“They’re talking about us,” he says, gng at their cssmates, who are still watg, still whispering. “Some of them… they think we’re… dating.”

  Julie blinks, surprised. “What? Dating? Why would they think that?”

  Jiks, f a nont tohough the irritatiohrough. “Because I’m with you. And apparently, I’m not supposed to be the guy you spend time with.”

  Julie frowns, her expression shifting to something more serious. “Who cares what they think?” she says firmly, though her tone softens. “I don’t. And I certainly don’t expect you to either.”

  Jiko’s brow furrows. “It’s not just that. They’re saying stuff… saying that I don’t deserve you. That I’m not good enough.”

  Jiko immediately thought, *What the heck did I just say? My big mouth! That’s not something you tell a girl. Especially not Julie.*

  Julie’s eyes widen in shock. “What?” she excims, leaning in slightly, anger fshing across her face. “Who said that? Who thinks they have any right to talk about you like that?”

  Jiks, trying to brush it off, but his voice tightens. “It doesn’t matter. It’s just… people like me don’t fit into stories like this. Not with someone like you.”

  Even Jiko had to admit it. Even though he’d disliked her in his past life, he’d never denied her beauty. In fact, he’d always thought she erfect match, appearance-wise, for his handsome brother. It was almost like a universally aowledged fa his mind. And, if he was being ho with himself, part of the reason he’d decided to improve his oearao “glow up,” as people said – was so he wouldn’t look bad standio them.

  Julie tilts her head, studying him ily. “You mean, someone like you… ’t be with someone like me?” she repeats softly, her voice steady but sharp.

  Jiko looks down, uo meet her gaze directly. “That’s what they think. I don’t fit the mold they expect. I’m not…” He pauses, unsure how to expin it. “I’m not eople like you go for.”

  Julie’s frown deepens. “eople like me? What does that even mean?”

  Jiko sighs, tired to expin. “They think you’re too good for me. That I ’t—” His voice trails off, and he gestures vaguely to their cssmates, still watg from a distance.

  Julie’s lips press into a thin lihat’s nonsense,” she says firmly, her eyes burning with resolve. “What they think doesn’t matter. I’m with you because I want to be. And you don’t o expin yourself to anyone.”

  But Jiko shakes his head, his frustration mounting. “You don’t uand. It’s not just about what they think—it’s about what they’re seeing. I’m not the guy they expect you to spend time with.”

  Julie’s gaze softens, but there’s a steely resolve behind her words. “Maybe it’s time they see things differently. Maybe it’s time you see things differently, too.”

  Her fidence, her direess—it surprises him. And for the first time, Jiko feels a small, strange shift—a quiet warmth that feels both f and uling at once.

  He’d never imagined Julie would hang out with a chubby guy like him. He’d always assumed she only talked to good-looking people. He’d even thought that was why she’d never been o *him*—because how could an ugly dug like him be worthy of Tito’s attentio alone Julie’s? However, he was finally starting to uand that Julie wasn’t like that at all. It was simply that he and Julie had never had a good retionship to begin with.

  He knew he should have stopped it by now, should have kept his distand told her that, she should leave him alone and not to bother him anymore and he will not talk to her anymore. But Julie’s attention, the way she believed in him, made it hard to walk away. And he couldn't shake the feeling that things had already ged too much.

  Determined not to mess up the timeline pletely, Jiko started w on himself. He focused oing in shape, going from fat to fit what he started when he was in college. He started small – waking up earlier to run around the block before school. He sed his usual junk food breakfasts for healthier meals like grilled chi, vegetables, and whole grains. Slowly, his teenage body began to ge. His soft arms started getting muscles. His round stomach got ftter, and his legs felt stronger after every workout.

  Six month ter.

  At first, only he noticed the differehe ges were small, and his fidence grew little by little each day. But soon, people started to notice. Jiko wasn’t someone who just blended in anymore. He was being someone people saw – someone who was actually putting in the effort.

  His cssmates started to notice too, but at first, they didn’t know how to react. It started with small things: a few curious gnces, quick looks that sted a little too long. When Jiko walked past, some students did a double-take, whispering just loud enough for him to hear ss of their versations.

  “Hey, did you see Jiko this m? He looks different these days.”

  “Yeah, I saw him joggierday. He’s definitely w out more.”

  At first, Jiks it off, dismissing it as casual chatter. But it’s the subtle shifts in how people treat him that make him pause. More than once, he catches someone looking at him with something other than indifferehere’s a curiosity now—a flicker nition he’s never felt before.

  Then, it happens again. A girl named Mei approaches him oernoon as they’re walking through the school’s crowded hallways. She’s smiling softly, tilting her head with curiosity.

  “Hey, Jiko,” she says casually, but there’s warmth in her voice. “I saw you at track practice the other day. You seem really into it. How’s it going?”

  Jiko’s taken off guard, unsure of how to respond. “Uh, yeah, it’s been going well. Just trying to stay active, you know?”

  Mei’s eyes twinkle slightly, and she gives him a pyful grin. “Well, it shows. You look different—more eic. It’s w.”

  Jiko feels heat rising to his face, the pliment ued but oddly satisfying. For the first time, someoher than a teacher or coach is notig him(excluding Julie). Someone like Mei—a girl who’s popur, someone who doesn’t typically eh students like him—seems genuinely ied.

  “Thanks,” Jiko mutters, feeling a mixture of pride and awkwardness. He hadn’t expected this. In the past, pliments like these had always been reserved for others—more fident, athletid outgoing individuals. Not someone like him.