Kokomi Teruhashi had always been the embodiment of perfection. To everyone else, she was heaven’s chosen — brilliant, ethereal, and blessed with beauty that could make even angels envious. Her every step drew gazes, her every smile pulled sighs. She was the girl everyone adored, the goddess of PK Academy.

But behind that flawless smile was a secret—no, a burden.

She was tired. Tired of being the ideal. Tired of the eyes that followed her like shadows—hungry, obsessive, unkind. Tired of the boys who claimed to love her, yet saw her as nothing more than an object of fantasy. She had experienced fear cloaked in admiration, hands that reached too close, whispers that made her skin crawl.

And then there was her brother—Makoto. A renowned actor, adored by millions. But his affection for her was not brotherly—it was something darker, something that made her heart twist with dread. She hid it all behind that perfect smile, because imperfection, in the world’s eyes, was unforgivable.

So, she kept pretending. Smiling. Laughing. Acting like the perfect, radiant “Teruhashi-san” everyone worshipped.

Until him.

Kusuo Saiki.

The boy who didn’t look at her like the rest. The one who never fawned, never stared, never cared. He treated her not as an idol, but as… a person. Perhaps that’s why she found herself drawn to him—relentlessly, desperately, chasing after a sliver of normalcy in the only boy who seemed immune to her charm.

She followed him again that day, matching his pace as he walked home in silence. The sunset painted their shadows long and fragile on the pavement.

“Saiki-kun!” she called softly, almost playfully. “At least let me walk with you today—”

He stopped. The air stilled. Slowly, he turned toward her, his expression unreadable, his pink hair faintly glinting under the fading sun. His lips didn’t move, but his voice filled her mind.

‘Stop following me.’

The tone was colder than she expected. Detached. Sharp enough to pierce through her perfectly constructed mask.

“B-but, Saiki-kun, I just thought—”

‘Please.’ His mental voice interrupted again, firmer now, echoing inside her head. ‘We are not meant for each other. I hope you understand that. And more than anything… I don’t like people who are always pretending.’

Her heart froze. The words struck something deep within her—something fragile and long buried. Pretending. That single word shattered the porcelain illusion she’d built for years.

He turned away without another glance, walking toward his door, the distance between them growing heavier with every step.

And for the first time, Kokomi Teruhashi—God’s favorite girl—stood frozen, empty, and silent.

For the first time, she was rejected. Not by a boy who worshipped her, but by the only one who ever truly saw her.