✧˚ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒅𝒐𝒍

11

the next day couldn't come soon enough for ayato. after his encounter with y/n at the maid café, he'd spent the entire night tossing and turning, regretting how harshly he'd spoken to her. but now, as the sun rose and the morning light flooded into his room, his regret had dulled into a quiet eagerness. he wasn't sure what it was about y/n, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he wanted to see her again. in better circumstances, of course—away from the tension of last night's conversation about megamo and all the baggage that came with it.

for once, ayato found himself arriving at class earlier than usual. he sat at his desk, tapping his fingers against the wood, trying his best to act casual. but he couldn't help glancing toward the classroom door every time he heard footsteps or the sound of someone approaching. his heart would leap for a brief moment, only to fall again when it wasn't her. the steady stream of students came and went, filling the classroom with chatter and the hum of pre-class excitement, but still, there was no sign of y/n...

by the time the late bell rang, signaling the official start of class, ayato's initial eagerness had soured into disappointment. he glanced over at her assigned seat, half-expecting to see her rushing in at the last minute, flustered but present. but the seat remained empty. his frown deepened as he leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. 'maybe she's late?' the thought crossed his mind, but something didn't sit right with him. idols like y/n were known for sticking to strict schedules. it wasn't like her— or any idol, really— to be late on just the second day of school. something's off, he thought.

the lesson had started without her.

hanabusa karin began scribbling notes on the chalkboard as she introduced the day's topics. but ayato wasn't paying attention. his mind was still on y/n, wondering where she could be, why she wasn't here, and whether it had anything to do with their conversation the night before. that was when he overheard the complaints.

"where's y/n?" one student groaned from the back of the class. the guy sounded frustrated, like he had been waiting all morning just to catch a glimpse of her.

"yeah, i was hoping to get her autograph today..." another chimed in.

ayato felt a twinge of irritation at their comments, though he couldn't quite place why. maybe it was because they were treating y/n like she was just some celebrity they could fawn over, without thinking of the pressure she was under. or maybe it was because, deep down, he was disappointed too—disappointed that she wasn't here, that he didn't have the chance to see her again after their conversation. he quickly pushed that thought aside.

hanabusa karin paused in her lecture to adjust her glasses, her voice cutting through the room. "s/n y/n will be absent today," she stated, her tone as sharp and matter-of-fact as ever. there was no further explanation, no acknowledgment of the collective groans that followed from the students who had been hoping to catch a glimpse of the idol. "anyway..." she continued, moving on without missing a beat, launching back into her lesson as if y/n's absence were nothing more than a minor inconvenience.