Maybe because Ryuya's reasoning made sense, a faint light of hope flickered in Sakurajima Mai's eyes. Her expression softened, and a bit of liveliness returned to her face.
After making up his mind, Ryuya quickly set a plan.
"Let's get some rest. We'll take the first bus back in the morning."
He lay back down, naturally pulling Mai into his arms once more.
She glanced at him but said nothing, quietly remaining in his embrace.
Before she knew it, this boy had become her only source of comfort.
If it weren't for him being by her side through all this… she probably would've broken down long ago.
Almost unconsciously, Mai reached out and clutched Ryuya's arm tightly—like a drowning person grabbing at a lifeline.
Ryuya could feel the tremor of her fear and confusion. The only thing he could do was hold her closer, letting their warmth reassure each other through the night.
The next morning, hand in hand, Ryuya and Mai made their way back to Shinto.
After a long ride, they finally arrived at her school—Minegahara High School.
Still holding her hand, Ryuya gave it a light squeeze and said softly, "Shall we go take a look?"
"We've come all the way here already. Might as well," Mai replied with a calm face.
"Then let's go."
Ryuya led her toward the school gates.
At the entrance, he stopped a passing student.
"Hey, excuse me. Do you happen to know Sakurajima Mai?"
The student looked surprised. "Huh? Of course I do! Who at our school doesn't know Sakurajima-senpai?"
Ryuya's eyebrow shot up immediately.
Bingo.
But…
He glanced at Mai—who was still standing right beside him, hand in hand.
And yet, the male student clearly couldn't see her at all.
Ryuya frowned slightly, thinking.
So the students here were still under the influence of her ability… but at least they still remembered her existence.
That was a huge difference.
If they still remembered her, then maybe—just maybe—he could use that as a foothold to break the phenomenon.
"What exactly are you planning?" Mai asked uneasily from beside him. She had a bad feeling he was about to pull something big again.
"Remember that first plan I mentioned before?" Ryuya asked with a faint grin.
"The one about spreading rumors?"
Mai's reaction was instant, her face tightening. "I told you, that's not a good idea."
"As long as it works, it's a good idea," Ryuya replied calmly, cutting off her protests.
"Right now, the fastest and most effective way to break your ability's influence is to use a rumor. We can deal with the rest later."
And with that, he pulled out his phone and began messaging several media reporters one by one.
"All I have to say is that a certain famous actress was secretly spotted meeting someone romantically at Minegahara High School—should be enough to bait them in, right?"
He said it casually, as if composing nonsense was just another daily routine.
His goal wasn't to expose Mai herself—after all, those reporters didn't even remember who Sakurajima Mai was anymore. He just needed to lure them here.
"This isn't even scandal-worthy…" Mai muttered dryly beside him.
"Hmm, okay, then how about this—'A famous actress attempts suicide after emotional fallout with her younger boyfriend, only for ten of his other girlfriends to appear on-site mocking her'?"
Mai: "…Huh???"
Before she could say anything, Ryuya had already hit "Send."
…Wasn't that a little too explosive?!
He really wasn't planning to leave himself any room to back out, was he?
The girl opened her mouth as if to protest, but in the end, she gave up.
Forget it—let him do whatever he wants.
"Whatever happens after this, I'm not taking responsibility," she muttered softly, sounding like someone who'd already resigned herself to the chaos.
Ryuya, fiddling with his phone, simply raised an OK sign with his hand.
It didn't take long before several cars screeched to a halt nearby. A pack of reporters and cameramen burst out, armed with cameras and mics like they were storming a battlefield.
Ryuya quickly called one of them, guiding them toward the right spot—his plan was for them to start asking around about the so-called 'famous actress' who had allegedly appeared here.
And since almost everyone at Minegahara High School knew Sakurajima Mai, the moment those reporters started asking questions, the students naturally connected the dots.
They immediately thought of her.
Just as expected—after a few rounds of "discreet interviews" and some juicy gossip exchanged among the students—rumors began spreading across the school like wildfire.
"No way, right? Did Sakurajima-senpai really get tricked by some scumbag guy? Maybe it's a misunderstanding?"
"Come on, the reporters are already here! She's the only celebrity in our school—maybe she doesn't even know yet!"
"What a jerk! Playing with someone's feelings like that—ugh, I can't stand guys like that!"
Whispers filled the air.
With his heightened hearing, Ryuya caught bits and pieces of conversation from all around.
At the same time, several students noticed him.
And when they looked in his direction—no, at his side—their expressions froze slightly.
Their eyes… seemed to land right on Mai.
Ryuya's heart skipped a beat. It's working.
More and more students began whispering among themselves, casting curious, surprised glances at the two of them.
"Hey, hey, could that be him? That's Sakurajima-senpai next to him, right!?"
"Whoa, it really is her! Is he her boyfriend? Are those rumors actually true?"
"Oh no, if that's really her boyfriend, maybe she doesn't know what kind of guy he is—we should warn her or something…"
Hearing those murmurs, Mai's hand suddenly tightened around Ryuya's.
She could feel it—her ability's influence had been broken.
Just like Ryuya said, those negative rumors had perfectly exploited the gossip-loving nature of human beings.
They spread like wildfire, and the effect was almost instantaneous.
But, of course… that meant Ryuya's problems were only just beginning.
Mai looked toward the parking lot. Several cars were still there, and a group of reporters was shouting excitedly into their mics.
After arriving and hearing the rumors, their memories of Sakurajima Mai had come flooding back.
And now, they all realized—this was huge.
After all, it was Sakurajima Mai!
The beloved child actress turned national idol, famous since childhood, spotless for years without a single scandal—
And now, suddenly, this!
It was the perfect media storm.
Some of the reporters were literally bouncing in place, slapping their foreheads in disbelief at their luck.
"It's really Sakurajima Mai! Oh my god, this is a major scoop!"
"Look, over there—it's her!"
Someone pointed.
And in that instant, the reporters also noticed the boy holding her hand.
Countless cameras immediately swung toward them—and the shutters began firing in unison, a storm of flashes swallowing the two of them whole.
---
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