As the rumors regarding her and Tatsuya spread like wildfire, Kasumi was reaching her breaking point. All that had actually happened was a CAD adjustment and a promise to meet again for another session. How that had mutated into a full-blown romantic relationship was beyond her comprehension.
"I seriously don't get it. Why is everyone saying Shiba-senpai and I are dating? Izumi, do you have any idea?"
"Well..." Izumi replied tentatively, "apparently there's a female student who claims she saw you tell him, 'Please, go out with me.'"
"I said, 'Please, go through another adjustment with me'!"
"She probably only heard the last half. Honestly, Kasumi-chan, if you had just issued a clear denial right away, it wouldn't have spiraled this far. Shiba-senpai managed to settle things, which is lucky—Miyuki-senpai was moments away from a total meltdown."
"But if people would just ask me, I could tell them! Instead, they just whisper behind my back and never check the facts. I thought it would be weird to just start shouting denials out of nowhere... and then, before I knew it, this happened."
Kasumi hadn't expected the rumor to blanket the entire school in a single day. Between the glares from jealous upperclassmen and the envious stares from her peers, she had spent the day in a state of constant, prickly discomfort.
She had retreated to her sister's room to vent, only to be hit with the cold reality that her own passivity had acted as an accelerant.
"If you don't deny it, people assume you're confirming it," Izumi lectured. "Even if there's no truth to it, a story without a denial grows wings and flies."
"So it seems... I never dreamed people would start saying we were engaged."
Kasumi had first learned the extent of the damage at the Disciplinary Committee headquarters, where Shizuku had pinned her with a glare so chilling it felt like a physical weight. After a panicked explanation and Tatsuya's own confirmation that the rumors were groundless, Shizuku had finally relented. Based on Izumi's earlier comment about Miyuki, Kasumi realized a similar interrogation must have taken place in the Student Council room.
"The rumors haven't spread outside the school, right?"
"I think we're safe there," Izumi said. "It seems to have stayed within the campus walls—"
"Izumi-chan? Is Kasumi-chan in there? I have something I need to ask."
"Onee-sama? Come in, it's open."
It wasn't common for Mayumi to drop by their room unannounced, but it wasn't unheard of either. Izumi welcomed her in without a second thought—unaware that this would be her biggest mistake of the day.
"Kasumi-chan!" Mayumi burst in, her face a mask of shock. "Is it true?! Did you and Tatsuya-kun actually... spend the night together?!"
"HUH?! What are you talking about?! Of course not!"
"...It seems the rumors made it off-campus after all," Izumi muttered, her face pale.
Watching Mayumi blurt out such a scandalous question the moment she opened her mouth, Izumi realized the gravity of the situation. If Mayumi was hearing this, Tatsuya was likely being subjected to similar questioning. That meant her beloved Miyuki-senpai was likely on the verge of another "blizzard," and the thought alone made Izumi shiver.
The next day, during her patrol as a member of the Disciplinary Committee, Kasumi endured the persistent whispering and pointed looks from the upperclassmen. Thanks to Tatsuya's intervention, the rumors had officially quieted down, but there were always those who continued to gossip for the sake of their own amusement.
(Ugh... if they were freshmen, I'd give them a piece of my mind.)
Ignoring the eyes filled with either curiosity or spite, Kasumi pushed forward with her patrol. She had hoped the talk would die out quickly, but being the subject of such scrutiny was more draining than she ever imagined. Just as she was reaching the limit of her patience, a group of older girls stepped out to block her path.
"Can I help you?"
"So, you're the one," one girl sneered. "You actually managed to seduce Shiba-kun?"
"Don't think you can just act however you want just because you're a Saegusa," another added.
"I'm not 'acting' like anything, and I certainly didn't seduce anyone."
"Where there's smoke, there's fire! You must have done something to him to make a rumor like this start!"
Kasumi calmly analyzed that they were becoming hysterical, but her own temper wasn't exactly equipped with high-quality brakes.
"I told you, I didn't do anything! Shiba-senpai said the same thing, so why is it so hard for you to understand? Or is it just that you're pissed off that a lowly freshman like me can talk to him when you can't even get a word in?"
"What did you say?! You little brat—!"
"What is going on here?"
Just as one of the girls reached out to grab her, a male voice cut through the air from behind Kasumi. She assumed someone had reported the disturbance and a fellow committee member had arrived to help.
"Sh-Shiba-kun...? Why are you here?"
"I saw a group of people surrounding a junior from the upper corridor," Tatsuya said, his tone level as he walked down to join them. "I was concerned, so I came to check. Now, what is the reason for this confrontation with Kasumi?"
"Oh, it's... well..."
"It's nothing! Really!" the girls stammered, their bravado vanishing the moment Tatsuya appeared. They shot Kasumi a pleading look, desperate for her to play along. Kasumi, however, felt zero obligation to do them any favors.
"They were cornering me because they believed those rumors, Senpai. They were upset that I was talking to you when they couldn't—"
"Kasumi, don't provoke them. It's a waste of energy."
"But Senpai! I've had enough of being harassed over nothing! It's cooled down because you denied it, but there are still people like this who just won't let it go!"
As Kasumi turned her frustration toward him, Tatsuya reached out and placed a hand on her head. He gave her a few light, reassuring pats—a "pon-pon" gesture that effectively short-circuited her anger.
"Just ignore the rumors. If you stop reacting, they'll fade away on their own."
"O-Oh... okay..."
Kasumi couldn't find the words to argue. Her brain had stalled under the weight of his hand, and she could only nod in uncharacteristic silence.
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