The Beautiful Girl Who Asked Me to Pretend to Be Her Boyfriend Didn’t Want to Break up With Me for Some Reason - Chapter 1.2

Now, Luna unlocked my door with a spare key before I could get there.

She turned around as she entered the entrance.

“Welcome back, Hakuto.”

“…I’m home, Luna.”

After responding to Luna, who greeted him, the two of them took off their shoes and went inside.

The apartment is a 1DK.

It has a spacious layout for a high school student living alone.

Beyond the entrance is a short hallway.

There is a kitchen along the way, and the toilet and bath are separate.

The dining area beyond the partition door is the main living space.

There is a table set for meals, a television, and a large beanbag cushion in front for relaxation…a cushion that makes you lazy is sitting there.

There are also manga that Luna bought lined up on the bookshelf, and stuffed animals that have increased without me realizing it, so it has become not just my room.

There is a bedroom too, but Luna seldom goes in there.

“Wash your hands and gargle first.”

“I know that. I’m not a child.”

After both of them washed their hands and gargled in the bathroom, they went to the dining area.

After dropping off his belongings in the bedroom and returning, Luna was taking a manga she wanted from the bookshelf.

Then, with one hand, she beckoned me.

“Come quickly.”

“Am I supposed to be your backrest?”

“It’s the most comfortable that way.”

“Okay, okay.”

Not wanting to argue since he was used to it, he leaned back against the beanbag cushion and sat cross-legged.

Then, after saying, “Excuse me,” Luna sat on my lap, resting her back against my chest.

Luna is slender and delicate, but being human, she has a certain weight.

From my perspective, she is light enough to stay there for hours.

However, it is strictly forbidden to talk about her weight directly.

She became very sulky when I did that before.

…That aside, this position is problematic for a guy.

Her soft bottom is on my legs.

Her thin back, which I feel hesitant to touch, might reveal her chest depending on her position.

I also have to be careful not to get her long hair tangled or caught.

On top of that, there is a sweet and pleasant scent, whether it’s from shampoo, fabric softener, or Luna’s natural scent.

Overall, I am forced into a battle with my rationality.

I want to stop this for Luna’s sake, but unfortunately, she asks for it almost every day.

I can’t refuse because I’m too soft-hearted, and Luna isn’t at fault at all.

So, I can only maintain my rationality without giving in to my instincts.

“The cushion should be more comfortable than a guy’s lap.”

“But I prefer Hakuto’s lap.”

“I get that, but…is it really necessary to play at being a couple at home?”

Playing at being a couple.

Even though I’m dating Luna, I purposely called it that for a reason.

“I don’t want to act like we’re a couple.”

“…You didn’t actually say that.”

Realizing it was pointless to argue back, I sighed, mixed with resignation.

As I did so, Luna pressed the back of her head against me.

It was her usual sign that she wanted me to pet her.

Reluctantly, I began to stroke her head, and the sound of pages turning resumed.

“We’re in a fake relationship, aren’t we?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“When does this relationship end?”

“I don’t know.”

With a noncommittal reply, I rubbed Luna’s head, wondering if it was okay.

The contract that Luna and I made was to pretend to be each other’s boyfriend and girlfriend.

In other words, we are not real lovers.

We became fake lovers about six months ago.

Luna had grown tired of being confessed to every week, and she approached me, thinking I would be a good shield against boys.

When I first heard that, I intended to refuse, but for various reasons, I ended up accepting.

To clarify for Luna’s honor, it’s not because she was blackmailed or anything.

If anything, it’s probably because our needs overlapped.

That said, I thought it wouldn’t last long since I had zero experience with women.

I didn’t believe I could match up to the perfect Shirafuji Luna.

I assumed I would be dismissed within a month, but that didn’t happen.

The contract we formed on the school rooftop in mid-November of the previous year has continued even as we progressed to the second year in May.

The condition for ending this relationship is set to be “when either of us develops feelings for someone else,” but I don’t sense that at all.

What about Luna?

The only boys she talks to normally are our mutual friends.

She doesn’t show any feelings beyond friendship to him, so she probably doesn’t either.

That’s why our fake relationship continues.

I can’t deny that I feel a certain comfort in this relationship that seems likely to continue.

I can’t deny it, but there is one thing I want to ask Luna—

“Does Luna happen to like me?”

“I think of you as a good person. If not, I wouldn’t allow this.”

“Is that so?”

I can’t believe Luna didn’t pick up on my intentions.

So this was clearly a diversion from the topic.

…What is the truth?

While I’m not sure about that, I am aware that I have been allowed to let my guard down.

Luna once said that she wouldn’t allow such closeness with someone she doesn’t like, so I wish she would consider my feelings too.

■

“…I can’t say that, can I? Even after proposing this kind of relationship, it’s impossible to really fall in love.”

After eating dinner together as usual, Luna returned to her room, murmuring with her back to the front door.

She looked composed, but there was a hint of loneliness in her expression.

“You’re so gentlemanly, putting up with my selfishness and making dinner for me every day without complaining. You’re sensitive to my mood, always staying by my side. You’re usually dignified, but when you laugh, you look like an innocent child, and it’s cute—how could I not fall for you?”

Fake relationship.

Fake boyfriend.

I was never expecting to genuinely fall in love.

“…It’s your fault. I’ve come to feel so lonely spending the night alone.”

As she grumbled about her hidden feelings for me, she turned on the lights in her sparsely decorated room.