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 31

“Ugh, I seriously don’t get it. Is this really okay?”

These past few days have been a repetitive cycle of the same routine.

Every day after school, the two of us would work on the speech draft at my house.
And today, the weekend, Takamiya is in the living room as usual, scratching her head while glaring at the blank sheets of paper.

“I don’t really get it either. What are we even supposed to emphasize in a student council president’s pledge?”

“Like organizing events or something? Hmm, but honestly, I’m not even sure what kind of authority the student council president has.”

“You could at least ask the teachers about that.”

“Don’t just blame everything on me!”

This little bickering has been part of our routine lately.

Incidentally, Jinguji has been strangely quiet ever since he approached me during our commute to school.

Of course, I appreciate the peace, but it feels like the calm before the storm, leaving me uneasy.

“Anyway, if we don’t figure this out by next week, we’ll run out of time. Tomorrow’s a day off, but are you planning to spend it writing all day?”

“Hmm, I’d like to, but maybe it’s time for a change of pace, don’t you think?”

Takamiya tossed her pen aside and started fiddling with her phone.

“A change of pace? What do you have in mind?”

“Hold on a second… Ah, this, this! Want to go here?”

“…An aquarium?”

What she showed me was the homepage of an aquarium in the neighboring town.

“Didn’t you know it was renovated and reopened last year?”

“I mean, I know that much, but what’s the point of going all the way there?”

“I said, for a change of pace. I like aquariums, and I’ve been curious about this one.”

“But there’s no reason for the two of us to go, right?”

“There’s every reason! You can’t go to a place like that alone. Besides, you’ve been working nonstop lately. Without a break, you won’t come up with any good ideas. Let the fish relax you!”

“I’m not interested in fish.”

“Then just watch me get relaxed by the fish and let that relax you.”

“That makes even less sense.”

“Stop nitpicking! We’re going out tomorrow, end of discussion.”

It was true that our work had hit a deadlock, so I could understand the need for a change of pace.

But going to an aquarium in the neighboring town, just the two of us? That sounds like an actual date.

Is this part of the process for our work, too?

I started to ask but swallowed my words.

“…Fine. Let’s do that tomorrow.”

“Great! Then we’ll call it a day here and think things over separately at home.”

And so, we wrapped up for the day.

Lately, Takamiya has been calm, and she hasn’t brought up her family situation at all.

She even responds to my messages regularly at night. I’ve started convincing myself that maybe her home life isn’t as serious as I had thought.

But that doesn’t mean all the problems are gone.

The speech content still doesn’t feel quite right.

It’s probably because of what Mika said to me.

“My true feelings, huh…”

My honest, straightforward feelings.

I’ve never really thought about that before.

What do I think of Takamiya?

How do I want her to see me?

What do I want her to be?

What kind of future do I want with her?

“…Even if I say it, it wouldn’t mean anything.”

After picking up the pen Takamiya had tossed aside, I headed back to my room.

I couldn’t focus when I was alone.

Maybe tomorrow’s outing is necessary for the work after all.

I should stop overthinking and take it easy.

At least, in the neighboring town, we won’t be interrupted.

♡

“Hehe, I’m going to the aquarium~! I’m so excited!”

“You mean on a date with Suzukaze-kun, right?”

“N-no! I just genuinely like aquariums!”

“Sure, sure. Sounds lovely. You two are so lovey-dovey.”

“D-don’t say weird things! He and I are just working together!”

It was a holiday morning.

Before heading to his house, I stopped by Mika’s place to chat for a bit.

I also wanted to discuss the progress we’d made this week, but Mika just kept smiling knowingly.

“You two are closer than most couples, you know.”

“I-it’s because I work hard to make it look that way! Thanks to that, guys don’t bother me anymore. It’s my greatest achievement.”

“So how’s someone with zero male fans planning to win an election?”

“Well… I-I’m still figuring that part out.”

Mika had a point.

Thanks to Suzukaze-kun’s cooperation, I’ve successfully avoided persistent advances from boys.

But I never imagined I’d run for student council president, and now that I have, I can’t back out.

Winning the boys’ votes seems hopeless.

Even I know that much.

But that doesn’t mean there’s no chance.

Our school has slightly more girls than boys, and I’ve heard that many girls secretly dislike Maria because of her personality.

There must be a way to win.

“Next week’s a long weekend, and then it’s straight into the election. Are you sure you can afford to take it easy?”

“So you’re saying I’m going to lose?”

“I’m just saying it’ll be tough at this rate. Like I said before, if you want a turnaround, you need to open up more.”

“Open up…?”

“Well, I’m all for the aquarium date. Clear your head and be honest with each other. You’ll probably come up with a better speech that way.”

Mika spoke like she had everything figured out.

I wanted to ask more, but I was running out of time, so I left her house.

As she waved me off, she said, “Don’t forget souvenirs and stories to share!”

How much does Mika really understand about me?

Sometimes, I feel like she knows me better than I know myself.

But ever since we were kids, she’s always been like this.

She never gives me the answers.

Even when teaching me something, she’d always say, “Find the answer yourself.”

My feelings, huh.

I hope I can find the answer at the aquarium.

No, I will find it.

About Suzukaze-kun…