Siopao: (6/14/2024) Hello people ~ I've risen from the dead and am back with a new story. After reading Mihona-sensei's sequel, I wanted to write a bit more about our beloved Aya & Rei. Not sure how long this story will be; I guess it depends on if people are actually reading/reviewing!

Disclaimer: I don't own GALS!

Setting: Second year University of Tokyo, springtime.

ONLY YOU

Chapter One - The Spring of Second Year

By: Screaming Siopao

Delicate cherry blossom petals were fluttering in the fresh, spring breeze. The sun was warming up a bit but the air was still cool enough that you needed a light sweater or a cardigan to feel comfortable. All over the bustling campus of University of Tokyo - also known as Todai by most locals - the students were all busy with the new term that just started a few short weeks ago. The campus was bustling with professors and students alike, with something always happening at every nook and cranny of the vast school.

A certain studious, dark-haired girl named Hoshino Aya was now a second-year student at Todai. Her boyfriend, the stoic but ever-popular heartthrob Otohata Rei was also a second year at this same university. Their relationship was still going strong this year but since they were both in different departments, they were not always seen together on campus. At this moment, Aya was walking alongside her classmate as they both had just finished with their morning lecture.

Pretty much everything was the same on campus this year. Actually - scratch that - there had been a few changes to this school year compared to last year. One change was that their friends Hayate-kun and Amane-kun would be studying abroad in England moving forward. The two young men had also been considered to be popular campus heartthrobs along with Rei during their first year at Todai. To Rei's annoyance, Hayate had also been the childhood friend of Aya's who was in love with her; however, after clearing up the situation, all parties departed as friends with no bad blood. In the end, having Hayate around actually helped to propel Rei and Aya's relationship forward.

Another change evident in this school year was the large influx of female first year students that were die-hard Otohata fans; this was to be expected, since Rei's modeling career really took off recently. Of course girls from all over the country would try to come to the same university as their idol. Rei's popularity seemed to climb each year, especially now that he was a mature college student; who could deny that he was really talented and handsome?

The last change this school year was something that was quite unexpected, however—Aya's popularity had also skyrocketed and she, herself, had a fan club of male first year students devoted to her. This was something that the timid and mature gal could not get accustomed to and she had no clue as to why this was happening. The past couple of weeks had felt really strange for her, needless to say. She especially dreaded walking through the campus courtyard, since this is where most of her "fanboys" would congregate. She held her breath and braced herself as she took a step onto the well-kept lawn.

"Aya-senpai!" a male student with black hair spoke out as she walked through the vast courtyard. "You look as pretty as ever today!"

"A- Ah... why, thank you," she grumbled as she clutched her books closer to her chest.

"Hoshino-senpai! Your style is so cute, just like usual!" another male student with orange hair exclaimed.

"Oh, um, t- thank you..." she replied meekly as she looked down at her outfit. It was a simple baby-blue floral dress that just went past her knees. She also wore platform sandals and simple golden accessories. Of course, she never went anywhere without the heart earrings that Rei gifted to her last year.

"Aya-senpai! Please go on a date with me!" a third one yelped desperately from the crowd.

"M- Mattaku," she grumbled lowly as she didn't even bother replying to that last person.

Aya nervously walked through the courtyard, unsure how to respond to her juniors. She put on a shy half-smile and just continued briskly walking through, trying to get to her next class.

"Geez, Aya, what the heck is going on here?" her classmate Kana spoke as she walked beside her friend. Kana was a petite girl with deep burgundy hair styled into a short bob. They had met during their first year at Todai and had come to be quite close. "We haven't even been back on campus for a month yet, but I feel like your popularity really took off!"

"I'm not quite sure what happened. It's all been so sudden," said the timid gal. Since coming back to campus for second year, Aya had noticed more stares from the incoming first year class— the boys would stare with admiration, meanwhile, the girls would stare with judgment. She wasn't used to getting all this attention; it was typically Ran who received it all in the past.

"Aya-senpai," one of the male students spoke as he walked directly in front of her. It was quite rare for someone to approach her directly like this; most of the guys have just been calling out to her from a distance. "My name is Sato Yuu and I've been in love with you since I first saw you," he confidently said, placing an open palm on his chest as if he were touching his own heart.

"E- Eh?" Aya spoke as she looked at the first-year in front of her. He was tall, a bit on the lanky side, had sleek black hair, and dark thick-rimmed glasses. To put it frankly, his looks were quite plain and forgettable. She had never seen or met this guy before in her life, so why was he declaring his love for her right now? "Ah... I- Is that so...?" she said with a nervous half-chuckle, really not knowing how to respond.

