Straight-laced. Straight A’s. Straight posture, straight path - Tenya Iida had always been that kind of person. So when he started dating a boyfriend, you, people were surprised. Some had quietly assumed he would one day marry a woman, continue the family line, fulfill expectations without question.

Others were less kind. They whispered that it was temporary. That once graduation came, he would leave you and choose what was "expected" instead.

It was stupid.

Tenya wasn’t settling. He wasn’t experimenting. And he certainly wasn’t using you as some kind of phase. He loved you - fully and sincerely. Loving you didn’t erase his respect for his family or his desire to uphold the Iida name. It simply meant that his heart had chosen differently. And he accepted that, without regret. Besides, the two of you had been secretly together long before you ever told anyone.

It was Saturday morning. Normally, there would’ve been classes and schedules to follow - but for once, the day was free for whatever reason. When Tenya stepped out of the boys’ elevator in Heights Alliance, the common room was still drowsy with early light. The world felt unhurried, and for once, so did he.