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 21: You're mature!

You’re mature!

Today, I’m more focused on getting ready than usual.

This is because today is a special day – the day I’m going to go to Asai’s house for the first time.

Actually, on the day Asai stayed over at my house, we had promised that on days without club activities, I would go to his house to make him some dinner.

Due to skipping club activities during the off-campus orientation, the plan had been postponed, but finally, that day has finally come.

—And there’s one more thing I had postponed… expressing my feelings to him in earnest.

If all goes well, today might be the day I confess to Asai.

I have many thoughts about this.

I still think that conveying my feelings to Asai is a selfish thing to do.

So… even after preparing myself mentally, my emotions were still wavering.

But… if I let this day pass, I felt like I might lose the opportunity to express these feelings forever.

And in the midst of uncertainty, I felt that time might erase our relationship as if it never existed.

Just in case, to be ready for anything… I even put effort into choosing my underwear.

I don’t expect Asai to suddenly make a move, but I’m a girl too.

It’s better to be safe than sorry.

“Whoa! What’s up with you, Itsuki… Isn’t your makeup a bit too intense for today?”

My older sister exclaimed in surprise as she entered the bathroom.

“Well… maybe.”

“Yeah, I think you should go for something a bit more natural. It’ll suit you and make you look cuter.”

Indeed… as my sister said, I might have gone a bit overboard.

“I’ll help you out. Just stay still for a moment.”

In just five minutes, my sister made adjustments to my makeup, which had been a bit excessive in its intensity.

“There! Perfect!”

And then… When I looked at my face in the mirror, I was honestly surprised.

It might sound strange hearing this from me… but I can say that I looked way cuter than usual right now.

The makeup I had done earlier and what my sister did were worlds apart.

“Thanks, sis… It looks amazing!”

“Don’t worry about thanking me. Just make sure to convey this enthusiasm to Akira-sama!”

“Huh…”

“Don’t give me that ‘huh…’ You’re putting so much effort into this, there must be something between you and Akira-sama, right?”

“Well, I don’t know if there’s something or not…”

“For now, I’ll cover for you with Dad, so don’t worry.”

Well… it’s pretty obvious at this point.

“Thanks, sis!”

“In return, get me a signature of him on this.”

My sister handed me her favorite smartphone case.

Firmly secured.

By the way, Itsuki…”

My sister casually lifted the edge of my skirt.

“…”

“You’re all grown up!”

With just that remark, she left a thumbs-up sign and left the house ahead of me.

…For now, I got my sister’s approval on my choice of underwear.

***

Anyway, today was quite restless.

I haven’t been this jittery at school since the day of the entrance ceremony.

I hardly spoke to Asai.

Asai also seemed a bit uneasy, if I’m not mistaken.

Could it be that Asai is also conscious of the fact that I’m coming over today?

After school passed in the blink of an eye…

“Hey, Akira, did you check the fridge?”

“Yeah, I did… just as I thought, it was empty.”

“I see… Well then, let’s go to the supermarket as planned.”

“Sure…”

Our conversation felt awkward and stilted.

“What’s up, Akira… are you embarrassed, by any chance?”

“Well… a bit.”

“You’re cute when you’re embarrassed, Akira.”

That line was a boomerang. I’m probably the one feeling the most embarrassed. As evidence of that, I playfully poked Asai’s cheek without thinking.

“Is there something specific you want to eat?”

“Meat?”

“Even though you’re more of an herbivore, you like meat?”

“Yeah… I’m not a fan of fatty meat, but I like lean meat.”

It was a bit surprising. But… isn’t meat just something you cook? Well, I know it’s probably more complicated than that, and I don’t have those cooking skills anyway so I won’t comment on it. Cooking meat wouldn’t help me showcase my culinary skills.

“Alright, then let’s go for fried chicken!”

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong? Don’t you like that idea? Fried chicken is meat too, you know?”

“I’m not unhappy about it! I love fried chicken too!”

“Then it’s settled!”

As usual, easily swayed. That part of him… I love it.

On our way to the supermarket…

I gathered my courage and held hands with Asai.

…And we even held them like a couple would.

Asai’s body trembled and he seemed startled.

“What’s wrong? Are you blushing again?”

“Yeah…”

Asai’s face was completely red.

He was clearly embarrassed.

And his embarrassment was contagious, reaching me as well.

“You’re a mysterious person, Akira.”

With that remark, we didn’t exchange a single word until we reached the supermarket.

But, this silence… It felt comforting now.

I could tell that Asai was gently sweating in his palms.

I could feel the nervousness transmitting.

…Well, I was feeling it too.

Even though it usually takes about 10 minutes to reach the supermarket, it felt like we arrived in an instant.

When I let go of his hand, Asai had a slightly lonely expression on his face.

“It’s okay, I’ll hold your hand again later.”

Saying that, Asai gave me a light smile.

***

We quickly finished shopping and arrived at Asai’s house.

“Wow… you live in a nice condominium.”

It was a high-rise building.

“…It’s not that fancy, the inside is pretty ordinary.”

…That can’t possibly be true.

And, as I expected, the interior was spacious and incredibly stylish.

“It’s just that I don’t have much stuff,” Asai said, but it was clearly different from my home, which had a more lived-in feel.

Truly befitting of ‘Inherit Sound’… or rather, his parents.

To think that someone can live in a place like this, what kind of people are they?

Well, anyway, I’ve come to a boy’s house.

“Alright! Before we make the delicious fried chicken… first, I have to inspect Akira’s room!”

“Inspect… there’s really nothing to see.”

When someone says there’s nothing, it only makes you more curious. And Asai’s room had not just nothing.

“Whoa! This is amazing!”

Guitars were hanging on every wall.

“Most of them were provided by manufacturers as endorsements, so they’re mostly free.”

To think they were given for free… that’s even more surprising.

“It’s apparently part of some advertising campaign… I leave the contract stuff to my agent, so I don’t really understand, but they call it a win-win situation.”

Indeed, ‘Inherit Sound’ lives up to its reputation.

Coming to Asai’s house, I thought that all over again.

“…So you really are a musician!”

“Technically, yes.”

Asai answered with a smile on his face.

Surrounded by guitars, he looked different from the usual Asai.

And to this Asai, I said…

“Hey, later on, could you play a song for me?”

I made quite the indulgent request.

“Of course, I have a new song that even the band members haven’t heard yet.”

Huh… a song the band members haven’t heard?

“…You’ll play that for me?”

“Yeah… because it’s a song I wrote thinking about you, Itsuki.”

“Huh…”

“I’ll let you hear it later.”

“…Okay.”

A song he wrote with me in mind.

Asai had prepared an unbelievable surprise.

Tears of joy were welling up inside me, and I was desperately holding them back.