hold back, but I didn't expect you to be so upfront…." Aoi pouted as he looked at them. "Dummy Yuu…." Aoi turned around and swayed her hair and returned to her own group of friends.
The room went silent again as Aoi walked back to her friends, switching their gazes from Aoi to Yuu with a somewhat petrified face.
"... seriously?"
"Seriously."
The same boy who approached Yuu was still shocked, and somehow… heartbroken. He left Yuu, and Sora, who was smirking at Yuu with a devilish face.
"To think that you two had gone that far. I only pulled the strings, planning to get you together and expected to come out as plain, girlfriend-boyfriend, to think you'd go so far as fiancés." Sora was talking in a somewhat annoying voice to Yuu's ear, he had planned to ignore him, but it was something that needed attention.
"Well, it just happened… I guess…."
"Hm?..... So? When's the wedding?"
"10"
"10 months?"
"Years."
"Really…. Then, guess I'll wait for the invitation, for now, let's take homeroom class."
Sora immediately went back to his chair as he looked at his wrist watch.