After Being Dumped With the Insult, “You’re So Clingy!” and Finding Her in Despair, I Kept Encouraging My Beautiful Classmate and as a Result, That Beautiful Girl Started Directing Her Heavy Emotions Toward Me Instead, but Since I Like Emotionally Heavy Girls, It’s No Problem - 26

Chapter 26: That Wasn’t Something a Fake Lover Would Do, But a Real One Would Do

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

After school, we discussed how to get Futaba home with her sprained ankle. By this point, maybe my sense of embarrassment had dulled, because I was the one who suggested it myself.

“I’ll carry you home in a princess carry.”

“Um, I appreciate the offer, but I can’t trouble you that much… I’ll have my parents come pick me up.”

However, unlike when she had requested a princess carry at lunchtime, Futaba was now being hesitant. It was probably because, unlike the infirmary or the changing room, which were only two or three minutes away, her house was about thirty minutes from school. She likely felt it would be too much of a burden on me. 

But to me, that was beside the point now. If I was her boyfriend, it would be unnatural not to take my injured girlfriend home. And to avoid raising suspicion from others, it was better this way.

“But your parents come home late, right? I’ll take you. I’m your boyfriend, Futaba. Don’t worry about it.”

“…I see. Then I’ll accept your kind offer, Ichika-kun. But please don’t overdo it, okay?”

After receiving her consent, I lifted her into my arms and hooked both our school bags over my arm before stepping into the hallway. From behind us came teasing voices like, “Be happy!” and “May you two explode together forever!”

…All day long, our classmates had been throwing comments like that at us. Well, after showing off our lovey-dovey act that much, it was only natural. If someone else had done what we did today, I probably would’ve said the same things. That was how intense our display had been, what people commonly called a “stupidly lovey-dovey couple.” But if you thought about it the other way, it meant we had successfully advertised our relationship to everyone.

It was fair to say I had properly fulfilled my role as her fake boyfriend. After leaving the school gate and confirming there were no other students around, I asked her about my performance today. From the client’s perspective, how did I fare?

“…Futaba, did I properly fulfill my role?”

“Yes. As my boyfriend, Ichika-kun performed at a perfect 10 billion points. This should reduce the number of annoying people who try to hit on me. Please keep it up tomorrow as well, my boyfriend.”

“Tomorrow too, huh? Well, yeah, I guess.”

Our act as lovers wouldn’t end after just one day. It would be meaningless unless we continued until the guys approaching her disappeared. It would probably be a long-term job. At worst, it might even take several months. But if it could remove her distress, I didn’t mind.

“Whoa…”

While walking, one of the school bags hooked on my arm nearly slipped off. I hurriedly lifted it back into place. If it were just Futaba alone, I could manage with sheer determination. But the school bags full of books were surprisingly heavy, and I had both hers and mine hooked over one arm. It was honestly pretty tough. It would be smarter to stop by my room once and at least put down my own bag.

We crossed the crosswalk in front of the high school and arrived at the apartment where I boarded. I spoke to Futaba there.

“Hey, Futaba, can we stop by my room for a minute so I can drop off the bags?”

“Yes, of course.”

With her permission, I climbed the apartment stairs and, in front of my door, set Futaba down. After unlocking the door and going inside, I dropped the heavy school bags onto the floor with a thud.

“Phew, that was heavy.”

Finally, my arms felt somewhat lighter. I rolled my shoulders to get the blood flowing.

…Alright, one more push. Let’s do this and get Futaba home.

Thinking that, I turned around and for some reason, Futaba had come into my room. I had planned to leave immediately after, so there was no need for her to come inside.

“Huh? I’ll be right out, so you can just wait outside—”

“Ichika-kun, please sit down for a moment.”

“Huh?”

Following her words, I sat down on the floor. She moved behind me and began massaging my shoulders. Her soft hands kneaded my stiff muscles, sending pleasant sensations through them.

“Um…?”

“Thank you so much for everything today. I was heavy, wasn’t I?”

“No, not at all…”

“I’m sorry. You’re so kind, Ichika-kun, so I ended up relying on you too much. This is enough. I’ll call my parents to pick me up from here.”

Futaba answered with a downcast expression. I didn’t think she had troubled me at all. I had offered to carry her on my own accord. So there was no need for her to look like that. Not wanting her to make that face, I exaggeratedly showed that I was still full of energy.

“Ahh, with Futaba’s super amazing massage, my arms have fully recovered. I think even my cells have regenerated. Oh? Now that I’m energized, I suddenly really want to carry Futaba again. Alright, let’s head to your house!”

I struck an over-the-top muscle pose and said it to her with a big grin. Futaba stared at me in astonishment for a moment, then let out a small snort of laughter.

“Fufu… fufufufu. Honestly, you really are something. Saying things like that again… You’re truly such a kind person. That’s why… I lo—♡”

To anyone else, it would probably look like clumsy acting, like a farce. But Futaba laughed. That was enough for me.

“…Alright. I’ll let you carry me home, Ichika-kun. But please let me massage your arms a little longer. Taking care of you is my role. Oh, and I’ll prepare dinner too.”

“Is your ankle okay? Missing one meal wouldn’t be a big deal…”

“I can manage standing long enough to cook.”

“…I see. Then I’ll leave it to you.”

Taking care of me was her role. So I deliberately accepted. If I refused, she would probably make that sad face again.

“Yes. Leave it to me♡”

She agreed with a smile.

○○○

After carrying Futaba for a little over twenty minutes, the Jujoji residence came into view. I opened the gate and set her down in front of the entrance.

“Phew, we’re here. Take care of that ankle.”

“Yes. Thank you so much for today.”

“See you tomorrow.”

I said my goodbye and turned my back to the Jujoji residence. But Futaba stopped me as I was about to leave.

“Ah, wait a moment. Ichika-kun, I’d like to thank you for today, so could you close your eyes for a bit?”

“Thank me?”

“Please.”

“Hm??? …Well, alright.”

Following her request, I closed my eyes. What kind of thanks required me to close my eyes?

“For now… just here.”

I faintly heard Futaba murmur that. Immediately after, a moist, soft sensation pressed against my cheek with a small “chu.”

“Huh…?”

Startled, I opened my eyes. Futaba, standing barely a foot away, covered her mouth with her right hand, her cheeks slightly flushed as she smiled.

“Hehe. I troubled you a lot today, Ichika-kun, so that’s my thank-you. If we’re lovers this much is normal, right? See you tomorrow, my beloved boyfriend♡”

Leaving those words behind, she went inside her house. I touched the spot on my cheek where I had felt that moist sensation. If my guess was right, that just now was…

The moment I understood what her “thank-you” had been, my heart pounded loudly, and I felt the blood in my body grow hot.

…Yes, we were in a fake relationship. Linking arms, princess carries, even feeding each other with “ahh”—those were probably fine. But that just now felt like it went too far.

That thank-you had crossed a line… It was a special act meant for real lovers. This wasn’t like fake lovers at all, it felt like we were real lovers.

Don’t misunderstand.

I had been telling myself that all along, but after something like that, it was impossible not to become conscious of her. For a while, I just stood there blankly in front of the Jujoji residence.

◇◇◇