Makoto reclined on the plush sofa in his room, phone balanced on his shoulder as he stared blankly at the ceiling. His hair was still damp from a rushed shower, and he hadn't bothered changing out of his pajamas yet. Outside, the world looked peaceful. Birds chirped. Sunlight warmed the curtains.
Inside?
He was having a crisis.
"Yeah," Makoto said into the phone, exhaling slowly. "I'm dating Saiki."
There was a pause on the other end. Then a sound best described as someone dropping a phone, scrambling to pick it up, and muffling a scream with their sleeve.
"Makoto," his manager finally said, voice strained. "You're saying this like you accidentally posted a blurry cat pic and not—oh, I don't know—announcing you're dating some random highschooler while your stage name Toro Mugami is trending globally."
"I didn't announce it," Makoto said with a shrug, inspecting his nails. "I just… didn't deny it."
"You were caught on camera feeding him coffee jelly like it was a wedding reception. You winked at him. There was music in the background."
"That part was unintentional."
His manager groaned. "You'll need to do a press conference. This is—Makoto, your fanbase thinks Toro Mugami is their eternal, tragic, unattainable dreamboat. You've shattered a very delicate illusion."
"Okay," Makoto said cheerfully. "Book it. I'll wear a nice dress or something."
The manager was silent for a beat. "That's it? No arguing? No fake breakup for the media?"
"Nope."
"…Are you in love?"
Makoto smiled, soft and private. "I'll call you later."
He hung up.
The system pinged in his brain like an alert in a video game.
System: congrats host you've caused more chaos!
Makoto grinned widely"I know."
System: Public relationship status: Activated. Media spiral: Likely. Stalker alert: High
Makoto sighed. "Can't wait."
He grabbed his phone and opened his messages. With only a second of hesitation, he typed.
Makoto: good morning my jelly pudding baby 💕🍮💫
Saiki's reply came immediately.
Kusuo 🩷💝👽🛸: Do not call me that.
Makoto grinned.
Makoto: too late 🩷 see u at school mwah 💞💓💗💖💘
Kusuo 🩷💝👽🛸: blocking you
Still smiling, Makoto tossed his phone on the bed, finally got dressed, and slung his bag over his shoulder. As he stepped outside and headed for school, he hummed to himself.
The sun was shining.
His soul was glowing.
The world was seconds from exploding.
And Makoto? Makoto was in love.
Makoto arrived at school with a hood over his head, large sunglasses covering half his face, and a scarf wrapped tightly around his mouth. It was a futile disguise—the moment he stepped past the front gate, a shriek of recognition pierced the morning air.
"It's him! Toro Mugami! He's here!"
Makoto froze.
The crowd of fans—did they even go to PK?—surged forward like a tidal wave. Phones shot into the air, shutters clicking in rapid bursts. Screams echoed across the schoolyard, and someone started blaring one of his movie theme songs from their phone. It took everything in him not to turn on his heel and vanish into the horizon.
"Kotooooooo! You came to school dressed like a spy!" Nendou's booming voice cut through the chaos as he bounded over, waving enthusiastically.
Makoto pushed the sunglasses onto his forehead and gave him a strained smile. "Apparently, the disguise didn't work."
Kaidou and Aren appeared next, both eyeing the gathering crowd warily. Kaidou whispered, "Is this some kind of Dark Reunion trap? Are they after makoto's powers?"
Makoto gave him a look. "They're after my autograph."
"Oh. That's somehow worse."
They tried to move through the crowd, but it was like wading through wet cement—thick, suffocating, and impossible to escape. The hallway buzzed with chaotic energy, students pressing in from all sides. Even those who usually ignored Makoto were swept up in the frenzy, phones raised like weapons, voices overlapping in a cacophony of questions.
"Is it true?"
"Makoto, are you and Saiki-kun dating?"
"Just one picture!"
Makoto's smile twitched at the corners, brittle and razor-sharp. He had been dodging the questions all morning with vague shrugs and half-hearted chuckles—but the swarm wasn't dispersing. If anything, it was growing.
He stopped walking.
Saiki turned toward him with narrowed eyes, already sensing what was about to happen.
Makoto lifted his chin, lips curling into a smirk that could slice glass. "Yeah," he said loudly, clearly, each syllable echoing off the lockers. "It's true. We're dating."
Gasps erupted like fireworks. Someone dropped their phone. A girl screamed another started crying hysterically.
Makoto let the silence stretch for maximum impact, savoring the tension like a final bite of dessert. Then, with the serene poise of someone detonating a social nuke, he declared, "In fact! We're getting married next June."
