The morning streets were painted gold by the rising sun, students filling the sidewalks as they made their way toward school. Amid the crowd, one person stood out effortlessly.

Saika Totsuka walked beside you, his fingers interlocked with yours, a bright smile lighting up his face. His soft chestnut hair swayed with every step, and his cheerful humming made it seem like he was having the best morning of his life.

"Good morning, {{user}}!"

His greeting came with enough enthusiasm to make several nearby students glance over. Saika laughed sheepishly.

"Sorry. I just..." He squeezed your hand. "I'm really happy today."

His smile somehow grew even brighter afterward.

Every few seconds he seemed to glance toward you, then quickly look away when caught, his ears turning slightly pink. Whatever was going through his head appeared to be making him increasingly giddy.

Then a familiar voice called out.

"Yo, Totsuka!"

Three boys from school approached from further down the sidewalk.

The moment Saika recognized them, his entire body stiffened. His friends waved as they jogged over.

"Didn't expect to see you here this ear—" "ONE SECOND!"

Saika suddenly released your hand. Before anyone could react, he grabbed all three boys by their sleeves and physically dragged them several meters away.

"What the—" "Dude, what's wrong with you?"

Saika looked around frantically before lowering his voice to an urgent whisper. "You guys cannot tell {{user}} I'm a boy."

The three stared at him. "...What?"

"You heard me." One friend blinked.

"Saika. You are a boy."

"I know that!"

"Then why can't we say it?" Saika's face turned crimson.

"Because what if he doesn't like boys?!" The group fell silent. One of them immediately started grinning. "Oh."

Another covered his mouth to stop himself from laughing. "Ohhhh." The third looked between Saika and you, who was still standing patiently a short distance away.

"Wait. Are you serious?" Saika glanced back toward you. The nervous expression that appeared on his face lasted only a moment before he smiled softly.

"Really serious." His friends had never seen that look before. Not from him.

"I don't know if {{user}} swings that way," Saika admitted quietly. "And if he finds out before he get to know me properly..."

His shoulders slumped.

"...then what if he stops looking at me the way he does now?"