After finishing their ice creams and wandering around until the evening, Kamigawa Saku and Chihaya Anon finally parted ways.
Just like that, a new day began.
---
The moment Kamigawa Saku stepped into the classroom the next morning, he felt something was off.
Before he arrived, the room had been lively, with classmates chatting casually.
But as soon as he entered, every conversation abruptly stopped, and all eyes turned toward him.
Normally, Saku wouldn't think much of it. He was used to being noticed—part of the territory when you're one of the most popular students.
But today, the stares felt different.
There was a distinct vibe of... amusement?
"..."
Uncertain about the situation, Kamigawa Saku decided to act as usual. Drawing attention to himself might only make things worse.
He planned to investigate the strange atmosphere later.
On his way to his desk, he passed Kita Ikuyo, who was slumped over on her desk, seemingly asleep.
Not wanting to disturb her, he walked straight to his seat.
After putting away his bag, he pulled out his phone and began scrolling through messages.
The moment he sat down, the classroom seemed to come alive again. Everyone resumed their conversations as if on cue.
But they were speaking in hushed tones, their words too faint for him to catch.
Just as he was considering sending a message in the class group chat to test the waters, Kita Ikuyo suddenly raised her head.
She scanned the room cautiously, and upon spotting Kamigawa Saku at his desk, she quickly stood up and walked over to him.
"Good morning," Kamigawa Saku greeted her as she approached.
As he spoke, he noticed the other students' gazes shifting toward them again.
"Good morning," Kita Ikuyo replied in a low voice.
"Uh… do you know what's going on with our class?"
Lowering his own voice to match hers, Kamigawa Saku asked the question that had been nagging at him.
Kita Ikuyo avoided meeting his eyes, looking visibly guilty as she answered, "Actually, that's why I came over—to explain."
"Alright, I'm all ears."
Setting his phone aside, Kamigawa Saku gave her his full attention.
"Well…"
Kita Ikuyo launched into an explanation, detailing how she had tried to dispel some rumors yesterday afternoon.
It started with her casually addressing Kamigawa Saku as "Senpai" in front of their classmates.
She'd meant to explain why she called him that, but before she could fully clarify, someone mentioned that Kamigawa Saku's birthday was August 5th.
That piece of information flipped the narrative.
Kita Ikuyo's own birthday was April 21st, making her older than Kamigawa Saku by four months.
Learning that she'd been calling someone younger than her "Senpai" only added fuel to the fire.
The class immediately jumped to conclusions, interpreting the nickname as something a couple might use for fun.
Her attempts to clear up the misunderstanding had only made things worse.
Soon, the rumor evolved into an even wilder story—that Kamigawa Saku was two-timing and openly building a harem.
After all, he had left the classroom yesterday with Chihaya Anon, seemingly on a date. And yet, Kita Ikuyo hadn't appeared upset—in fact, she had defended him.
To their classmates, this was clear proof that she had accepted his so-called "harem lifestyle."
"I see…"
After listening to her explanation, Kamigawa Saku finally understood the strange atmosphere in the classroom earlier.
"I'm so sorry! It's all my fault things turned out this way," Kita Ikuyo apologized earnestly.
"It's not your fault," Kamigawa Saku said, waving off her concerns. "It started because I walked out of the classroom with Anon. You were just trying to help clear things up."
"But if I hadn't tried to help, it wouldn't have spiraled this badly," Kita Ikuyo insisted, clearly feeling responsible.
If she hadn't intervened, the rumor might have been limited to him and Chihaya Anon possibly dating—a much easier misunderstanding to dispel.
Instead, it had spread like wildfire, becoming the talk of the entire school.
"It's fine. I know you meant well. Don't beat yourself up over it."
Kamigawa Saku genuinely didn't care about the rumor.
After all, rumors were just that—rumors.
And this one, in particular, was absurd.
The idea that he was in a harem relationship with Chihaya Anon and Kita Ikuyo? It was laughable.
Not only was he actively working toward a single ending, but he also made a conscious effort to maintain appropriate boundaries with both of them… or so he thought.
On second thought, he couldn't completely deny the possibility.
After all, he had pretended to be Kita Ikuyo's boyfriend and gone out with Chihaya Anon.
But even so, those isolated incidents didn't mean they were in a relationship.
"So, what should we do now?" Kita Ikuyo asked, concerned.
Right now, it wasn't about apologizing to him—it was about resolving the rumor.
Kamigawa Saku thought for a moment before asking, "Let me ask you something. Do you care about the rumor itself?"
"Of course I do!" Kita Ikuyo replied immediately.
"If you're worried about how it might affect you and Anon, that's different. But do you care about the part where they say I'm two-timing?"
