## Chapter 12: The Rumor Mill

## Chapter 12: The Rumor Mill
---
The rumor started innocently enough.
A first-year girl saw Ren talking to a female student from another class during break. They were laughing, standing close, and when he left, he'd touched her shoulder briefly—a friendly gesture, nothing more.
But by lunch, the story had transformed.
"Did you hear? Kurosawa was flirting with a girl from 3-C."
"I heard they were holding hands."
"Someone said they saw them behind the gym."
"Poor Sato-san. I knew he was too wild to settle down."
Airi heard the whispers before she saw Ren. She was at her locker, gathering books for afternoon classes, when two girls passed by speaking in hushed tones.
"—always thought he was too good-looking to be faithful—"
"—Sato-san is so perfect, she probably bores him—"
"—guys like that always cheat eventually—"
Airi's hands stilled on her textbook. Her stomach twisted uncomfortably. She didn't believe the rumors—of course she didn't. Ren would never. But hearing them still hurt.
"Airi!"
She turned to find Miki rushing toward her, looking concerned.
"You heard?" Miki asked.
"Just bits and pieces."
"It's complete nonsense. I saw the whole thing. It was Shimizu from 3-C. She asked Ren for help reaching a book from the top shelf in the library. He helped her, they laughed because she's apparently terrified of ladders, and he left. That's it."
"I figured it was something like that."
"But people are being vicious about it." Miki's expression darkened. "Some girls are saying you're not exciting enough for him. That you're too serious, too boring."
Airi felt the words hit harder than they should. Wasn't that what she'd always feared? That she was too much of one thing and not enough of another?
"Hey." Miki grabbed her shoulders. "Don't listen to them. They're jealous. You and Ren are solid."
"I know."
"Do you? Because you look like you're about to cry."
"I'm fine. Really." Airi forced a smile. "Just annoyed that people have nothing better to do than gossip."
But as she headed to class, the whispers followed her like shadows.
---
## 💔 Confrontation
Ren found her before lunch, his expression stormy.
"You heard the rumors," he said. It wasn't a question.
"Yes."
"And?"
"And nothing. I don't believe them."
"But?" He searched her face. "There's a 'but' in your eyes."
Airi sighed. "But it still hurts. Hearing people say those things. About us. About me not being enough for you."
"Airi—"
"I know it's stupid. I know I shouldn't care what people think. But I do." She looked down at her hands. "What if they're right? What if I am too boring for you?"
"Stop." Ren cupped her face, forcing her to look at him. "You are not boring. You're thoughtful and careful and deep. That's not boring—that's beautiful."
"But I'm not spontaneous like you. I don't make you laugh all the time. I'm just—"
"You're everything." He said it with such intensity that Airi's breath caught. "You think I want someone 'exciting'? Someone who's always 'fun'? No. I want you. Your quiet strength, your careful way of loving, your mind that thinks in patterns I can't even begin to understand."
"Ren—"
"And if anyone—anyone—says you're not enough, they can answer to me." His eyes flashed with the old anger, the protective fury he rarely showed anymore. "Because you're more than enough. You're everything."
Airi felt tears prick her eyes. "People are going to keep talking. Making up stories. Especially when we're at different universities."
"Let them talk. I don't care about them. I care about you. About us." He pulled her into a hug. "The only opinions that matter are yours and mine. And I think we're pretty damn great together."
"We are," she whispered into his chest.
"Then screw everyone else."
---
## 📢 Public Statement
At lunch, Ren did something Airi didn't expect.
He stood up in the middle of the crowded cafeteria, pulled Airi to her feet, and kissed her. Not a quick peck—a real kiss, slow and deliberate and absolutely public.
When they finally pulled apart, the cafeteria had gone completely silent.
"Just so we're clear," Ren announced, his voice carrying across the room, "Airi Sato is my girlfriend. The only girl I want. The only girl I'll ever want. So if anyone has any rumors to spread, make sure they include that part."
Airi's face was burning, but Ren just grinned at her, completely unbothered by the audience.
"You're insane," she hissed.
"And you love it," he whispered back.
Slowly, the cafeteria erupted into applause and cheers. Some people whistled. Miki was practically squealing.
