𝑭𝒂𝒄𝒂𝒅𝒆 | 𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘪 𝘬.

𝟔

The rest of the school day passed by in a blur of excitement and chatter about the new student, Satoru Gojo. Everywhere you went, you could hear people talking about him—how attractive he was, how he seemed to command attention without even trying, and, most annoyingly, how every girl in the school was already vying for his attention. It was as if Gojo had single-handedly turned your quiet, uneventful school into a feeding frenzy.

You tried to focus on your classes, but your mind kept drifting back to him—to the way he had smirked at you in the hallway, as if he knew something no one else did. You couldn’t shake the feeling that he was more trouble than he appeared to be. And yet, there was something about him that intrigued you, something you couldn’t quite put into words.

By the time the final bell rang, you were more than ready to go home and put some distance between yourself and the chaos that Gojo had caused. You packed up your things and headed for the front entrance, hoping to escape without running into anyone you knew.

But, of course, that was too much to ask.

"Hey."

You froze, recognizing the voice immediately. Slowly, you turned around to see Nanami Kento standing a few feet behind you, his expression as unreadable as ever. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his blazer, and he was watching you with those sharp, piercing eyes that always made you feel like he could see straight through you.

"Nanami," you greeted, your voice slightly strained. You had avoided him for most of the day, unsure of how to navigate the whole fake-relationship deal now that Gojo was in the picture. The last thing you needed was more complications.

He stepped closer, his gaze never leaving yours. "We need to talk."

You knew this was coming, but that didn’t make it any easier. With a small nod, you followed him to a quieter spot outside, away from the crowds of students still lingering in the hallway. Once you were out of earshot, Nanami turned to face you, his expression serious.

"So," he began, his tone measured, "I keep hearing rumors. About us."

You felt your heart skip a beat. Of course, the rumors had already started to spread. This was exactly what you had been trying to avoid, and yet here you were, caught in the middle of it.

"Yeah, me too." You admitted, keeping your voice low. "And I know it’s only going to get worse if we don’t handle this carefully."

Nanami’s gaze hardened. "Do you regret making the deal?"

His question caught you off guard, and for a moment, you weren’t sure how to answer. Did you regret it? The fake relationship had seemed like a good idea at the time—a way to keep the attention off of you, to stop the constant speculation and whispers about your personal life. But now, with Gojo’s sudden appearance and the escalating rumors, it felt like everything was spiraling out of control.

"I don’t regret it," you said slowly, choosing your words carefully. "But I didn’t expect things to get so… complicated."

Nanami’s lips thinned into a tight line. "Complicated how?"

You hesitated, glancing away for a moment. "There’s a new student," you finally admitted. "Gojo Satoru. He moved into my neighborhood yesterday, and now he’s at our school. Everyone’s already obsessed with him."

Nanami raised an eyebrow, his expression unchanged. "And this concerns us how?"

You looked back at him, meeting his gaze directly. "I don’t know. It’s just… things feel different now. Like the attention on me is going to get worse because of him. He’s already made some kind of weird connection with me, and I feel like people are going to notice."