I asked him to be my pretend-boyfriend but after a while I fell for him, but I can't seem to admit that fact! - Chapter 10: Various things

The person I fell for is a super famous figure, someone beyond my reach… even conveying my feelings to them seemed impossible.

I’m just a high school student myself… I know that having feelings for such a famous person would be in vain… but I couldn’t just give up.

That’s when I met Asai. I was able to get along with him.

And from the moment I asked him to be my boyfriend, we spent a lot of time together that even felt as if we were two real lovers.

Day by day, I could feel Asai’s presence growing larger, but I didn’t realize that it was love back then.

But… seeing Asai with other women made my heart ache… that’s when I realized it.

It’s convenient, almost normal, to say “I’ve fallen for you” after asking someone to pretend to be your boyfriend, and him becoming that for you for quite a while, but there’s no way I could just say something like that so easily.

…But Asai, unlike that person, is within my reach.

If I want to convey my feelings, I can do it.

With Yuuka’s encouragement, I had decided to express my feelings to Asai.

But… I couldn’t.

Because… because Asai is…

He’s the very same Akira-sama from ‘Inherit Sound’ that I used to admire!

In reality, this should be a joyful thing.

The person I like now and the person I used to like are the same… I should be happy about it.

I have the chance to express the feelings I couldn’t before, and to thank him for that day… it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

But… if I were to say I like him right after finding out he’s Akira-sama, it would be too blatant.

At the very least, if our relationship was more on a level playing field, it might be easier.

But I… of all things, asked Asai to pretend to be my boyfriend.

Well… knowing Asai, he might not be bothered by any of this. Still, expressing my feelings at this point feels like setting the bar too high up.

So, with all these complexities, my love… it seems like it’ll be tangled up for a while longer.

The morning after the ‘Inherit Sound’ live concert, when I checked my smartphone, I found an overwhelming number of messages from Yuuka.

…At first, they were about whether I managed to convey my feelings to Asai successfully… but gradually, they turned into messages expressing concern for my well-being since I didn’t reply.

…This is bad.

I quickly replied with “Sorry! I’m okay!” and immediately received another incoming call. Of course, it was Yuuka.

“Why didn’t you contact me, you dummy! I was worried, you know!”

The first thing that she said, which was something unusual considering her personality, was delivered in a full-on scolding tone.

There’s no way for me to justify myself in this situation.

“Sorry, Yuuka…”

I could only apologize profusely.

Besides this issue, I received a barrage of unrelated complaints, but she eventually forgave me somehow.

…I resolved to be more careful.

And thus began the interrogation from Yuuka.

“What happened after that?”

“Well… various things.”

“What do you mean by ‘various’?”

…Even if I tell her I attended the ‘Inherit Sound’ after-party, she probably won’t believe me.

“…I really mean ‘various’ things.”

“…So you’re telling me there are things you can’t talk about?”

…It’s not that I can’t talk about it, but where should I start?

…

For now…

“…I met Akira-sama yesterday.”

“…Huh? What happened, Itsuki? Did you hit your head or something?”

Geez, she’s being harsh… even though I’m telling her the truth.

“No, no, I’m being serious.”

“It’s okay, Itsuki… just tell me the truth quickly.”

…She won’t believe me. Meeting Akira-sama must sound absurd to her.

“So I really did meet him… Akira-sama.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah, I took a photo together with him last night, I’ll send you that.”

I sent Yuuka the snapshot that Shizuka-san took of us before leaving.

“Ehhhhhhh!”

The message came back with astonishment.

Of course, it would turn out this way.

“Wha-wha-wha-why!?”

“We bumped into each other at the meeting place with Asai.”

“Ahh… so, did you meet with Asai?”

Well, not exactly… it’s the same person, though.

“Yeah, I met him, but… I couldn’t say it.”

“Huh? Why, why? You were so determined!”

“Well, you see… it’s complicated.”

“…Anyway, I’m dashing over there now, so wait for me!”

I was planning to tell Yuuka properly later, so it’s okay, but I did want a little more time.

As I finished getting ready and was about to leave, the doorbell rang.

When I opened it, Yuuka was out of breath… she really did dash here.

“Welcome…”

“I’m coming in!”

Yuuka walked straight into my room. We’ve known each other for so long that she’s comfortable like that.

And then…

“So, why didn’t you say anything?”

Without preamble, she dove right into the topic.

“Hey, wait a second, let me make some coffee.”

“Forget your super bitter coffee! Just tell me already!”

“Bitter, you say…”

“Never mind that, just spill it!”

She’s deadly serious…

Or rather, how do I even start explaining?

…I guess it’s best to start with the connection between Asai and Akira-sama.

“Yuuka, don’t be too surprised.”

“Wha-what is it?”

“Just calm down and listen, okay?”

“Seriously, what is it?”

“Well, the thing is…”

“Come on, stop being so dramatic.”

“Asai and Akira-sama are… the same person.”

I revealed the truth to Yuuka.

…

But…

“Hahaha! What kind of joke is this? No way! I mean, it’s Asai, right? There’s no way he’s Akira-sama. They’re nothing alike.”

She burst out laughing, holding her stomach. Well, if you think about it normally, Asai and Akira-sama are too far apart in every sense after all.

Yuuka’s reaction is probably the right one.

“But… it’s the truth.”

“No way, I mean, sure, love is blind, but that’s just too much.”

…She’s being pretty harsh.

Somehow, I’m getting the urge to make her believe me no matter what.

“Alright, how about we call Asai right now?”

“Sure, but… why call Asai?”

“To prove that he’s the same person as Akira-sama.”

“You’re still going on about that? You don’t need to be so persistent.”

For now, I messaged Asai.

I briefly explained the situation and asked if he could come over with his ‘Inherit Sound’ Akira persona this evening, saying, “Okay, there’s a band-related gathering in the evening, but before that should work.”

“Asai’s coming.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

…She definitely doesn’t believe it yet.

…But that’s okay.

She won’t be able to say anything if she’s stunned when he actually shows up.

***

After about an hour, the doorbell rang.

“I think he’s here, I’ll go greet him.”

“Yeah, I’ll wait here.”

I went to the door to greet Asai, but before Yuuka could even react, my knees almost gave way.

Asai, in his Akira-sama persona, was too much of a stimulus for me, a ‘Inherit Sound’ fan.

He looked… so cool!

“Good morning, Imamura-san.”

“Good morning… it’s already noon, though.”

“Yeah… oh, is it that late? That’s probably why I’m feeling hungry.”

“If you’re hungry, do you want me to make something?”

“No, it’s okay. I have a gathering to attend later anyway.”

“R-right, I forgot.”

Despite his incredibly cool appearance, Asai’s unique, warm way of speaking was still there. His voice was a bit husky, but the contrast between his handsome appearance and his inner cuteness was just uncanny.

And finally, the moment of truth with Yuuka arrived.

“Yuuka… this is Akira-san from ‘Inherit Sound’.”

I introduced him a bit wickedly as the Akira-sama from ‘Inherit Sound’.

“Nice to meet you, Yuuka-san. I’m Akira from ‘Inherit Sound’.”

Asai also played along with my introduction, presenting himself in the ‘Inherit Sound’ persona.

Yuuka… her eyes widened, and she froze.

“Yuuka~”

I waved my hand in front of her, just as Asai did yesterday. Yuuka…

“A-A-Akira-sama,” was all she managed to say.

And then, right there, she burst into tears.

…It was beyond her simply being stunned.