But Airi also noticed the bitter expressions on some faces. The girls who'd been spreading rumors. The ones who'd wanted Ren for themselves.
"You just made us even more of a spectacle," Airi said as they sat back down.
"Good. Let them watch. Let them see that we're the real deal." He took her hand, intertwining their fingers on top of the table for everyone to see. "I'm not ashamed of us. Are you?"
"No. Never." She squeezed his hand. "Just not used to being the center of attention."
"Better get used to it. Because I plan on showing you off for the rest of forever."
---
## 🎭 Drama Class
That afternoon, drama class brought unexpected complications.
Their teacher, Mr. Sato (no relation to Airi, though it had been a running joke all year), announced a new project: paired scenes from famous romantic plays and films.
"I've already assigned partners," he said, pulling up a list. "These pairings are based on complementary acting styles, not personal preference."
Airi felt a sense of dread even before he read the assignments.
"Kurosawa Ren and Yoshida Hana."
Ren's eyes immediately found Airi's across the room, apologetic.
"Sato Airi and Nakamura Kenji."
Airi's stomach sank. Not because Nakamura was a problem—he was a nice guy, friendly, good student. But because Yoshida Hana was the girl from 3-C. The one from the rumors.
And she was currently beaming at Ren like she'd won the lottery.
"This is going to be a disaster," Miki whispered beside Airi.
"It's fine," Airi said, trying to convince herself. "It's just a class project."
But she watched Hana approach Ren's desk, all smiles and enthusiasm, and felt something ugly twist in her chest.
Jealousy.
She'd never been jealous before. Had never had reason to be. But watching another girl touch Ren's arm, lean in close to discuss their scene, laugh at something he said—it made Airi want to march over there and stake her claim.
Which was ridiculous. Childish. Beneath her.
But she felt it anyway.
---
## 💚 The Green-Eyed Monster
After class, Airi tried to act normal. Tried not to bring up Hana or the project or the way the other girl had touched Ren's arm seventeen times during their planning session. Yes, she'd counted.
But Ren knew her too well.
"You're jealous," he said as they walked to their study spot.
"I'm not."
"You counted how many times she touched me. I saw you."
Airi's face heated. "That's not— I wasn't—"
"It's okay to be jealous." He pulled her into an empty classroom, closing the door behind them. "It means you care."
"I don't like feeling this way. It's... petty."
"It's human." He cupped her face gently. "Want to know a secret?"
"What?"
"I'm jealous too."
"Of Nakamura? He's just—"
"I know he's just a classmate. Just a scene partner. Doesn't matter. The thought of him making you laugh, standing close to you, maybe holding your hand for a scene—" His jaw tightened. "I hate it."
"Really?"
"Really." He laughed ruefully. "I'm a hypocrite, huh? Telling you not to care about rumors while I'm over here ready to fight a guy who's literally just doing a class assignment."
Airi felt her jealousy ease slightly, replaced by something softer. "We're both disasters."
"The best kind of disasters." He kissed her forehead. "But seriously, Hana means nothing to me. You know that, right?"
"I know. Logically, I know. But feelings aren't logical."
"No, they're not." He pulled her closer. "So how do we handle this? The jealousy, the rumors, the drama?"
"We trust each other," Airi said. "And we communicate. If something bothers us, we talk about it."
"Even if it makes us feel stupid?"
"Especially then."
"Okay." He took a breath. "Then I'll tell you: it bothers me that Hana looks at you like you're the obstacle between her and me. Like if you weren't in the picture, she'd have a chance."
"She wouldn't."
"I know. But I don't like that she's thinking it." He paused. "And it bothers me that we have to perform a romantic scene together. I don't want to pretend to have feelings for anyone else. Even for a class project."
"We could ask Mr. Sato to change the partners."
"Could we? Without causing more drama?" Ren looked doubtful. "People would say we're insecure. That we don't trust each other."
"Do you trust me?" Airi asked.
"Completely. It's everyone else I don't trust."
She understood the feeling. "Then we do the projects. We're professional about it. And we prove that our relationship is stronger than some stupid classroom assignment."
"When did you get so wise?"
"I learned from the best." She smiled. "A certain boy who taught me that love means choosing each other, even when it's hard."
"Damn right." He kissed her softly. "Okay. We can do this. Professional scenes with our partners. No jealousy. Just trust."
