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 73

Chapter 73

I got a message from Suzukaze-kun saying he was getting in the bath, so I called Mika.

“Hey, Mika, I need to talk to you about something.”

“What, what? Did you guys fight already? If it’s a breakup talk, do it on your own.”

“Th-That’s not it! Suzukaze-kun and I are totally in love!”

“Ohh, well, good for you. So, what happened with Maria?”

“If you already know, don’t be mean about it… Um, I was wondering if there’s a way to properly make up with Maria.”

It was both what I wanted and what I didn’t want.

After all the harassment she put me through, I sometimes felt like just leaving things as they were.

But if Maria started picking fights with me again and ended up causing trouble for Suzukaze-kun, I wanted to avoid that.

And then there was Enjouji Itsuki.

Dealing with both her and Maria at the same time would be way too much.

More than anything, though, it just didn’t feel right to stay like this with someone I used to be friends with.

“You just want to resolve things quickly and clear at least one problem off your plate, huh? But honestly, I don’t think making up with Maria is that hard.”

“R-Really?”

“Tokito-chan, right? She’s doing a great job, so Maria doesn’t seem as much of a hassle as before.”

“Then what should I do? Even if I try talking, I doubt she’d listen to me.”

“Hmm, you don’t necessarily have to get her to listen. There are ways to get your message across anyway.”

“Uh, what do you mean?”

“It’s something you always do, Riara. Just think carefully and be honest with your feelings.”

And with that, she abruptly hung up as usual.

“…A way to get my message across, huh?”

For once, I immediately understood what Mika meant.

Basically, it didn’t have to be a conversation.

I could still get my feelings across, even if it was one-sided.

Thinking about what I wanted to say to Maria, I headed to the bath.

I didn’t want to spend tomorrow worrying about this.

Because tomorrow, we were going to the aquarium.

“Hehe, we’ll be together all day.”

♤

“Hey there, troubled boy. Let’s use this holiday to blow away all that gloom and feel refreshed!”

I was watching a video of GodMichael in the bath.

As I was catching up on past videos, I saw that a live stream was about to start, so I tuned in.

And as always, her words had a strange way of sinking in.

“If you’re going out with friends, bowling or karaoke is a good choice. For a date, an aquarium or a café, then maybe an amusement park. Oh, and if you see classmates on a date, don’t go up and talk to them. Just put your hands together from afar and say, ‘Enjoy your meal!'”

As soon as GodMichael put her hands together, the comment section was flooded with “Enjoy your meal!”

I see, so this is a trend now.

No wonder Tokito-san had been saying it a lot lately.

I always thought she was a serious person, but I guess she watches stuff like this too.

“Alright, today’s short, but let’s talk about tomorrow’s fortune. Couples, you should take a different route than usual—it’ll bring you luck. And as for you loners? I don’t knooow~! Don’t beg for it, go take it! Just kidding!”

She burst into loud laughter.

Then, after pausing in thought, she continued.

“Oh, and if any lonely souls out there had a falling-out with someone they used to be close to, this holiday is your chance to be honest. Spill it all. Vomit it all out. If you do, you might not be a loner anymore.”

And with that, the stream ended, and I got out of the bath.

I immediately messaged Takamiya, and she replied, “How about we take the bus instead of the train tomorrow?”

She must’ve been watching the same thing I was.

We kept chatting excitedly about the stream for a while, and then she called me.

She asked me to stay on the phone until she got sleepy.

So, I kept the call going until she finally fell silent on the other end.

And then, I closed my eyes too.

♡

“Hey, hey, take this seriously and pick an outfit!”

“Ugh, you’re getting more and more annoying. Just do it in front of Suzukaze-kun.”

“I-I’m not some pervert!”

“Haha, so pure~. But this is your second time at the aquarium, so you need a little extra excitement.”

Morning.

I was at Mika’s house, getting a fashion check.

Then, Mika suddenly had an idea and brought out some makeup tools.

“Wait, what’s that?”

“Makeup. You probably don’t do it much since you already look good without it. Just leave it to me.”

“Wait, hold on—stop!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Today’s the perfect chance to sneak in a kiss or two!”

Mika pinned me down, dabbing foundation on my face and drawing something around my eyes.

I was stuck there for almost an hour while she worked on me.

When she finally said, “Done,” she held up a hand mirror.

The reflection showed a much more mature version of me.

“No way…”

“Honestly, I knew you were pretty, but damn, Riara.”

“…Yeah.”

The person in the mirror was me, transformed by Mika’s makeup.

But looking at that face, I was reminded of someone else.

“Mom…”

I hadn’t seen her in so long because we kept missing each other.

But now, in the mirror, I saw a face that looked just like hers.

“……”

“Oops, was this a mistake on my part? But hey, I often think I’m starting to look more like my crappy mother too. Nothing we can do about that.”

“Yeah… But I wonder, will I end up like Mom, getting cheated on and abandoned?”

“I won’t give you empty reassurances like ‘That’ll never happen.’ It’s up to you guys. Besides, even if we look alike, we’re not the same person. We’re not our parents.”

“…Yeah, you’re right.”

“Exactly. Think of it this way: our parents already made the mistakes we might have made in the future. That’s how I deal with it. Not that I’m in a position to talk, though.”

Mika let out a dry laugh before taking the mirror away.

“Alright, now go. Suzukaze-kun is gonna be all over you.”

“Y-Yeah, I’m going. Thanks, Mika.”

I left Mika’s house right away.

Later, I checked my face in my phone’s camera.

And sure enough, I still saw traces of my mother in my reflection.

It was then that I finally understood why I had been avoiding her all this time.

I had always thought of her as the woman abandoned by my father.

And because I had been told I looked just like her, I had come to hate that part of myself.

Even though I knew the one who cheated was in the wrong, a part of me still wondered if my mother had been at fault too.

And that made me fear that, like her, I was destined to be abandoned by someone I loved.

The more I thought about it, the more I didn’t want to be like her.

But I had been pushing the responsibility away, just like she had.

The anger and resentment I should’ve directed at my father—

I had taken it out on those around me instead.

“I guess… in that way, I’m just like her.”

Looking at my reflection on my phone, I felt disgusted again.

But this time, not with my mother—with myself.

I knew I had to face it someday.

I had so many things to work through.

But I wasn’t alone anymore.

Suzukaze-kun was here.

And since Mika went through the trouble of making me look pretty—

I was going to be as clingy as I wanted today.