✧˚ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒅𝒐𝒍

15

ayato had severely underestimated just how far y/n's house was from akademi high school. by the time he had made it halfway, he was panting like a dog, his chest heaving, legs aching, and his shirt clinging to his sweat-soaked skin. the night air did little to cool him down, and each breath felt heavier than the last. he wiped at his forehead with the back of his hand, groaning in frustration as he trudged forward. his determination to see y/n was the only thing keeping him moving at this point.

as he struggled to catch his breath, ayato couldn't help but wonder why her family had chosen such a distant school for her. it didn't make sense at first.

why not settle on something closer to home, within walking distance, where she wouldn't have to endure such long commutes? but the more he thought about it, the more it started to make sense. of course, they wouldn't send y/n to the schools closest to her mansion...that would be too obvious. anyone who knew where she lived would expect her to attend one of the nearby schools, and that could lead to all sorts of problems—mobs of fans waiting for her, paparazzi staking out her route, and creeps trying to get close to her.

as ayato mulled this over, he nodded to himself. yes, it was a smart move on her family's part. by sending her to akademi, they threw people off. she didn't have to worry about being harassed on her way to and from school. she could maintain some semblance of privacy. it was all for the best. y/n deserved that protection, that peace of mind. after all, the last thing she needed was to deal with more mobs of fans or, worse, some creepy guys trying to get too close.

a small, pleasant thought crept into ayato's mind. he was happy that he wasn't one of those guys—those sleazy, obsessed fans who only saw y/n as an object of desire. no, he wasn't like them. he cared about her in a way they never could. he wanted to protect her, keep her safe, not smother her with unwanted attention. he wasn't some deranged fanboy with delusions of grandeur. he was...different.

in the middle of his train of thought, ayato realized how hypocritical he was being, but he quickly brushed it off, convinced that his feelings were justified. it was different. he was different. his love for y/n was pure, even if the rest of the world couldn't understand that. lost in his musings, ayato didn't notice at first when the trees lining the sidewalk gave way to tall, intricately designed gates. he slowed to a stop, blinking as he realized he had finally arrived.

there, in front of him, stood the extravagant mansion of the s/n household. the towering gates loomed above him, black and ornate, with ivy climbing along the stone walls that surrounded the estate. beyond the gates, he could see the mansion itself—an imposing structure with grand windows and pristine gardens that seemed to stretch endlessly in all directions. ayato's breath caught in his throat as he stared up at the mansion.

for a moment, he was overwhelmed.

this was y/n's world. this was where she lived, where she rested, where she was safe. and here he was, standing at the edge of it, just out of reach. he took a shaky breath, his earlier exhaustion forgotten as adrenaline surged through him again. he was so close now, so close to her. the thought of seeing her, even from a distance, filled him with a twisted sense of anticipation.