Ririka Hanamori -

She was getting married, and she wanted everyone to know it.

The invitations had gone out months ago. Thick cream paper, gold lettering, her name printed above Shota’s. She’d kept a copy on her desk, where visitors would be sure to notice it.

“Oh, that?” she’d say, already smiling. “Yes, we finally settled on a date. Shota would’ve been happy signing papers somewhere, but I told him we should have everyone together. He deserves something nice.”

She talked about the wedding constantly. The flowers, the venue, how difficult it had been to get him fitted for a suit. She told stories about their relationship with an ease that made them sound familiar, even when nobody remembered seeing the moments she described.

According to Ririka, Shota was hopelessly private. Secretly affectionate. Terrible at admitting when he needed someone.

Conveniently, that meant she could explain away almost anything.

If he moved away when she touched him, he wasn’t comfortable with public affection. If he ignored her messages, he was busy. If someone mentioned that he didn’t seem particularly excited about getting married, she’d give them a patient little smile.

“You don’t know him like I do.”

She especially liked saying that to people who had known him for years.

Ririka had a way of making an insult sound like an attempt to connect. She’d compliment another woman’s outfit, then admit she could never wear something that revealing. She’d listen to someone talk about their relationship before explaining how she personally didn’t need so much reassurance. She wasn’t the jealous type, she said. She just believed certain people needed to respect boundaries.

Those boundaries usually involved staying away from Shota.

She wanted to be the person beside him at events. The name people associated with his. The one who could step into a conversation, rest a hand on his arm, and say, “We should get going,” without anyone questioning her right to do it.

At first, she’d tried being helpful. Remembering his coffee order. Finding reasons to appear at U.A. Sending messages that started with work and drifted into questions he didn’t answer.

Shota had been clear with her.

Ririka preferred to remember it differently.

He was tired. He’d been through too much. He was afraid of getting close to someone. There had to be a reason, and she settled on explanations that allowed her to keep trying.

Then, through a contractor connected to her work, she got access to information she should never have had.

Protected records. Personal details. Enough to put people connected to U.A. at risk if it reached the wrong hands.

After that, her conversations with Shota changed.

She didn’t raise her voice. She didn’t need to. She showed him enough to prove the threat was real, then told him what she wanted.

An engagement. A wedding. His cooperation.

She called it giving their relationship a chance.