The Beautiful Girl Who Asked Me to Pretend to Be Her Boyfriend Didn’t Want to Break up With Me for Some Reason - Chapter 4

After the morning classes, it was lunchtime.

I was eating lunch at a desk shared with Rin and Hanaba.

To be precise, I hadn’t touched my bento yet because I was waiting for Luna, who had gone to receive a confession. If I ate first, she would sulk.

“Shirafuji-san, someone’s confessing to you again.”

“Seems like it. You really are popular.”

“Popular, huh…Aren’t you worried that someone will take Luna from you, Kuwazome?”

“Not really.”

If I replied briefly, Hanaba looked at me with a smile that seemed to say, “So, this is love, huh?”

It wasn’t anything as grand as love; it was just Luna having the choice. Even with that in mind, I didn’t think Luna would give a good answer after she sighed upon finding a love letter.

Since there was a rule that if she developed feelings for someone, we would end our relationship, as long as we were still together, Luna had no chance of accepting any confessions.

…Well, that rule had plenty of holes in it.

“But considering how you two got together, there might not be a need for Kuwazome to worry. After all, it was Luna who suggested dating, right?”

“She was helped by a guy who was bothering her.”

“Oh…I remember something like that happening.”

I went along with their words.

This was one of the agreements made when I started a fake relationship with Luna.

If Luna, who had never been interested in any guys, suddenly got a boyfriend, people would naturally be curious about the reason. So, I created a cover story that I helped Luna when she was bothered by unfamiliar guys, and she ended up liking me.

It was a cliché story, but it seemed to shine because of my scary face.

With this tough look, everyone would believe that I could drive away any guy who wasn’t exceptional. If Luna backed that up, no one would openly criticize us.

Considering the possibility of being criticized and making Luna dislike them, any guy who liked her would be smart to keep quiet.

For the girls, since Luna, who could be their biggest rival, was dating me, it wouldn’t make sense for them to nitpick at our relationship.

It felt heavy to lie to my friends, but I had to keep the secret for Luna.

“Because, you know, I think Luna is really devoted, right? She might not realize it, but when girls try to talk to you, Kuwazome, she gives them a fierce look. I feel like I’m just barely allowed to talk to you, but I still have to be careful not to touch you or anything.”

“I think I can understand what Hanaba is saying. Shirafuji-san has a slightly cold atmosphere, but when she’s with Harku-kun, she becomes softer. It’s like the difference between black coffee and a milk-heavy café au lait. The vibe is really sweet.”

“I’m not so sure about being called a lovey-dovey couple.”

“Isn’t it different?”

Hanaba seemed to want to ask what I was talking about, and I thought it over.

In the morning, Luna woke me up early just to see me for breakfast, and when we came to school, we held hands.

It didn’t matter if people were watching or not.

Sometimes, it even felt like we were showing off.

Once home, I usually became Luna’s backrest and took care of things like meals and cleaning, so it was hard to deny any of this.

No, I understood it was better for them to think that way.

I knew it, but there was a slight resistance to accepting it.

As I furrowed my brow in thought, my vision suddenly darkened.

“Who is it?”

The voice that reached my ears was unmistakably clear.

I felt a slight chill around my eyes.

I ignored the soft sensation at the back of my head.

“…Luna, you’re back.”

“Did you find out?”

Luna, who didn’t sound at all disappointed, moved her hand away from her eyes and sat down across from me.

Her sky-blue eyes held a hint of dissatisfaction.

Most people would see her calm face as usual, but I quickly realized, since I had many opportunities to observe her closely, that this was the expression she made when she was upset.

“Did someone say something unpleasant to you?”

“…Harku-kun, I can’t keep secrets, can I?”

I implied I would listen to her complaints, and she sighed, lowering her eyes.

“I was going to wait until I got home, but since you’re here, I’ll tell you now. Of course, while eating our bento.”

She probably knew I had been waiting for her to return.

With her gaze on the unopened bento box, Luna prompted us, and we joined the others for lunch.

“Seeing you two so in sync makes me want to laugh.”

“Really. I didn’t see it that way at all.”

“To be fair, Luna is actually quite easy to read. When she’s in a bad mood or wants to be spoiled, she pulls pranks like just now.”

“I’m supplying Hactnium. It has a calming effect.”

That’s not true at all.

“Shirafuji-san makes jokes like this too?”

“I used to think you were a cold person back in first year, but now it seems silly to think that.”

“You’re right. It’s been like this whenever we’re alone.”

“I find that hard to believe, but if Harku-kun says so, then it must be true.”

“Don’t treat me like a fool.”

“Hey, don’t step on my foot.”

Luna’s foot stepped on my unguarded foot.

Even through my indoor shoes, it didn’t hurt at all since there wasn’t any force behind it.

I understood it was just playful teasing between Luna and me.

When I shot her an exasperated look, Luna returned to using her chopsticks.

“—More importantly. Just now, I was confessed to by a guy whose face and name I didn’t know. Being confessed to isn’t that rare for me, and I had no interest in him, so I planned to refuse with just a word. But that guy…he came up to me, grinning while saying, ‘If you’re being threatened by Harku, I’ll help you.’? He seemed to call me over just to make me uncomfortable. Who does he think he is? I don’t understand why someone from the outside feels the need to interfere with us. I mean, I—”

“That’s enough.”

I held Luna’s hand, forcing her to stop as she heated up.

I had said I would listen to her complaints, but I hadn’t expected it to go this far.

It wasn’t good to act too intensely at school.

She must have sensed my intention.

Even though she had more to say, she let out a sigh and, for now, settled down, whispering a “Thank you.”

The two of them were left speechless and could only offer a wry smile.

“I’m sorry for showing you something unpleasant.”

“I swear I’ll never make an enemy of Luna.”

“I feel the same way as Hanaba. But still, you’re really loved, Harku-kun.”

“I can’t deny that.”

“I want Harku to love me too.”

“Alright, alright. As you wish, anything you want.”

“Feed me.”

With her eyes closed, Luna opened her mouth and waited for me.

…Well, that much was easy enough.

“Let’s have some egg omelets.”

“Okay.”

I picked up a bite-sized piece of egg omelet from Luna’s bento and brought it to her mouth.

Her mouth opened.

I caught a glimpse of her white teeth and the surface of her red tongue.

She almost looked like a baby bird waiting to be fed.

As I fed her the omelet, feeling a strange sense of guilt, Luna chewed happily, her eyes half-closed.

I saw her smooth throat move as she swallowed.

“I want another bite.”

“Just eat it yourself. I can’t eat.”

“We can solve that by taking turns feeding each other.”

“That’s just what you want to do.”

“That’s true, isn’t it?”

Luna’s cheerful laughter made me feel like giving in.

It was good that she was in a good mood, but the downside was that it was hard to stop her when she got carried away.