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

Chapter 82: Surprisingly Detailed?

“Hakuto, you finally came back.”

When I returned to the classroom after talking with Nagatsuki, Shirafuji was waiting, already packed up and ready to go home.

I had told her earlier that she could head home first.

But it seemed she had decided to wait for me instead.

I felt grateful but also a little embarrassed. Still, overall, I was more happy than anything else.

After all, she was waiting because she wanted to be with me.

“Nagatsuki-san said she would be borrowing you for a bit. So I figured it would be better to wait rather than go home alone. We’re going to spend time together anyway, aren’t we?”

…She had a point.

It had been a while since she started making herself at home in my room as if it were her own.

Not that I minded. If anything, I had encouraged it.

Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many of her personal belongings piling up in my place.

“Even if I had gone home first, I have a spare key, so I can enter your room whenever I want. Though, I do wonder if that’s really okay from a security standpoint.”

“You wouldn’t do anything weird while I’m not there, would you?”

“You never know. I might go snooping around to uncover your secrets.”

“You already know the place inside out.”

“That’s true. I even know how warm your bed is when I sleep next to you.”

“……”

I wanted to say something back, but I couldn’t.

It was true, after all. Besides, she had checked her surroundings to make sure no one else was listening before speaking.

That aside, the reason I gave Shirafuji a spare key was because I trusted her.

I didn’t think she’d go rummaging through my stuff, and even if she did, there wasn’t much that would cause me trouble.

At most, my bank passbook.

“Anyway, let’s head home.”

“Yeah.”

I picked up my bag and naturally took Shirafuji’s hand in mine.

The familiar coldness of her fingers slowly warmed up against my skin.

She squeezed my hand a couple of times.

At first, I thought she was just adjusting her grip, but then she intertwined her fingers with mine—

“It’s better to hold on tightly.”

“…Are you, by any chance, in a bad mood?”

“Not really. I am curious about what you and Nagatsuki-san were talking about, but it’s your privacy.”

“It was nothing special. She just wanted to discuss the school festival duties. We figured it would be easier to decide in advance rather than scrambling later.”

“…Oh, is that so? I thought she might have been confessing to you.”

Shirafuji let out a noticeable sigh of relief.

It seemed she had been thinking the same thing as me, though that wasn’t even remotely the case.

Well, I guess Nagatsuki’s little attempt to make Shirafuji jealous had worked.

…Not that there was any point to it.

I was pretty sure she had zero romantic interest in me.

And even if she did, after seeing that rotten side of her, I could never go along with it.

“Nagatsuki-san may try to act plain, but she’s actually quite beautiful.”

“Even so, I think you’re cuter, Shirafuji.”

“…You don’t think you can just flatter me and make me feel better, do you?”

“I mean it.”

She gave me a skeptical glare, but I wasn’t lying.

Some people might have different preferences, but if I had to choose based on overall appeal, Shirafuji would win every time.

Maybe it was because we spent so much time together, and I knew a lot about her.

Not that I meant anything weird by that.

It had nothing to do with her maid outfit, or the glimpses of underwear and bare skin I occasionally saw.

“By the way, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“…Is it normal for girls to like BL?”

I asked Shirafuji the question that had popped into my mind while talking to Nagatsuki.

As far as I knew, I had never seen Shirafuji reading anything like that at home.

But Nagatsuki had passionately claimed, “All girls have at least a faint love for the intense friendships between men and everything that comes with it.”

So which was it?

Shirafuji furrowed her brows slightly but seemed willing to entertain my question. After thinking for a few seconds, she said—

“I wouldn’t say all women like it, but percentage-wise, quite a lot do.”

“…I see?”

“Also, BL is a broad genre. Some are extreme, while others are more subtle. There are even cases where stories about male friendship are labeled as BL due to biased views.”

“………Shirafuji, you seem surprisingly detailed?.”

“I’m really not. I don’t go out of my way to read that kind of thing. I’ve just happened to buy a few books that turned out to be in that category. If anything, I prefer regular romance stories.”

Should I believe that modest claim?

I was sure she liked normal romance more, but with that level of insight, she had to know more than just a little.

…No, better not dig too deep.

I didn’t want to poke a hornet’s nest.

Besides, if Shirafuji was into that kind of thing, I wouldn’t even know how to react.

