Umaru's pupils widened, but then she forced a smile. "Which irresponsible tabloid is making up stories this time?"
Reporters had previously written about Takashi and Yukino too.
But reading through the whole article, it was obvious: they had one photo, and the rest was pure speculation.
The timeline didn't even line up, and that one photo was just Yukino hiding behind Takashi.
She'd looked at that photo over fifty times—it had been recycled by gossip blogs to death.
If you're going to lie, at least fake a chat log or something.
Such lazy journalism.
"This time… seems to be real."
Sylphynford handed her the phone.
Umaru took it and, as she looked at the screen, her smile slowly faded. Her body began to tremble slightly.
On the screen was a photo of Takashi hugging Yasuraoka Hanabi.
Whoever the paparazzi hired, they were professional—the photo was crystal clear, high resolution.
Takashi and Hanabi's faces were unmistakably captured.
Umaru stood still, staring blankly at the screen.
You scumbag Kitahara! The angel we all cherished—you just had to stomp on her ?!
You absolute bastard!
Doma's smile is gone. It's all Kitahara's fault.
Seeing Umaru like a puppet who had lost her soul, on the verge of breaking, the whole class was seething with fury.
If they could date Umaru, they'd let her step on them every day, boss them around like a dog—and they'd still be grateful.
Some desperate simps who couldn't bear to see their goddess hurt immediately copied their internet idol Duxiaoshuai and whipped out their keyboards.
In real life, they were timid and quiet.
But online—they would throw punches.
They would seek justice for Doma-san.
[Takashi, come out and face your fate!]
[You don't deserve to be loved!]
[So what if you're good at baseball? In my eyes, you're just a loser!]
In a dimly lit rental room, a girl noticed the sudden surge of hate comments under Takashi's posts. She wrinkled her nose.
"What the hell? Trashing my brother? Let me see who your 'main girl' is."
With a lollipop in her mouth, her little fingers flew across the keyboard.
The girl's expression turned strange.
She thought it was a bunch of hired bots—but turns out it was just some stray dogs.
Not even worth deploying the full force.
She immediately opened the chat group [TakashiLove4Life💗], screenshot the insults against Takashi, and posted it to the group.
[Strays. No ringleader. Clean them up. Reply if received: 1]
Three minutes later, all those who had been fired up to fight for Umaru's justice slowly put down their phones, glancing at one another in silence.
Takashi's fans were simply too fierce.
After just a few rounds of arguing, their parents were already "dead."
Any more replies, and they'd be getting their own metaphorical coffins.
There was no justice to reclaim here after all.
Meanwhile, Yasuraoka Hanabi was surrounded by classmates.
"Yasuraoka-san, are you really dating Takashi now?"
"Yasuraoka-san, can you arrange for us to meet Kitahara-kun? I'm a huge fan."
"Yasuraoka-san, how far have you and Takashi gone?"
"We haven't, I mean…"
Looking at more and more students gathering around—even ones from other classes—Yasuraoka Hanabi didn't feel happy at all. Instead, she had a headache.
She had never intended to date Takashi.
She just wanted to use him.
And now? Pretty much all of Japan believed they were a couple.
If she wanted to break up later—even if Takashi himself let it slide—could she expect his fans to?
The fans of the Takashi family were terrifyingly aggressive.
Just the other day, a celebrity had used a burner account to insult Takashi. After being doxxed, their comment section was nuked within hours.
Someone even splashed paint on their front door—and when they opened it the next morning, there was a dead chicken hanging there, still dripping blood.
Even though that celebrity shaved their head and publicly apologized, Takashi's fans did not forgive.
Any brand they endorsed was spammed with orders—only to be mass refunded, or worse, bombarded with negative reviews.
One by one, the brands terminated their endorsements.
The celebrity was not only blacklisted by their company but reportedly sent to work in a nightclub.
They had caused such huge losses to the company—until they repaid the money, there was no way out.
If she ever dared to cheat on Takashi, she wouldn't end up much better.
Now that the situation in Tokyo had escalated so much, Yasuraoka Hanabi was feeling overwhelmed.
At this point, the only way to escape might be if Takashi dumped her first.
But judging from the tenderness he showed yesterday… that might be extremely difficult.
Time slipped by like fine sand through fingers.
Before they knew it, the afternoon dismissal bell had rung.
Umaru, functioning on autopilot, mechanically stuffed books into her bag like she did every day.
She looked no different from normal on the outside—but inside, her entire day had passed in a daze.
Her mind was still stuck on that photo—Takashi under the sunset, holding Yasuraoka Hanabi as if she were the most precious thing in the world.
Just thinking of that image made her want to cry again.
If she's your most important person… Then what about me?
What am I to you, Takashi?
Biting her lip, Umaru rushed through the hallway, doing her best not to burst into tears.
She just wanted to go home.
Back to the little apartment she shared with her brother—so she could bury herself under the blankets and cry it all out.
"Umaru, I need to clean the classroom, so wait for a—huh?"
Ebina Nana had just packed her bag, but when she turned around, Umaru was already gone.
Umaru had changed her shoes downstairs and was now briskly heading home.
Izuno Ren saw that she was walking alone today and, after greeting his teammates, chased after her.
Umaru kept her head low, walking quickly.
No—she wasn't walking anymore. She was running.
So focused on moving forward, she accidentally bumped into someone.
She gave a quick apology and stepped left.
The person mirrored her.
She tried stepping right—they blocked her again.
After a few back-and-forths, already upset, she finally looked up.
A long finger pressed against her lips, silencing her.
The man reached out as if to take her hand. "This isn't the place. Come with me."
Though he wore a mask and cap, with only his eyes showing, Umaru immediately recognized Takashi.
She shoved him away forcefully, like a stray cat baring its fangs and claws, trying to protect herself from being hurt again.
"I'm not going with you!"
"What are you even doing here!?"
"Go find your girlfriend!"
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