A Love Stronger Than Whispers

Throwback (1): No More Rental Girlfriend

Around two years prior to the story

Rental Girlfriend No More

The late afternoon sun painted the city of Urayasu, Chiba with a golden glow as Chizuru, in full "Mizuhara-mode," stepped onto campus. Not hers, exactly, as this is basically uncharted territory.

Today's assignment: Date. 

Client :Hana Uzaki, the ever-exuberant third-year who, surprisingly, craved "relationship experience." 

Chizuru, ever the professional, adjusted her sunhat and took a deep breath. "Operation Tease Senpai" could not ruffle her composure.

Little did she know, chaos was already brewing. Peeking from behind a nearby cherry blossom tree was Hana, sporting a mischievous grin and a pair of oversized sunglasses. As Chizuru "bumped" into Shinichi with practiced clumsiness, Hana burst forth, launching into a melodramatic introduction of her "beloved girlfriend."

Hana and her mischief began to grind the pepper.

Shinichi, bless his perpetually innocent heart, blinked owlishly. "Um... Mizuhara-san? Is this... part of the act?"

Chizuru fought back a groan. "Oh, yes, absolutely!" she chirped, flashing her trademark Mizuhara smile. "Hana-chan and I are, in fact, deeply in love."

And so began the tango of confusion. Hana, channeling her inner love guru, bombarded Shinichi with mock Public Display of Attention, peppering him with compliments and playful jabs. Chizuru, caught between maintaining her role and suppressing Hana's borderline-maniacal energy, found herself in a comedic tightrope walk.

The afternoon unfolded like a corny Tollywood soap opera. They shared a (slightly awkward) picnic, where Hana declared Chizuru's hand-made sandwiches "a symphony of deliciousness," earning a deadpan eyebrow raise from the true chef. During a badminton game, Hana insisted on holding hands with "her dearest," much to Shinichi's flustered sputtering. Chizuru, ever the mediator, somehow kept the charade afloat, all the while dodging rogue shuttlecocks and Hana's incessant giggling.

The climax arrived at Chachamaru. Of all places, in the outskirts of Tokyo.

 "And that, Senpai, is how you show affection!" remarked Hana. The Master, Akihiro Asai, claps his hand.

Shinichi, face flaming red, stammered, "W-well, I... I guess Hana-san and Mizuhara-san are really close, huh?"

A beat of silence hung heavy in the air. And then, something unexpected happened. Chizuru, her eyes sparkling with mirth, threw back her head and laughed. Her laugh, genuine and unrehearsed, echoed across the rooftop, dissolving the tension into pure amusement.

"You know," Chizuru admitted, tears streaming down her cheeks, "this is actually... kind of fun. Just call me Chizuru, my legal name is Ichinose."

"Ichinose?" The Master inquired, his eyes betraying a glimmer of recognition. As the name echoed in the room, a flood of memories rushed through his mind. Hana, momentarily stunned, joined in the laughter, the sound blending into a joyous harmony. Even Shinichi, emboldened by the infectious laughter, cracked a hesitant smile. In that moment, the pretense seemed to melt away, revealing the raw joy of human connection.

The Master, hiding a smile that hinted at a shared secret, spoke with a soft yet knowing tone. "Ichinose, you say? Ah, the whimsical twists of fate bring back memories of a certain Kentaro Ichinose formerly from the Maison Ikkoku up stream. Safe to say that your mom is his little sister, he's heartbroken when seeing her coffin lowered; while carrying you," A subtle nod to the past, a nod to the layers of identity that humans carry.