Truth

Hikarigaoka High School, Tokyo - Afternoon

Ryu Isagi

The locker door creaked open. A faint metallic clang echoed through the empty hallway.
Most students had gone home already; only the dim lights above flickered, stretching shadows long across the floor.

That’s when I saw it. A plain brown envelope was sitting neatly on top of my boxing gloves. No name. No stamp. Just one line scrawled in red ink across the front:

“You know nothing about her.”

At first, I thought it was some prank. My relationship with Miku has caught a lot of attention lately. Maybe someone is jealous? But something about the beautiful handwriting made my chest tighten......

I slid the envelope into my bag without opening it. I thought opening it when I arrive at home would have been better. After driving Miku to her mansion in Den-en-chōfu that night, I sat at my desk in the dark, the lamp throwing a soft, luminous yellow over the desk.

Should I open it? 
The envelope felt heavier than it should.
I hesitated before opening it; some part of me already knew I didn’t want to.

Inside were photographs of them....
Printed on pristine paper, edges sharp against my fingertips.

Miku...

Eight different men, each with their own photos with her. One by one, the images stacked in front of me. Miku's hand holding someone’s arm, laughing in cafés, sharing crepes, even... some bedroom love hotel selfies. I feel like my whole heart constricted into the core.....

There was no explanation other than some dates behind the photos and names, with the youngest date more than two weeks ago. That single sentence is recited in my head again.
You know nothing about her.

No. That's not her, right...?

I tried to reason it out. My crazy brain even thought that this was fabricated AI content because it's trendy nowadays, but....
But then I saw one detail that broke me, it's the guy I shoved in front of the school. The dude who almost hit Miku is also one of the boys in those pictures. 

I...I can't feel myself.

In that picture, they were kissing in a bar with some of Miku's friends in the background. Dated last month. I leaned back, my heart refused to believe it.

The way she hugged me back on the motorcycle. The kiss in the cinema. Was it all just an act? A ploy to make me one of her 'collections'?

No… no, she’s not like that. She can’t be.

For the first time in months,
I'm...not sure who she really was anymore.

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Hikarigaoka High School, Tokyo - Afternoon - Three Days After

Ryu Isagi

I waited by the school gate. My chest is still burning with anger and disappointment. When she appeared, I couldn't even see her face. Just a faint glance at her hair shimmered in the fading orange light in the afternoon.

“Ryu~,” she called, voice playful. “Why the long face? Did training wear you out, love?”

I reached out to brush her cheek with my thumb, pretending to admire her.
“Just a bit tired..., that’s all...” I said softly.

She leaned into my touch. “You’ve been spacing out lately. Is something wrong?”

I hesitated...I wish I had said it in that moment. 
Ask her who those men are. Ask her if she’s been lying all along.

But when I looked into her beautiful blue eyes, the words turned to dust.

Instead, I smiled.

“I’m fine, just had a tiring day in school.”

She pouted, nudging my arm. “You should tell me these things, you know. I worry about you, too.”

Worry about me? Is that true?
The irony almost made me laugh.

We started walking to the parking lot together. Her hand slipped into mine, and I held her back, even though every photograph I saw that night flashed behind my eyelids. On the motorcycle, she told me jokes that I couldn't hear while hugging my body tightly as usual.

Her laughter filled the air. Mine didn’t. 

No.
This could all be fake.
AI edits, some ex's revenge, or a stalker trying to destroy her name. Miku's too sincere for that. Too...sincere...

When we reached her house, she turned to face me, hands clutching mine. 

“You’re being strange, Ryu.”

“I am?”

“Mm-hmm.” She tilted her head, her tone half-joking. “You don’t smile the same way anymore.”

Her words hit like a knife. I wanted to tell her everything, how my chest aches when I look at her now, how I’m terrified of finding out what’s true. But instead, I did the only thing I knew.

I pulled her into my arms and hugged her tightly. She gasped softly, melting against my chest.
I could feel her heart beating against mine.

“Sorry,” I whispered into her hair. “I guess....I just… need you.”

Her fingers brushed the back of my neck. “You always have me, silly.”

I nodded, forcing a fake smile.

I still think about that envelope. I told myself I’d burn it. Forget it ever existed. Because why would I...care....? But even so, the envelope stayed there in my room, as if waiting for me to open it one more time and finally see her for who she really was.  All I want now is to forget it...but... I can't.

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Nakano Gym, Tokyo - Afternoon

Ryu Isagi

The sound of treadmills and soft pop music filled the air, a strange contrast to the rhythmic thuds of my gloves against the sandbag. Sweat dripped down my temple as I stopped to catch my breath, grabbing my towel.