"Just trust," Airi agreed.
But as they left the classroom, she couldn't shake the feeling that this was going to be harder than either of them anticipated.
---
## 🎬 First Rehearsal
The next day brought the first rehearsal session. Airi met Nakamura in the drama room, script in hand.
"So," he said, friendly and professional, "we're doing the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet. Classic."
"Very classic," Airi agreed.
They ran through the lines, and to Airi's relief, Nakamura kept everything appropriate. No unnecessary touching, no lingering gazes. Just two classmates doing an assignment.
Across the room, she could see Ren and Hana working on their scene—something from a modern romance film. And Hana was... not being professional.
She kept touching Ren's chest. Leaning in close. Playing with her hair. Laughing too loud at things that weren't funny.
And Ren, to his credit, kept stepping back. Kept creating distance. His body language screamed discomfort.
"Your boyfriend looks like he's being tortured," Nakamura observed, following Airi's gaze.
"He hates this."
"Yoshida's not subtle." Nakamura shook his head. "Want me to accidentally spill something on her? Create a distraction?"
Airi laughed despite herself. "Tempting, but no. We're handling this maturely."
"Maturely is overrated. But okay." He glanced at the script. "Want to run the scene again? I promise to be significantly less annoying than Yoshida."
"That's a low bar."
"And yet, I'm confident I'll clear it."
They ran the scene again, and Airi found herself enjoying Nakamura's dry humor. He made the rehearsal bearable, even fun.
When class ended, Ren practically sprinted over to her.
"Save me," he muttered. "That was torture."
"I saw. Hana was very... enthusiastic."
"That's one word for it." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "She kept trying to add 'chemistry' to the scene. Kept suggesting we 'practice' the kiss that's in the script."
"There's a kiss?"
"There's a kiss," he confirmed miserably. "A stage kiss. That I absolutely do not want to do."
Airi felt the jealousy flare again, but she pushed it down. "It's acting. It's not real."
"I know. But I still hate it." He took her hands. "I'm going to talk to Mr. Sato. Ask if we can modify the scene or choose a different one."
"He won't let you. He'll think we're being difficult."
"I don't care. I'm not kissing someone else. Not even for a grade."
"Ren—"
"No." His voice was firm. "I have boundaries. This is one of them."
Airi felt her heart swell with love and relief. "Okay. Then we'll figure it out together."
"Together," he agreed.
---
## 🌙 That Evening
That night, Airi wrote in her journal:
*Dear Future Me,*
*Today was hard. Rumors. Jealousy. Drama class complications.*
*But here's what I learned: love isn't just about the happy moments. It's about how you handle the hard ones.*
*Ren and I faced rumors together. We admitted our jealousy instead of hiding it. We set boundaries that matter to us, even if others don't understand.*
*That's growth, right?*
*Sometimes I worry that we're naive. That distance will be harder than we think. That the challenges we're facing now are nothing compared to what's coming.*
*But then I remember: we're choosing each other. Every day. Through rumors and jealousy and stupid drama class projects.*
*If we can handle this, maybe we can handle anything.*
*Love,**Present Airi*
Her phone buzzed.
**Ren**: *talked to mr sato. hes letting us change scenes*
**Airi**: *Really? What did you say?*
**Ren**: *told him the truth. that im in a serious relationship and kissing someone else even for acting makes me uncomfortable*
**Ren**: *he said he respects that. were doing a different scene. no kiss required*
**Airi**: *What about Hana?*
**Ren**: *shell be disappointed but shell deal with it*
**Ren**: *you and nakamura good?*
**Airi**: *He's professional and kind. No issues.*
**Ren**: *good. because if he wasnt id have words with him*
**Airi**: *My protective boyfriend ❤️*
**Ren**: *always. gotta protect whats precious*
**Airi**: *I love you.*
**Ren**: *i love you too. more than anything*
**Ren**: *goodnight my love. sweet dreams*
**Airi**: *Goodnight ❤️*
Airi set her phone down with a smile. Today had been hard. But they'd handled it. Together.
And tomorrow, they'd handle whatever came next.
Because that's what love was. Not the absence of challenges, but the commitment to face them side by side.
And she and Ren? They had that in spades.
---
#*