The Charm of the Popular Beautiful Succubus in Class Doesn't Work on Me ~ For Some Reason, This Beauty Keeps Trying to Hold My Hand ~ - 45-46

Chapter 45: You Two Are Not Really Dating, Right?

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“Because… The two of you… Are not actually dating, right?”

At those words, not only I but also Kisara and Kokubun stiffened. Akanashi said confidently, as if she could see through everything. 

But… What’s the meaning of this? 

The only ones who knew about our “pretending to be a couple” were Kisara and me, as the ones involved, and Kokubun, who had accidentally found out when Kisara let it slip the other day. It had been a while since Kisara and Akanashi last spoke, so that meant… it must have been Kokubun, who was with Akanashi on the way to this family restaurant…

I glanced at Kokubun, but he met my eyes with a look that said, “It wasn’t me.”

I see… So Akanashi is just bluffing… In that case, we just need to stick to our story, just as per my agreement with Kisara. 

“Tha-That’s not true-“

“You’re still going to play dumb?”

My words were immediately cut off by Akanashi’s sharp retort.

“Then… Naruse-kun…”

She trailed. Her amber-colored eyes seemed to pierce straight through me. 

“Can you shout, right here and now, that you ‘love’ Kisara-chan?”

“…Huh?”

“If you’re really her boyfriend, you should be able to say it, right?”

I hesitated for a moment at Akanashi’s provocative challenge. She watched me closely, alternating her gaze between Kisara and me, as if studying our reactions.

What is she thinking? And telling me to say I ‘love’ Kisara… No, no matter what, that’s too…

“Hooo… You can’t even say it? That you ‘love’ her?”

With that, Akanashi placed a slender finger to her chin, as if in deep thought.

This… Is she testing me? Am I the only one who doesn’t understand what she’s trying to do? Maybe Kokubun and Kisara know… After all, they know about the ‘past’….

I turned to Kisara, but she only bit her lip, making no move to react to Akanashi’s word. Akanashi then continued on. 

“Alright… Next is Kisara-chan.”

At that, she shifted her gaze to Kisara. 

“Kisara-chan, have you ever told Naruse-kun that you ‘love’ him?”

For some reason, those words made my chest tighten. Right.. Kisara had never once said she ‘loved’ me. And I had never once said I ‘loved’ her, either. But, of course? We weren’t real lovers after all. We were just pretending to be a couple. That was all. 

Both Kisara and I had no other choice but to remain silent. 

“I see. So that’s the true nature of your relationship with Naruse-kun…”

Akanashi closed her eyes calmly and continued. 

“Naruse-kun, you’re so kind after all. Back in the classroom, you couldn’t just leave Kisara-chan to fend for herself, right? I understand that much. Because… That’s exactly the kind of person you are. In fact, I like you because you’re like that, Naruse-kun. That’s why… I was willing to tolerate it up to that point, but…”

“…”

“But months later, you’re still pretending to be a couple with Kisara-chan. Isn’t that a bit too much? You completely ignored my warning. Even though neither of you actually ‘loves’ the other, you still spend every day together. Of course your something is bound to grow between you two, even if your ‘fake couple’ is not Kisara-chan.”

“…”

“Naruse-kun, you don’t even understand your own feelings, right?”

I widened my eyes at that. Akanashi kept staring at me. Her gaze was unwavering. When I remained silent, she murmured softly. 

“Then, let me explain it to you. You started pretending to be a couple with Kisara-chan, someone you thought of as just a friend. Suddenly, you two grew closer. You walked home together, went out together with her, and day after day, you kept nurturing this fake ‘love.’ And before you knew it, you lost track of your real feelings. Until eventually, you started to think… Maybe you really do ‘love’ Kisara-chan.”

“…”

“But, Naruse-kun… You’re just being used by Kisara-chan.”

“…Stop it.”

“…Huh?”

“Just stop it already—!”

Kisara suddenly stood up, slamming the table with a loud bang, causing the glasses on the table to rattle. Both Kokubun and I flinched at her sudden outburst, but Akanashi, who should have been the one directly facing Kisara’s wrath, simply glared back at her, unfazed.

“You’re wrong! You’re wrong! You’re wrong!! It’s not like that between me and Michihito-kun! Sure, I know I’m selfish, but I care about Michihito-kun a lot! Besides… Besides…”

Kisara screamed. Her voice was sharp enough to shatter eardrums.

“You don’t know how I feel, Akari! You have no right to say anything!”

Her words, raw with emotion, hit Akanashi directly. But instead of flinching, Akanashi suddenly shot up from her seat. Her face was burning red as she shouted back.

“Kisara-chan, you’re always like this! Acting like you’re the only one suffering, like you’re the only one who’s unhappy… That’s how you always end up taking away the things that are precious to me!”

She didn’t stop there.

“In the end, you only care about yourself! You don’t see other people as anything more than objects to use! That’s why you can keep pretending to be in love with someone you don’t even like!”

Akanashi continued n.

“And Kisara-chan, you’re going to repeat the same mistake with Naruse-kun! You’re going to ruin Naruse-kun’s ife o!”

Akanashi screamed at the top of her lungs.

“I know what you are! You’re nothing but a heartless monster!”

At those words, something inside me snapped.

“Hey! That’s enough!!”

