The evening air was cold as Yuuki and Kaito walked in silence. The weight of Mika's words hung between them like a storm cloud ready to break.
"That wasn't me."
It wasn't over.
The picture, the rumors, the carefully orchestrated public humiliation—that was Mika's doing. But the message, the threat, the underlying malice behind it all? That came from someone else.
Someone who hadn't just wanted to stir drama. Someone who wanted control.
Yuuki's eyes were sharp, scanning the empty street as if the answers would materialize in the flickering glow of the streetlights. "Who else have we overlooked?"
Kaito exhaled, his breath visible in the cold night air. "If Mika wasn't the one who sent that message, then someone else has been watching us." His voice was tight. "Someone who wants to keep us apart."
Yuuki's fingers curled into fists. She had always known people envied her. She had always been aware of the whispers that followed her, of the way people either wanted to be her or wanted to bring her down.
But this was different.
This wasn't jealousy. This was possession.
The next day, the atmosphere at school had shifted.
Yuuki felt it the moment she walked through the gates. The stares, the murmurs—they were always there, but now they felt different.
Sharper.
Kaito was already waiting for her by the lockers, his expression unreadable. He didn't say anything, but he didn't have to.
He felt it too.
As Yuuki pulled out her phone, her notifications lit up. A new post on the school forum.
@Anonymous:What does a guy like Kaito have that the Ice Queen would be so obsessed with? Must be nice, being her little pet.
Yuuki's grip on her phone tightened.
Kaito looked over her shoulder, his jaw clenched. "They're not stopping."
Yuuki forced herself to breathe evenly. "No. But we're getting closer."
She turned, scanning the hallway. Someone was watching. Someone was waiting. And if they wanted to keep playing this game…
She was ready.
Kaito had always been good at being invisible. But now, he felt like a moth trapped beneath a magnifying glass.
He had never been the subject of gossip before. Never been someone people talked about, let alone targeted.
And yet, as he sat in class, his phone vibrated again.
Another message.
Unknown Number:She doesn't love you, you know. She's just using you.
His stomach twisted.
Another.
Unknown Number:She gets bored easily. It won't be long before she throws you away.
Kaito's grip on his phone tightened, his pulse hammering in his ears.
And then—
A third.
Unknown Number:But I won't let that happen.
He stiffened.
This wasn't just about rumors anymore. This wasn't just schoolyard gossip spun out of control.
This was someone who knew him. Someone who had been watching him long before this started.
Yuuki's name was being dragged through the dirt, but Kaito… Kaito was being warned.
Someone wasn't just obsessed with Yuuki.
They were obsessed with him.
Yuuki didn't waste time. The moment Kaito showed her the messages, she was already making a plan.
The sender was careful. No names. No clues. But there was one mistake.
They thought they knew Kaito.
And that meant they had been close once.
Yuuki leaned back in her chair, deep in thought. "If this person has been watching you for a while, then they must have been someone you talked to. Someone who noticed when you started hanging around me."
Kaito hesitated. "I… I don't really talk to people."
Yuuki met his gaze. "But someone talks to you"
The realization hit him like a train.
The lingering conversations. The subtle questions. The way someone had always seemed… too interested.
Kaito's blood ran cold.
"Chisato."
Chisato had always been kind. Always quiet, always patient.
Kaito had never thought much of it. He had assumed she was just friendly, just someone who wanted to help.
But now, looking back—
The way she had noticed when he started talking to Yuuki. The way she had warned him, even before the rumors started.
The way she had said, so gently, "Be careful. Yuuki doesn't care about people like us."
It had been there all along.
And he had been too blind to see it.
Yuuki didn't waste time. She found Chisato near the school courtyard, sitting alone on a bench, her phone in her lap.
She didn't look surprised to see them.
Kaito felt his throat tighten. "You sent those messages."
Chisato blinked, then tilted her head. "Why would I do that?"
Yuuki's voice was cold. "Because you think you're protecting him."
For a moment, Chisato was silent. Then, slowly, she smiled. "I don't expect you to understand."
She turned to Kaito, her eyes soft. "I just didn't want you to get hurt."
Kaito's stomach twisted. "By you?"
Chisato's smile faltered. "By her."
Yuuki exhaled, shaking her head. "You never cared about the rumors, did you?"
Chisato's fingers curled around her phone. "People like us… we don't belong with people like her."
Her voice was quiet, but there was something dark beneath it. Something unshakable.
Yuuki met her gaze head-on. "You wanted Kaito to stay invisible."
Chisato didn't deny it.
Kaito felt a shiver crawl down his spine. "How long?" he whispered.
Chisato finally looked at him. And in that moment, Kaito saw it—
The devotion. The desperation. The terrifying, unwavering belief that she had been doing this for him.
Her voice was soft. "Since the first day I met you."
And Kaito realized—
This wasn't love.
This was obsession.
The truth spread quickly. Chisato didn't deny it.
The messages. The anonymous posts. The carefully constructed web meant to isolate him, to push him away from Yuuki, to make him believe that the only person who truly understood him was her.
It unraveled.
And when the storm passed, only one thing remained.
Kaito turned to Yuuki, his voice quiet. "Why did you stay?"
She looked at him for a long moment, her expression unreadable.
Then, finally, she sighed.
"I don't like losing."
A small smile tugged at the corner of Kaito's lips. "Neither do I."
For the first time, the weight felt lighter.
Yuuki smirked. "Then let's win."