And then, through the reflection in the gym mirror, I saw her.

Chisa-san.

Clad in a pink tank top and black shorts with a white sports jacket tied loosely around her waist. Her hair, usually styled so perfectly, was now tied in a messy ponytail. She looked… cute as usual.

She was jogging lightly on the treadmill, her face flushed. Some of the regular gym bros were sneaking glances her way, half of them boldly recognizing her, while the other half pretended not to.

She noticed me at almost the same moment. Her eyes widened, and that familiar 'smile' bloomed across her lips.

“Ah… Ryu-kun?” she said, her voice lilting, soft with surprise.

I blinked. “Chisa-san? What are you doing here?”

She slowed the treadmill, stepping down with a little hop before brushing a strand of hair from her face. “Isn’t it obvious?” she said playfully. “We idols have to stay in shape~!”

I chuckled, tossing the towel around my neck. “Didn’t think you’d need it. You already look… uh, perfect enough.”

Her laugh rang light and melodic. “Hehee~ You think so? Well, we don’t really build muscle here,” she said, flexing her arm in mock seriousness. “But we need to keep our bodies strong. Lots of dancing, long performances… It’s actually pretty tough. I did a lot of cardio to keep my weight in check.”

“Guess I underestimated the idol life,” I said, folding my arms. “Boxing’s nothing compared to having to smile, sing, and dance perfectly for hours.”

She tilted her head, her eyes catching mine in the mirror. 

“Oh, really? I mean...aren't boxers hurt in the process? They also need to maintain a good diet. I don't think we're that much different!”

"Uhmm, yeah, we need to have similar body weight to our opponents. It's just that I found that smiling a lot is a hard quest for me..." My hand scratches the back of my neck. “You, uhm...come here often? I never saw you here on usual days.”

“No. Just started recently. I wanted to… try this gym because it looks great from the outside.”

“Good choice, this gym has complete facilities, that's why I often exercise here,” I said, smirking. “Though this place doesn’t really suit idols.”

Chisa placed a finger to her lips, pretending to hush me while winking. 

“Then let’s keep this a secret, okay? Just between us. I don't want anyone from school to know.”

Her eyes glinted as she said it playfully, strangely intimate to my ears. The smell of rubber mats and sweat faded. There was just her, standing under the gym lights, smiling as if she’d known me longer than she should have. Somehow, I felt my burden lifted when I engaged in conversation with her. Thank you, Chisa-san.

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Nakano Gym, Tokyo - Early Morning - The Day After

Ryu Isagi

The next day, it was supposed to be a quiet weekend morning. It was silent, no noise or crowd. I came here early, like always, expecting no one here until 8 AM, which is usually the first batch of gym bros' Sunday routine. 

But then I heard a female grunt and the sound of iron slapping; it sounded like someone was using the abductor machine. I glanced at the machine. And there she was. Chisa-san was using the machine, extending her legs wide a couple of times before slowly buckling in. Black sports bra, matching shorts, with no hoodie this time. Her hair was damp at the tips; it seemed like she had been training hard before I came here.  This side of her reminds me of myself, waking up in the morning hours to train my body. Chisa-san really has that spirit in her. She's really determined to have her idol career shining bright.

She didn't notice me at first until I took a few steps forward, and she glanced in my direction, a little smile tugging at her lips. 

“Ryu-kun?”

“Didn’t think I’d see you here on a weekend morning, Chisa-san,”   I said, half-amused.

She raised her body, leaving the machine, and walked towards me, sneakers squeaking softly against the mat. “Well… I thought I’d come again. Yesterday was kinda fun!”

“Fun?” I raised an eyebrow.

Chisa giggled,  “Only if I get to see you punch that sandbag again. It looked cool, Ryu-kun!”

That caught me off guard. I coughed, glancing away. “It’s just training. Nothing special.”

“Then… maybe you can teach me how to box? Please~” she tilted her head, eyes gleaming.

“Teach you? Boxing?”

Chisa nodded eagerly, raising her fists in a clumsy stance that looked more like a cat pawing at air. “Like this, right? One-two! HA!” She jabbed at the air, her posture completely off-balance as her ponytail swayed. For a cheeky school idol debutant, she's quite a funny girl, I must say.

“That’s… not even close.”

“Then show me!” she insisted, pouting just slightly. “I want to learn properly from the champ.”

There was something about the way she said it. She's not demanding me; innocently, she wanted to learn from me. Against my better judgment, I gave in. 

“Fine, fine.”

