The Beautiful Girl Who Asked Me to Pretend to Be Her Boyfriend Didn’t Want to Break up With Me for Some Reason - Chapter 65

Chapter 65: Because You Believe in Me

“I didn’t mean to get in the way… Wait, who are you?”

“I am Shirafuji Luna. I go to the same school as Hakuto, and we are in a relationship.”

She spoke those words to Nishijo, offering nothing but a polite greeting.

Then she turned around and smiled at me.

As if to reassure me, as if she had seen right through my unease.

“…So, you’re Kuwazome-kun’s girlfriend? But isn’t your school far away?”

“Yes. Hakuto invited me to come along for his visit home, and his family has been kind enough to take care of me.”

Shirafuji explained her presence here without hiding anything, and Nishijo’s surprise was clear as day.

Not only did I have a girlfriend, but she was even spending time with me during my homecoming.

For someone who knew what I used to be like, that was a reasonable reaction.

…She had outright stated we were dating, and I decided not to press her on that since it might complicate things.

“You two were that close, huh? So, does that mean you were on a date? Did I just unintentionally interrupt?”

“That’s correct.”

“Ah… yeah, that’s on me. Sorry about that. I just saw a familiar face and couldn’t help but say hi. I heard you had left the prefecture.”

“I understand how you feel. Your reason makes sense. However—you should have considered the other person’s circumstances at least a little.”

There was no way she could miss the meaning behind those words.

Her voice was calm, almost flat, without much inflection. Even without seeing her face, there was something slightly intimidating about it.

Nishijo’s expression stiffened, and her gaze wavered.

She looked like she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.

“It was you, wasn’t it? The one who hurt Hakuto back in middle school.”

“…Yeah, that’s right. I don’t intend to deny it. My thoughtless, selfish actions hurt Kuwazome-kun.”

For some reason, Shirafuji was certain that the girl I had mentioned before was Nishijo.

And with Nishijo admitting to it, that assumption became reality.

“Shirafuji, I don’t hold a grudge against Nishijo, so don’t—”

“I’m only confirming something. I have no right to condemn her. I understand that much. However, that aside, there are just some things I want to ask. I won’t do anything cruel.”

“…If things get out of hand, I’ll step in. I don’t want either of you getting hurt.”

“Of course. I said I wouldn’t do anything cruel, but… I admit my emotions are slightly unrestrained at the moment.”

Did she trust that I would stop her if necessary?

It felt wrong to leave it all to her, but if things could be settled peacefully, I would let her handle it for now.

I wasn’t exactly calm myself.

At the very least, I needed to maintain my composure on the surface.

“Nishijo-san. I have only two questions for you. Why did you betray Hakuto? And, knowing that he once attempted to take his own life, why did you speak to him?”

“…What?”

Nishijo gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.

Now that I thought about it, I had never told anyone about my suicide attempt, even after returning to school.

It wasn’t like I had deliberately kept it a secret, though.

I had no one to talk to about it, and even after I started going back to school, people treated me like I was fragile, avoiding me altogether.

Nishijo had seemed uncomfortable, but I had been the one avoiding her, not wanting to get involved.

“Wait. Is it true that Kuwazome-kun tried to commit suicide?”

“Do you think I have any reason to lie?”

“…No way. Because of me… because of what I did…”

Nishijo’s expression wavered in shock, her eyes losing focus.

Her voice trembled as she clutched the sleeve of her yukata tightly.

“I’ll take that as the answer to my second question. Now, what about the first?”

But Shirafuji, unfazed, pressed on for the answer.

As if she thought spending more time on Nishijo would be a waste.

“…Right. The first question. I was scared. Kuwazome-kun saved me, but I started thinking… what if, one day, he turned that strength against me?”

As she steadied her breathing, Nishijo gave a reason that I had already considered.

It was nothing unusual.

Realistically, a middle school boy who could fight multiple high schoolers to a draw—especially one of the opposite gender—would naturally be frightening.

In the end, her fear outweighed any gratitude she felt.

That’s just how people are.

Emotion often overrides logic.

“…I’ve heard your answer. That’s all I wanted to know.”

Shirafuji turned on her heel, showing she had no more business here.

Then, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, she took my hand and gently pulled me along.

“Hakuto, let’s go somewhere else. We’ve said everything we needed to, and the fireworks will start soon.”

“…Yeah, you’re right.”

There was nothing left for me to say to Nishijo.

Shirafuji had already said most of it, and truthfully, I still felt uneasy being around her. I wanted to get away as soon as possible.

“Wait!”

But just as I was about to leave with Shirafuji, Nishijo called out to me.

“Do you still have something to say?”

“Just one thing. There’s something I need to tell Kuwazome-kun. No matter how late it is, if I don’t say it now, I never will.”

“…Hakuto, what do you want to do?”

Shirafuji looked displeased but left the final decision to me.

After a brief hesitation, I nodded. “Alright.”

I had no idea what she wanted to say, but judging by her demeanor, it didn’t seem like something meant to hurt me.

Nishijo let out a relieved sigh and met my eyes directly.

Then, she bowed deeply.

“Kuwazome-kun. This is long overdue… but I’m truly sorry. That day, you saved me, and I repaid you with betrayal. I let my fear win and chose to hurt you. I won’t ask for forgiveness. I know an apology like this means nothing. But still, I felt that I had to say it to you.”

Middle school.

An apology years after the fact was meaningless.

What happened, happened. The wounds remained. Nothing could erase them.

“…I met Shirafuji about a year ago. After everything, we ended up together. At first, we weren’t as close as we are now. But spending time together changed that. Now, I can say from the bottom of my heart that she’s important to me.”

“……”

“Because Shirafuji believes in me, I’ve been able to start moving forward, little by little. If it were the old me, I probably would have run away the moment you talked to me.”

“…And that would have been completely understandable.”

“Maybe. The past won’t change. But I accept your apology. I won’t pretend we can just go back to being friends, though. I hope you understand.”

“I do. That would be too convenient. I never expected you to forgive me with just an apology.”

She looked uneasy but not hostile.

I still had my reservations, and this was entirely one-sided, but this was enough.

“Alright, we’re leaving. Take care, Nishijo.”

“Yeah. You too, Kuwazome-kun. Though, with such a wonderful girlfriend by your side, I doubt you need my well wishes.”

“…Hearing that from you doesn’t make me happy.”

Even so, today.

I truly felt that I had put a part of my past behind me.

―――

The story is not over yet.