Arc 1 – Episode 1: High School Enrollment

Reading Settings

After Ichigo asked me for “official cheating dates,” her twisted desires only grew worse.

The first step was breaking up with my so-called “girlfriend from another school.” She'd just been a cover anyway, so I used the blackmail incident as an excuse and ended it.

Once word spread that I was “single,” the invitations poured in. Girls kept asking me out—to dates, to hang out, whatever. Every time, I'd pretend to check my schedule and secretly text Ichigo for approval. If she gave the okay, I'd go. Later, I'd take her to the same places to overwrite those memories.

Naturally, rumors started flying. My reputation hit rock bottom, and everyone saw me as nothing more than a casual fling. Strangely enough, that only made the invitations come faster.

“Hey, Kuzuha-kun. I heard you broke up with your girlfriend and started dating a bunch of girls. Is that true?”

“…Yeah, pretty much.”

Another one today. She was pretty blunt about it.

“Then how about going on a date with me?”

“Hold on a sec.”

I pulled out my phone, acting like I was checking my calendar, and shot Ichigo a message.

“Is it the girl who just asked you?” she replied, attaching a photo of a student ID.

…Yeah, that's her. But how the hell did Ichigo already know? And why does she even have this girl's student ID photo? That's creepy.

“Yeah, that's her…”

“Alright. Go ahead.”

Seconds later, a notification popped up from another app—Ichigo had sent me the funds for the date. She even paid for these outings, calling it her responsibility since the whole “cheating dates” idea was hers to begin with.

Ichigo was always generous, using money she earned online. But taking cash from her to date other girls felt pathetic. Not that I had much choice—my wallet wouldn't survive otherwise.

“Phew…”

I sighed. It wasn't that I doubted Ichigo's feelings for me. If anything, her love was overwhelming—obsessive, twisted, and way more than I could handle.

By the time I entered my third year of middle school, high school entrance exams loomed. Ichigo and I decided to put the “cheating dates” on hold to focus on studying.

Our goal was Yusho Private Academy. According to Ichigo, a rich family had founded the school for their grandkid. For some reason, she was determined for us to apply there together. I didn't have any objections, so I went along with it. Naturally, she paid my tuition.

We'd talked about her spending habits before, and I'd promised to “make it up to her by getting a good job and marrying her someday.” Heavy words, but considering everything she'd done for me, it felt like the least I could do.

At this point, she's probably spent enough money on me to buy someone's entire life. In a way, I guess she kind of did “buy” me. Still, marrying Ichigo wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

When it came to the entrance exams, I wasn't too worried. Yusho had a reputation for high standards, but Ichigo was a genius—perfect scores on every test. She'd been tutoring me, so my grades were solid.

If I could brag about having her as my girlfriend, I would've. But every time I tried, she shut it down, saying it was too embarrassing.

Time flew by, and we both got into Yusho Academy. We even moved into apartments right next to each other near the school. Naturally, Ichigo covered the rent. I owe her everything.

“Hey, Ichigo. How about we let people know we're dating in high school?”

After settling into my new place, I decided to bring it up. If everyone thought I was single again, it'd just lead to the same chaos as middle school, and I didn't want to deal with that—or risk pissing off Ichigo.

“Sorry, but can we just wait a little longer? I'm still scared.”

Her face fell as she turned me down.

“Alright. I understand.”

I couldn't blame her. Just because we were in high school now didn't mean she'd suddenly get over her fears. I hoped this new chapter would help her grow out of her strange hobbies.

Finally, the day of the entrance ceremony arrived. I'd visited the campus before, but seeing it again—the sprawling grounds, the grand buildings—it still left me speechless.

The freshman representative was a girl with long blonde hair and striking green eyes. She was clearly mixed-race.

“She's gorgeous…”

“Wow, I'm glad I came here…”

The whispers around me were hard to miss.

“I heard she's the chairperson's granddaughter.”

“Seriously? Is that why she's giving the speech?”

Ichigo had mentioned this before—the school was built for her. In a way, she was the academy's princess. Apparently, Ichigo had been invited to deliver the speech too since she tied for the top entrance exam score, but she turned it down. Too much attention, she said.

The ceremony ended without a hitch, and as luck would have it, Ichigo and I were assigned to Class A together. We agreed to act like we were just acquaintances from middle school. Ichigo didn't want to draw attention to herself, and I couldn't blame her.

The most notable person in our class was Aria Kakyoin, the chairperson's granddaughter. With her striking looks, she instantly became the center of attention.

When homeroom began, it was time for introductions.

“My name is Kuzuha Kyoichi. My family encouraged me to transfer here from XX Middle School. Nice to meet you.”

“Hey, Kuzuha-kun, do you have a girlfriend?”

The question cut through the room, completely ignoring the unspoken “no questions” rule. Other girls leaned in, curious, while the teacher just watched, letting it slide as some kind of “communication exercise.”

“I did in middle school, but we broke up. So no, I'm single.”

Some girls perked up, and a few guys gave me dirty looks. I ignored them, took my seat, and waited for the next person.

“Yorifuji Ichigo. Nice to meet you.”

Ichigo kept her introduction short and showed zero interest in socializing.

Finally, it was Aria Kakyoin's turn.

“I'm Aria Kakyoin. My mother's from Europe, so I guess I got my looks from her. As some of you might already know, my grandfather is the chairperson here. But I'm not looking for special treatment, so I hope we can all be friends.”

She gave way more info than anyone else. Guess she figured it was better to get it all out there upfront.

I wasn't worried about her or anyone else coming after me. I had Ichigo, and that was enough. Still, Ichigo's sharp eyes were glued to Kakyoin-san. Her expression was thoughtful, almost calculating.

It made me uneasy.