The Beautiful Girl Who Asked Me to Pretend to Be Her Boyfriend Didn’t Want to Break up With Me for Some Reason - Chapter 14

“Where… am I?”

I woke up in a dim room, lying sideways on a futon. I had no memory of how I ended up here.

But after looking around, I could easily tell that this wasn’t my room.

Right next to me was Hakuto’s bed, where he lay asleep. Listening to his steady breathing, the nervousness I’d felt began to ease.

“Come to think of it, I got sleepy during the movie… Did Hakuto carry me here after I dozed off?”

The words I whispered to myself in the futon filled the quiet room.

I didn’t remember everything. But from the faint memories I had, it seemed likely enough. I settled on that for now.

I must have been a bother. I can’t remember the last time I fell asleep like that… though I doubt Hakuto minds.

Falling asleep at a guy’s house like this—it’s pretty careless of me. But with Hakuto, I’m not worried. He’s so gentle, I can’t imagine him taking advantage of me… and if he did, well, that’d be convenient in its own way.

Honestly, if things naturally led us to that kind of relationship, I wouldn’t mind.

If I asked, “Did you make a move?” Hakuto, with his strong sense of responsibility, wouldn’t deny it. I wouldn’t want him to continue out of guilt, but that’s something we could deal with later.

Not that any of this matters, though.

“Knowing he didn’t try anything does reassure me, but at the same time, I can’t help questioning my own appeal as a woman.”

I checked myself under the covers. There were no signs of anyone forcibly undressing me. He probably only carried me to the futon, which he’s done plenty of times before.

Being held by Hakuto feels so safe. It’s like I’ve found my place, something solid that won’t waver—

“Just knowing someone is there makes things feel so much easier.”

At night, I often get anxious. When I go back to my room after parting ways with Hakuto, that time alone until morning feels lonely and unsettling, like a flood of unease that fills my thoughts.

I don’t expect this fake relationship with Hakuto to last forever. This arrangement suits me well, and Hakuto’s simply going along with it. Someday, he might get tired of me—a girl who only pretends to be perfect at school—and end it.

I’m terrible at chores, barely managing laundry. My room was a mess until Hakuto started helping me, with hardly any space to walk. The only saving grace was that I at least cleaned up food-related trash, but I can’t deny it was a disaster of a room.

When I wash dishes, I drop them, and I’m clumsy enough that I can’t even tie my own hair properly. I hadn’t realized how dependent I was until Hakuto came along, and it only seems to be getting worse.

There’s no reason for him to keep someone like me around forever.

The most I contribute to our time together is helping him with his studies. He says his grades have improved thanks to me, but really, that’s all due to his hard work.

That’s why I need to show Hakuto my worth. Something unique to me, something irreplaceable.

“…What exactly are you looking for from me?”

I sat up quietly and gazed at Hakuto, sleeping on his bed.

Of course, there was no answer. Just his calm, steady breathing, which brought a smile to my face.

His peaceful sleeping face. Unlike his usual confident demeanor, sleeping Hakuto had a strangely endearing charm.

If I had to describe it, he’s like a big dog. He has a large frame, but there’s a warmth to his gentle expression that I find myself drawn to.

“I don’t have much to offer, other than my feelings and this body. If you ever wanted it, I’d gladly give it to you… I know you’re keeping your promise, but you must feel frustrated sometimes, don’t you?”

There are a few rules in place between Hakuto and me. Two major ones, to be precise.

One is that if either of us finds someone else, we’re free to end this arrangement.

The other is that we won’t seek any physical intimacy beyond what’s needed to act like a couple.

They’re boundaries to keep this act convincing, though they’re restrictions that make us lack a defining part of what it means to be a couple.

It’s natural to want those things from someone you’re dating. Some relationships even start from that physical connection.

…Not that I’d want anything as shallow as that, but I’m human too. There are times I think about wanting to experience those couple-like things with someone I care about.

“I thought tonight’s sleepover might lead to something like that… but I can hardly complain when I’m like this.”

I can’t imagine Hakuto, being the gentleman he is, would take advantage of me while I’m asleep. Even if he’d fallen asleep first, I wouldn’t have made a move.

Because, for the first time, I want it to happen in the right setting.

…I know. I know I’m asking for too much.

And in the first place, we’re not… actual lovers yet.

“I wonder what you think, Hakuto… I’m too afraid to say it first, but it’d be nice if you did. Not that there’s any guarantee you feel the same way—”

In the end, I’m just relying on Hakuto’s kindness.

If it were anyone else, we wouldn’t be able to keep up such a peaceful relationship. They’d probably fall for me and try to take things further, breaking everything.

Relying on Hakuto was a kind of gamble for me. I had my reasons, but the deciding factor was the look in Hakuto’s eyes.

Nowadays, his gaze is softer, but back then, it was cold… He had that look of someone who held no expectations for others.

I recognized it. It was familiar to me. That’s why I decided to trust Hakuto.

I thought that if he was like me, he wouldn’t betray me.

“But it seems I’m the one who broke that promise first. I said not to fall for me… but here I am, already in love with Hakuto.”

My hand reached out to his sleeping face as if by instinct.

The warmth of his cheek beneath my hand, soft and gentler than I imagined.

As my palm took it in… even my breath felt warm, surprising me.

But it’s a warmth I must keep hidden. It’s something that belongs only in my heart.

My hesitation, my lack of courage, is what keeps me from moving forward.

“If I slipped into bed beside you without saying anything, I wonder what expression you’d make. I’m curious, but… I’ll refrain. I want to enjoy the time until we both fall asleep, fully aware of each other.”

An opportunity will come if I just make a precedent. If we try it once, Hakuto will… surely accept it.

And when that happens, that day will come.

“So for tonight, I’ll hold back. I should get some more sleep myself. I’d like to try joining you for a morning run, so I can’t afford to oversleep.”

Regretfully, I withdrew my hand from Hakuto’s face and returned to the futon.

Setting my phone with an alarm by my pillow, I whispered,

“Good night, Hakuto.”

—

She’ll probably be lying there, recalling all this and unable to sleep.