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 60

Episode 60: A Fake Is Just a Fake

“Eh? Huh?”

Caught off guard, my mind went blank at my mother’s unbelievable words.

Wait, did she just say we’re pretending to be in a relationship…?

“From your reaction, it seems I hit the mark after all.”

Mother didn’t say anything harsh or interrogative; she simply sipped her tea quietly.

Her calm demeanor made me feel scared beyond measure.

So, the reason she called me when Raito-kun stepped out was for this…!

“N-no, um, we’re really—!”

“Didn’t I say it? Sometimes it’s necessary to answer honestly rather than sticking to obvious lies.”

Trying to quickly cover up my confusion, mother stared at me with straight eyes.

It felt as though she was warning me not to lie.

In reality, what mother was saying should have been about compliments, but it didn’t seem like she meant it in that way.

She was subtly hinting at me, just enough for Raito-kun not to notice, to drive the point home.

“Since when…?”

Before I could answer my mother’s question, I blurted out.

In response, my mother smiled somewhat ruefully.

“Pretty much from the beginning.”

“―Huh?”

I underestimated her.

This woman is Raito-kun’s mother.

It’s not surprising if she has sharp intuition.

And yet, I felt acknowledged by her… I was just being manipulated.

“Don’t worry, Misaki-chan. I think you’re very good at pretending to be his girlfriend. Yes―you could pass as his real girlfriend just by looking at you.”

From her words, I felt as though she could see right through everything.

This… she even knows that I like Raito-kun…?

“The problem lies with Raito. Sorry to say this… but when you came, he made a face like he wasn’t pleased. Did you notice?”

Mother tilted her head slightly as she asked me.

That was something I didn’t want to know.

“Really…?”

I didn’t notice.

I was flustered because it wasn’t Raito-kun who came out from the entrance but mother.

I see… Raito-kun didn’t want me to come…

I felt a sensation as if my heart was being squeezed tightly, and tears welled up in my eyes involuntarily.

But with mother present, I held it back.

“Don’t worry, Misaki-chan. It’s not because he dislikes you.”

She must have sensed that I was hurt.

My mother smiled kindly at me.

“But his expression wasn’t that of someone whose girlfriend was coming over. Given his personality, if his own girlfriend came and I found out, I think he’d speak honestly, albeit reluctantly. So then, why did he make a displeased face? Either he has something he doesn’t want me to know about and feared it would be exposed because Misaki-chan came, or there’s some complicating factor that would become troublesome because Misaki-chan came. Don’t you think it’s one of those?”
As a mother who has watched Raito-kun since he was young, mother might already have a good idea of what he’s thinking.

Certainly, when I think about it, although he’s indifferent to others, he doesn’t get angry about things that can’t be helped and goes along with them reluctantly.

But if he’s clearly displeased, then there’s a high chance mother’s considering the two possibilities she mentioned.

“Does that mean… you think I’m not his real girlfriend…?”

“Well, I did think there was something fishy about it. Especially, pardon my meta-commentary… Misaki-chan, you’re just too cute. If you were to debut as an idol, you’d quickly rise to the top. I think many parents wouldn’t believe that their son is dating such a girl. After all, isn’t it true that you attract attention from boys?”

Was I suspected because I was too cute…?

That certainly sounds like a meta-commentary.

“I do get confessed to… So I was doubted because of that…?”

It’s an event that makes me resent my circumstances.

“Yeah, well… But to tell you the truth, that’s not really the point.”

“Huh, really…?”

“After all, it’s strange that someone like Raito, who barely interacts with anyone and has a poor social life, would have a girlfriend in the first place.”

Mother smiled ruefully once again.

Now that it’s mentioned, that’s true.

Raito-kun is notoriously unsociable, to the point of being famous in our class. It’s natural for mother, who may have known his personality well and heard about Raito-kun’s school life from Hyouka-chan, to question him having a girlfriend.

Someone like him, who might disregard his girlfriend more than a friend, especially considering his affection for Kokoa-chan, couldn’t possibly have made one.

“I’m sorry…”

Feeling like there’s no way to avoid it anymore, I bowed my head sincerely.

“Raito-kun isn’t at fault… He’s been playing the role of my boyfriend for my sake… No, because of the situation that requires it, I… ”

I explained everything, from the festival incident that led to us pretending to be a couple.

Mother listened silently without saying anything, and when I finished explaining, she said this.

“I’m not going to blame you, Misaki-chan, nor Raito. The circumstances are what they are. But I felt it was necessary to say this. A fake is just a fake. It’s never the real thing. Eventually, it will break.”

Afterword

Thank you for reading (*´▽｀*)