The Beautiful Girl Who Asked Me to Pretend to Be Her Boyfriend Didn’t Want to Break up With Me for Some Reason - Chapter 20

It was Sunday morning, and a study session was scheduled for the afternoon.

In my room, Shirafuji was already there.

Her outfit today was neat and modest, with very little skin showing. It looked like she could go outside in it.

When it’s just the two of us, she dresses a bit more casually.

Even in situations like this, her clothes never take away from her cuteness. I wonder if it’s her pride as a girl.

“We’re alone until the study session starts, huh?”

“It’s usually like this… I’ve asked you many times, but are you really sure it’s okay to call those two?”

“They should be fine. There’s no benefit in revealing secrets to others. Even if it gets out, it’ll just explain why we’re so close, and anyone who criticizes us can be ignored.”

Even if Shirafuji and I are dating, her popularity never fades.

If people find out that our houses are next to each other, I’ll likely get suspicious looks.

They’ll probably accuse me of pressuring Shirafuji, like people often say.

Being wrongly accused is never easy.

And people who make unreasonable accusations only make Shirafuji’s reputation worse.

“If anything, I think it’s good if people show their true colors. To be honest, I don’t really care about the opinions of others. As long as I can have a peaceful school life with you, I try to avoid extreme actions, but I won’t hesitate if it’s necessary.”

“…Sometimes it seems like you’re about to say something extreme, though.”

“It can’t be helped when things get too much. You’re so kind, yet people avoid you just because of your looks.”

“With this face, of course, people would want to avoid me.”

“People like that probably only care about looks. They don’t care about the inside. If that’s the case, then they should just find someone else. There are plenty of people with better looks.”

I don’t think there are many people as cute as Shirafuji, but I understand what she’s saying.

Many people are attracted to Shirafuji because of her appearance.

But it’s also because Shirafuji has built walls between herself and others, leaving no chance for them to understand her inner self.

But the real issue is that, in order for others to understand Shirafuji’s inner self, they need to earn her trust. And that’s almost impossible to do.

The fact that I’ve been able to build a good relationship with Shirafuji is nothing short of a miracle.

I’ve tried my best to earn her trust, but since I’m still inexperienced, I could make mistakes in the future.

“…This probably doesn’t matter much. There’s not much we can consciously change. Let’s talk about something more productive. If we reach our goals in this test, how about you do one thing for me, and I’ll do one thing for you as a reward?”

“A request? This doesn’t have to be related to the test, right?”

“It’s just a little game. Things like this make things more interesting and motivate us, right? The requests should be something small. Nothing expensive, and nothing too burdensome for either of us. It should be based on our mutual conscience.”

“…Well, in that case, sure.”

Shirafuji starting a little game like this wasn’t new.

Sometimes we would talk on the phone at night about who would go to sleep first, or try to guess the dinner menu by smell—things like that.

We did something similar during the first-year final exams. We each made one request from the other as a reward.

Back then… I think I asked her to help me choose clothes for going out.

It was during a change of season, and I needed new clothes for spring.

The timing was perfect for going out too.

Shirafuji then invited me to go see a movie together.

It was a popular romance movie, and I remember feeling awkward because the theater was filled with couples.

There was no reason to turn her down for something so simple.

It motivated both of us, so it was a win-win.

“So, what’s your goal? I’m aiming to stay first in the grade. It might sound like bragging, but it’s not that easy.”

“I get it. As for me… do you think making the top 50 is too hard?”

“Last time, you were just over 100th out of 300, right? I think it depends on how much you put in the effort. What do you want to do?”

“…Well, I’ll just give it my all. I’m doing the test study for myself, not for a reward. If I don’t reach my goal, it’s fine.”

In the end, it’s better if the goal is a little challenging.

If it’s too easy, my motivation might drop the moment I think I can reach it.

“That’s the spirit. A reasonable goal will lead to improvement. I’m happy to see you trying your best, so I’ll help you as much as I can.”

“That’ll help a lot. If the top student in the grade is helping me, that’s a huge advantage.”

“I’m not a genius, you know, so please stop lifting me up so much.”

“I know you work hard, Shirafuji, both in studying and in sports. …As for your life skills, I’m keeping an eye on that, but I know you’re trying your best.”

“That effort is for both you and for myself. But the reason I can keep trying my best is because you, Hakuto, are there to fairly recognize my efforts.”

“…I know how hard it is when you can’t get recognition for your efforts.”

This connects back to my earlier point, but I’m rarely seen fairly because people judge me based on my looks.

Classmates, teachers, and even strangers—everyone judges based on the inevitable first impression of my face.

It’s something I understand, but it still feels very empty.

So, I want to recognize Shirafuji’s efforts.

Maybe it doesn’t mean much that I recognize her, but just knowing that someone believes in you, even if it’s just one person, can really lighten your heart.

“I think that’s one of your best qualities, Hakuto.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

“So… please don’t take your eyes off me, okay?”

Shirafuji said this while looking at me with a somewhat worried expression.

I felt an indescribable sense of embarrassment, but I truly wanted to respond to her trust.

“Could you give me a big hug to prepare for the study session? I need some Hactnium energy.”

“Of course not.”

It’s not that I mind, though… not really.