Chapter 11

“Ha-Hatsune-san has a boyfriend for real!? I’ve never even heard a single rumor about that…! Satoru, this is the first you’re hearing of it too, right?”  

“Mm, well, yeah.”  

“Hey, hey, weren’t you interested in Hatsune-san too?”  

Seiya’s remark caught me off guard.  

This was the exact situation I had feared. My mind wasn’t working properly, and I gave a half-hearted response, but there was no doubt that my reaction would make Seiya suspicious.  

“Well, I guess… With how popular she is, when someone says she has a boyfriend, I find myself accepting it pretty easily.”  

“Huh, yeah, that does make sense!”  

With things developing like this, I now had to keep track of three things: the surrounding situation, my reactions toward Seiya, and whatever crazy thing Reika might pull.  

I had no idea how things ended up like this, but one thing was certain—getting through this moment had become significantly harder.  

“Still, what kind of guy does it take to do something that lewd with someone as cool and beautiful as her?”  

“…Who knows, I can’t even imagine.”  

Like hell I could say, “Sorry, that guy is me.”  

And while I had to admit that lewd things had definitely happened, it wasn’t something I started.  

I feel like I kind of understand what it’s like to be a suspect or defendant being questioned… Not that it’s exactly the same situation. 

“Ugh, man, if it turns out to be some flashy playboy, that’s gonna be rough.”  

“Wouldn’t be surprising, honestly.”  

Sorry, but the guy she’s dating is the complete opposite of that.  

But since I had no idea how to react, I just went along with it and agreed.  

“Ugh, my brain is about to break… But seriously, isn’t it totally a thing for girls like her to fall for flirty guys?”  

I wouldn’t say it’s about being flirty, but considering how much affection she showers me with, the word “infatuated” definitely applies.  

(Wait, why am I mentally sorting through Seiya’s theories…!?)  

I had the urge to retort at myself, but keeping my mind busy like this was the only way to stay calm.  

“So, what’s Reika’s boyfriend like~?”  

“Fufu, let’s see… Despite being the type to do something naughty like this, he’s actually super shy. But that’s what makes him adorable.”  

“Huh… Even though he does stuff this bold?”  

Mixing in a bit of truth with exaggeration, Reika continued talking to the people around her.  

As a result, the image of “a guy who shamelessly leaves hickeys but is also a shy mess” was starting to form—an absolute disaster of a personality.  

At first, her friends had been listening with excitement, but now they were starting to look a little confused.  

Why is she creating such a needlessly complicated character…? This is only going to make things messier.  

Was this another one of her pranks because I refused to make our relationship public?  

Or maybe, just maybe, she genuinely thought, “Satoru does have a bit of a naughty side, hickey aside,” and was just stating what she believed to be true.  

In fact, I was starting to think that was exactly the case.  

(She really doesn’t lie, for better or worse.)  

She might blur things with the way she talks, but I’d almost never seen her outright lie.  

And yet, because of that, the conversation was now painting me as some kind of ridiculous pervert.  

“By the way, does your boyfriend go to this school!?”  

The other students were now pressing her for more details, finally touching on specifics about the guy.  

But Reika had clearly stated yesterday that she wouldn’t mention my name.  

How would she respond?  

“Hmm… Do you think there’s anyone in this school who would be a good match for me?”  

“O-oh! So he must be someone from another school, like some super smart guy or an athlete! I mean, this is just a regular preparatory school, and no one here is smarter than Reika, so yeah, no one would be a good match for her!”  

Hearing her response, I had to admit—it was a clever way to put it.  

She never said that he wasn’t in this school.  

She also didn’t outright say he didn’t exist here, only posing a rhetorical question.  

Yet, thanks to her wording, everyone was assuming that her boyfriend wasn’t a student at this school.  

…She really is making an effort to keep my identity hidden, huh.  

She always says, “You might as well just admit it already,” but it seems she understands why I feel resistant to it and is respecting that.  

…She really is strangely kind in the ways that leave the biggest impression.  

Whether it’s when we’re doing it, or in situations I struggle with—  

She completely understands where I’m weak and what kind of support I need.  

Most of the time, she just uses that knowledge to tease me, but in moments like this, when she actually helps me out, I can’t help but feel grateful.  

But just as I was thinking that, our eyes met for a brief moment.  

And in that instant, she flashed me a mischievous smirk that no one else noticed.  

It was almost as if she were saying, “Did I give you a scare?”  

I couldn’t help but let out a wry smile in my head.