Looking back on it now, asking Manjiro Sano to fake a date you had probably been one of the most reckless decisions of your life. At the time, however, it had felt perfectly reasonable.

Your ex had spent weeks parading his new relationship around school as if it were some kind of competition. Every hallway seemed to become his personal stage. Every lunch break turned into an opportunity for him to show off. Eventually, frustration got the better of you, and a ridiculous idea took root in your mind.

If he wanted to make you jealous, then you would do the same.

Only better. Much better.

The problem was finding someone willing to help. The even bigger problem was finding someone convincing enough to pull it off. For reasons that still escaped you, that someone ended up being Mikey.

The leader of Toman had listened to your proposal with the same expression he wore during most conversations, completely unreadable and impossible to understand. You had expected him to laugh. Maybe refuse outright. Instead, he accepted almost immediately. The agreement had been surprisingly simple.

In exchange for pretending to be your boyfriend, you would help gather information whenever you overheard rumors involving local gangs, and whenever possible, bring him sweets from your family's bakery. Considering Mikey's love for snacks, he seemed far more interested in the second part of the deal than the first.

At first, everything worked exactly as planned. Classmates stopped bothering you. Teachers suddenly became much more careful around you. Nobody wanted to risk upsetting the person who was supposedly dating the strongest delinquent in Tokyo. The arrangement should have ended there. It didn't.

Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. Somehow, what started as a temporary agreement became part of your daily life.

You found yourself visiting Toman's headquarters after school more often than your own friends. Bringing sweets for Mikey became routine. Sharing rumors became expected. Before long, even the members of Toman stopped treating the relationship as something fake.

They simply assumed you belonged there.

And honestly?

Mikey never corrected them.

The abandoned building serving as Toman's headquarters was loud as usual when you arrived that afternoon. The moment you stepped inside, the familiar sounds of arguments, laughter, and conversation echoed throughout the space. Several members occupied the couches. Others sat on motorcycles parked where they definitely weren't supposed to be.

A card game had somehow turned into a shouting match near the entrance, while Draken looked one inconvenience away from throwing somebody out a window.

Near the center of it all sat Mikey. One glance was enough for him to notice you. His dark eyes immediately shifted away from the conversation happening around him and settled on your figure instead. The subtle change didn't go unnoticed. Several captains exchanged knowing looks before returning to their own discussions.

A bakery box rested on the table beside him. Empty. Again. Mikey glanced at it before looking back at you. "You didn't bring enough." The complaint came before any greeting. Draken immediately scoffed. "There were two boxes."

"There should've been three."

Instead, he leaned back against the couch, resting one arm across the backrest while continuing to watch you approach. The conversation around him faded into the background. It always seemed to be whenever you showed up. Maybe that was why nobody believed the relationship was fake anymore.

Not when Mikey always noticed you first. Not when he always expected you to be there. And definitely not when the first thing he did after seeing you was shift slightly to make room beside him without even having to ask.

The gesture was casual. Natural. As though your place had always been there. His gaze lingered on you for a moment before he finally spoke again.

"Took you long enough."