I Ended Up Pretending to Be the Boyfriend of a Beautiful but Tough Classmate for Just a Month, but It Seems That She Has Awakened Her Yandere Tendencies Because of That. - Chapter 21

Chapter 21

“Going on a date means watching a movie. Yes, let’s go see a movie.”

As we finished our fries and burgers and were sipping our drinks while looking for places to go on our phones, Takamiya suddenly came up with the idea.

“Ah, true. But what should we watch?”

“Hmm, we can decide when we get there, right? The main goal today is for people from school to see us on a date.”

“In that case, wouldn’t it be better to go somewhere more crowded?”

“No way. My target is those single guys at school. This date is to make sure they never approach me again.”

“I see.”

In that case, isn’t a movie not the best choice?

I wanted to say that, but Takamiya already looked completely set on watching a movie.

Does she actually like movies?

“…Huh?”

As I was watching Takamiya, amused by how excited she was, I suddenly felt someone’s gaze.

Turning around, I met eyes with the cashier from earlier.

She smiled warmly at us.

She’s probably a college student—a beautiful woman.

Still, I wish she wouldn’t give us that “aww, young love” look.

She definitely thinks we’re a real couple.

She even remembers our faces, it seems.

Guess we can’t come back here again, even though it’s our first visit.

“Alright, now that’s settled, let’s go already.”

Even though I was still drinking, Takamiya quickly tidied up the trash and stood up.

I hurried to finish and chased after her as she walked out of the store.

“Hey, don’t be so self-centered.”

“…What was that just now?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“That look you exchanged with the cashier. Do you prefer mature women like her?”

“Wha—what are you talking about? She was the one who—”

“Wow, you’re so popular, huh? I don’t care what you do after we’re done, but it’s really annoying right now, so stop it.”

Takamiya stormed off, not listening to anything I said.

Still, I had my own thoughts on the matter.

“Wait up!”

I raised my voice, and Takamiya suddenly stopped.

“What? Don’t yell.”

“At least listen. Look, if I wasn’t playing the boyfriend role well, I’m sorry, but I wasn’t looking at the cashier like that.”

I hated how I sounded like a cheating guy making excuses.

But when I said that, Takamiya turned around with a pouty face, looking annoyed.

“Then… why was she smiling at you like that?”

“Uh, maybe she was amused seeing a high school couple? Just a guess.”

“So, she thought we looked good together?”

“Well, at least to her, we probably did. Thanks to your great acting, maybe.”

I tried to compliment her, hoping to smooth things over.

It might have been too obvious, but Takamiya’s expression softened a little.

“Heh, I guess I did look like a convincing girlfriend. I mean, I am a perfectionist.”

Finally, the dark aura around her faded.

I walked up beside her and said,

“Anyway, arguing defeats the purpose of this date, right?”

I meant to remind her of the goal of today’s date.

“…What? We’re not fighting or anything.”

“To anyone else, it definitely looks like we are. If someone sees us now, it’ll have the opposite effect.”

“Fine, I get it. Then you better make sure you look like my boyfriend. First, we need to fix that lame outfit of yours before going to the movie theater.”

Takamiya started walking again, but this time, her steps seemed lighter than before.

◇

“Hmm, this isn’t it. Maybe the model is the problem.”

Before heading to the movie theater, she dragged me to a clothing store nearby.

Without giving me a chance to pick anything myself, Takamiya went to the men’s section, loaded a basket with jackets and shirts, and shoved me into the fitting room.

What followed was a cycle of trying on clothes, taking them off, and trying on more clothes.

After over thirty minutes, I was still getting rejected every time.

“Look, if nothing fits, we don’t have to force it.”

“No way. No matter how good I look, if you’re lame, it ruins everything. You need to try harder to look like a convincing boyfriend.”

“…Okay.”

Her perfectionism is exhausting.

What’s wrong with jeans and a shirt?

“Alright, try this one.”

She handed me a khaki hoodie.

It seemed easy to wear, so I put it on without closing the curtain.

“Oh, that’s not bad.”

“Really?”

“Well, out of everything so far, it’s the best. By the way, you should push your bangs up.”

“Uh, I’ve never cared about my hairstyle before.”

“Then why not let Mika cut it for you next time?”

“Mika? Oh, your friend. Is she aiming to be a hairstylist?”

“Yeah. I sometimes let her practice on me. She said she’s looking for male models to practice on too.”

“I see.”

I’ve never paid attention to my hair. I just let it grow until it’s messy and get a cheap cut when it’s hot.

Besides, I’ve always kept my bangs long because I hate my eyes.

Lifting them now feels strange.

“Anyway, I’ll tell Mika. For now, we’re buying that hoodie.”

“Huh? Wait.”

I glanced at the price tag—it was 10,000 yen.

This is a bit…

“What’s wrong?”

“Well, it’s the price.”

“Oh, yeah, it’s a bit pricey. But don’t worry, I’ll buy it for you as a gift.”

“What? I can’t let you buy me something so expensive.”

“It’s just clothes. 10,000 yen is normal for girls. Besides, this is a thank-you for helping me out. It’s not like I enjoy spoiling guys.”

She grabbed the hoodie from me and went to the cashier before I could stop her.

“It’s my purchase, so don’t worry about it,” she said, ignoring my protests as she paid.

◇

“Hmm, you clean up well.”

Wearing the new hoodie she bought me, I walked with Takamiya to the movie theater.

She seemed satisfied with her “makeover project,” and despite the cost, she was in a good mood.

“I feel bad about this.”

“Don’t. I brought extra money because I planned for this. Besides, you can pay for the movie tickets.”

“Alright, I’ll do that. So, what should we do after the movie?”

“What do you mean?”

“No couple just watches a movie and goes home. Shouldn’t we go to a café and talk about it or something?”

“That’s what a normal couple would do.”

“Exactly. We’re pretending to be one, remember? Pick our next spot while we’re deciding on the movie.”

Takamiya seemed completely immersed in the date role.

Knowing her personality, I figured we wouldn’t be leaving halfway through.

“Come on, hurry up. The theater’s just ahead.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Watching her smile and lead the way made me wonder if her excitement was all an act.

For a moment, I started thinking about the possibility of us staying like this forever.

I quickly dismissed the thought as we entered the theater together.