𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 | 𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘶𝘺𝘢 𝘵. ᯓ ᡣ𐭩

005. | ɪʟʟᴜᴍɪɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ

Yuzuha, with a burst of energy, sprang up to Kana, slinging her arms around her, creating a warm embrace. They both stood at the front entrance gates of the school, where they were joined by Takemitchi, Hakkai, and Mitsuya, all arriving at the same time.

There were students who stood all around them as they saw the group arrive, their initial murmurings being replaced by a flurry of hushed murmurs as they watched the group stand at the front of the gate of the school together.

"Wow, this place is really packed today..." Mitsuya exclaimed with a hint of surprise in his tone, his gaze quickly scanning the crowd of students who had gathered at the gates around them.

Many of the other students who passed the group started to exchange whispers and hushed murmurs. Their curiosity was only further fueled by the presence of them which seemingly started to become a tense atmosphere that was slowly being built up by the crowd around them.

"What's everyone staring at?" Kana murmured, a crease of confusion forming between her brows, her gaze sweeping over the crowds.

"It's not what they're staring at, it's who they're staring at." Mitsuya explained, subtly signaling that the two of them were the ones drawing the gazes.

"Oh my god, is that really them?"

"Toman's letting girls in their gang now? That's totally gonna throw them off.."

"Have you heard? They joined the highest divisions in less than a second. Probably just because of their brothers..."

As they walked toward their classrooms, the group couldn't help but catch snippets of hushed comments aimed at the girls. Kana's expression tightened, a clear sign of her discomfort, as she picked up on the veiled insults and judgments being whispered by some of them.

"They really have no shame, do they..." Hakkai muttered to himself, his eyes darting around a bit.

Kana continued listening to the rude and prying comments about them being whispered by some of the crowd members, her already-tightened facial expression growing even sterner as the comments continued, clearly bothering her more and more as the time passed.

"Seriously, can't they find something better to do?" Yuzuha grumbled quietly, annoyance etched on her face, echoing Kana's unease. "Why can't they just leave us alone for a change?"

"Yeah, I guess we kind of asked for it," Takemitchi chimed in, sheepishly sliding his hands into his pockets. A bashful grin formed on his face as he acknowledged the spotlight on them. "I mean, you two were already turning heads, and now as Toman's first female members, you've really made a name for yourselves." He chuckled.

"I'm pretty sure word went around with what went down with Kiyomasa the other day. That definitely amped it up for you guys." Mitsuya chimed in, a small grin playing on his lips.

"There's no denying that," Takemitchi agreed with a firm nod.

Amidst the murmurs and the hustle of students, everyone eventually split off towards their individual homerooms. Kana and Mitsuya, who were in the same class, waved off the others as they parted for now. Stepping into their classroom, Kana clung to the hope of a calmer atmosphere than the halls, only to find her expectations wildly misplaced.

Their homeroom, while comparatively less crowded than the bustling hallways, still teemed with students. As Kana and Mitsuya entered, all eyes instinctively turned towards them, their presence commanding attention.