"Yes. When I was a third-year in high school and saw you in that magazine, I knew I had to come to Todai and ask you to be my girlfriend," he continued, using his index finger to push up his large glasses.

"Magazine?" Kana repeated as realization finally hit her. "Aya... these first years all fell in love with you because of that magazine article."

"The one featuring Otohata-kun and me from last year?" Aya said, eyes wide. She had almost forgotten about that article published by the magazine which interviewed both her and Rei. They had also snapped some photos of them being quite close, including a picture of Rei kissing Aya while on the crosswalk. She blushed at the memory. "Then... ano, Sato-san, was it? You must know that I'm dating Otohata-kun if you saw that magazine article, right?"

"Well, yes, at the time it was published, you were dating him. But isn't Otohata known to be the player type?" the first year boy said with confidence as he leaned in closer to Aya. "Surely, you two would have broken up and he would have moved on to a different girl by now. That's why I'm here to mend your heart and ask you out, senpai. Otohata isn't the type to just stay in one relationship for too long, from what I hear."

"And where exactly did you hear that?" a low, cold voice said from behind the first year boy.

"Oh! Otohata-kun!" Aya exclaimed with surprise as her boyfriend came just in time to hear Sato's nonsense.

"W-Well, you know, it's the word on the street, r-right?" the first year stuttered as he turned around to face Rei, who did not look amused in the least. "People always say 'Otohata has women groveling at his feet' or 'Otohata's dating a foreign model now' and other things like that!"

"Geez, people have crazy imaginations these days. I'll make one thing clear: I've been with Aya and only Aya," Rei said as he walked to Aya's side and put an arm around her shoulders, taking her by surprise. He gave her a slight squeeze and held her body closer to his, making her cheeks blush a cute pink shade. "We haven't broken up and I don't plan on it. Got it?" Rei was saying this last part to all the men in the vicinity, not just to Sato.

Sato gulped and nervously took a step back.

"Well, Aya-senpai's fans will continue to wait for her! You're not good enough for her! You don't scare us, Otohata!" he shouted as he pointed at the second-year.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go, Aya." Rei spun and walked with Aya towards her next class, leaving the group of "love-struck" boys behind. Kana also parted ways from them in order to give the couple some privacy.

"As expected, I can't leave you alone for too long, can I?" Rei uttered with a vexed sigh. "Maybe showing your face in that magazine wasn't the best idea. I knew that those boys would be up to no good."

"Otohata-kun is popular too, you know. Don't you see all the girls ogling at you and squealing with joy as you walk by them? There are tons of first year gals here, I noticed," Aya pointed out with a slight pout in her lips.

"Yeah, but men are different, Aya. They can't be trusted. You're just too vulnerable. Men are animals and can't control their urges," he pointed out.

"But Otohata-kun isn't like that," she replied, looking up at him as they continued to walk. Rei's arm was still protectively wrapped around her shoulders as they strolled into a large building.

"Hm? How can you be so sure?" he whispered as he leaned in closer to her face, the tips of their noses touching. He gently tipped her chin up with his free hand. "Maybe I have urges, too."

"O- Otohata-kun..." she whispered as her face flushed a bright red shade. He smirked as he got the reaction that he was anticipating from her. He would never get tired of seeing this face. At least he would be the only one to elicit these types of reactions from her.

"Well, the coast looks clear. I don't see any raging fan boys with uncontrollable hormones in this hall," he said as he pulled away from her. Aya was a bit disappointed that she wasn't able to steal a kiss from him. Rei took note of her disappointment and quickly snuck a kiss onto her forehead.

"Oh!" she squeaked in surprise.

"Have a good class. It's your last one for the day, right? I'll see you after," he bade goodbye as he turned around. Rei was always so kind and thoughtful; he walked her all the way to her next building when his next class was all the way on the other side of campus.

"Un, see you later," she said as he walked off, her mind still in a bit of a daze. She put her palm to her cheek and felt that it was slightly warm. Rei was always teasing her like this and it always took a few moments for her to calm down.

Aya spun around to walk the rest of the way to her next class. It was just down the hall so she didn't have much further left to walk. However, Aya reached the end of the hall at the same time that someone was briskly turning the corner. The other person seemed to be in a hurry and was not watching where they were going when rounding the corner. Aya collided with this person right before she was about to enter her classroom, causing books and papers from both parties to go flying in the air.

"Ah! Sorry!" the other person said as he immediately bent over and started picking up the fallen items. It was a young man who seemed to be very frantic. "I got lost and wasn't being careful! I'm sorry!"

