I became the boyfriend of the school's madonna, who had turned down numerous confessions, but somehow, without realizing it, I wasn't just playing a role anymore - Chapter 10

Episode 10: Feeding Each Other

“Don’t you usually talk to your childhood friend about these things?”

Since I couldn’t quite comprehend, I decided to ask.

“Well, Hyouka-chan can be really scary when she’s angry… If she finds out about the fake couple thing, she’ll definitely get mad…”

Well, I can understand her feelings. Suzumine-san is as much of a beauty as Kuroyuki-san, if not more. Actually, it might be more accurate to call her beautiful because she has a mature charm.

And precisely because she’s a well-featured beauty, she appears intimidating when she’s cold. She has a quite sharp way of speaking, and apart from a few boys, she isn’t popular at all.

Of course, those few boys are the type who enjoy being scolded.

“Speaking of which, I haven’t seen Suzumine-san since the morning commotion… Is she absent?”

“No, she’s here…”

“Then why didn’t she show up?”

While her personality gives off a cold impression, she is relatively kind to girls. Last Valentine’s Day, she received lots of chocolates from the girls.

Come to think of it, there’s a situation where she’s ignoring Kuroyuki-san, who’s troubled by confessions… Maybe they aren’t as close as rumored?

“I don’t know that, and that’s what scares me… Even when I sent a message on the chat app saying, ‘I’ll have lunch with Raito-kun from now on,’ she only replied with ‘I see’… I wonder if she’s angry…”

Hmm, wouldn’t that be considered as angry?

“If you haven’t told your childhood friend about pretending to be a couple, maybe you should honestly talk to her?”

“No way…! Hyouka-chan really hates lies and dishonesty, so she might hate me…”

Either way, she’ll end up lying to her, but does she not realize that?

Well, it’s their issue, and I’ll respect Misaki’s decision…

“Alright, just do your best. My stomach’s about to give in, can we eat now?”

“Ah…! Um, please go ahead.”

When I showed her the bento box, Misaki nodded with a smile.

As I slowly opened the bento box, fluffy and soft tamagoyaki and juicy, golden-brown fried chicken appeared. In addition, there were various vegetables such as spinach namul and hamburgers.

“This is my first time, so I tried to keep it simple… How is it?”

As I stared at the contents of the bento, Misaki asked with upturned eyes.

As the person who made it, she must be curious.

“Is everything… homemade?”

“Yeah, it is. I prepared the hamburgers and fried chicken yesterday and cooked them today.”

“Impressive…”

I also cook regularly, so I understand. Even with conventional side dishes, the appearance is completely different from what I make. Just by appearance, it’s evident that she’s skilled in cooking.

It smells great, and the delicious-looking appearance is making my expectations rise.

“Well then, I’ll dig in.”

After saying the customary grace, I extended my chopsticks toward the side dishes—

“Ah, wait…!”

—As I was about to start, only to be stopped.

Is it still not okay to eat…!?

“What now?”

“W-Well, you don’t have to get so upset…”

“I’m not upset, but… being left out when I’m hungry and there’s something so delicious in front of me is quite tough, you know?”

I’m definitely not angry. 

It’s just my mood is a bit off because I’m just a little dragged along.

“Looks delicious… ehehe…”

However, she seemed to not have heard what I have said, she started to smile shyly.

Why was I stopped?

“Why can’t I eat it?”

“Ah, well… I wanted to feed you…”

“……”

Misaki, with flushed cheeks and glistening eyes, said something quite unexpected.

If she misunderstands this, I can’t really complain, can I…?

“Surely, there’s no need for that…?”

“But, there might be someone watching… It’s less embarrassing than holding hands, and it might make us look more like a couple, don’t you think…?”

The standards for embarrassment vary from person to person. Personally, I find it more embarrassing than holding hands.

“Do I have a veto?”

“Of course, you do, but… If possible, I’d like to do it…”

It seems like she thinks this would be a decisive factor. With a face clinging like a small animal, it’s hard to refuse.

“…If it’s just me feeding you, I’ll give you my 100 percent.”

“In situations like this, don’t couples usually feed each other…?”

What about it?

I’ve never done it, never had it done to me. I don’t read romance manga either…

“Let’s start with me feeding you first. If that doesn’t work out, then we can try feeding each other next time.”

Deciding to set a boundary, I, who felt embarrassed being fed, made that clear. If, for some reason, suspicions arose due to only me feeding her, I’d have to prepare myself for that.

“Well then, I’ll wait for you to finish, Raito-kun.”

“No, I’ll feed you first.”

“Huh, but…”

“Since I was being selfish, I’ll prioritize Misaki.”

However, being left out in front of this feast is tough…

I’ll endure it rather than going through the embarrassment.

“I’m the one making the request, right?”

“What Misaki is saying is a natural right, so it’s not a selfish request. After all, we’re a fake couple, including everything Misaki is saying, right?”

What she requested falls within the scope of a fake couple. Calling that a selfish request would be a bit harsh.

“As expected, Raito-kun is kind…”

“That’s not true. Anyway, what do you want to start with?”

“Then, I’ll go with the spinach namul, please.”

Starting with vegetables, it seems. As requested, I picked up the spinach namul with my chopsticks and brought it close to Misaki’s mouth.

“Ah~n!”

Misaki, with a small mouth like a fledgling bird, waited for me to put the side dish in.

Since her cheeks were slightly flushed, it seems she is indeed embarrassed. On the other hand, I found myself associating her with Kokoa, who I usually feed.

Yes, it felt like a parent bird feeding its chick.

Feeling that it’s not as embarrassing as I thought to feed someone, I continued to feed Misaki.

After feeding Misaki, I properly enjoyed the bento she made, and the taste exceeded my expectations, making it a very satisfying meal.