Kita Ikuyo hesitated briefly before shaking her head. "I don't care about that. What bothers me is the trouble it could cause for you and Anon."
"Then this will be easy to fix."
Kamigawa Saku smiled.
"How?" Kita Ikuyo asked, eager for a solution.
"Simple. We do nothing," Kamigawa Saku replied.
"Nothing?" Kita Ikuyo blinked in disbelief.
"That's right."
Kamigawa Saku nodded confidently.
"Rumors thrive on attention. The more we react, the longer they'll persist. If we ignore it, people will eventually lose interest."
"Is that really how it works?" Kita Ikuyo asked, still unsure.
"It is," Kamigawa Saku assured her. "Look at the internet—no matter how big a story is, it fades away in a few months. This will too."
"I see…"
After thinking it over, Kita Ikuyo realized he was probably right. She let out a sigh of relief.
As long as there was a solution, she was fine with it.
"But this plan won't work unless Anon agrees too," Kamigawa Saku pointed out.
"True," Kita Ikuyo nodded just as Chihaya Anon walked into the classroom, her footsteps light.
Within seconds, she noticed the unusual atmosphere.
"What's going on? Can I join in?"
Chihaya Anon scanned the room before walking over to Kamigawa Saku and Kita Ikuyo.
"Anon, you're just in time!" Kita Ikuyo said urgently.
"What's up?"
Chihaya Anon tilted her head in confusion.
"It's like this…"
Kita Ikuyo repeated the whole story, including Kamigawa Saku's proposed solution.
"Then let's do as Saku suggested—ignore it and wait for it to blow over," Chihaya Anon said with a smile.
Kamigawa Saku looked at her curiously. "You're not bothered by the rumor?"
"Not at all."
Chihaya Anon softly responded.
To be honest, she didn't mind the rumors about her and Kamigawa Saku dating.
In fact, she kind of hoped such rumors would spread.
The reasoning was simple: it would drastically reduce his popularity.
By doing so, she could fend off any random people who might try to flirt with him.
Kamigawa Saku as a single guy and Kamigawa Saku with a rumored girlfriend were two entirely different scenarios.
The former would encourage others to take their chances, while the latter would make many back off.
She was well aware of just how popular Kamigawa Saku was.
So, even though the current rumors weren't exactly the type she wanted, they were still acceptable.
After all, these rumors could still tarnish his reputation and reduce his appeal.
If everyone thought he was a two-timing playboy, they'd be much less inclined to like him.
As for being seen as one of the girls he was "cheating on"?
Chihaya Anon didn't mind at all.
In fact, being misunderstood in this way was actually beneficial to her—it added a layer of ambiguity to their relationship.
Sure, there was Kita Ikuyo to contend with, but that didn't matter.
She and Kamigawa Saku weren't a couple; they were just friends.
So there was nothing to worry about.
---
"Then it's settled," Kamigawa Saku concluded. "Let's just act normal and go about things like usual."
"Alright."
Chihaya Anon and Kita Ikuyo answered in unison.
"By the way, I have a question for you," Chihaya Anon suddenly said, turning toward Kamigawa Saku.
"What is it?" he asked, tilting his head.
"I overheard you asking Kita-chan if she cared about the rumor, and you just asked me the same thing."
Chihaya Anon locked eyes with him before continuing, "So I want to know—what do you think of the rumor?"
"I don't care about it, same as you two," Kamigawa Saku replied without hesitation.
"Doesn't it make you happy, though?" Chihaya Anon teased with a smile. "The rumor says you're building a harem, after all."
"It's just a rumor. It's not like I'm actually two-timing or dating you both," Kamigawa Saku said casually. "There's no reason to care about something so trivial."
For someone dead-set on a single ending, such rumors weren't even worth considering.
Him building a harem?
Yeah, right.
---
By the time afternoon rolled around, their decision to ignore the rumors had only caused them to spread further.
And as rumors tend to do, they grew more exaggerated with each retelling.
The next version Kamigawa Saku overheard wasn't just a simple statement—it had turned into a full-blown narrative.
The story went something like this:
The "transfer student heroine," Chihaya Anon, had switched schools specifically to chase after Kamigawa Saku.
This sparked a "love battle" between her and the "childhood friend heroine," Kita Ikuyo, over him.
In the end, Kamigawa Saku emerged victorious, achieving a harem ending where he dated both girls at once.
"Isn't that straight out of a light novel or galgame?"
Kamigawa Saku internally rolled his eyes as he silently mocked the absurdity of the so-called "harem ending."
Walking out of the school gates, he reminded himself of his priorities.
Today, he had a scheduled meeting with sumimi's manager to discuss the sale of a song.
He needed to take this seriously if he wanted to build a stronger connection with Misumi Uika.