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 11-1:  I can't stay like this any longer.

 I can’t stay like this any longer.

After a little while, Yuuka, who had calmed down, finally spoke for the first time.

“Akira-san, I’ve been a fan of yours for a long time now! Can I please have a handshake with you?”

As expected of Yuuka… She’s quite assertive.

“Yeah… sure.”

“Thank you!”

Yuuka’s face turned bright red with happiness.

Along with that, tears came out of the corner of her eyes.

It felt like the scenes you often see on TV, where people meet their favourite celebrities and get so emotional that they even shed tears. She felt like she was witnessing that in person.

Even though she sees him every day at school if you think about it logically… For Yuuka, the Akira that she idolises isn’t just Asai that she knows from school; he’s more than that, he’s that “Akira” that she so respects.

“Itsuki~ I’m so happy~”

And now, she hugged me and started sobbing.

“Don’t cry, Yuuka-san…”

“Yes… but I’m so happy.”

…Why use formal language with a classmate; Let’s avoid being so formal. Even Asai seems a little bewildered by her excitement.

“Itsuki… I… I’m going home.”

“Huh… why?”

“Well, I’ve cried a lot, my tears won’t stop, my makeup is a mess, and I don’t want Akira-san to see me like this.”

Well…

Well, I can understand Yuuka’s feelings as a fellow  fan girl, though.

“Akira-san! You came all the way here, I’m sorry for the trouble… I’ll be cheering for you!”

Finally, after shaking hands with Asai one more time, Yuuka left. Just as she dashed here, she dashed away.

“I’m sorry for calling you out like this for something like this.”

“No, don’t worry… I wanted to meet you too, Imamura-san.”

Huh… He wanted to meet me?

With that one sentence, my heart danced.

“For the after-party, you know, our members were, well… a mess, so I wanted to apologize properly to you.”

…What, that’s the reason?

In an instant, my heart sank.

Wait, what was I expecting…!

“It’s okay! I’m not bothered.”

“I’m really sorry… They were all being very inappropriate.”

It was definitely tough… but it wasn’t really Asai’s fault.

“No… it’s fine.”

“And also, I introduced you as my girlfriend without even asking for your consent… I started to wonder if that might have been a bother.”

“W-well, it’s not like that! I originally even asked you to have a pretend relationship with me, it’s not so different nor bothersome for me if you introduced me as your girlfriend.”

…He even worried about that.

“…If that’s the case, then it’s okay.”

I’m feeling a bit strange.

Physically, he’s Akira-san from “Inherit Sound,” but inside, he’s entirely Asai.

Somewhat timid, and this feeling of comfort.

The contrast between Akira on stage and the Akira who helped me is so extreme.

Could this be what they call “gap moe”?

“For now, should I make some coffee?”

“Yeah… the ridiculously bitter one as usual.”

…A ridiculously bitter coffee? How could there be such a coffee when a coffee is already bitter?

“I’m still a little sleepy.”

“Last night was late too.”

“Yeah… after that, I was thinking about you, Imamura-san… I couldn’t fall asleep.”

Huh… he was thinking about me?

It’s probably about that, right? Maybe he felt bad about causing trouble earlier.

“What were you thinking about regarding me?”

“I was thinking about what it would be like if we were actually dating.”

He said it with a smile, casually mentioning something amazing.

…He said this without any ulterior motive, just speaking genuinely. That’s Asai.

…I understand.

I shouldn’t get excited about something like this when I’m dealing with Asai. I know I shouldn’t be nervous. Even though I know I shouldn’t be… that’s really impossible!

“Anyway, I’ll make the coffee!”

“Yeah.”

Asai might not stand out at school and seems plain… but that’s just about appearances.

Even if he’s not the Akira-san that I know, Asai’s personality is already more than good enough. It’s even cunning and frustrating how he unconsciously does those things.

… Well, if his appearance was polished up, he’d be incredibly handsome too.

…But if I were to actually date Asai…

What would happen?

We’d get excited talking about our favorite music, play games together, and occasionally go out together for a cup of coffee…

…Wait a second?

Isn’t that just the same as now?

Even though we’re just pretending to be lovers… are we actually doing things that are pretty much already like those of normal couples?

What do normal couples even do, to begin with?

「…………」

I couldn’t understand, having no experience with romance.

Yuuka is probably at the same level as me, I suppose… Maybe I could ask Kakimoto.

…But it feels a bit weird… to ask Kakimoto for lessons regarding romance.

That’s right! Shizuka-san could help!

…Wait, that’s just silly. It would be awkward to contact her over something like this, and it could potentially blow our cover as a fake couple.

…Although now that I think about it, the same thing could be said with Kakimoto if I asked for advice.

When Terazawa confessed to me, it seemed like a great idea… but now, I feel like this relationship is becoming quite a burden in various ways.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“…………”

Returning to the room with the coffee, Asai was peacefully sleeping in his usual prime spot.

Akira-sama’s sleeping face… for me, a fan of “Inherit Sound,” this is more impactful than I expected.

What should I do… should I wake him up?

Or should I just let him sleep like this?

I approached Asai and stared at his face.

He has double eyelids, but when his eyes are closed, they appear to be single.

His nose with a straight bridge… long eyelashes.

And his sexy neck and lips.

If I were his real girlfriend… it would be okay to kiss him at a time like this, right?

“…………”

If I were to kiss him now though… that wouldn’t be okay, right?

Wait, what am I thinking!

But… once something gets into your mind, it’s hard to shake off, isn’t it?

Would it be okay if our lips just touched a little?

I wonder if Asai would mind…

What should I do… I’m feeling really weird.

I really want to kiss Asai.

Hold on… just a little bit should be fine, right?

After all, I’m playing the role of his girlfriend.

As I leaned in closer to Asai’s face, at that moment, our eyes met directly.

“Oh… what’s wrong, Imamura-san?”

Oh no… oh no!!

“Uh, it’s nothing. There was a thread stuck on you, so I thought I’d take it off.”

“Huh, really? Where, where?”

“Well… I think I got it off already!”

“…I see, that’s good.”

That was close… I was about to step off the path of propriety.

“Imamura-san, the coffee tastes really good today.”

“What do you mean by ‘today’?!”

“…Sorry, there’s no deep meaning behind it.”

I don’t want to ruin this precious time.

But… I can’t just continue like this.

These days, these feelings are growing stronger.