"No problem, it was an accident," Aya calmly said as she knelt down and picked up some books. "If you're lost, you must be a first year, right?" she deduced.

"Yes! I walked into the wrong room for a club meeting and now I'm trying to find Building F," he said as he hurriedly picked up some papers, never looking up. Aya noticed that he had light chestnut-brown hair with soft waves but couldn't see his face.

"Ah, that's a big building just across that courtyard over there. You'll see the signs for it after walking through," Aya pointed out.

"I see! Thank you!" the boy said as he finally looked up to see Aya face to face. He was immediately caught off-guard. "Ah... y-you're—"

"I'm Hoshino Aya, a second year," she introduced as she took some of the books and papers that he was handing her. They both stood up as they finished gathering their respective belongings. "Good luck with your club meeting... um,"

"I'm Yamada Sho," he spoke softly, looking Aya in the eye, somewhat in a trance. Needless to say, he was mesmerized by his captivating savior. He noticed how much shorter she was compared him, now that they were standing upright. He didn't think she would be this petite in person.

"Oh! Can I call you Sho-kun?" she asked politely with a sweet smile.

"Of course. Thank you so much, Hoshino-senpai. And sorry again for bumping into you," he apologized with a deep bow. This boy was quite polite, Aya noted.

"No need for all that. You better get to your meeting, Sho-kun. Maybe I'll see you around!" she bade as she turned toward her classroom door.

"H- Hai..." he said, still entranced by his senior.

Sho walked away from the second year girl with his mind in a daze. Hoshino Aya— he had seen her before. Not in person, but his younger sister had a some type of magazine that she was going on and on about a couple of months ago.

"Kyaa! The new issue is out! And with an exclusive interview with Rei-kun!" Sho remembers his younger sister raving as she sat on their living room couch and kicked her feet in the air. She was so obnoxious when it came to her beloved celeb crushes and idols.

"What's so great about him anyway? Isn't he just a typical college student?" Sho remembers asking his sister as he, too, was lounging on the couch, nonchalantly flipping through the TV channels. He really had no interest in celebrities or pop culture.

"He's so much more than that! He's a model, a DJ, and he's soo good looking!" she squealed. "Ugh, too bad that he just officially announced that he has a girlfriend," she said with a sob.

"Hm? Let me see," he said as he leaned over and checked out the magazine article. His eyes landed on Aya's picture and he shrugged. "She just looks like a normal college student to me, too. Nothing special."

"Aya-san is the cutest! Of course Rei-kun would have good taste!" he recalls his sister shouting. "I'm so jealous that you got accepted to go to Todai next spring! If only I was just born a few years earlier..."

"Don't be ridiculous, you don't have the grades to get into Todai, anyway," he bickered.

"Shut up, you math geek! Ugh, anyway, you've gotta take a picture with them on campus so I can brag to all my friends."

"Eh, they both don't look too interesting to me. They're probably both stuck up and pretentious, anyway. Doubt I'll ever see them on campus."

Sho thought back to this encounter with his sister from a few months ago. He didn't actually think he'd run into either Otohata or Hoshino due to the sheer size of the campus. Seeing her in person, even though it was just a very brief interaction, allowed him to see that he was wrong about her. He could tell that she was genuinely kind and not 'stuck up' or pretentious like he originally thought. He thought that maybe it was fate that he was able to meet Aya on campus. He scampered over to his club meeting with a certain brunette senpai still racing through his mind.


"So how were the rest of your classes this afternoon, Otohata-kun?" Aya asked after she sipped on her warm cup of jasmine tea. Across from her, Rei also took a small gulp of his black coffee. The two were seated in a quaint coffee shop, not too far from campus. It was late afternoon and they were just taking a few moments to catch up with one another before going to their respective homes for the day.

"Same as usual. The course load is a bit more tough now but it's to be expected since we're in our second year."

"I still can't believe that we're at the same university together. It still feels surreal," she said with glee.

"It's been a year now, get used to it," he said with an amused smirk. Aya sure did find joy in strange things, Rei thought. "Well, how about you? Your last class went okay?"

"Un! Oh, but there was this one first-year who was in a rush and bumped into me before I got there. He—"

"He?"

"Un! His name is Yamada Sho-kun. He'd gotten lost a bit and then I dropped all my books when he crashed into me."

"He wasn't one of your weird fanboys right? He didn't pester you or anything?" Rei leaned forward as he took her small hand in his. He took note that it was still warm from her holding the teacup.