My voice echoed through the family restaurant, silencing everything. The only sound left was the faint clinking of dishes. I suddenly became painfully aware of my surroundings. Kisara and Akanashi were staring at me, frozen in shock. 

I must’ve shouted really loudly..

My heart pounded. My strength drained away all at once. I hadn’t even realized I had stood up in my outburst. I slumped back onto the sofa.

Ah… I really did it now.

Not just Kisara and Akanashi. Everyone in the family restaurant was staring at me. A deep, indescribable sense of embarrassment washed over me, but more than that, the words they had exchanged kept repeating in my head. My thoughts were a mess.

Just what is this feeling? What is this feeling that’s swirling inside me…? Or is it because Akanashi hit the bullseye? Or maybe is it the absurdity of our ‘fake lover’ act? Or is it anger? Because Akanashi said something hurtful to Kisara? No… None of those is right…

What exactly did Akanashi say back then?

“You always take away the things that are important to me.”

Did something really happen between Kisara and Akanashi in the past?

“And Kisara-chan, you’re going to repeat the same mistake with Naruse-kun!”

The way she said it… It was like Kisara had completely ruined someone’s life before.

What the hell is going on…? What do the two of them know that I don’t…? And what is this uneasy feeling in my chest…?

“Ki-Kisara-chan… No… I… I just wanted to protect Naruse-kun…”

Seemingly snapping back to her senses, Akanashi trembled. Her face was really pale. 

“Akanashi… I’m sorry, but let’s leave it at that today.”

Everyone is getting too fired up already. I also don’t feel like continuing this conversation any further. 

“Kokubun, sorry, but could you take Akanashi home first? I will handle the bill.”

I said to Kokubun with a glance. He simply nodded and took the hand of the stunned Akanashi, leading her toward the exit.

Kokubun… Sorry for making you deal with this. And… Thanks.

As Akanashi left, she cast a brief glance in my direction. Her eyes no longer held any anger—just a deep, sorrowful darkness. Once I confirmed they had left the store, I turned to Kisara.

“Kisara… Let’s go home.”

“…Yeah.”

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Chapter 46: Do We Really Need to Talk About It?

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We headed toward the park where our “pretend lovers” act had first begun. This park had become our unspoken meeting place whenever we had something we didn’t want others to overhear. The sun was already setting, and the surroundings had grown quite dark. We sat side by side on a bench.

“Sorry for raising my voice earlier. I must’ve startled you.”

Michihito-kun said. His voice was laced with concern for me. He was trying to comfort me. Hearing his gentle voice, I felt like I was on the verge of tears. If he had stroked my head at that moment, I was sure I would’ve wailed. That was how fragile my heart felt right now.

“…No, it’s okay. I’m the one who got too worked up. Sorry.”

“It wasn’t just you. None of us were calm back there. I ended up being too harsh on Akanashi, too…”

“…Yeah. I said too much as well.”

“Hey… Kisara.”

“…What?”

Michihito-kun hesitated for a moment but then looked straight at me.

“Will you tell me about your past with Akanashi? I think I’ve been kept in the dark about you two for too long…”

My past with Akari…

Yeah, I figured this was coming. The moment we started walking toward this park, I had already braced myself for this conversation, at least to some extent. And with things getting as complicated as they had, I knew I couldn’t keep it hidden forever. Even so, part of me still didn’t want to tell Michihito-kun. Because once he knew about my past, I was certain he would be disappointed in me. And seeing that reaction from him… Terrified me to my core.

“Is it hard for you to talk about it?”

Sensing my silence, Michihito-kun gently spoke, as if trying to gauge my feelings. But I couldn’t find the right words to respond. I didn’t want him to know the truth… But I also knew there were things I had to tell him… And yet, I didn’t want him to be disappointed in me… I didn’t want Michihito-kun to hate me…

“It’s really nothing worth making a big deal out of. Just the usual relationship drama.”

I forced a smile, hoping—just maybe—that he would lose interest in the topic. But he didn’t look away from me, not even for a second. His expression remained unchanged.

“Kisara, I can tell just by looking at you. Even if it was just some usual relationship drama, it was something big for you, wasn’t it?”

“…Do we really need to talk about it?”

I hated myself for trying to gauge his reaction like this.

“I want to know more about you, Kisara.”

And yet… Michihito-kun still said he wanted to know more about me.

“…It might not be a pleasant story to hear, you know?”

I hated myself for refusing to face my past like this.

“It’s okay. I will accept it all… Including your past.”

And yet… Michihito-kun said he would face my past head-on.

“No matter what kind of past I have, you won’t hate me?”

I hated myself for always trying to build walls like this.

“Of course I won’t hate you. I’m your boyfriend, after all.”

And yet… Michihito-kun still stayed as my “boyfriend.”

A sly response to my sly question. Michihito-kun is… Truly… Unfair. But… I am countless times—hundreds of times—more unfair than he is. I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate myself for being unable to trust someone important to me! …Alright. I’ll tell you, Michihito-kun… about my past. But… I still don’t have the courage to talk about my “ability” yet… So, just this once, please let me keep that part to myself a secret… One day… when I finally find the courage to tell you… I promise I’ll talk about it. But just this time… Please, forgive me.

“…You’re the first person I’ve ever told this story to.”

With those words, I slowly closed my eyes.

It all happened when I was in my second year of middle school.

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