Chapter 32:
Chapter 32 : fan frenzy
Everyday you, Shining you
Ayase was walking down the street hoping for a quiet moment.Eclipse was doing really good Yui was praising Namilab a lot
A squeaky voice called out behind her:“FUJIMOTO-SAN! Wait, wait! Can I… can I have a picture? Please?”Ayase turned, and sure enough, a teenager with a phone held out like a lifeline was bounding toward her.“Uh… hi! I… um…” Ayase stammered, waving awkwardly.Ren, walking calmly beside her, noticed immediately. He bent slightly to the fan’s level, maintaining his calm, collected presence.“Hello. One picture is fine,” he said politely, his voice smooth as silk.Ayase blinked, mortified.“R-Ren! I—uh… maybe you could…”The fan didn’t wait for her. She was snapping selfies, squealing every few seconds.“Oh my gosh! You’re Ayase! And… Ren! Together! This is… amazing!”Ayase’s face turned bright red.“Together? We’re… um… co-workers?” she said quickly.Ren didn’t flinch. He smiled politely at the camera.“Yes. Co-workers,” he confirmed, calm, steady, professional.The fan wasn’t satisfied.“No, no! You have to be dating! I ship you so hard since I saw you near the park!”Ayase groaned quietly, tugging at her bag strap.“Please… stop… I’m not—”Ren’s eyebrow lifted, just a fraction.“Ma’am,” he said gently but firmly, “we appreciate your support. But please… some boundaries.”The fan blinked, momentarily caught off guard by his poise.“Oh! Okay… um… thanks?” she stammered, backing away slowly but still snapping pictures.Ayase exhaled, sinking onto the nearest bench.“Ren… you make it look so easy,” she muttered, burying her face in her hands.Ren crouched beside her, calm as ever.“Experience. And… some practice.”Ayase peeked up at him, blinking.“…You’re not even stressed?”Ren shook his head slightly.“Not really. Handling fans is part of the job. The real challenge is… keeping you from panicking.”Ayase’s eyes went wide.“Wh-what?!”Ren smirked just faintly, his professional mask slipping for the tiniest second.“Relax. You’ll get used to it.”Ayase groaned again, half embarrassed, half exasperated.“Or maybe… you just enjoy watching me squirm.”Ren’s smile stayed calm, but there was warmth in his eyes.“Maybe a little.”And just like that, Ayase’s cheeks heated again, and she realized: dealing with Ren was way more complicated than dealing with overexcited fans.~It started small.One fan spotted Ayase and Ren being very close inside a restaurant that was promoting Eclipse. A quick photo. A short caption:“Ren Ichinose spotted with Ayase Fujimoto ! 😍 #shipit”Then another. Then another.Within hours, social media exploded. Fans were noticing every detail: the way Ren stayed close, how Ayase laughed at things only he said, the casual brush of their hands as they walked.“Are they dating???”“Ren and Ayase?? Official couple??”“I’m screaming… Eclipse campaign got me shipping hard!!”Ayase scrolled through her phone, frozen. Her cheeks were burning.“Oh no… oh no no no,” she muttered.Ren, sitting calmly beside her at a quiet bakery, noticed the tension. He glanced at her, expression composed, voice low and steady.“Ayase. You can’t control what people say online. Let it go.”Ayase blinked, panicked.“Let it go?! They’re… they’re saying we’re dating! What do I even do?!”Ren took a slow sip of his coffee, unshaken.“Do nothing. Be professional. Smile when needed. Ignore the rest.”Ayase groaned, burying her face in her hands.“I don’t know if I can… they’re relentless!”Meanwhile, Tachibana had leaned back in her chair, grinning.“Ohhh, this is gold. You two look so cute together. Ship confirmed by public opinion.”Aki peeked nervously over his own phone.“I… I think people are taking it way too seriously…?”Ren’s jaw tightened slightly, but his voice remained calm.“Yes. Which is why we ignore it.”Ayase peeked at him again, flustered.“ How are you so calm?!”Ren’s lips curved faintly.“You… will get used to it.”Ayase’s stomach twisted, but she refused to meet his gaze.“I… I hope so…”Outside, fans continued to snap pictures and post stories. Rumors spread like wildfire. But inside the café, Ren’s presence was steady. Professional. Reliable.And though Ayase was blushing like crazy, she couldn’t help but notice one thing: Ren always made her feel… safe, even in chaos.End of chapter 32
