A True LOVE [ Yandere-kun X Male Rivals ]

[7] You help me, I help you

"What was that?"

Ayato muttered to himself as he checked his phone while walking to their usual meeting spot. Last night, during dinner, his mother scolded him for using his phone and confiscated it, preventing him from checking his messages until the next morning.

While studying the cryptic message, Ayato found himself confused about its nature. It originated from an unknown number that is impossible to trace. Moreover, the follow-up on their promise—the location for their meeting—was still pending.

In all honesty, Ayato had nothing to hide. He didn't carry any particular secrets unless you considered Osano's secret interesting enough to warrant such a text. Squinting at the message, a particular section disturbed him.

"I know what you are."

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

Ayato sighed as he spotted his friends ahead, putting away his phone. There was no need to worry about that for now. He'd figure it out when the time came. What was the worst that could happen? Maybe he caught someone's interest, or perhaps it was malware. Who knows? When it came down to it, he'd handle it.

Approaching the two, he noticed their expressions. Osano seemed much more relieved, possibly due to sharing his secret, and he looked happier than he did in days. On the other hand, Ayato was surprised to see Taro on time as the boy gently smiled at him.

"Morning, Ayato," Taro called out.

"Morning," Ayato replied.

Osano's face turned confused as he glanced between the two. "Since when were you guys on first-name basis?"

Taro smiled at Osano as the three resumed walking. "Ayato told me that you guys call each other by your first names, so I figured it would only be fair if he called me by my personal name, too."

"Huh?" Osano sounded confused until his mind wandered back to yesterday. Now that he thought about it, Ayato would continuously call him by his first name, but at the time, he was too distraught to comprehend it. Realization sunk in, and Osano felt his cheeks burning up. "I-I see...that's nice...."

"Isn't it?" Taro beamed, "It seems like we've all grown close these past few days. It's nice to see it. At least that means we can rely on each other during this school year."

Ayato nodded. If what Taro said was true, then it seemed he was doing his part as a friend. He was somewhat glad to hear he was blending in after putting in all that effort.

"A-anyways!" Osano continued, feeling embarrassed about the topic. "Did you guys remember? Today, we're getting a new teacher!"

"Oh yeah," Taro recalled. "I heard he was new to the school, right? I wonder what he's like."

Osano grinned, his eyes sparkling as if he held a golden treasure, "You're going to be surprised."

"Why?" Taro looked at him in confusion. "Is he famous or something?"

"Well," Osano began, proudly sharing the information he gathered. "I heard about it from Raibaru, but it turns out the teacher is really young. He's closer to our age than any of the other teachers."

"So, he's young. What's special about that?"

"Oh, you poor fool," Osano shook his head. "Do you think that's the only thing that keeps people talking? From what I've gathered, he is popular at every school he teaches. They say his looks are out of this world, and his voice is even better. Can you imagine?"

"We got a hot teacher. Noted." Taro rolled his eyes. "Really, Osano? I didn't know you were into that kind of stuff."

"What?...No!" Osano looked horrified at the suggestion. "I just thought what they were saying was really funny! Can you believe someone who is highly spoken-off is coming to teach our class?!"