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 20: I'm sorry, Asai.

I’m sorry, Asai.

There are a lot of rivals.

But Asai continues to act as my boyfriend.

Still, I can’t just be complacent with the current situation.

Starting tomorrow, I’ll give my all in showing off myself as Asai’s girlfriend.

…That’s what I was fired up about, but…

“…”

—How do you even do this ‘girlfriend appeal’? What do I actually even need to do?

I don’t know… I’ve never been in a romantic relationship, and I’ve never thought about trying to appeal to someone so strongly before too.

I don’t even know the ideal behavior for a normal couple.

…What do I do?

As part of thanking her for today, I decided to consult with Yuka Yukari, the only one who knows the situation between me and Asai.

“Eh… Appeal? Why now?”

After explaining about Kakiyama and the situation with Onimura-san…

“Well, before thinking about appealing, shouldn’t you start actually dating first?”

“There are a few reasons… It’s not that easy to bring it up.”

“What a maiden!”

“I am a maiden!”

“Oh, I see… So that’s what it is.”

Friend… What does she mean by that?

“……Knowing that you like each other, and that Asai probably likes you, why don’t you just tell him? Saying ‘I like you, let’s date’ would solve everything, right?”

“Asai likes me…?”

“From where I stand… It’s hard not to see that he does. Why aren’t you saying it? Just saying ‘I like you, let’s date’ would solve everything, right?”

Asai… likes me?

“From my perspective… I can’t help but think you two should just hurry up and date.”

“Is that… so?”

“Yes!”

Asai had also hinted at that to me before.

But… because of that, because our relationship is so good, it’s even harder for me to gather my courage.

“Hey, Itsuki, let me say something too.”

“Sure.”

“…That time, it wasn’t just you that was saved by Akira-sama. And it wasn’t just you that had your heart stolen by Akira-sama. If that’s how you are… I won’t hold back either.”

“…”

…Yuka also likes Asai.

“But I’m different from you. I’ve already given up, and I thought it was wrong for me to suddenly change my attitude towards Asai just because he is actually Akira-sama. So, I decided to support you… but if you keep this up, I’ll join in!”

…Yuka.

So… Yuka had feelings for him too.

“Got it… I’ll do my best.”

“Sure, go for it!”

“Thanks, Yuka.”

“And if you actually start dating, you better make sure I get lots of thanks.”

“Yeah, I will.”

…I’ve just been receiving encouragement from Yuka all along.

“By the way… Maybe some appeal to those around us might be necessary too.”

…Wait, didn’t you ask why now just a moment ago?

“…Well, Terazawa spread the news, and the rumor about us dating got around really fast. But recently, people have started to doubt it as well.”

“Huh… This is news to me.”

“Why?!”

“The main thing might be how you address Asai. You’ve been calling him ‘Asai’ for a while now, right? Maybe that’s why the student council president got interested in the whole fiasco.”

…I had no idea.

There was such an underlying situation.

“Well, after what happened today, the situation might change a bit, but you and Asai have been using first names recently, right? You’re often together too, but I’ve never seen you acting all lovey-dovey though.”

“Well… We’re not that kind of close.”

“I know, but ever since that video came out, Asai’s become pretty popular.”

…Well, it’s true… If you look beyond his annoying hair, he actually has good qualities.

“If things continue like this, the rivals will increase!”

…Seriously?

“Oh… How should I go about appealing?”

The conversation came back to that.

“Probably… not with body contact.”

“…Body contact?”

“You know, like what Otomura does.”

Ugh… Being that touchy-feely?

“I can’t be that overtly cunning.”

“It’s not about being cunning! Just try to show yourself as my boyfriend in your own way.”

…In my own way, huh?

“Thanks, Yuka. I’ll give it a shot!”

“Sure, do your best.”

So, with that in mind—starting the next day, I made an effort to initiate body contact with Asai more actively.

During our morning greetings, I not only said, “Good morning, Akira!” but also lightly tapped him on the back, subtly making physical contact.

“Good morning, Itsuki… You seem to be in a good mood today.”

“Yeah, I am!”

In the gaps of our conversation, I made sure to give his shoulder a good tap, maintaining a casual pace of body contact.

When Asai made a joke, I’d reply with a solid “What the heck?!” while playfully hitting him.

And when I approached him from behind…

“Akira, what are you doing?”

I embraced him tightly, going beyond mere body contact and leaning into a hug filled with affection.

…Perfect.

It was a perfect display of being a girlfriend.

Thanks to that, nobody dared to come close to us anymore.

Then, during lunch break, Asai surprisingly invited Yuka and left the classroom.

…I wondered what was going on.

Curious, I felt bad for trailing them, but I decided to follow.

“Hey, Komori-san… Have I done something to bother Itsuki? Did you hear anything like that?”

“Huh… Why?”

“Today, she’s been hitting me a lot… with so much force, and with a scary expression.”

Scary expression…?

“Oh, that… Um…”

“Just earlier, out of nowhere, she put me in a sleeper hold from behind! I thought I was going to pass out for a moment.”

“Uh… Yeah, I think she’s not in a bad mood or anything…”

“Do you know something?”

“I think… she’s just putting a lot of effort into it and getting nervous.”

“Huh, what’s that?”

“…”

People aren’t used to unfamiliar things. Yuka skillfully avoided the main point and explained the situation to Asai.

It turned out that due to my excessive tension and overenthusiasm, my face became rigid, and I couldn’t control my strength properly.

It seemed that everyone thought I was in a bad mood, so they stayed away in fear.

Well, I was able to clear things up, even if the details were a bit different… So, I guess it’s all good?

But… I’m sorry, Asai.