Chapter 65: "Your Highness" On Channel 8

I am on the bus.

I am carrying a teddy bear that is bigger than a third-grader.

It is pink.

Everyone is staring.

My Bloody Twilight reputation is officially and permanently dead.

I don't even care.

"Don't believe the news. Wait for me."

What is he? A mafia boss? A secret agent? A vampire? (Hiroto is stupid.)

I get home.

I drag General Fluff inside.

My mom sees it.

"Aoi-chan! What a wonderful gift! Is that from Fuji-kun? He's so sweet!"

"He's a jerk, Mom," I mutter, dragging the bear upstairs.

My phone explodes.

The moment I hit my room. It buzzes like a hornet's nest.

It is our group chat. ("Aoi's Future Husband" - Toujo still hasn't changed it.)

Rika is spamming.

Rika: "AOI! TURN ON THE TV!" Rika: "AOI-CHAN! CHANNEL 8! RIGHT NOW! HURRY!" Toujo: "OH MY GOD. YOU WERE RIGHT! HE IS A PRINCE!" Toujo: "A REAL LIVE PRINCE! AOI-CHAN! YOU'RE DATING A PRINCE!"

My blood runs cold.

It is a joke. It has to be.

Bzzzt. A private message.

HirotoSparkles: "ANGEL! IT'S SEASON 2! I CALLED IT! THE RATINGS ARE THROUGH THE ROOF! MY AGENCY IS CONFIRMING IT! IT'S HIM!"

Bzzzt.

DaikiJerk: "Twilight. What the hell is on the news. Is that...him?"

My hands are shaking.

I look at General Fluff.

I grab my remote. The one for my room's TV.

I turn it on. Channel 8.

It is the Imperial News. A Special Report. Live.

The anchorwoman is speaking.

"...a somber night at the annual Red Cross Gala, as His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor, has been hospitalized with severe pneumonia..."

I don't care. Blah, blah, blah.

"...but in a shocking show of family unity, the entire Imperial Family is in attendance. Of course, we see Crown Prince Takahito... and Her Highness, Princess Akiko, who just announced her pregnancy..."

The good news. From the phone call.

"...but the shock of the night, Takahashi-san, is who is walking behind them..."

The camera pans.

It zooms.

Past people in tuxedos.

And it lands on him.

It is him.

It is Fuji.

But it is not.

He is not Fuji.

He is wearing a black military-style suit. Gold braids on the shoulder. Medals on his chest.

His white hair is perfectly styled. Slicked back from his face.

He is wearing white gloves.

He is looking straight ahead.

His face is cold. Empty. Perfect.

It is The Ice Prince. The real one. The one he showed the world.

The anchorwoman gasps.

"...it IS! It is confirmed! That is His Imperial Highness, Prince Kenji! The second son of the Crown Prince! He has been studying abroad anonymously for two years, but he has returned! What a shocking return to public life!"

Prince.

Imperial.

Highness.

Kenji.

I drop my remote.

I drop his note.

I sit down on the floor.

The TV shows him shaking someone's hand. He bows. Perfectly. Impersonally.

He looks miserable. No. He looks like nothing.

He wasn't lying. He wasn't pranking me.

He is a Prince. A real one.

My rival. My first date. The dork in the penguin apron.

Is a Prince of Japan.

I look at the note. "Don't believe what you see on the news."

I look at the TV.

I look at General Fluff.

My peaceful life...

I start to laugh.

It is insane. It is terrifying.

I am dating a Prince.

And he left me his teddy bear.

I am so screwed.