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 8

Episode 8: Continuous Gratitude

During lunch break…

“Hm, preparations are good.”

Moving to the less crowded, grassy area on the school grounds, Misaki spread a picnic blanket. She took off her shoes, sat down, and smiled at me.

“What’s up? Come on over.”

It seems she’s concerned that I didn’t follow her.

“No, isn’t this preparation a bit too much?”

“Well, we can’t eat together in the classroom, right? It would be uncomfortable with everyone staring.”

“Well, that’s true…”

Eating in the classroom would undoubtedly attract attention. We have become the most famous couple in school.

In a sense, we are the talk of the town.

The rooftop and courtyard are popular spots, so there are other students around. That’s probably why Misaki chose this less crowded area, but…

“As expected, you’re well prepared…”

“It’s a good thing to be well prepared, right!? It’s much better than the latter…!”

Seemingly noticing my wry smile, Misaki got angry.

…No, maybe she’s pouting. It’s a rare expression.

“I’m not complaining.”

“To me, it sounds like you are?”

“No, it’s not that. Things are just progressing too smoothly, and it’s a bit scary.”

Mainly, I’m bothered when things go too well for me.

Of course, it’s not that I like Misaki. But being alone with the school’s Madonna and eating her homemade lunch….most guys would envy that.

Well, it’s the situation that’s unusual…

“Anyway, here’s your lunch.”

Misaki seemed to understand what I was trying to say and handed me a simple, large lunchbox. 

In her other hand, she held a smaller lunchbox with a cute floral pattern, indicating that she doesn’t usually eat much.

It seems she prepared it considering that I would be eating.

“Are you sure about this?”

“It’s an apology and a thank you, so eat without holding back. Besides, it would be troublesome if you don’t eat.”

Misaki smiled somewhat reluctantly and shrugged her shoulders. Indeed, if we don’t eat here, the lunch she prepared would go to waste.

“Well then, I’ll take you up on that… Thanks.”

“Please enjoy.”

I thanked her, and she responded with a smile. She has a too-good-to-be-true personality, making her quite popular with guys.

But…

“…”

For some reason, she started staring intently at me as I reached for the lunchbox. Her gaze was focused, and it felt as if she were waiting for something, observing my actions closely.

No, it’s a joke, but her serious gaze makes me curious. Is she anxiously waiting for my reaction to the food she made?

—No, probably not.

It’s not a fidgety attitude, eager for my impression of the food. Instead, it’s serious, as if she’s waiting for the right moment to bring up something—like that.

“Looks like there’s something else to talk about?”

“Huh!?”

I stopped my hand reaching for the lunchbox, and we locked eyes. 

As a result, she became visibly flustered, and her gaze began wandering around.

“W-What could you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb. We’re already in quite a situation, so I won’t be surprised no matter what you bring up now.”

For now, I thought I should hear her out before eating lunch.

Damn, I’m hungry…

“Um… you won’t get angry, right?”

Well, I can’t judge unless you tell me.

I don’t think she would do something to upset me, but I don’t know everything about her. In fact, there might be more things I don’t know about her. Yet, I can’t blindly trust her.

“So…Inhale…”

There’s no fooling around… Misaki took a deep breath. With a determined expression, she checked that there was no one around, then slowly brought her mouth close to my ear.

“Um… From now on, can we pretend to be a couple… is that okay?”

“…Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden?”

She asked an unexpectedly strange question, and I unintentionally responded with a blunt tone.

“Ugh, don’t look at me like that…!”

Seemingly aware of how foolish her question was, Misaki covered her face with her hands. But I decided to pursue the matter.

“Well, it’s a bit too late to ask that after we’ve already dug ourselves into this situation.”

“Yeah, sorry about that…!”

Even without saying it, it seems like everyone understands what she wants.

It’s too late to say no now; the whole school already recognizes us as a couple. She probably knew that, so she tried to appease me with the lunch. Or maybe she thought that once I ate, I would feel guilty about complaining.

Either way, it doesn’t concern me as I haven’t eaten yet.

However…

“Well, I’m not angry, so no need to apologize.”

I didn’t want to corner her unnecessarily, so I’m not mad. I made a cutting remark because it didn’t sit well with me, but…

“But what I did, I think it’s the lowest…”

“Using me, you mean? I don’t mind, I know you were worried about the confession issue, and since you’re already pretending to be my girlfriend because of Kokoa, even if you had told me earlier, I don’t think the outcome would have been any different, right?”

Sure, I’d like to avoid becoming an enemy of the whole school, but I was already disliked from the start. If it helps her out of a tough situation, I don’t mind pretending to be her boyfriend.

It’s not like I have someone I like anyway.

“The reason that Kokoa-chan thought so, it was because of me…”

“…Now that I think about it, that’s right.”

Certainly, looking back, it was because of Kokoa that I had to pretend to be her boyfriend.

I had completely forgotten about it due to the school commotion.

“Well, it’s done. I won’t complain about it now.”

I don’t see the point in complaining about something that can’t be changed. She must have known that too, which is why she tried to get on my good side with the lunch. Or maybe she thought that if I ate, I would feel guilty about complaining.

Complaining won’t change anything if it won’t lead to a solution. Besides, she doesn’t mean any harm.

And really, I was the one who initially pretended to be her boyfriend. I can’t blame her.

“Raito-kun…”

“And this lunch is not just a thank-you but an apology, right? In that case, let’s consider this settled.”

I wanted to settle it with lunch since I didn’t like lingering issues.

But she seems to want more than that.

“Well… If Raito-kun doesn’t mind, I want to continue making lunches for you…”

“Huh?”

“I-I mean, since we’re going to continue this fake relationship as a couple, I thought I could continue expressing my gratitude…”

Misaki spoke hesitantly, pressing her index fingers together in front of her chest.

As usual, she’s so serious or something…

“Well, you don’t have to go that far, do you?”

Making lunch every day would mean additional costs and effort, which makes me feel awkward.

“No, I want to do that much. Because, you see, this relationship doesn’t benefit you in any way… And this is the only way I can repay you.”

What is she saying now?

Every day would require ingredients and effort, and it feels burdensome.

“Well, that’s about all I can do to express my gratitude, considering the circumstances. It’s not like you gain anything from this fake relationship, right?”

Absolutely, if I were to put the position up for grabs, there would be countless volunteers.

However…

“That’s not it. I’m sure that if we continue this fake relationship, I’ll end up hurting you a lot…”

Saying this, she wore a deeply sad expression.

Maybe there’s a reason why she never dated anyone despite being admired by so many people. Seeing Misaki’s almost teary-eyed expression, I couldn’t help but think that might be the case.