A/N: The plot finally gets stirred in this chapter!! I sped through this chapter to thank Rio for her amazing update <333 

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The light subtle rays of the morning sun beamed through the windows of Horikoshi's class 1A. It resembled a spotlight, the light shining brightly amongst a specific section of the class- the area where Rio and Ryosuke sat during their time together in their first year of high school. 

Rio walked past her boyfriend's desk and sat at hers by the window. She placed her jacket behind her chair, hung her bag on the small hook at her desk, and finally leaned back, closing her eyes to relish the warmth of the burning star. 

The dark-haired girl recollected her memories from last week when she released a thousand balloons into the sky. A month prior, she finally mustered up all of her confidence to confess to Ryosuke.

It was The Ryosuke that she ended up sitting next to on their first day of high school. The Ryosuke who Rio found in tears one sunny morning in January. The Ryosuke who gave her his strawberry cake that one evening when he noticed that she had deprived herself of energy from overworking. 

"Balloons," He told her on the day she confessed to him. "I want 1000 balloons." 

Little did Rio know that he had already fallen in love with her. She was the source of his comfort, his escape from all the cameras, reporters, and spotlights.

She was his sanctuary.

However, he didn't want her to become like Mariya- Ryosuke didn't want the media coming after her, and the pressure on Rio to watch every step she took just to be with him. 

Ryosuke hoped that his crazy request would drive her away but instead, Rio ended up picking up a part-time job to raise 80,000 yen to buy the balloons. Adding that to her volunteer program, Ryosuke never had the chance to spend time with her. She'd arrive at class right before the bell rings and run out as soon as it was over. 

Not being able to bear it anymore, Ryosuke decided it was enough and finally approached her. He wanted to return her confession, to hold her in his arms and tell her that he'd be with her regardless- and he planned to tell her the next morning. That was why he was stunned to see a note on his desk from Rio that morning which said, "Come to the rooftop". 

And there Rio was, one week ago with a thousand balloons. She released them all, except one which she passed over to him. 

"If you let go of that last balloon, it's because you want us to happen," Rio said to him. 

Despite the number of hours and work she put into collecting the 1000 balloons, she still gave him the choice to choose. As a child celebrity, Ryosuke never had the opportunity to voice his opinions. His entire life had always been a script. But Rio made sure that this time was different- If he wanted this future with her, then he could choose right here and right now...

... and he did. 

“Hey” Ryosuke whispered to Rio, his hands covering her already-closed eyes. 

Rio immediately recognized the owner of the voice and she smiled, lifting his hands from her face. “Ryosuke, someone will see us." She said, glancing around the room to make sure that no one was hiding anywhere.

“It's just us, Rio-chan." The boy chuckled. "You’re more paranoid than I am.” 

"Taking extra caution doesn't hurt right?"

Ryosuke pulled his chair from under his table and dragged it so that it was right in front of her desk. He sat facing his girlfriend and covered her hands with his. 

"You've lost weight," Rio speculated, immediately noticing how much slimmer his face had become. "Are you sure you're eating properly?"

"I've had a bit too much on my plate, actually." The boy replied. "And I don't think it's fair to hide it from you..."

Rio kept silent this time around. She didn't know what was going on inside her boyfriend's mind but that didn't stop her from overanalyzing what she already knew- that something has indeed been bothering him for quite some time now. 

“Before I begin, I was wondering if you know who Nishiuchi Mariya is...” Ryosuke began, carefully wording his sentences. 

“The one in class 1C?” 

“Yeah... We're acting with her in the 'Scrap Teacher' drama."

Rio nodded slowly but she was confused at why her boyfriend was suddenly bringing his coworker up in their conversation. Ryosuke saw the confusion in Rio's eyes and continued on, hoping that she would hear him out completely. 

“She recently lost her mother." He explained. "Furthermore, she’s being bullied by several people. They’re threatening her because they think that she and I are dating.” 

“Why would they think that?” 

“Because we did at one point.” 

“Oh." Rio paused, connecting the pieces that she never would've imagined could fit. She thought back to that January morning when she walked accidentally walked into Ryosuke who was drenched in his own emotions. "Your tears last month, were those because of her?" Rio asked, unsure if she ever wanted to know the answer to that but Ryosuke immediately shook his head. 

“I wasn't sad that day. I was- how do I describe it?" Ryosuke chuckled, trying his best to recollect his memories. "I guess I was mad? Rather more, furious at myself for being careless. One wrong move and I could've ended not only my career but everyone else's too." He sighed. "But trust me, Rio. I don't have any feelings for her. I just feel like this is something I have to be held accountable for."

"I understand, Ryosuke," Rio whispered to him, switching their hand positions. Her small hands just barely covered his and she gripped his fingers tightly, stopping the slight trembles the boy was emitting. 

“And the reason why I’ve been putting distance between us in public is because...“ Ryosuke began.

“Because you don’t want our relationship to be a repeat of your previous one.” Rio finished his sentence, finally understanding why her boyfriend had been on edge recently.

Ryosuke slowly nodded his head. “But trust me, I’m doing everything I can to make our relationship as normal as it can be. I want to take you on a date, I want to hold your hand in public, heck- even kiss you without having to wo