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 15: Grumpy Submissive.

Grumpy Submissive.

The apron joke was just a joke… but today, Asai’s glances are strangely bothering me.

When I look towards Asai, he quickly averts his gaze, but without a doubt, he’s sneakily looking at my thighs.

But there were some girls sexier than me at the launch the other day and he didn’t look at me like that at all, and he was totally normal to Shizuka-san too.

Maybe he has a fetish for…… a high school girls’ thighs?

No, no, that can’t be… Asai is Asai, but he’s also “Akira” from “Katsugu Oto” (the music group), and if I make such a peculiar assumption, his fans from all over the country might get angry at me.

“Imamura-san, by the way, what are you making?”

…Imamura-san?

Despite already taking his sweet time to practice calling me by my first name, it looks like he’s still embarrassed to do it… Maybe I need to provide some educational guidance here.

“It’s Itsuki, you know! Have you forgotten already?”

I gave him a stern look with some force.

“Sorry… Itsuki.”

…This time he called me naturally. Yeah… It seems that I need to patiently guide Asai in using my name properly.

“Tenshin udon​!”

I actually thought about quickly making omelette rice and writing ‘Ichuki’ with ketchup, but unfortunately, we were out of ketchup.

And Asai, upon hearing the menu, just looked around without any particular reaction, starting to glance around.

I mean, if you’ve heard it, can’t you at least say whether you like it or not?

…Wait! Could it be that your blood type is…?

“Itsuki… can I borrow a rubber band?”

As expected… his lack of ability to read the atmosphere, his casual pace… I’ll have to check later. But you can relax, I’m the only O-type that suits you well.

Rubber band, huh? I have one that I’m not using on my wrist… Wait?

“Ru… rubber band? You’re not talking about…?”

… Man Bun hair!

Man bun hair was the hairstyle Akira-sama had during the ‘Inheriting Sound’ live performance.

Could it be that Asai… here and now, is trying to mimic the ‘Inheriting Sound’ Akira-sama with his hair tied like that?

“No, no, it’s not that kind of rubber band.”

Huh… that kind of rubber band?

…

Ah…

For a moment, I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, but when I saw Asai blushing and flustered, I understood.

Could it be… in this situation, that kind of rubber band… I hadn’t even thought about it.

It seems Asai is still fixated on the apron incident from earlier.

“Huh? This one, right? What kind of perverted thoughts were you having?”

With a very embarrassed expression, Asai took the hairband.

And then… transforming with his hair tied into a Manbun, he became the Akira-sama I always know and see.

“Akira.”

He said it modestly, but he looked way too cool.

“Huh?”

“N-nothing… never mind.”

What’s this… even though I know it’s Asai, when he looks like Akira-sama from ‘Inheriting Sound,’ I can’t help but become aware of something even more different from before.

The Asai version makes me calm and comfortable when we’re together, but the Akira-sama version makes me nervous and uneasy.

But with either version of Akira, I still feel my heart race.

Two completely opposite sides in one person.

Asai is such a mysterious guy.

…The Tenshin udon I made with so much care felt too intense for me to even taste properly. But Asai said it was delicious, so I’ll consider it a success for now.

However, my heart was still racing…

***

After dinner, as usual, we went and played fighting games again, a classic choice for when Asai comes over my house every time.

“I did it! I won again! Have I awakened my hidden powers?”

“Y-yeah…”

“Ah, what’s with that tone? You don’t really believe it.”

“Huh, uh, yeah…”

“Alright, you asked for it!”

“Huh?”

Normally, I can’t win at all, but for some reason, maybe because we’re both in light clothes and close together, Asai didn’t have his usual intensity.

“Well… you see, I’m kinda restricted in my movements today!”

“You’re in a tracksuit, you can’t be restricted!”

“… No, not like that, it’s just… it’s a bit tight and we’re close.”

So, it was indeed because we were so close.

Alright… let’s get even closer then.

“What’s that? Are you trying to imply that you want to bring it into real pro wrestling?”

“No, that’s not it! What kind of interpretation led you to that conclusion?”

“As you wish, second round!”

“No, today is not good… it’s just not good for various reasons.”

“What’s not good?”

“…Because today…”

“No arguments! Here I come!”

Driven by momentum, I initiated intense physical contact. Somehow… more than usual, I felt like I wanted to be close to Asai today.

…But, anyway, Asai is full of openings.

In an instant, I gained the upper hand, pressing both his wrists and firmly holding him down.

“Akira is weak, huh? If I were in the mood, you’d be in big trouble.”

“Y-you’re not in the mood for that, stop making things up.”

Oh my… an unusually bold statement.

“Oh? Do you really believe that?”

“Well, because Itsuki is a girl… I mean, a girl wouldn’t just attack a guy, right?”

“Who decided that a girl can’t attack a guy?”

With my words, Asai’s expression began to look more and more troubled.

“Could it be… you’re planning to attack me?”

I kind of want to attack. Rather, one could say I’m already attacking him by saying this?

“Do you want to attack me?”

…

Asai didn’t answer immediately.

I’ve been thinking this for a while, but Asai is definitely… a hardcore masochist.

…Silence means that’s how it is, right?

…

Even so, Asai remained silent.

And his face slightly flushed, transforming into an expression that couldn’t be described easily.

“I can attack you if you want… Akira will be defenseless, though.”

“Huh… What does that mean?”

“Just what it sounds like, at my mercy.”

Looking at Asai’s expression, I was convinced.

This… seriously, he’s such a hardcore masochist!

I leaned in closer to Asai’s ear and whispered, “Akira’s naughty.”

Asai reacted excessively with a “Hyaa!” sound.

What… this adorable reaction.

“Huh, what? Did you feel something just now? Is Akira’s weakness his ears?”

Asai desperately shook his head from side to side, but it was clear that was his best attempt at resisting.

Finding it amusing, I persistently attacked his ears.

“Hii, Itsuki, stop it! That’s not allowed! It tickles!”

Oh no… this is fun… if Asai is a hardcore masochist, could it be that I might be a hardcore sadist?

“I won’t stop~”

“…”

It was so much fun.

I never thought a guy could pant like that.

“Looks like I found Akira’s weak spot.”

“…It’s true that I’m weak there, but isn’t everyone sensitive around their ears?”

“Maybe that’s Akira’s way of saying he wants to attack my ears too?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“If it’s not that, then I guess it’s fine.”

I brushed my hair back and provocatively taunted Asai.

“Why not just be honest?”

Asai’s cheeks turned red, and he pouted.

Honestly, I want to try it.

I know.

“Time’s up, dummy. Pervert. Boo.”

But I won’t give him the upper hand.

For now, I’ll just take control of his heart, alright?

And so, the night for the two of us continues to progress.