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 38: A heartwarming date.
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- 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 38: A heartwarming date.
A heartwarming date.
A Casual Date.
Despite saying that I would be in charge because I was the one supposed to be “producing” the date, in the end, Akira still took the lead. It wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but as his girlfriend? I think he was quite reliable.
We were currently on a boat, enjoying the relaxing atmosphere.
“It feels nice.”
“Yeah… There’s quite a bit of sunshine, but it’s cool on the water with the breeze.”
“Oh, about the sunshine… Would you like to wear my hat?”
“It’s okay. If you take off your hat, it’ll cause a commotion again like last time.”
“Don’t worry. We’re on a boat, slightly off the shore, and it’s mostly families around us anyway. It might be different if we were among young people though.”
“Alright.”
Akira casually placed the hat on my head.
“You know, hats really suit you, Itsuki!”
“Do they?”
With those sparkling eyes and compliments, it was hard not to be pleased.
“How about getting a hat while having lunch?”
“No, I’m good!”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want to be in a situation again where you would say, ‘Give me all the hats that fit my girlfriend’s size’ in every store we visit.”
“Why would I say that? Seriously?”
It was meant as a joke, but apparently, Akira was taking it seriously.
“So, Akira, have you always been like this?”
“Like what?”
“Regarding money and… well, I can’t find the right word, but your sense of extravagance and not acting ordinary.”
“Extravagance? That sounds harsh… But at school, I’m pretty low-key, and I don’t stand out.”
“Is it because of your hairstyle and the fact that you’re not really talking to many people?”
“Well, that’s part of it.”
“But recently, you haven’t been very low-key though. You’re starting to stand out.”
“Is that because I’m dating you?”
“No, it’s not because of that. In fact, there are girls in the school’s restroom talking about you from time to time.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“What are they saying?”
“Stuff like, ‘Isn’t Akira a hidden hottie?'”
“A hidden hottie…”
“Although that is indeed quite an accurate description of you?”
“Well, it’s not something I’d say to myself though.”
“I mean… I get called cute, too, but I wouldn’t say that about myself as well.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.”
“Otomura-san, Kakimoto, Mitsui from the Light Music Club, Serizawa, Natsuna, Shizuka, there are so many girls around Akira!”
“Well, it’s a co-ed school, so of course. And if you talk like that, there are plenty of girls around you too. Besides, Serizawa is targeting Terazawa.”
“Really? No way!”
“Ah!”
Akira covered his mouth as if he’d said something he shouldn’t have.
“…Please keep this off the record.”
“Sure, I won’t tell anyone.”
“She’s been consulting with me for a while now regarding that.”
Really? I had no idea. To think that Serizawa-san would consult with Akira for love problems.
“Does Terazawa still like you?”
“Why are you asking me that? Wouldn’t it be easier for guys to talk about that kind of thing with each other?”
“Well, I’m Itsuki’s boyfriend, so I can’t exactly ask, ‘Do you still like my girlfriend?'”
“Then I can’t ask either, like, ‘Does Terazawa still like me?’ That would be stupid.”
“True.”
Somehow, it felt like it had been a while since I’d had such a relaxed conversation with Akira. It was just a casual chat, but it also wasn’t. Yet, even such a simple conversation wasn’t possible without us having some free time like this.
A date at the park… It’s really nice.
“Hey, can you hear that?”
“Yeah, I can.”
This is… the sound of drums and bass?
“Could it be that they’re doing a street performance today?”
“Really?”
“Hey, let’s go check it out!”
“Sure, that sounds fun.”
It seemed like Akira truly loved music.
“I’ll give you back the hat. Just remember, don’t take it off.”
“Got it!”
It was a straightforward response, but I felt a bit uneasy.
We followed the sound and made our way to the outdoor stage. Even though Akira had performed here before, he didn’t know the way from this direction.
But this song…
“This song, it’s one of ours, isn’t it?”
“Is it really?”
“Yeah, I can’t mistake my own songs, of course.”
I see.
“But it’s just the drums and bass, right?”
“Yes.”
The audience was scattered, and on the stage, boys and girls about our age were performing songs by “Inherit Sound.”
“Why aren’t there any electric guitar/Lead Guitarists and vocals though?”
“Even if you ask me…”
The answer became evident soon enough. The bass player girl explained the reason during her MC. Apparently, the guitar and vocal player had been delayed due to a train accident and wouldn’t make it to the stage on time. It was a rather unfortunate situation.
“I’m sorry, Itsuki… I’ll be back in a moment.”
…Yeah, I had a feeling from the moment I heard her MC.
Akira placed the hat on me and spoke to the other performers.
“Um, may I borrow this guitar?”
“Uh…”
The performers were initially puzzled by Akira’s sudden request.
“Sorry for asking something so suddenly.”
“Oh… Please use it!”
They generously lent the guitar when they realized it was Akira from “Inherit Sound.”
“And that’s our song, right? Can you play some more?”
He made an impromptu appearance on the stage.
“Sure! We have two more songs we can play!”
“Alright, let’s enjoy those two songs to the fullest.”
“Yes!”
This was what they meant by “joining in the festivities.”
The stage, which wasn’t very lively before, saw an incredible surge of excitement with the unexpected arrival of the real deal.
My anxiety had been right on the mark, he will eventually interfere and decide on something himself on this date that I was “producing”, but I loved this kind of well-meaning interference coming from Akira.
“Hey, Akira from ‘Inherit Sound’ is here!”
“No way! That’s amazing.”
“Huh, ‘Inherit Sound’?”
“The real deal?”
The sparsely populated audience began to fill up.
Akira was indeed amazing. It might be his unconventional approach that allowed him to do such things.
After the performance, the bass player girl was bawling her eyes out. She also spent an unusually long time shaking hands with Akira. I thought that shouldn’t be done in front of such a large audience, but she did just met Akira after all, so there was no helping it. Let’s consider it better than having Akira hug her in private.
So, today, we couldn’t have a completely normal date, but it turned out to be a heartwarming one.