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

Chapter 58: I Don’t Think You’d Ever Do Anything Painful to Me

“Did you enjoy the aquarium so much that you’re looking at the keychain so happily?”

It was the night of the day we went to the aquarium.

When I asked Shirafuji, who was smiling while holding a small penguin keychain in her hand, she predictably answered cheerfully, “Yes.”

She had already finished taking a bath, and as usual, she was having a nighttime chat with Tansui. We had decided to call it a night, but it seemed like she wasn’t quite ready to sleep yet.

She still looked too excited to calm down.

So, until she got sleepy, we just sat on the bed, chatting idly.

“It was a place I wouldn’t have chosen to go on my own, so it was a fresh experience. And I bought matching keychains with both of you.”

“…Now that you mention it, we haven’t really bought matching things before, have we?”

“Maybe just the pajamas we got last time?”

“Yeah, that might be it. Should we get something to celebrate our one-year anniversary? The first things that come to mind are mugs, shirts, slippers…”

“I think accessories like rings would be nice too.”

…I’ll pretend I didn’t notice how she mentioned rings first.

Surprisingly, there are quite a few options when you actually start talking about it.

“Accessories might be a bit pricey, though.”

“I did bring it up, but considering we’re high school students, it might not be the best idea. We wouldn’t be able to wear them to school anyway.”

“…Well, we can think about it a little later.”

“I’m looking forward to it. When the time comes, let’s go pick them out together. By then, autumn will be in full swing, and the heat should have died down.”

“Sounds like a good time to go out.”

“Before that, I’d like to go shopping for autumn clothes. There are so many cute outfits in the fall and winter.”

Our future plans for going out are steadily filling up.

But maybe the fact that I don’t mind it shows that I’ve become more positive over the past year.

Shirafuji, too, has softened from the cold demeanor she had a year ago, and now she shows so much more expression. It feels like we’ve both grown.

“Somehow, I feel really grateful for all of this.”

“If anyone should be thanking someone, it’s me. I’ve dragged you into my selfish circumstances.”

“That might be how it started, but there’s no doubt that I enjoy my life now because of you, Shirafuji. Even if our relationship is fake, if I hadn’t started dating you, I probably wouldn’t have even made any friends.”

“Same for me… but maybe it’s best not to talk about our situation too much. If someone finds out, things could get complicated.”

“…You’re right. Tansui could be eavesdropping for all we know.”

That’s definitely a possibility.

If Tansui heard anything suspicious, she’d probably barge into the room yelling, “What do you mean by that?!”

And since we said goodnight earlier but are still up talking, she’d probably scold us for that too.

“Thinking back, I realize our plan had a lot of holes in it. When we first started dating, we acted a little too much. We tried to do things that couples normally do so we wouldn’t seem suspicious.”

“Ah… yeah, we were pretty obvious back then. Some people even got suspicious, and we had to deny it every time. There are still people who accuse me of threatening you into this.”

“I do feel bad about causing you trouble, but at the same time, I also think it’s not worth worrying about. There’s no point in caring about the opinions of people who only see things through their own biased lenses.”

“I’m used to it, so I don’t really mind anymore.”

“I wonder what those people think I am. Am I not even allowed to have a normal romantic relationship?”

“I’m sure there are people who just can’t stand seeing others happy. Someone like me, who’s generally disliked, dating someone like you, who looks like a perfect beauty, probably makes me an easy target.”

Other people’s business is their business. Ours is ours.

Not many people can separate things so cleanly.

In a way, both Shirafuji and I have learned to give up on certain things.

From past experiences, we’ve realized that expecting too much from others is a waste of time.

Even so, it’s impossible to completely give up on expectations.

Maybe that’s why our relationship works—we know how to compromise when necessary.

It’s a slightly twisted, almost codependent kind of trust.

But once you get used to it, it’s comfortable.

And maybe because we’ve gotten used to it, we can’t break away from it anymore.

Still, no matter how complicated it is, I can’t deny that spending time with Shirafuji feels incredibly comfortable.

“Well, I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon. I don’t care what outsiders say. I can’t live without you, Hakuto.”

“I don’t remember spoiling you that much. Lately, your ability to take care of yourself has improved… you could probably just barely survive living alone now.”

“I can just barely manage because you’re here, Hakuto. If I went back to living alone, it would be a disaster all over again.”

“Still, isn’t it kind of weird how we’re basically living together?”

“We should take full advantage of being neighbors.”

I guess that makes sense if you think of it as helping each other out.

As we talked, Shirafuji let out a cute little yawn.

It seemed like she was finally getting sleepy.

We had visited a grave in the morning, then gone to the aquarium afterward.

Even if the excitement had kept her going, she must have been exhausted.

“Let’s go to sleep. I’ll turn off the light.”

“Yeah, let’s.”

I stood up to turn off the light, but Shirafuji casually lay down on my bed.

Then, with a slightly drowsy, dreamy look, she beckoned me over.