[Mochizuki]: Are we still friends?

  Jun stared at the text from Haruka, feeling a bit bewildered.

  [Jun]: Of course we are.

  The cat avatar replied almost instantly.

  [Mochizuki]: You’re not lying to me?

  Jun knew better than anyone who his real allies were. Regardless of what Haruka said, she hadn't actually done anything to harm him. In fact, she’d been his biggest benefactor.

  [Jun]: Mochizuki, you were the one who told me not to use a fake smile or rehearsed politeness around you. I haven't forgotten.

  Haruka put her phone down. She didn't reply. She pressed a hand to her chest, feeling that familiar, nagging ache.

  Having my entire mood tied to someone else... it’s a miserable way to live, she thought.

  Jun didn't go back to the classroom after the confrontation. He took Yuka up to the roof.

  Jun liked telling stories on the rooftop. It was isolated, quiet, and under the vast expanse of the open sky, it felt like a space where a man could actually be honest.

  He pocketed his phone. Yuka was watching him with a hollow, haunting look in her eyes. "Were you just comforting her?" she asked.

  "Are you jealous?" Jun countered.

  She nodded without hesitation. Jun shot her down immediately. "You aren't even my girlfriend. You don't have the standing to be jealous."

  The light in Yuka’s eyes flickered out. She lowered her head, her voice barely a whisper. "Did I do something wrong?"

  Even if I did, I don't regret it, she thought. Because it worked. I’ve driven away every other threat.

  Except for Haruka Mochizuki. The thought of the heiress made Yuka grit her teeth.

  Jun leaned against the railing—the same spot where they’d nearly "committed a double suicide" a few weeks prior. "Actually, you aren't wrong this time."

  Yuka looked up, hopeful.

  "Guys usually win girls over by being persistent—by being 'thick-skinned.' There’s no rule saying a girl can’t use the same tactic. I’m not even saying I find it particularly annoying."

  "But," Jun continued, "the way you're going about it won't just fail to 'win' me. It’s going to destroy your own life."

  I'll make you get used to me first, Yuka countered internally. When I’m the only person left in your world, you’ll have no choice but to accept me. I’ll become your life.

  Jun remained unmoved by her intensity. He had been trying to get her to focus back on the Band Club.

  "Let me tell you a story," Jun said, not looking at her. He beckoned her over with his right hand. "A story about my first love."

  "Wait," Yuka interrupted, her voice forcedly calm.

  First love. The words hit her like a physical blow.

  He’d dated someone. He’d liked someone. His first hand-holding, his first hug, his first kiss—they had all been stolen by someone else.

  Yuka took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing heart. Maybe his first time is gone, too.

  The thought made her want to drop to her knees and scream.

  After a moment of mental preparation, she managed to speak. "How many times have you been in a relationship?"

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  "Just once. Two years ago."

  "How far did you go?"

  "Why would I tell you that?" Jun frowned, finding the line of questioning a bit repulsive.

  "Please. I need to know."

  If she didn't get an answer, she knew she would lose her mind.

  "We kissed," Jun said shortly.

  "With tongue?" Yuka leaned in, searching his face for any hint of a lie.

  "You’re acting like a total creep right now," Jun said, genuinely put off.

  "Did you? Did you?" She pressed closer.

  "No!" Jun held her back by her shoulders.

  "Thank God!" No tongue meant the "real" first kiss was still on the table. In her twisted logic, his "virginity" was intact. Yuka’s happiness was frighteningly simple.

  "Disgusting," Jun muttered.

  Yuka just gave him a dazed, silly grin.

  Jun finally started the story. Two years ago, a girl from the class next door had developed a borderline-obsessive crush on him.

  "So she was the one who chased you?"

  The rhythm of his story was broken. Jun gave an impatient nod. Yuka’s grin widened.

  The girl had transferred into his class and confessed on her very first day. Jun had rejected her, of course. But she didn't give up. Wherever Jun was, she was there. She brought him water during PE, made him lunches, and even volunteered for his cleaning shifts. She would find the love letters other girls left in his locker and throw them away before he could see them.

  Jun rejected every gesture, but she was relentless.

  She eventually convinced her parents to buy a house near the orphanage just so she could be near him outside of school hours. When Jun realized she was prowling around his home, his first reaction was pure rage. She was investigating his private life, potentially putting the peace of the orphanage at risk.

  She would stand outside the main gates, just watching him from a distance. She promised she wouldn't interfere with his life—that just watching him was enough.

  That’s nothing special, Yuka thought. I’d have done the same if my family hadn't fallen apart.

  The girl shadowed him for a month. Every time he walked out of the orphanage, she was there. School, lunch, clubs, the walk home—she was his shadow. No matter how many times he told her to leave, she stayed.

  "And then you gave in?" Yuka asked.

  "No. I told her I already liked someone else."

  Even though she knew it was a lie from two years ago, Yuka’s heart twinged with pain.

  "And then?"

  "The school went on a hiking trip to Lake Okutama. As soon as I said it, she turned around and threw herself into the lake."

  And that was how Jun’s "first love" was forced to begin.

  Yuka glanced over the rooftop railing. Jun caught the look immediately.

