On Campus After The New Year

The first day of university classes after the New Year arrived. I had entered the classroom a bit early. Final exams for the second semester were only about two weeks away, so I had stopped by the library to borrow some necessary reference books and headed straight to class.

But in hindsight, this was a mistake. Students entering the classroom for the same lecture were staring at me. When I looked back at them, some quickly averted their eyes, while others watched me with strange, mocking grins. This had never happened before. It was an unpleasant atmosphere.

I decided to ignore them and opened my textbook and the reference book I’d just borrowed. It was a basic section on the “Seven Layers of the Network,” but the information wouldn’t sink in. Suddenly, I felt someone’s presence right beside me. Someone sat down with a heavy “thud.”

“You’re Yu Isshiki, right?”

I looked up at him. He was a freshman in the same department, but someone I had never spoken to before.

“Yeah, that’s me. Do you need something?”

The guy grinned slyly. “Hey, is it true? Did you actually score with that sophomore, Toko Sakurajima, on Christmas Eve?”

I didn’t know how to respond. If I said “Yes,” the rumors would only spread further. Wouldn’t that cause trouble for Toko-senpai?

But if I said “No,” all our hard work would go down the drain. Either way, I couldn’t answer carelessly. Besides, I had no desire to satisfy the curiosity of this shallow guy with his disgusting smirk.

“None of your business,” I replied bluntly.

“Don’t hide it. You can tell me, can’t you?”

“I don’t owe you any explanation.”

“I mean, Toko Sakurajima is the most famous beauty at this school. They call her the ‘Shadow Miss Joto.’ Of course people are curious.”

I remained silent. Being interrogated out of pure prurience was beyond frustrating.

“And man, her body is incredible, plus those huge breasts. She acts all cold and high-and-mighty, but that just makes her more tempting, you know?”

I glared at the man. I was beyond offended that someone like him was appraising Toko-senpai like a piece of meat. The guy made a mockingly frightened face.

“Whoa, easy there. Don’t glare at me with that scary face. Your story is famous, man. ‘At the circle’s Christmas party, they both dumped their partners, switched to each other, and disappeared into a hotel.’”

“Who told you that story?”

It wasn’t me who said that. A deep, gruff voice came from behind me. I turned around to see Ishida. Unlike his usual self, he had a stern expression. With his rugged features, that look was quite intimidating. Ishida continued.

“For your information, the other partners were the ones who cheated first. Yu and the others just threw the facts in their faces and cut them off. It’s nobody’s business to complain about that.”

The man seemed intimidated by Ishida.

“Hey, don’t get so serious. I just saw the talk on social media and was a bit curious, so I asked. It’s not like I’m trying to blame Isshiki or anything.”

With that, the man stood up and moved to a different seat. Ishida sat down next to me.

“Thanks. Sorry about that, Ishida.” I thanked him sincerely.

“Don’t worry about it. That talk just now pissed me off too.” He leaned in and whispered. “But it’s true that someone is spreading bad rumors about you and Toko-senpai in social media groups. I’ve seen them myself.”

I let out a heavy sigh. Ishida looked at me and asked, “Any idea who it is?”

“Maybe.”

“Is it Karen-chan?”

I nodded slowly. I couldn’t imagine Kamokura using such a petty, underhanded method. Kamokura was genuinely in love with Toko-senpai; he wouldn’t trample on her reputation like this. Spreading slander online… that was exactly Karen’s style. Ishida sighed too.

“Figures. From how things looked at that party, I knew she wouldn’t let it go.”

“Can you show me what the messages say?”

Ishida operated his phone and handed it to me. It read:

[Please RT]

The worst guy ever: Yu Isshiki, 1st year Info-Tech.

A piece of trash who looked through his girlfriend’s phone and fabricated cheating rumors!

He’s actually the one cheating with Toko Sakurajima, 2nd year Info-Tech!

Toko Sakurajima is a bitch! She’s been with tons of other guys!

There were other insults directed at Toko-senpai that were too painful to read. The sender was “NANASHIKO.” It was almost certainly Karen’s burner account.

