The Beautiful Girl Who Asked Me to Pretend to Be Her Boyfriend Didn’t Want to Break up With Me for Some Reason - Chapter 42

— “Let’s all go to the pool!”

That message appeared in the group chat shared by Rin and Hanaba just yesterday.

It was an invitation that had been brought up just before summer break.

Since Shirafuji and I are usually free, we immediately accepted, and Rin also gave us a date she was available, so we decided on a day a few days later. However…

“It’s so hot out that I feel like turning back, even if it’s just for buying swimsuits.”

“Once we get there, the air conditioning will be nice and cool, though.”

Shirafuji and I were at the shopping mall to buy swimsuits.

Even if invited to a pool, you can’t swim without a swimsuit.

Since neither of us owned one, we had no choice but to go shopping.

At our school, swimming isn’t part of the PE curriculum.

I think it’s due to space constraints, but honestly, I’m glad it’s not included.

Swimming classes are always exhausting, and staying awake afterward is a real challenge.

The shopping mall seemed more crowded than usual, probably because it was summer break.

To avoid getting separated in the crowd, we held hands the whole time.

Though it’s nothing unusual for us, I felt like more people than usual were staring at us.

The reason… Well, I could guess.

It’s summer, and it’s hot, so naturally, Shirafuji was dressed lightly.

Today, she wore a light blue short-sleeve one-piece dress with a refreshing vibe.

The ribbon around her waist highlighted her figure, and the hem of the dress reached just above her ankles.

She wore low-heeled mules on her feet.

But perhaps because of the heat, her steps seemed heavier than usual.

I adjusted my pace to match hers and checked on her from time to time to make sure I wasn’t leaving her behind.

She left her hairstyle up to me today, so I tried something different and styled it into a side ponytail.

Maybe because of that, she looked a bit more spirited than usual.

“What kind of swimsuit do you like, Hakuto?”

“Uh… I only know about bikinis and one-pieces when it comes to women’s swimsuits.”

“Well, those two are the most common, broadly speaking. But if you said you liked something like a string sling swimsuit or a micro bikini, I’d have to reconsider.”

“Please just outright refuse those…”

Being told to choose a swimsuit and picking something so daring would feel awkward in more ways than one.

I kind of wish those stayed in manga or anime.

Still, Shirafuji’s response made me wonder if she would wear it if I asked her.

Not that I’d ever have the nerve to try such a thing.

“This is my first time going to a pool with friends. How about you, Hakuto?”

“Same here. …Can we drop this? It’s starting to feel a little depressing.”

“I thought the same thing as I said it. Well, the past is the past; let’s leave it at that. More importantly, we’re here to pick swimsuits. While I’m not thrilled about strangers seeing my skin, I’m also choosing one partly for you, Hakuto.”

Her straightforwardness left me momentarily speechless.

She’s picking a swimsuit with me in mind—thinking about that makes my throat tighten.

“You know, people wear swimsuits casually at the beach or pool, but in terms of fabric area, aren’t they basically underwear?”

“…A girl is saying that? Guys are usually okay with just being shirtless, though.”

“I try not to think about it when I’m in a swimsuit, but it’s not like it doesn’t cross my mind. Hakuto, haven’t you ever thought about it? Like, if someone wore a swimsuit instead of underwear, wouldn’t it just be underwear then?”

As Shirafuji mused aloud, I found myself agreeing.

It really is a tricky subject.

Considering the purpose of swimsuits, describing them as water-friendly clothing makes sense.

But if you only look at their shape, they’re not all that different from underwear.

While the fabric might be different, the shape is still a major factor.

I remember reading somewhere that much of what we perceive comes from visual information.

“But you wouldn’t wear underwear at the beach or pool, right?”

“Exactly. I understand that their purposes are different. Besides, lingerie designs are often more intricate than swimsuits. Considering comfort, if you’re wearing it as underwear, it would just become underwear.”

“…By the way, why are we even discussing the differences between underwear and swimsuits?”

“Good question.”

Her reply carried a subtle hint of mischief, which only made me more uneasy.

After this little exchange, we finally reached the swimsuit section.

We decided to browse separately for now.

Honestly, I wanted to avoid lingering in the women’s swimsuit section.

Since I don’t have many options to choose from, I quickly picked out mine and decided to meet back with Shirafuji, who was still browsing.

“So, a pool, huh? I hear it’s more of a leisure spot…”

It’s probably better to think of it as a place to enjoy playing in the water rather than serious swimming.
The location we’re planning to visit apparently has water slides and such.

Honestly, I’m pretty excited.

With thoughts of our upcoming plans in mind, I quickly chose my swimsuit.

I preferred a relaxed boxer style over the tighter-fitting ones.

If I were seriously swimming, I’d consider resistance and such, but that’s not the case here.

After confirming the size, I purchased it and headed to the women’s section.

There, I found Shirafuji looking intently at the swimsuits.

Though hesitant, I approached her directly.

“Shirafuji, did you find anything good?”

“…You’ve already finished choosing, Hakuto?”

“You seem to be struggling, though.”

“Unfortunately, I’m not even at the stage of struggling. Honestly, you got here way too fast.”

“…Fair enough.”

As Shirafuji said, I had zero trouble picking mine.

“Well then, you’re going to help me now, Hakuto. With my swimsuit selection.”

“I don’t think my sense of style is reliable for this.”

“A man’s opinion can be surprisingly important. Don’t worry, I won’t take it too seriously.”

…Well, in that case, I guess I can at least offer my input.