The Beautiful Girl Who Asked Me to Pretend to Be Her Boyfriend Didn’t Want to Break up With Me for Some Reason - Chapter 84

Chapter 84: I Understand That It’s a Cute Request

“If you’re that sleepy, wouldn’t it be better to go home and sleep?”

Night.

It was rare for Shirafuji to take a bath at my place, dry her hair afterward, and then change into her pajamas.

I was holding her in our usual position while watching a movie, but when she started nodding off, I asked her casually.

Shirafuji’s reaction was slow as expected.

She made a small sound in her throat, then after a brief pause of a few seconds, she firmly declared in a sleepy, soft voice, “I don’t want to yet.”

“You don’t want to… I mean, it’d be one thing if tomorrow was a holiday, but you have school.”

“…I could just stay over.”

Shirafuji murmured sweetly, making me think, so that’s what she was after.

She had everything she needed to stay over. Well, actually, her summer break belongings were still left here, so it wasn’t a problem.

Thinking back, she had already hung up her school uniform before taking a bath. Maybe she had planned this all along.

Though calling it a scheme felt a bit too adorable.

I had a good idea of what led her to this decision.

So, if she’s saying she wants to stay over, it’s almost too endearing.

At the same time, it made me feel like I might be misunderstanding how much she really cared.

…Or maybe I was just pretending to misunderstand as an excuse to avoid thinking too much.

“Don’t wake up tomorrow and regret it.”

“…I won’t regret it. It’s not the first time, after all. Or… are you planning to do something I’d regret?”

Shirafuji turned her face toward me.

She shifted slightly, and the pressure on my lap changed subtly, along with a soft sensation pressing against me.

Trying not to focus on it, I looked into her melting blue eyes.

Her cheeks, still flushed from the bath.

Her bright pink lips, right in front of me.

Even though she looked a bit dazed, her eyes held a mysterious glint that was almost hypnotic.

…Ah, this is bad.

Being this defenseless, saying things that make it sound like she’s entrusting herself to me—it’s testing the limits of my self-control.

That said, just because temptation is there doesn’t mean I’ll act on it.

The more I value Shirafuji, the less I can bring myself to do anything reckless.

“…I won’t.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“I see… That’s a shame.”

That “shame” at the end—she probably meant to mumble it, but I heard everything, you know?

More importantly…

“How about you stop pretending to be asleep?”

When I questioned her with exasperation, her long lashes fluttered, and reason returned to her eyes.

She still looked somewhat sleepy, but now there was a firmness in her expression.

Then, like a mischievous child caught in the act, Shirafuji smiled.

“You’re mean. I really am sleepy. And I really do want to stay over, and I won’t regret it.”

“…Why are you doing this?”

“Would you accept it if I said I got jealous because Hakuto seemed close with Nagatsuki-san and wanted your attention?”

“Close? I was just talking to her.”

“And taking on the sewing duty?”

“No one else seemed willing to volunteer, and honestly, I preferred using the sewing machine alone rather than working in a group.”

“And you did that despite having me?”

“That sounds like something out of a daytime drama. Are you teasing me?”

“Half of it, yes. The other half… I’ll let you imagine.”

Shirafuji smiled again.

That kind of thing is really terrifying.

But if the price for this is her staying over, then it’s honestly kind of cute. I don’t intend to refuse, either.

Still, considering our relationship, I have to wonder if this is really okay.

It’s natural for people to assume that if a boy and a girl are staying together overnight, there’s something going on between them.

But in our case, others already think we’re a couple, so there’s no issue.

…The problem is, aside from my own feelings, I have no reason to say no.

“…Do whatever you want if you’re staying over.”

“I got your word on that.”

“I’m not going to take it back. Besides, you were planning to stay no matter what, weren’t you?”

“If you refused, I would’ve gone home. I don’t want to force you.”

“This doesn’t count as forcing?”

“I consider it a cute request.”

Shirafuji tilted her head slightly as she asked, “Don’t you think so?”

I couldn’t deny it.

Because we had a past that made it easy to see it as just that.

Compared to living together during summer break, staying over for one night didn’t feel like a big deal.

Besides, I also understood the advantages of her staying.

I wouldn’t have to worry about her oversleeping. We could discuss breakfast plans in advance. And—wait, these are all benefits for her, aren’t they?

Well, whatever. It’s fine.

Having someone next to me in the morning to say “good morning” is something to be happy about.

“So, should we go to sleep soon?”

“…Yeah. Though I might not fall asleep right away since I’m enjoying this.”

“I’m sleeping, okay?”

“If you do, I’ll just crawl into your bed.”

“That’s the kind of thing that would give me a heart attack in the morning.”

“Well, it’s warm and comfortable.”

…That sounds like something a repeat offender would say.