The Ultimates

Thirty-Five

The moment Nagito and I pulled into school together, it seemed everyone had their eyes on us. It was common for people to stare at us, namely me, as we did work in the café, but there was something off about these stares. They felt far more gossipy, as if we were under investigation. Nagito seemed just as confused by the stares, but he didn't comment on them either.

When we walked through the school halls, it seemed a majority of the girls were staring at us, along with some guys. They were not-so-subtly spying on us, as if they were waiting for something exciting to happen. There wasn't anything to be excited about, as far as I was aware. Byakuya was always sure to tell us if anything new changed at the café, so it couldn't have been an Ultimate thing.

That had to have meant their stares had something to do with Nagito and I, even though nothing was out of the ordinary. We were walking to class the same way we did every morning. Their stares were obnoxiously annoying. Neither of us had done anything worth gossiping over, so there was no reason for people to stare at us with such intense eyes.

By the time we'd made it to the classroom, I could feel my irritation hit its peak.

"It would seem as if a vast amount of contemplation is surrounding the two of you," Gundham claimed as we sat in our seats.

"Contemplation?" Nagito questioned.

"Has the news yet to spread to either of you?"

"What news?"

"When the two of you consumed your lunch on the rooftop the prior day, someone caught the two of you in the middle of kissing and snapped a photograph. It would seem everyone now knows of your two's involvement with each other."

"What?" he exclaimed. "Who was it?"

"That is unclear."

"Can you use your dark powers to figure it out?" I deadpanned.

"My powers do not work in that manner. If I were to know, I would tell you."

"Thanks," I sighed.

Looking around the classroom, it didn't seem like anyone was upset over the news. Most of the people who stared at us were smiling and giggling in excitement rather than mocking us.

"If anyone were to bother you over these pictures, be sure to let Sonia or myself know. My Dark Queen would never let anyone ever hurt either of you, I swear upon that," Gundham declared.

"E-excuse me, please," Nagito said, running out of the classroom.

I quickly chased after him, following him into the empty men's room. "Nagito," I called out, knowing he was hiding in one of the stalls. I reached out and knocked on the door. "Nagito. Are you okay?"

"No," he whimpered.

"Please open the door." Nagito didn't. "Will you please tell me what's wrong?"

"If news is spreading around about us, then it's only a matter of time before Mr. Nevermind finds out about you and demands to meet you."

"It's going to be okay."

"He's going to put you through hell!" he exclaimed. "He's going to hate you. I already know he will. You have no status or money or anything he considers valuable in a person, so he will not accept you as my boyfriend. I can't put you through that."

"You are not the one who will be putting me through that," I stated, pressing my hands against the stall border. "He is, and there's nothing you can do to prevent that. But that doesn't matter. I love you, and whatever he says will not prevent me from loving you more. I won't ever stop wanting to be with you. Nothing he says can change my mind."