The moment Kaito stepped onto campus the next morning, he felt it. The weight of invisible eyes pressing against him. The hushed murmurs that fizzled out the second he walked past. The way conversations seemed to pivot and shift in his presence.
Something was wrong.
His grip on his backpack tightened. He forced himself to keep walking, to ignore the sudden tightness in his chest. It was probably nothing. He was overthinking. He always overthought things—
A burst of laughter erupted near the entrance to the main hall, and a voice—loud enough for him to hear but quiet enough to pretend it wasn't directed at him—cut through the morning air.
"Guess even the loner type gets desperate sometimes."
"Think she paid him? Or is it the other way around?"
Kaito froze.
He didn't have to turn around to know they were talking about him. He could feel it in the way his skin prickled, in the cold sweat forming at the base of his neck.
Something was very, very wrong.
A vibration in his pocket snapped him out of his haze. He fumbled for his phone, nearly dropping it as he unlocked the screen.
Yuuki [7:45 AM]:Kaito. Have you seen it?
His pulse hammered.
Kaito [7:46 AM]:** *Seen what?
The reply came almost instantly.
Yuuki [7:46 AM]:** *Go online.
Kaito swallowed hard. His fingers felt stiff as he switched to his browser. The moment he tapped open the university forum, the words punched him straight in the gut.
"Loner Boy and the Ice Queen? No way."
"Friends with benefits? She could do so much better."
"Look at the way she's leaning in. You think they did it after?"
Kaito's vision blurred. His chest tightened, breaths coming in short, uneven bursts. He clicked one of the links, and there it was—
A photo.
Of him and Yuuki. Sitting in the café yesterday.
His hands clenched so tightly around his phone that his knuckles turned white.
Someone had taken their picture. Someone had posted it online.
And now the entire school was eating it up like some kind of sick joke.
---
By the time he found Yuuki, she was standing by the vending machines near the literature department, her arms crossed, her expression unreadable. But Kaito could see the tension in her shoulders, the way her nails dug into the fabric of her sleeves.
She had seen everything.
She was trying not to let it show, but he could tell.
"They won't shut up about it," he muttered.
Yuuki exhaled slowly. "Of course they won't. People love gossip. It makes their lives more interesting."
Kaito ran a hand through his hair, frustration bubbling beneath his skin. "This isn't just gossip. They're saying—" His throat closed up. He couldn't even repeat it.
Yuuki's eyes flickered with something sharp. "I know what they're saying."
Kaito looked away. His heart pounded painfully against his ribs. "Who would even do this?"
Yuuki didn't answer right away. She glanced around, as if making sure no one was close enough to listen, before lowering her voice.
"Someone wanted this to spread. It wasn't just a random post."
Kaito frowned. "What do you mean?"
Yuuki's jaw tightened. "The account that posted the photo—it's new. No previous posts, no name, nothing. Just that one picture."
Kaito's stomach twisted. A throwaway account. Made just for this.
Someone had planned this.
But who?
And why?
The whispers followed them throughout the day.
People stared. Some snickered. Others didn't even bother lowering their voices.
By lunchtime, Kaito felt like he was suffocating.
Yuuki didn't look fazed—not on the surface, at least. But Kaito knew better.
She had never been the type to care what people thought of her. But this? This was different.
This wasn't just about her reputation.
This was an attack.
And someone had gone out of their way to make it happen.
The first real clue came at the end of the day.
Kaito was walking toward the library when a voice stopped him.
"I wouldn't trust her if I were you."
He turned sharply. A boy stood leaning against the railing of the second-floor walkway, arms crossed, watching him with a smirk.
Kaito recognized him immediately.
Ryo.
One of the more popular guys in their year. Always surrounded by people. Always talking too loud, laughing too hard.
And always, always looking down on people like Kaito.
"What are you talking about?" Kaito asked, his voice colder than he expected.
Ryo chuckled. "Just saying, maybe you shouldn't get too comfortable. Ice queens like her? They don't melt for guys like you."
Kaito's hands curled into fists. "You know something about this, don't you?"
Ryo grinned. "Who, me? Just a concerned citizen."
Bullshit.
Kaito didn't know how, but Ryo was involved.
And if he was involved, that meant—
His stomach turned.
Yuuki had said someone wanted this to spread.
And now Kaito was starting to understand why.
This wasn't just a random rumor.
This was a setup.
And Yuuki wasn't the only target.
They were coming after him, too.
Yuuki's expression didn't change when he told her about Ryo.
She just sighed, rubbing her temples like she was already exhausted. "Of course it's him."
Kaito hesitated. "You think he's behind it?"
Yuuki didn't answer immediately. Instead, she pulled out her phone and tapped at the screen before turning it toward him.
A new post.
"Guess Ice Queen isn't so cold after all. Maybe she just needed the right company."
Kaito's blood ran cold.
The post had gone up just minutes ago.
Ryo was watching them.
And he wanted them to know.
Then, Yuuki's phone vibrated.
Another message.
Her fingers hovered over the screen. Kaito could see it in her eyes—the moment hesitation flickered in her usually sharp gaze.
"What is it?" he asked.
Yuuki swallowed, then turned the screen toward him.
The message was from an unknown number.
"Stay away from Kaito. Unless you want the next rumor to be worse."
Kaito's breath caught in his throat.
Yuuki exhaled, closing her phone with a soft click.
She wasn't scared.
She was furious.
"This isn't just some petty gossip," she murmured. "They want something."
Kaito felt something cold coil in his stomach. "What do we do?"
Yuuki's gaze turned to the crowd of students walking past, to the people whispering behind their hands, to the eyes that followed them wherever they went.
And then, slowly, she smiled.
Not her usual, composed smirk.
A sharper one.
Like a blade being drawn.
"We find out who's behind this."
Kaito swallowed.
And then what?
Yuuki's expression darkened.
Whatever it was, it wouldn't be pretty.