I stepped behind her, gently adjusting her stance as my hands hovered over her shoulders, guiding her elbows inward.
“Keep your guard up,” I said quietly. “Like this. And don’t lock your feet. Always bring your chin down, or you’ll lose balance if you get hit.”

She tried to mimic me, clenching her fists tighter and her chin down. “Like this?”

 “Yeah, better.” 

I can't really fathom the smell of her shampoo, faintly floral. Was it jasmine, or something different? Anyway, she turned her head just slightly, eyes catching mine over her shoulder. She threw some good punches despite her stature; it's almost professional. I felt honored to have the opportunity to coach someone like her. Now I understand why she's the most anticipated idol. She does have good kinetic skills up her sleeves.

“I think I’m starting to get it,” she said. 

I cleared my throat, stepping back. “That's a perfect straight. You’re not bad for a beginner.”

“Really? Then maybe next time, I’ll spar with you. I'll beat your ass, Ryu-kun!” she teased while smugging.

I chuckled. “You’ll lose in five seconds.”

“Then you’ll have to go easy on me,” she said, pretending to pout again before bursting into a laugh. “Ah, but… you're not going to do that, wouldn’t you? You seem too kind to hit a girl.”

Her words were light, but something behind them felt heavier.

“I don't hit girls.”

 “I know.”

There was a pause. For a couple of seconds, we stay like that. Why would she even ask that? Does she have someone in her life who beat her up before? Or is she testing me? The air was getting kinda awkward now, until Chisa-san clapped her hands once, breaking it.

“Okay! Next lesson, coach! How to throw an uppercut?”

I grinned. “You're funny. One step at a time, Chisa-san. You need to learn from the basics.”

I couldn’t help but wonder, was she really just here to learn boxing…or something else entirely? She doesn't seem like the type to learn about stuff who don't have anything to do with her career. I guess this time I was wrong? I could feel that we both genuinely enjoyed our workout time. 

By the time we finished, the air in the gym felt heavier. Deep down, I'm still thinking about Miku....it really affected my mental state. Chisa sat cross-legged on the mat, gulping down water from her bottle. Her cheeks were flushed pink, hair sticking slightly to her sweaty neck.

“Haah...haahh....haahh..., that was harder than I thought,” she panted hard, leaning back on her palms. “Boxers really have it rough, huh?”

“Yeah,” I muttered, wiping my face with a towel. “Tougher than it looks.”

She peeked up at me, eyes narrowing a little. “Ryu-kun...You look tired.”

“I am tired,” I said, forcing a laugh.

But she didn’t buy it.
Her gaze lingered. “No, not that kind of tired.”

I exhaled slowly. Maybe it was the exhaustion talking, or I was just done holding things in by myself.

“I’ve been… thinking about something lately,” 

“About what?”

“About somebody. And… how much I really know them.”

“Care to share it with me, Ryu-kun? It's okay if you're not comfortable with it, I understand...”

I hesitated. The words came out before I could stop them.

“Can you... Love someone who’s been hiding something from you?”

Her expression didn’t change right away, but I saw her crimson eyes flicker. I could see that she was waiting for me to share my thoughts.

“Hmm…” she hummed thoughtfully, twirling a loose strand of hair around her finger. “That’s a hard one. Depends what they’re hiding, doesn’t it?”

“Hmmm...I just….I want to believe that people can change. That if they made mistakes, they could still be-”

“-forgiven?” she finished softly. Silently, I nodded.

“You know… people who hide things, sometimes they don’t do it because they’re bad. Sometimes.....they hide because they want to protect themselves, to maintain their agenda no matter how much they hurt another person...” she smiled faintly, eyes half-lidded.

I stared down at the floor after hearing her explanation, "That's harsh...., you sound like you’ve been through that yourself.”

Chisa chuckled softly as she whispered, “If you love someone, you deserve to see them for who they really are. Not who they want you to think they are.” 

I didn’t answer her for half a minute until the words came out of my lips. 

“…You’re good with words. Thank you, Chisa-san.”

She smiled faintly, eyes downcast. “It’s part of my job, remember? I’m supposed to make people smile.”

As I left the gym, the sound of her humming trailed behind me. It echoed in my head longer than I wanted it to. Her words still lingered inside my mind. Chisa-san was right, I deserve to know everything about Miku. 

Does Miku really hide something from me? 

Am I really just one of her toys? 

Despite everything I do for her? 

Chisa-san's words made me realize I deserve not just an answer, but a full explanation of the legitimacy of those pictures. 

I should ask Miku about it the next time we meet.