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 17: They Found Out!?

They Found Out!?

After washing my face and looking in the mirror, I saw my disheveled face. I hadn’t slept well, and I had cried earlier… well, I had expected to look like this.

I can’t meet Asai with this face.

I applied slightly heavier makeup than usual. Especially around my eyes.

Yeah… unless someone suspects I cried, it probably won’t stand out much.

As expected of me.

Feeling thirsty from crying, I went to the fridge to get water, and at that moment, I heard the sound of the front door opening.

It seemed like my family had returned.

…I’m glad I did my makeup earlier.

“Welcome back.”

“Oh, were you already awake?”

“Yeah… I woke up a little while ago.”

“Just now? Considering that, your makeup is on point. Is your boyfriend awake too?”

“No, he’s still sleeping…”

…Oops, my mom’s comment just reminded me.

Asai was still in my gym clothes.

Meeting him for the first time in that attire… my parents might be taken aback by it, even though they’re pretty open-minded about relationships.

“What’s wrong, Itsuki?”

“It’s nothing! I’ll go wake him up real quick.”

“Huh, it’s still early, you know? You should let him sleep in.”

“It’s fine, I want him awake!”

I took Asai’s clothes from the dryer and rushed to my room. They were a bit wrinkled, but it was much better than my snug gym clothes.

When I returned to the room, Asai was still in bed.

So carefree.

“Akira… wake up.”

…

…No response.

Come to think of it, Asai isn’t a morning person.

Maybe I should try teasing his ears again.

…But if I hear his moans, that would be really bad right now.

“Akira… wake up.”

…

I gently shook the blanket and tried to wake him up kindly.

Still, he didn’t wake up.

…What should I do?

“You should change your clothes… My family is back home,” I muttered, hinting at the current situation.

“Hey, good morning!”

Asai quickly sat up.

…Wait, did he pretend to be asleep?

“Good morning, Akira.”

Ugh… I shouldn’t mention that I woke up earlier, right?

Did he find out about the kiss?

Will he ask about the confession?

Did he notice that I cried?

When our eyes met, Asai showed an indescribable expression and then blushed, looking down.

HE found out———————!

He totally found out, right?

How?

Just how did he find out?

I had just decided to be honest and apologize, yet I couldn’t bring myself to ask.

I’m such a coward.

…But my family is back!

…We’ll talk properly when we’re alone!

Desperately making excuses to myself… trying to convince myself… I’m so pathetic.

Well, for now… Asai’s appearance is the priority.

“You’re going to greet them, right?”

“Of course!”

Asai responded immediately.

Seeing Asai in his now embroidered jacket from the Nowamura was a bit sad, thinking it might be the last time I will see him wear those kinds of clothes from earlier..

As I absentmindedly watched him change, he suddenly said, “S-so, what is it?”

What is it? Is he misunderstanding that he’s being watched?

He’s quite self-conscious… I’ll play along, of course.

“Nah, I was just thinking you still have a great body… Or are you embarrassed?”

“Um… yeah.”

He’s embarrassed… Asai is really cute after all.

“I’ve already seen everything yesterday.”

“Well, that was in the bath.”

I get the logic, but… seriously, acting like a girl!

“So, imagine you’re still in the bath right now?”

He seemed like he wanted to say something, but Asai went ahead and changed quickly.

…By the way.

“Your hair’s a mess, I’ll fix it for you.”

“…Please.”

The hair tie I was holding suddenly came off.

Yesterday, Asai had haphazardly tied his hair without looking in the mirror, but today I meticulously brushed and set his hair into a perfect man bun.

“You really look handsome when your hair’s done! I’ve been itching to do this for a while now.”

Oh no… he’s really good-looking.

I seriously want to try this at school once.

I’d probably freak out though.

“…Thank you.”

…Wait, doesn’t Asai want attention from everyone? He could become super popular if he showed up at school like this…

…

…But I hated the idea now that I imagined it.

I could easily picture guys coming up with even bolder approaches than the Nowamura twins.

“Alright, shall we go?”

“Wait a moment… I need to prepare myself.”

“What… preparing yourself?”

“Because… we’re meeting your parents, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m so nervous, even more than before a live performance, I’m super jittery.”

“Why are you more nervous than before a live performance?”

…So, that’s how it is.

When I touched Asai’s chest…

“It’s true… you’re really nervous.”

He was definitely nervous.

Still, it was better than when he was holding me in bed.

“Seriously, can’t be helped.”

I took Asai’s hand.

“Here, I’ll hold your hand. This should make you feel better, right?”

“Better? I feel like my heart rate just increased even more!”

“It’s alright, it’s alright!”

As we were descending the stairs, we encountered my older sister.

…I had preemptively told her we weren’t dating the other day, so I decided to take the initiative.

“Sister, this is my boyfriend, Akira Asai.”

I emphasized “boyfriend” and went all out.

“Hello, I’m Asai.”

“Oh, he-hello…”

My sister froze when she saw Asai.

“What’s wrong, sis?”

Oh no… right now, Asai is “Akira-sama.”

“Hey!”

Anyway, I waved my hand in front of her like I did with Yukka earlier, pulling her back to reality.

“Oh, um, it’s nothing… Your boyfriend has changed quite a bit, hasn’t he? He’s so much like Akira-sama from ‘Inheriting Sound.’

…She totally misunderstood.

Well, that’s the normal reaction… She definitely wouldn’t think that the Akira from ‘Inheriting Sound’ is her sister’s boyfriend after all.

…What should I do?

Should I just try to cover it up?

At that moment, various thoughts raced through my head.

And then, I decided to do something cunning to tease her.

“What are you talking about, sis?—It’s him, for real.”

Asai came out as Akira-sama.

“~~~~~!”

My sister covered her mouth with both hands and made a surprised, voiceless sound.

Her eyes seemed to glisten a bit.

…So, everyone’s reaction is the same, huh?

“Hello, I’m Akira Asai from ‘Inheriting Sound.’

Even though she didn’t say anything, Asai played along with the conversation.

“I-I’m, I’m Kazuki Nowamura! Nice to meet you!”

My sister forcibly pulled my hand away and shook hands firmly with Asai using both hands.

She’s definitely more upfront compared to Yukka.

“I’ve always been a fan! A huge fan!”

“…Thank you.”

“Itsuki! Did you hear? Akira-sama said thank you!”

“Yes, yes, I heard.”

“By the way, why? Why is Akira-sama your boyfriend?”

“…We’re in the same class.”

“No way! Why? And wait, isn’t Akira-sama younger than you?”

After this, Asai endured a barrage of questions from my sister, and it took quite a while before he was able to greet my parents.