“Apparently, messages like this have been circulating all over the university since after Christmas.”

I silently handed the phone back to Ishida. It was one thing for her to badmouth me, but I couldn’t forgive her for slandering Toko-senpai. Especially since Karen was the one who cheated, and now she was trying to pin it on Toko-senpai by reversing the roles.

“I wonder if Toko-senpai is okay with all this being written?” I muttered involuntarily.

“I was worried about that too. Knowing Toko-senpai, I don’t think she’ll get discouraged easily, but she’s still a woman.”

“I’m meeting her today at lunch. I’ll mention this to her.”

Just as I said that, the chime for the start of class rang. Even after that, during the break, some idiots tried to ask about “the night of X-Day.” There were plenty of others looking at me with eyes full of curiosity.

…Is Toko-senpai all right?

Anxiety swelled inside me. She’s proud and has a strong sense of modesty; can she endure being looked at like this by everyone around her?

When lunch break started, I immediately waited for Toko-senpai a short distance from the entrance of the cafeteria. I had messaged her the location. Before long, she arrived, carrying a large paper bag.

“Why were you waiting in a place like this?” she asked. I looked at her, puzzled.

“Wait, Toko-senpai, don’t you hate the cafeteria right now?”

She tilted her head. “Not really. Why would I?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to eat outside?”

“If we go out to eat now, the restaurants will be crowded and we’ll be cutting it close for the next class. The cafeteria is fine, isn’t it?”

Since Toko-senpai said so, I had no choice. I entered the first student cafeteria with her. Fortunately, one of the “couple-friendly” tables by the window was empty, so we took a seat. Toko-senpai had brought sandwiches, while I had a katsudon from the cafeteria.

“This is the souvenir from Hawaii I mentioned yesterday.” She handed me the large paper bag.

“Thank you. What is it?”

“Open it and see.”

Inside the bag was a box. When I opened it, a pair of sneakers appeared.

“I bought them at Kicks Hawaii. It’s a brand collaboration model, so they aren’t sold elsewhere and should be rare in Japan.”

I immediately tried them on. The size was perfect.

“How did you know my shoe size?”

“On the night of X-Day, you were taking a shower at the hotel, right? I remembered then and checked your shoe size. I’m glad they fit.”

She answered with a bright smile. But seeing that smile only made my heart feel heavier. I glanced around subtly; sure enough, several people were watching us with great interest.

“What’s wrong? You don’t like them?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just…”

“‘Just’ what?”

I lowered my eyes, looking around nervously, and spoke in a low voice.

“Are you okay, Toko-senpai? The story about X-Day has already spread… I mean, everyone thinks you and I… did it…”

“Wasn’t that obvious from the start? More importantly, we were the ones who came up with that plan, weren’t we?”

“But… I’m fine with it, but isn’t it bad for you? Like, when you get a real boyfriend…”

Toko-senpai’s expression suddenly sharpened.

“What do you mean by that?”

“What do I mean?”

“Are you saying you have no intention of becoming my ‘real boyfriend’?”

I froze. Ah. I realized my words had been incredibly disrespectful to her.

“I didn’t mean it like that. But I’m still on a ‘Learner’s Permit,’ aren’t I? So…”

“If you keep acting like that, your permit will be revoked. Do you realize you’re saying something quite rude?”

I couldn’t say a word back.

“I know that strange rumors are circulating on social media. Other girls told me. But why should we lose to such lies? We haven’t done a single thing wrong. We should just hold our heads high.”

She was right. We hadn’t done anything wrong or shameful.

“I understand you were worried about me… but for me, the words you just said are more of a shock than any online rumors!”

“I understand. I’m sorry. It was a slip of the tongue, but I lacked consideration.” I bowed my head.

“As long as you understand. Right now, I only have you, and you only have me, right? Let’s show everyone up together.”

With that, Toko-senpai finally smiled. I returned the smile, following her lead… but I felt like I had messed up. I might have disillusioned her quite a bit. And besides… it felt like I was never going to be able to stand on equal footing with her again.