The Beautiful Girl Who Asked Me to Pretend to Be Her Boyfriend Didn’t Want to Break up With Me for Some Reason - Chapter 62

Chapter 62: I Did It to Make You Understand

The sky was starting to darken as evening approached.

Having finished getting ready for the summer festival, we had arrived near the festival grounds.

The temperature was warm enough to make us sweat, but the breeze made it comfortable. As the sun continued to set, it would probably get even cooler. Still, we needed to stay hydrated to avoid heatstroke.

There were a few food stalls near the entrance, and the area was already crowded with people. The roads had been closed to traffic, making it a pedestrian-only zone.

With a clack and clack, Shirafuji’s wooden sandals echoed as she walked at a slower pace. It was a relief that there were no cars around.

“Well then, have fun, Onii-chan!”

“You be careful too, Tansui.”

“I know, I know.”

Tansui, who was going to walk around with her friends, left us a bit early.

By the way, back at home, when she changed into her yukata, she gave me a silent but obvious demand to compliment her. So, I made sure to tell her, “It looks good on you.”

She shot back, “You sound so monotone!” But it’s not like I was lying—it really did suit her.

Anyway.

“Now then… shall we walk around and check out the food stalls?”

“What should we start with? We could eat first, or we could take a look around and decide later.”

“Let’s walk around and buy whatever looks good to eat.”

With our plan settled, we held hands, matched our pace, and walked down the gentle slope leading to the festival grounds.

Most of the people heading in the same direction were either students, families, or couples. But there were also some who didn’t fit into those categories. Some were wearing yukatas or jinbei like us, while others, probably coming straight from club activities, were in school tracksuits. There were even some in business suits.

As we passed by different groups of people, Shirafuji kept drawing stares. But the moment they saw me walking beside her, they all quickly averted their eyes, scattering like frightened spiders.

It seemed that even at a festival, the usual scene remained unchanged.

The person in question, however, didn’t seem to notice or care. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the stalls, completely absorbed.

Like this, she seemed much more childlike than her usual cool demeanor.

…Lately, she hadn’t been as cool as before.

But that was probably a sign that she was getting used to our life together. I preferred her like this—more expressive and approachable.

“The delicious smell is making me hungry. It’s probably because they’re cooking everything right in front of us.”

“Yeah, when the air is filled with the smell of grilling meat and sauce, there’s no way you can just walk by without buying something. Festival food is usually overpriced, though. But I guess the atmosphere and the memories make up for it.”

“It’s not very classy to worry about the price.”

Chatting about typical festival things, we lined up at a takoyaki stall.

When I tried to buy two servings, the friendly-looking stall owner grinned and said, “Are you two on a date? Enjoy yourselves!” before giving us one extra serving for free.

She probably would have gotten the extra takoyaki even if I wasn’t there. But still, it was nice to be included in the deal.

“They’re really hot. Look at all the steam.”

“Be careful not to burn yourself.”

“You could cool it down for me, you know?”

“That would just make it harder for both of us to eat.”

We moved to a less crowded area and started eating our takoyaki.

I blew on a piece to cool it slightly, then popped it into my mouth.

“Ah, hot—!”

“Come on now… Who was the one warning about not burning themselves?”

The outside had cooled a little, but the inside was still scorching hot.

The moment I bit down, the filling burst out, almost burning my mouth.

Even though I was the one who had warned her to be careful, I ended up doing the exact opposite, making Shirafuji chuckle.

“Well, food like this tastes better when it’s hot.”

“That’s true, but if you burn yourself, it defeats the purpose. Though, it is delicious.”

She carefully folded back the sleeves of her yukata to keep them clean, then took small bites, puffing out air between each one. She looked completely satisfied.

It was good to see that she was enjoying the festival in her own way.

“There’s still plenty of good food left. Not just meals, but sweets too.”

“Chocolate bananas, candied apples… Cotton candy is tempting too, but I’m worried about the calories. I’ll have to check my weight when we get home.”

As she spoke, Shirafuji lightly rubbed her stomach over her yukata.

…She always managed to maintain that smooth, slender waist. It was honestly impressive.

“Maybe if we share, it’ll be just the right amount?”

“I’d be fine with that, as long as you don’t mind.”

“If anything, I’d prefer it. It makes it feel more like a shared memory, doesn’t it?”

Next, we bought a pack of yakisoba.

It was the typical festival-style yakisoba—strongly flavored sauce and not much in the way of toppings.

“Alright, Hakuto, open your mouth.”

Holding a bite of yakisoba with her chopsticks, Shirafuji suddenly said that.

“…Getting fed is kind of embarrassing, though.”

“I can’t finish it on my own, so I need you to eat some.”

“Can’t you just eat as much as you want and give me the rest?”

“Freshly made, piping hot food tastes the best.”

She shut down all of my arguments.

Then, once again, she held the chopsticks toward my mouth.

Well, it’s a festival. No one’s paying attention to us.

Everyone’s too busy with their own things.

Convincing myself of that, I took a bite of the hot yakisoba.

“Is it good?”

“…Yeah, it’s good.”

More than that, though—it was incredibly embarrassing.

“Alright, I’ll have some too.”

“Wait, did we only get one pair of chopsticks?”

“That’s right. So, it’s an indirect kiss.”

“…You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“I did it to make you understand.”

…Well, it’s not like it’s our first time.

Not that it makes me feel any less awkward.