“You should try reading one sometime, Hakuto.”

“…Maybe if I feel like it.”

—

Chapter 83: No Way I’d Mix Up My Favorite Couples Order

“Alright, starting today, we’ll begin preparing for the school festival. But before that, we need to prepare for the preparations.”

Nagatsuki’s voice echoed through the classroom after school.

Today marked the beginning of the school festival preparations.

As planned, only those without club activities or other commitments stayed behind. Even including me, Shirafuji, Hanaba, and Nagatsuki, there were fewer than ten people, but that couldn’t be helped.

There wasn’t much we could do, but making progress, even a little, was meaningful.

“For now, we should decide on the menu. Without that, we can’t start buying supplies. Costumes, decorations, and role assignments can come after.”

Nagatsuki seemed to be in serious mode today.

Feeling reassured, I listened as the discussion moved on to deciding the menu.

“The only thing different from a regular café is the outfits. So, I think we can reuse last year’s menu as a reference. What do you all think?”

When Nagatsuki asked for a show of hands in favor, everyone raised theirs.

There was no real reason to oppose it.

If we could follow past examples and keep things simple, that was for the best.

“Alright, let’s go with that. Next, we need to decide on decorations, buy materials, and create the decorations. Since it’s a maid-and-butler café, I think we should match that theme.”

“Like a mansion?”

“Exactly, Hanaba. Some parts may be tricky, but we’ll make do. By the way, does anyone here know how to use a sewing machine? We need help adjusting costumes and making fabric decorations.”

Nagatsuki asked, but no one raised their hand right away.

These days, finding someone who could properly use a sewing machine was rare.

Most people had only briefly used one in class, if at all.

“Hakuto, can you use a sewing machine?”

“I wouldn’t say I can’t, but I’m not confident. I can manage hand-sewing, though. What about you, Shirafuji?”

“Do you really think I can?”

“…My bad.”

Considering how clumsy Shirafuji was, it was obviously difficult for her.

She was quick to pick things up, so if someone taught her, she could probably use one, but it would take time for her to learn proper sewing skills.

“What about you, Hanaba?”

“Nope, not happening. I suck at small, detailed tasks.”

“I see…”

I had hoped, but it seemed I was out of luck.

No one else seemed capable either. Now what?

“If no one can do it, I’ll handle it myself, but I’d really like one more person. Even if you’re just a beginner, that’s fine. I’ll teach you carefully… Anyone?”

Nagatsuki looked around with a pleading expression, but there was no positive response.

It wasn’t that people were being mean by staying silent—they genuinely didn’t know how.

Everyone wore an apologetic look, waiting for someone else to step up.

…Well, I guess I had no choice.

“I’m not sure how much help I’ll be, but I can assist.”

“Kuwazome-kun… Are you sure?”

“Just to be clear, I’ve only used one a little. If that’s good enough, I’ll help. I doubt I’d be useful elsewhere anyway.”

Honestly, I didn’t think I was cooperative enough to work well with classmates on group tasks.

In that case, working with a sewing machine, where I’d be interacting with fewer people, seemed like the best option.

I also preferred quiet, focused tasks.

And the fact that Nagatsuki was my partner made it easier.

Since I’d seen her true nature, she wouldn’t hold back around me.

The only concern was whether Shirafuji would fit in with the others… but with Hanaba around, she should be fine.

“Alright, then, Kuwazome-kun, please be my sewing partner.”

“Got it.”

“Everyone else, please work together on the other tasks. For today, let’s focus on finalizing the interior design. Talk it over and come up with ideas.”

With that, discussions started in different groups.

I was about to brainstorm with Shirafuji and Hanaba when—

“Kuwazome-kun, Shirafuji-san, Hanaba-san. Mind if I join you?”

Nagatsuki approached us.

Shirafuji was the first to react.

She didn’t outright reject her but didn’t exactly welcome her either, looking at her with a neutral expression.

“I don’t mind, but…”

“Are you upset that I made Kuwazome-kun the sewing assistant?”

Nagatsuki directly asked Shirafuji, whose voice had sounded uncertain.

Both Hanaba and I were taken aback, while Shirafuji awkwardly averted her gaze.

“It’s not like… I hate it, but…”

Her hesitation was probably out of respect for my decision.