The Beautiful Girl Who Asked Me to Pretend to Be Her Boyfriend Didn’t Want to Break up With Me for Some Reason - Chapter 72

Chapter 72: Epilogue – When is “Someday”?

Night had fallen after visiting Shirafuji’s mother’s grave.

Having already taken a bath and dressed in pajamas, fully prepared for bed, Shirafuji seemed somewhat absent-minded.

Was it because she had met Kyoichi at the grave visit?

That was certainly part of the reason, and the fact that summer vacation would end tomorrow might have made it worse.

“Shirafuji, are you tired?”

“…Maybe. More mentally than physically. Learning that Father had thoughts different from what I had imagined was a valuable discovery, but I don’t know how to bridge the gap between us.”

“There’s no need to rush. You’ve been apart for so long, after all.”

Suddenly trying to get along with someone who had once been cold to you wasn’t easy.

Even if it had been a misunderstanding, even if it was caused by a lack of communication and circumstances.

“By the way, I got a business card from Kyoichi for contact… What should I do with it?”

“Just use it if necessary.”

“…Well, I guess so.”

In other words, I wouldn’t be using it anytime soon.

Kyoichi himself said it was fine if it wasn’t needed.

He probably gave it to me because he was worried about Shirafuji.

“Tomorrow marks the end of summer vacation.”

“It felt long, but also short.”

“Which means our cohabitation ends too.”

“But you’re still going to camp out in my room, aren’t you?”

“That’s my plan.”

“You agreeing so easily is a problem.”

“It’s no different from before summer vacation. Unless… does this mean our cohabitation can continue even after summer ends?”

“Why are you so eager to keep it going…?”

“Living together made me realize something. This setup is overwhelmingly convenient.”

…To be honest, I kind of agreed with that.

Sharing a room meant almost no wasted time.

On top of that, during summer, air conditioning costs would normally be high, but with cohabitation, it was just one room’s worth.

We could split cooking and chores, making things much easier.

In exchange, there was no private space, but since it was Shirafuji, I didn’t really mind.

If it were someone I didn’t get along with, it would have been unbearable.

“…But no. I only agreed because it was a temporary arrangement for summer break. If this becomes a permanent thing, I feel like it won’t end well.”

“I was thinking the same. If I can rely on Hakuto anytime, I might become too lazy.”

“I don’t think you’re that lazy, though. Well, I’m not saying you can’t come over anymore, so we can go back to how it was.”

“…Is it okay if I stay over sometimes?”

“Sometimes.”

If she stayed over every day, it’d be no different from summer break.

Once or twice a week seemed reasonable.

…Thinking like that, maybe I was too soft on her.

“Now that I think about it, there wasn’t a single lucky pervert moment. I was secretly hoping for one.”

“Don’t hope for that. I was careful, you know. Even if it was by accident, things like that… would be awkward in many ways.”

“But you’ve already seen my underwear and bare skin when I had a fever.”

Hearing that, the memory resurfaced vividly in my mind. I shook my head to drive it away.

“…That was unavoidable. It was part of taking care of you.”

“I truly appreciate what you did then. And honestly, I wasn’t mad about you seeing me. I was aware that I was being unreasonable.”

“Seriously. I’d appreciate it if you refrained from doing that again. I have no intention of turning into a wolf while taking care of a sick person, but I don’t trust my self-control that much.”

“If you ever feel like giving in to your desires, talk to me first. If it’s something I can do… even if it’s embarrassing, I’ll do my best to help.”

“Give me a break.”

Shirafuji spoke with a smile that could have been either sincere or teasing.

How was I supposed to deal with her increasingly bold attitude?

At the very least, I had no intention of giving in to temptation while I was in my right mind, but… I was still just a normal high school guy.

“Well… let’s sleep. We can’t mess up our sleep schedule right before the new term.”

Shirafuji sluggishly moved… to my bed.

She lay down as if it was hers, then patted the empty space beside her, gesturing for me to join.

“You really think I’ll get in?”

“Just for tonight. If you need an excuse, say that visiting the grave made you feel lonely.”

With her eyes slightly downcast, she gazed at me as if asking, “Is that not okay?”

Unfortunately, I had no valid reason to refuse.

Was I spoiling her too much?

When family matters were brought up, I found myself weak to it.

If this became another summer memory, then maybe it wasn’t so bad.

“Just for tonight.”

“You act reluctant, but you always go along with things. You’re kind, Hakuto.”

“Probably just too soft.”

“You can spoil me as much as you like. I’ll spoil you just as much in return.”

I turned off the lights before lying down beside Shirafuji.

In the darkness, where we could feel each other’s breath, gaze, and warmth, I couldn’t say there was no sense of embarrassment.

Shirafuji and I were fake lovers.

Closer than friends, but not quite lovers—an illusion built on an agreement.

A fleeting dream that could end at any moment.

Still, the trust we had wasn’t a lie, and the feelings we had weren’t fake either.

I knew this vague relationship couldn’t last forever.

If we didn’t end it, nothing could begin.

…Someday… When is that…?

“…Shirafuji.”

“Yes?”

“Not tonight, but tomorrow—I want to set some time aside to talk about our relationship.”

When I brought it up, hoping to clarify our future, Shirafuji froze, staring at me with an expression devoid of any emotion.