The hallway exploded.
Someone screamed. A first-year fainted. A senior dropped their bento in slow motion.
"YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED?!?" Kaidou shrieked from behind aren, eyes wide and wild. "Is this part of an underground dark reunion marriage cult?! I knew it!"
"BUDDY'S GETTING MARRIED???" Nendou bellowed with tears in his eyes, slapping Saiki on the back so hard it nearly launched him into another dimension. "I GOTTA PLAN THE BACHELOR PARTY!"
Saiki stared daggers at Makoto, looking moments away from committing an act of psychic violence. "Since when are we getting married?"
Makoto grinned, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. "Since now." He winked.
And just like that, the crowd parted—not out of respect, but from sheer, unfiltered shock. Students clutched their phones like lifelines. The rumor mill ignited like a grease fire.
Makoto strutted forward like a man who'd just set fire to a press conference. Saiki trailed behind him with all the enthusiasm of a cat going to the vet, his expression blank but his ears glowing traitorously pink.
Behind them, chaos bloomed like a rom-com gone nuclear.
By the time Makoto reached the classroom, a group of girls had gathered at the doorway, harmonizing the opening theme of his last drama with disturbing coordination. One of them had somehow acquired a veil.
Makoto slumped into his seat, groaning, and yanked his hoodie over his head like a turtle retreating into its shell.
"…Worth it," he muttered.
The System buzzed in his ear
System: You are trending again. #ToroMugamiMarriage is the number two tag in the country. Congratulations, Host.
"Thanks. I want to die."
System: You will not. That would violate Mission Parameters and Saiki would grieve- probably.
Makoto groaned and buried his face in his arms.
By lunch break, things had only gotten worse.
Someone had printed out a full-color poster with a photoshopped image of Makoto and Saiki in matching wedding tuxedos and pinned it to the bulletin board. There were sparkles. Doves. Saiki was scowling. Makoto looked ridiculously good.
Makoto tore it down in a panic, face flushing. "Who did this?!"
"A fan club, apparently," Kaidou said, munching on his lunch beside him. "They think it's true love."
"There shouldn't be a fan club at school!"
Kaidou patted his shoulder solemnly. "You've been chosen by fate."
Makoto held the poster up again, staring at his own glammed-up face.
"…Okay, but wow, I look good in this," he muttered, eyebrows raised. Then he glanced at Saiki across the room and added with a sly grin, "Maybe he should wear the wedding dress."
Saiki didn't look up, but a nearby pen cracked clean in half.
Nendou leaned over, peering at the poster too. "Hey, hey, does this mean you're really dating Saiki? 'Cause if so, that's wild!" He looked genuinely thrilled.
Makoto grinned. "Yeah, we are dating."
Kaidou nearly choked on his rice. He slammed his hands on the desk, eyes blazing. "It's obvious, Nendou! We literally tailed them during their coffee jelly rendezvous yesterday! The atmosphere was charged—like two souls bound by destiny finally awakening their shared fate! Anyone with eyes could see it!"
Nendou blinked. "Ohhh. So that wasn't just two bros bonding over dessert?"
Makoto gave him a thumbs-up. "Bros with romantic tension."
Saiki stared out the window like he was praying for an asteroid.
That afternoon, while Makoto was helping clean the chalkboard, a quiet knock sounded at the door. He turned to find a student he didn't recognize—petite frame, bobbed hair, large eyes brimming with unshed tears.
"Toro-senpai," they whispered. "You don't remember me, but I was at your fan meet two years ago. You said my handmade charm was cute."
Makoto blinked. "Um... thank you?"
The student stepped forward. "Why are you betraying us? Why are you with him?"
"What?"
"Saiki Kusuo! You're smiling at him in all the pictures! You used to smile like that only for us!"
Makoto's blood ran cold.
Before he could speak, the student—Haruka—stepped forward with a trembling hand clutching a photo. It was a screenshot of the paparazzi photo from the festival. Makoto and Saiki, laughing together.
"You said you loved your fans, Toro-senpai," Haruka whispered. "But now you're just like the others."
Makoto's mouth opened, but no sound came out. Haruka's face twisted with pain.
"I won't let you abandon us. I'll remind you of who you really are."
They turned and left without another word.
Makoto stood frozen for a long time.
His fingers trembled.
The System buzzed.
System: Alert. Multiple unauthorized fan accounts are coordinating on social media. Estimated arrival of fan group: 45 minutes.
He bolted from the classroom.