The Beautiful Girl Who Asked Me to Pretend to Be Her Boyfriend Didn’t Want to Break up With Me for Some Reason - Chapter 10

“I never thought I’d run into you here, Hakuto.”

“Yeah, same. Heading home from club practice?”

“We had a practice match, so I ended up staying late. I thought I’d take it easy before heading back.”

Rin stretched, breathing out in relief.

Despite his slight build, don’t underestimate him. Rin’s body, strengthened from club activities, hides real muscle, and his stamina is impressive—he never runs out of breath even in gym class, moving more than me.

“What’s up? You’re staring.”

“Nah, I was just reminded that people aren’t always what they seem.”

“Haha, yeah, I look pretty scrawny at a glance. But I actually have some muscle, you know?”

He flexed his arm to show me.

His pale, slender upper arm rose just a bit.

But Rin likely knew it was hard to tell from appearances. Gazing at his own arm, he muttered, “It’s subtle,” then sank back into the water with a wry smile.

“I said I have muscle, but I’m not really built for it, so there’s not much. Instead, I focus on building endurance. I’m confident in that, at least.”

“Badminton’s intense, after all. I have no idea where that stamina of yours comes from, but I’m sure it’s the result of all your hard work.”

“You say the nicest things, Hakuto. I just really love badminton. Running and strength training aren’t easy, but if it’s for that, I feel like I can push through.”

The look on his face was full of confidence.

Seeing how much he genuinely enjoyed it made me feel a bit envious.

There’s nothing that I’m passionate about.

Whether it’s studying, sports, or anything else.

When I was younger, my dad encouraged me to try karate, but I didn’t stick with it for long.

It was a combination of my motivation, relationships with others, and other factors.

“But you’re in pretty good shape, Hakuto. You don’t even have a club, right? Do you work out?”

“I’m in the go-home club. I just do a bit of jogging in the morning for health and some light training.”

“That’s all, and you’re like this…?”

Rin looked at me like he couldn’t believe it.

Now that I think about it, maybe I’ve always been able to build muscle easily.

Combined with my stern face, it’s probably one reason people tend to avoid me. But that’s just how it is.

“You’d probably do pretty well in sports if you tried.”

“I don’t have the motivation, and living alone away from my parents, I can’t afford to buy any gear. I can’t put any more strain on myself.”

“Yeah, that’s a shame… But I bet Shirafuji would prefer it that way. If you joined a club, you’d spend less time together.”

“…Maybe.”

I nodded, hoping that might be the case.

If it were, she might even want to stay together until the moment we fall asleep.

She’s naturally clingy like that.

I hope Luna’s enjoying herself, too.

“Well, I should get going. See you at school, Hakuto.”

“Take care on your way back.”

Watching Rin leave the bath, I let out a breath.

Maybe I should check out another bath.

Since I’m here, trying out different baths could be nice.

—

“…So, this is what it’s like.”

Stepping out from the changing room into the large bath area, Shirafuji lightly covered herself with a hand towel, observing the unfamiliar scene in front of her.

The bath was bustling with people, filled with various types of baths.

Sensing the leisure-facility vibe, Shirafuji exhaled, releasing the tension she hadn’t realized she was holding.

To be honest, Shirafuji wasn’t sure she could handle a public bath properly.

She rarely bathed with others, and the last time she’d used a communal bath was on a middle school trip.

Though she was only with other girls then, she remembered being looked at closely, leaving her with lingering discomfort.

It’s probably just a lack of familiarity.

Still, she came here with Hakuto, hoping to show off their matching pajamas together.

She’d have preferred to bathe at Hakuto’s house, but he wouldn’t allow it, so she had to settle for this compromise.

That said, Shirafuji genuinely loved bathing.

She could stay in for over an hour, often bringing in a tablet to pass the time.

“Giving up on being looked at… I guess I should wash up first before soaking in the bath.”

Accepting the glances directed her way, she decided to wash, following the instructions posted on the bathhouse wall.

After taking extra care washing herself, it was finally time for a long-awaited soak.

As she walked, thinking about which bath to try…

“Big sis, you’re so slow!”

“Wait! That’s dangerous!”

A young girl dashed toward her, followed by a shout from further back.

But the girl stopped in front of Shirafuji.

Shirafuji met the gaze of the young girl looking up at her, feeling slightly at a loss.

She wasn’t good with kids.

She couldn’t understand what they were thinking and felt someone as cold as herself deserved to be feared by them.

However, contrary to her expectations, the girl’s eyes sparkled.

“…Big sis, you’re so pretty!”

“Oh, um… thank you?”

The girl’s straightforward admiration caught her off guard, making Shirafuji stumble over her words—a rare moment for her.

But with nothing more to say, she and the girl simply stared at each other for a few seconds.

“I’m sorry! I’ll make sure to tell her… Wait, Luna?”

“…That nickname—Hanaba?”

The girl’s older sister, who finally caught up, began apologizing to Shirafuji. However, Shirafuji recognized her friend Hanaba Juki by the way she called her “Luna.”

Juki hugged the young girl, looking surprised as she turned to Shirafuji.

“What are the odds? I didn’t know you came to places like this, Luna.”

“I’m surprised too. Is she your sister?”

“Yeah. Aoi, say hi.”

“I’m Hanaba Aoi! I’m five!”

At Juki’s prompting, Aoi cheerfully introduced herself.

Then Juki patted Aoi’s head, and Aoi giggled, clearly delighted. They were obviously close siblings.

“Really, you saved me, Luna. She wasn’t listening at all and could’ve hurt herself if you hadn’t stopped her. Thank you so much!”

“I didn’t do much. But yes, it could have been dangerous. You shouldn’t run; you might fall.”

“I got it!”

“She’s so easily pleased… Seriously, thank you, Luna. And—”

“Big sis, I want to take a bath with you!”

Aoi interrupted whatever Juki was about to say, tugging lightly on Shirafuji’s hand, her eyes filled with hope.

“Oh, come on… Sorry, Luna.”

“It’s fine. I was still deciding where to go. Let’s choose together.”

“Yay!”

“Really, Luna, if it’s too much trouble, you can refuse.”

“I don’t mind at all. Isn’t it more like I’m intruding? I didn’t mean to disrupt your family time.”

“Not at all. Actually, I’m kind of glad. I wanted a chance to talk to you more, like a girls’ day out or something.”

Shirafuji smiled back, replying, “That sounds nice.”

At school, Shirafuji rarely had the chance to talk with Juki alone; Juki was mostly a friend she shared with Hakuto.

In the past, she wouldn’t have even thought of reaching out to her.

But spending time with Hakuto over the past six months had changed her, making her open to moments like this.

“Let’s go to the outdoor bath!”

“Luna, are you okay with the open-air bath?”

“Of course. I’m looking forward to it. It’s my first time here.”

“Then I’ll show you around.”