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

“I’m sorry for causing trouble for two days, Hakuto.”

The morning after two nights had passed since Shirafuji caught a cold.

Now that her fever had returned to normal, Shirafuji bowed her head as she spoke.

The peak of her cold seemed to have been on the first day. I stayed up all night at her side in case her condition suddenly worsened, but fortunately, morning came without incident.

On the second day, she seemed relatively calm. She didn’t spend the entire day sleeping anymore. Instead, she passed the time watching movies and anime with me or taking naps with me when I couldn’t keep going anymore.

By the second day, her condition had improved enough for her to finally take a bath, which she hadn’t been able to due to her fever. That probably helped lift her spirits as well.

Shirafuji’s demeanor had noticeably brightened.

By evening, her fever had dropped to a slight one, and by morning, her temperature was completely normal.

At one point, I wasn’t sure how things would turn out, but I felt relieved to see her recover.

“I don’t feel like you caused any trouble, so don’t worry about it. Still, I’m glad you got better so quickly.”

“You’re right. It’s summer vacation, and it would’ve been a waste to spend it sick. Not being able to take a bath on the first day because I felt so lethargic really bothered me too. It’s something a girl would care about… I was so worried I might smell bad.”

“…Just so you know, you didn’t smell bad at all.”

“…I’ll trust you and take your words at face value, Hakuto. But just in case, I’m washing the bedding. I won’t go into details, but I feel like it’s absorbed all sorts of things.”

With her firm determination, I had no choice but to comply.

Well, it would bother her, and it’s better for hygiene anyway. The weather today is bright and sunny, so the bedding should dry by nightfall.

“And thanks to recovering, I don’t have to go to the hospital anymore.”

“That’s what makes you the happiest?”

“…It’s okay, isn’t it? Everyone has things they don’t like.”

Talking with her like this reassured me that she was back to normal.

So, today was the first day in a while that we were both healthy.

We decided to clean the room, including washing the bedding, starting in the morning.

I had avoided cleaning for the past two days since I didn’t want to disturb Shirafuji while she was bedridden.

“Are you sure you’re okay helping out even though you just got better?”

“I can’t let you do all the work, Hakuto. Besides, I’ve been thinking I need to grow a little.”

“Now that you mention it, you said you wanted to practice cooking. If you’re feeling well, we could start that today.”

“Please do. …I’ll do my best not to make you sigh in disappointment.”

“I won’t be disappointed. I already know you’re not perfect, Shirafuji.”

Everyone struggles when they start something new. Criticizing them won’t help.

It’s just like how Shirafuji helps me study.

“…But seriously, be careful not to hurt yourself, okay?”

“I know.”

I wasn’t scolding her, just worried.

And so, we started dividing the cleaning tasks between us.

First, I threw the bedding into the washing machine. I was glad it could handle full washing.

I also stripped the sheets and pillowcases off my bed, setting them aside to be washed next. There were spares, so there was no problem with alternating. Shirafuji’s bedding could be dried outside and ready by nightfall.

I asked Shirafuji to vacuum each room, thinking it was a safe task for her to handle. Starting with something simple would help her gain confidence.

…Though, to be honest, I wasn’t sure what counted as a “success experience” in cleaning.

While she awkwardly vacuumed, I focused on cleaning the wet areas—the bathroom, toilet, sink, and kitchen. When living together, cleanliness was a priority. We’d be spending about a month together, after all.

“…I should also make sure we have all the essentials.”

Yesterday, Shirafuji used the same shampoo as me, but I’m sure she’s particular about things like skincare.

It’d be better to bring her along for shopping. That’d also help her get some exercise.

Besides… I feel like Shirafuji might have more chances to stay over even after summer vacation ends.

“I should also be careful not to accidentally walk in on her while she’s changing.”

The biggest problem in co-ed living is that.

We’re not lovers; we’re just friends in a fake relationship.

Helping her change while she had a fever shouldn’t count. That was something Shirafuji asked for, as part of her care. There was no ulterior motive involved.

…Okay, maybe not entirely no ulterior motive.

But even if I did accidentally walk in on her changing, I doubt she’d get mad. She might even be nonchalant about showing me her underwear.

That doesn’t mean I’d actively try to peek, though. Trust is important.

Besides, if she were to show me something that provocative while we’re living together, it might push my self-control to its limit.

Even if it’s fake, I’m still her boyfriend. I don’t want to betray that.

When I went back to check on Shirafuji, she seemed to have finished up as well.

“Looks like you’re done, too, Shirafuji.”

“Yeah. Did I do a good job?”

She gestured toward the room. It seemed clean to me.

…I didn’t expect to feel so moved by her simply vacuuming properly.

“I think you did great. Good job.”

“See? I can do it if I try.”

Shirafuji smiled proudly. Maybe she had been more bothered than I realized about her inability to keep the room tidy.

“Oh, by the way, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Do you have anything indecent hidden somewhere? I’ve never seen anything like that, and I couldn’t find any while cleaning.”

“…Even if I did, why would I tell you? But for the record, I don’t have anything.”

“That’s true. These days, people store things digitally…”