It was a Monday.
A cursed kind of Monday where the air felt too loud and the stares too obvious.
Yuuji Aikawa barely stepped into homeroom before someone—not subtly—whispered, "There they are."
Ren Sakamoto, walking beside him, caught the tail-end of it and rolled his eyes. "We didn't commit murder."
"Not recently," Yuuji replied dryly.
They reached their desks—next to each other, of course—just as Ian Moore and Rio Wilson strolled in from the other door. Ian was still brushing crumbs off Rio's blazer from the pastry he'd fed him in the hallway.
That did not help the rumors.
Kenji Suguru and Will Ethan sauntered in right behind them, laughing at something only they seemed to understand.
And then—bam.
The question dropped like a mic from the front row.
"Are you guys all, like… dating each other?"
Half the class froze.
The voice belonged to Erika Minami, She said it with mock-casualness, but her eyes gleamed. Behind her, the other students hushed like an audience waiting for the cast of a romantic drama to deliver the big twist.
Ren blinked. "You're going to have to be more specific."
"Ren," she said flatly, "you, Yuuji, Ian, Rio, Kenji, and Will. You always hang out. You always sit together. There's this whole vibe."
"Ah," Kenji said with mock thoughtfulness. "You mean the gay vibe."
A few kids snorted.
Will raised a hand. "Hi. Will Ethan. Vibe manager."
Erika stared. "So… it's true?"
Ian stood, slowly, eyes sharp but calm. "We're not a dating circle."
"But we are dating," Ren added, slipping his hand into Yuuji's.
Yuuji didn't even flinch. He gave the class a lazy look. "And?"
Rio, beside Ian, smirked. "We're also dating."
Kenji slung an arm around Will, who grinned like he was in on a private joke. "We're not dating," Kenji said, "but we flirt for sport. He's my emotional support chaos."
"Correct," Will added proudly. "But if Kenji ever grows a real personality, who knows?"
Laughter bubbled in the room. The tension softened—just a little.
But Erika wasn't done. "Okay, okay, just—wow. It's just… all of you? At the same time?"
Ren arched a brow. "Is that a problem?"
She looked like she wanted to say yes. But instead, she mumbled, "No. Just surprising."
Rio leaned against Ian's shoulder, deliberately casual. "The world's full of surprises."
—
After class, the six of them gathered on the rooftop.
Kenji was lying flat on the warm concrete. "We should get a name. Like a squad name."
"We're not a boy band," Ian muttered.
Will flopped down beside him. "Speak for yourself. I'm definitely the heartthrob."
Yuuji and Ren stood by the railing, watching clouds.
"You okay?" Ren asked quietly.
Yuuji nodded, then surprised him by lacing their fingers. "I used to hate attention like that. But now…"
"You don't mind being seen?"
"I don't mind if they see me," Yuuji said, "with you."
Ren blinked, heart thudding a little too fast.
Rio threw a chip at them. "Stop being cute. Some of us are trying to brood."
Ian, sitting beside him, rolled his eyes. "You've never brooded in your life."
"I'm learning," Rio shot back, "from the master of brooding himself."
"You're not funny."
"I'm hilarious."
They bickered until they weren't.
Until they were just laughing.
—
Later that day, as the six left school together, another student from Class 3-B passed them and did a double-take.
"Wait," the girl whispered to her friend. "Aren't those the guys who—?"
"Yeah," her friend said, eyes wide. "All of them."
"Dang. I love it."
The whisper wasn't cruel this time. It was awe.