A squeaky voice called out behind her:“FUJIMOTO-SAN! Wait, wait! Can I… can I have a picture? Please?”Ayase turned, and sure enough, a teenager with a phone held out like a lifeline was bounding toward her.“Uh… hi! I… um…” Ayase stammered, waving awkwardly.Ren, walking calmly beside her, noticed immediately. He bent slightly to the fan’s level, maintaining his calm, collected presence.“Hello. One picture is fine,” he said politely, his voice smooth as silk.Ayase blinked, mortified.“R-Ren! I—uh… maybe you could…”The fan didn’t wait for her. She was snapping selfies, squealing every few seconds.“Oh my gosh! You’re Ayase! And… Ren! Together! This is… amazing!”Ayase’s face turned bright red.“Together? We’re… um… co-workers?” she said quickly.Ren didn’t flinch. He smiled politely at the camera.“Yes. Co-workers,” he confirmed, calm, steady, professional.The fan wasn’t satisfied.“No, no! You have to be dating! I ship you so hard since I saw you near the park!”Ayase groaned quietly, tugging at her bag strap.“Please… stop… I’m not—”Ren’s eyebrow lifted, just a fraction.“Ma’am,” he said gently but firmly, “we appreciate your support. But please… some boundaries.”The fan blinked, momentarily caught off guard by his poise.“Oh! Okay… um… thanks?” she stammered, backing away slowly but still snapping pictures.Ayase exhaled, sinking onto the nearest bench.“Ren… you make it look so easy,” she muttered, burying her face in her hands.Ren crouched beside her, calm as ever.“Experience. And… some practice.”Ayase peeked up at him, blinking.“…You’re not even stressed?”Ren shook his head slightly.“Not really. Handling fans is part of the job. The real challenge is… keeping you from panicking.”Ayase’s eyes went wide.“Wh-what?!”Ren smirked just faintly, his professional mask slipping for the tiniest second.“Relax. You’ll get used to it.”Ayase groaned again, half embarrassed, half exasperated.“Or maybe… you just enjoy watching me squirm.”Ren’s smile stayed calm, but there was warmth in his eyes.“Maybe a little.”And just like that, Ayase’s cheeks heated again, and she realized: dealing with Ren was way more complicated than dealing with overexcited fans.~It started small.One fan spotted Ayase and Ren being very close inside a restaurant that was promoting Eclipse. A quick photo. A short caption:“Ren Ichinose spotted with Ayase Fujimoto ! 😍 #shipit”Then another. Then another.Within hours, social media exploded. Fans were noticing every detail: the way Ren stayed close, how Ayase laughed at things only he said, the casual brush of their hands as they walked.“Are they dating???”“Ren and Ayase?? Official couple??”“I’m screaming… Eclipse campaign got me shipping hard!!”Ayase scrolled through her phone, frozen. Her cheeks were burning.“Oh no… oh no no no,” she muttered.Ren, sitting calmly beside her at a quiet bakery, noticed the tension. He glanced at her, expression composed, voice low and steady.“Ayase. You can’t control what people say online. Let it go.”Ayase blinked, panicked.“Let it go?! They’re… they’re saying we’re dating! What do I even do?!”Ren took a slow sip of his coffee, unshaken.“Do nothing. Be professional. Smile when needed. Ignore the rest.”Ayase groaned, burying her face in her hands.“I don’t know if I can… they’re relentless!”Meanwhile, Tachibana had leaned back in her chair, grinning.“Ohhh, this is gold. You two look so cute together. Ship confirmed by public opinion.”Aki peeked nervously over his own phone.“I… I think people are taking it way too seriously…?”Ren’s jaw tightened slightly, but his voice remained calm.“Yes. Which is why we ignore it.”Ayase peeked at him again, flustered.“ How are you so calm?!”Ren’s lips curved faintly.“You… will get used to it.”Ayase’s stomach twisted, but she refused to meet his gaze.“I… I hope so…”Outside, fans continued to snap pictures and post stories. Rumors spread like wildfire. But inside the café, Ren’s presence was steady. Professional. Reliable.And though Ayase was blushing like crazy, she couldn’t help but notice one thing: Ren always made her feel… safe, even in chaos.End of chapter 32
Please sign in to leave a comment.