"Nope, it looked like he didn't know who I even was! Don't worry, Otohata-kun," Aya spoke with a slight blush forming on her cheeks. "You know you're the only one for me, anyway."

"Still, I worry. I trust you but not those guys. Maybe we should get you a body guard..." he half joked, stroking his chin at the thought.

"That's doing too much!" she protested with her hands up. He laughed at her flustered disposition.

"I'm kidding... kind of," he said with a shrug. He looked out of the cafe's windows at the soft pink blossoms falling from their branches. He took note of a few bunches of bright green leaves starting to pop up, as well, meaning warmer weather would soon be coming. "Ah, by the way, Aya. I know it's still spring but there's something I wanted to invite you to for the upcoming summer break," Rei said as he changed the topic. Thinking about those pesky fanboys for too long would irritate him.

"Hm? What is it?" she asked curiously.

"Down in Izu, there's this fundraising event every summer and my family usually takes part in it. I'd hate to call it a 'gala' or a 'ball'— but I suppose it's sort of like a formal."

"Oh, that sounds lovely!" Aya's eyes lit up at the idea of a gala.

"I've kind of been avoiding this event and my family has been pestering me to go this year. I get a plus one so I was wondering if you'd like to come with me?"

"What? Really? I can come?" Aya asked with her wide chestnut eyes glimmering with excitement. She clasped her hands together enthusiastically.

"Of course, that's why I'm asking," he said with a chuckle. "Only if you're free this summer break."

"I'll go! I'll be there! Even if I had plans, I'd cancel them for this," she ecstatically accepted the invitation. "Goodness, a formal! A gala! I have to figure out what I'm going to wear!"

"Easy, Aya, it's months away. We have time to figure that all out," the heartthrob chuckled. He knew that Aya would react this way.

"Ah, you're right. I'm just so excited. I'm so happy that you'd invite me," said with a cute smile on her face. "Wait— You said your family will be there? Including your parents?"

"Well, yes. I was thinking of maybe introducing you to them," Rei spoke plainly.

"E- Eh!?" Aya exclaimed, turning a few heads in the cafe. "Y- You mean... I get to finally meet... okaasan and otousan," she whimpered with tears welling in her eyes. "I definitely need to look perfect. I need gain their approval. There's no way that I can mess up, now."

"Don't overreact," Rei laughed lowly. He knew his girlfriend would have this type of panicked reaction to the idea of meeting his parents. "They've been asking me to introduce you to them for a while now, ever since nii-san has been bragging about how he already met you."

"Well, I look forward to it! I've been dreaming of meeting your parents! Not to mention, we would get to go back to Izu together." Aya recalled some of her fond memories there from last summer.

"This time, it'll just be you and me," he spoke lowly with soft eyes. The last time they had been to Izu, Ran, Yuuya, and Mami managed to tag along. It was a good time but what Rei really just wanted to be alone with his cute girlfriend.

Aya would look forward to the day of the formal. It would be the first time meeting her beloved Rei's parents. She thought that other extended family members of the Otohata clan might also be present. Maybe she'll get to see Rui there? The thought of being introduced to everybody made her anxious, but she was really excited as well. She would definitely have to make a good first impression.

Rei sighed a breath of relief as Aya continued to talk on and on about what she needed to do in order to prepare for the fundraising gala. Asking her to the event had been weighing on his mind for a while now and he was glad she said accepted his invitation. He'd known about this event for months since his family takes part in it yearly but, honestly, he had not attended it in several years. This would be the first time in a while that he'd be going and, this time, he was bringing a date along. There would definitely be high expectations from his family. The fact that he'd would be introducing a girl to his parents meant serious business, right?

He also needed to tell Aya more details about his family background. Truthfully, it was actually his family who was hosting the fundraising gala due to his father being the CEO of the OT Group. He peered at her as she pulled up an image of a pair of heels from a high-end brand; she said something about going shopping so she could try them on. Aya looked so excited at the moment; there was no need to bring down the mood with the dull topic of his serious family business, right? It would have to wait for another day. He had been able to put off the conversation since meeting her— what's another couple of weeks?

ONLY YOU

Chapter One - The Spring of Second Year: End

Siopao: I've combined a few elements of the manga (Izu, Rei's dad being a CEO of the OT group, their college experience, etc.) along with my own original ideas (my original characters, including Kana, who I've used in past stories). Please review if you read. I know the GALS! hype died down a bit since Mihona-sensei stopped posting on Manga-mee but I would love to hear from you if you read this/would like me to continue writing. :) I'd also love to hear some suggestions that I could potentially write about, if you have any ideas! Thank you!