  "Don't even think about it. If you jump from here, you’re just dead. I’m not the same person I was back then; I won't be manipulated by that kind of stunt again."

  If he could go back, Jun would have let that girl drown a dozen times before accepting her "love."

  Jun checked his phone. "Class is starting. I can't finish the story today."

  "What? You can't just leave it there!" Yuka cried, genuinely annoyed by the cliffhanger.

  "I’ll tell you this much: it’s a tragedy. I’m not telling you this so you can take notes; I’m telling you this as a warning. If you keep going down this path, there is no 'Happy Ending' waiting for you."

  Jun made her a deal: he would finish the story only if Maki Yamami confirmed that Yuka was participating fully in Band Club practice again.

  Yuka had no choice but to accept.

  "Love is just another desire, Yuka," Jun said as they headed back. "It’s no different from hunger or lust. And when you let your desires run the show, things always end in blood."

  Jun hated impulse. He hated passion. All those boiling emotions eventually just evaporated into cold, empty air.

  ______

  Jun parked his bike and walked into his apartment building.

  It was 7:00 PM. He was just back from his shift at Mitaka Forest. High schools in Tokyo technically forbade students from working late-night shifts, so Jun’s nights were his only true time of freedom.

  The apartment was old. The landlord was a friend of the orphanage director, which was why the rent was a steal: 28,000 Yen (about $190) for a two-bedroom. The landlady had originally planned to find him a roommate, but no one had signed on yet.

  Jun checked his mailbox—a clunky, old-school dial lock. He felt like he was cracking a safe every time he opened it. Inside were the usual suspects:

  "Utility bills... junk mail... grocery store coupons. Okay, the coupons are actually useful."

  He tossed the trash and hiked up the stairs—no elevator in this relic. He greeted a neighbor on the way down, his feet echoing on stairs that had survived dozens of major earthquakes.

  He’d already eaten at the shop. He hadn't seen Hana today; he hadn't seen her parents at all in the two months he’d been working there. He thought of Mr. Kashida, his Geography teacher. He was almost certainly related to the shop owner, but Jun never asked. Instinct told him that was a door better left closed.

  He slipped into his slippers at the entryway and headed straight for the fridge, downing a glass of cold barley tea to kill the summer heat. He only turned on the AC right before bed to save on the electric bill.

  Jun sat at his desk. The rest of his night was dedicated to finals prep. High rankings meant tuition waivers, and tuition waivers meant he could send more money back home.

  To save power, the rest of the apartment was pitch black. Only his desk lamp cut through the darkness. Outside, he could hear the distant caw of crows. When he first moved out, he’d felt the crushing weight of the silence. Now, it was his sanctuary.

  His phone buzzed. Jun put his pen down.

  "Hello? Jun-nii? Can you hear me?" a girl’s voice chirped from the speaker.

  "I hear you, Aya-chan." He tucked the phone between his shoulder and ear, keeping his hands free to write.

  "When are you coming to visit? Everyone misses you so much!" In the background, he could hear the chaotic energy of a dozen other kids.

  "Soon, soon. I’ll be there as soon as summer break starts." Jun closed his eyes, picturing the scene. Aya holding the handset, the others crowding around her. They’d just finished dinner; he could hear the clatter of dishes being washed.

  "He says he'll be here for the break!" Aya shouted to the room, followed by a chorus of cheers.

  "Tell them to keep studying, Aya. I’m checking everyone’s grades when I get there."

  The cheers turned into groans. Aya giggled. "I will! And I’m going to get into Haneoka next year, just you wait!"

  They talked until 9:00 PM. Jun hung up and headed to the shower.

  He ran the numbers in his head. 203,560 Yen in the bank. After rent, he’d have about 170k left. He was on track to cover his fees.

  As the cold water hit his skin, he closed his eyes. In the darkness, he saw the faces of the kids and the vegetable patches at the orphanage.

  That night, for the first time in a long time, Jun dreamed. He dreamed of his childhood—running through the grass with the younger kids while the Director watched, her hair not yet fully white, her smile lines just beginning to form.

  The next day in the cafeteria, Jun sipped his soup and looked at a text.

  The bookstore job was gone. The manager had sent a polite, automated-sounding apology, citing "business restructuring" as the reason for cancelling the summer hire.

  Jun frowned, finishing his soup in one go. Ko Tsushima, sitting nearby, looked curious. "Is the soup that bad?"

  "It’s not the soup. My summer gig just fell through."

  "I can hook you up," Ko said with a wink. "My cousin runs a fashion mag. They’re always looking for fresh faces. You’d be a natural."

  Jun ignored him, his gaze shifting to a point over Ko’s shoulder. "Who is that guy? He’s been staring at me since I walked in."

  "That’s Sugisaki from Class 5. He’s the guy who has a thing for Tomatsu. I think you’re officially his Public Enemy Number One."

  Boring, Jun thought. He didn't even give the guy a second look.

  But as he looked back at the "Rejection" text, his eyes narrowed. Business restructuring? On a Tuesday morning?

  He thought of Haruka Mochizuki’s silver sedan and her " live-in management" offer.

  The Hustle King was being cornered.