When My Girlfriend Cheated On Me And Spread Rumors That I Was A Guy Who Would Sleep With Anyone, I Decided To Just Accept It And Ended Up Dating The Most Slutty Girl In School. - Chapter 29: It Wasn't Supposed to Be Like This.

It Wasn’t Supposed to Be Like This.

The meeting point was in front of the station, where a direct bus to Fantasy Land departs.

Although Naoki arrived thirty minutes early due to his restlessness the day before, Kirara was already waiting at the designated spot—the golden statue, which Naoki and other local students had affectionately dubbed the “Holy Beherit.”

It seemed she was being harassed, as a flashy, tanned man wearing sunglasses was persistently bothering her. Kirara looked frustrated and was fiddling with her phone, clearly trying to ignore him.

“Come on~, don’t be like that~. I can buy you anything you want~,” the man coaxed.

“I don’t want anything. I’m waiting for my boyfriend, so please leave,” Kirara replied, her irritation evident.

“You’re too cuuuttteee~ to be waiting for some guy who probably isn’t worth your time. I work in the entertainment industry—interested~?” the man continued, ignoring her refusals.

Kirara clicked her tongue and tried to ignore him further. The man, growing increasingly agitated, reached out to grab her wrist.

“Hey~. You can’t just ignore me after I went out of my way to talk to you,” he said.

Just in time, Naoki dashed over and grabbed the man’s wrist before he could touch Kirara.

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing with my girl?” Naoki demanded angrily.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch!” The man winced in pain as Naoki twisted his wrist.

Kirara was accustomed to being approached by such men, but she usually dealt with it more calmly. This time, however, Naoki’s response was far more aggressive, a testament to his role-playing as a tough, handsome guy.

With a stern expression, Naoki maintained his grip on the man’s wrist, embodying the essence of a protagonist from a delinquent manga.

“Asshi!”

“I’m sorry for keeping you waiting, Kirara,” Naoki said, his tone firm and sincere.

When Naoki saw Kirara’s face light up with relief and joy, he gave her a sly smile before turning his attention back to the man. He grabbed the man by the collar and growled at him.

“Apologize, old man.”

“Y-yes! I’m really sorry!” the man stammered, visibly frightened.

“I’m not asking you to apologize to me. I’m telling you to apologize to Kirara.”

“Sorry! I’m so sorry! Please forgive me!”

Naoki glanced at Kirara, silently asking if this was satisfactory. Kirara, with a displeased snort, gave a curt nod.

“I’ll let you off this time. But if you pull this on anyone else…”

Kirara gave the man a steely glare before shifting her gaze back to Naoki.

Understanding the unspoken message, Naoki threatened the man with a menacing expression.

“I’ll drag you off, beat you up, and bury you if you ever come around here again!”

“I’ll never do it again! I won’t come near here! Please, let me go!”

The man was so scared he looked like he might lose control of his bladder, possibly even wetting himself.

As soon as Naoki released him, the man fled in a panic, stumbling multiple times as he ran.

“Don’t ever show your face around here again!”

“Yeah! Don’t come back!”

Naoki gave the man a rude gesture, while Kirara stuck out her tongue in a playful manner. They both burst into laughter as soon as the man disappeared from view.

“That was like something out of a comic book,” Naoki remarked.

“Right? Right~? I felt like the heroine in a shoujo manga!” Kirara said, bouncing up and down with excitement.

Kirara was dressed in a loose pair of socks, a camel-colored cardigan, and a mini skirt that she had presumably made herself for this day. The skirt had a similar checkered pattern to Naoki’s pants, giving a matching look.

Despite being a uniform, the outfit looked surprisingly fresh and new. The idea of going on a date in these makeshift uniforms on a day off gave a thrilling sense of mischief.

(Of course, I’ve been excited since last night.)

Even though it was just a date with Kirara, with no ulterior motives, his heart raced with excitement. The interference from the harasser was annoying, but it couldn’t dampen his spirits.

“Are you okay? That must have been scary,” Naoki asked, concern evident in his voice.

“Not at all! I’m a beautiful girl, as you can see, so I’m used to this kind of thing,~” Kirara replied with a cheerful smile and a peace sign.

Naoki could immediately tell it was an act. They were close enough that he could read her well.

“Don’t force it. There’s no one who wouldn’t be scared when approached by a stranger.”

Even Chiharu, with her beautiful appearance, often got hit on as soon as she was out of Naoki’s sight. Her shy and introverted nature meant that she would often break down and cry after such encounters, despite experiencing them repeatedly.

“Naoki…”

It seemed that Kirara was no different, as she suddenly became teary and began to wipe her eyes.

“Stop being all suave! I was holding back tears, and now I’ve started crying!”

“I’m sorry…”

Naoki’s attempt to comfort her seemed to have backfired.

But then Kirara added, “Don’t apologize! I’m just crying tears of joy!”

“Oh…right.”

The complexities of a woman’s heart were not always easy to understand.

In any case, Naoki felt relieved that he had arrived in time to help.

“By the way, if you ever get hit on again, just let me know. I’ll come right away,” Naoki said.

Even beyond their pretend relationship, Kirara was a benefactor and a friend. He wanted her to know she could rely on him without hesitation.

Kirara, however, just looked down bashfully, not quite meeting his gaze.

“Don’t hold back any more,” Naoki said firmly.

“It’s not really that…” Kirara replied, fidgeting with a shy demeanor.

Naoki was puzzled by her unusual behavior. “Then what’s going on?”

Kirara, blushing deeply, mumbled, “Well… if I had called you, it would’ve been obvious that I was so excited I ended up arriving way too early…”

Naoki’s eyes widened as he remembered. He had arrived thirty minutes earlier, and seeing Kirara there meant…

“Uh, well, let’s just call it even on both sides…”

Kirara nodded, her face still flushed. “Y-yeah, that’s right. Fufu~….~”

Both of them, red-faced and awkward, scratched their cheeks in embarrassment.

(（（I can’t take this anymore! Get a room, you two!）））

The hearts of single onlookers around them erupted in a mix of envy and frustration, overwhelmed by the sweet and awkward exchange.

***

Despite the earlier trouble, the two of them finally arrived at Fantasy Land by bus.

During the ride, they complimented each other’s faux uniforms, enjoyed snacks they had brought, played mobile games together, and discussed which attractions to visit and where to have lunch by reviewing the digital pamphlet they had downloaded from the official site.

Though I’d like to delve into the sweet moments between them, the story has already slowed down enough, so I’ll skip the details this time.

Originally, they were supposed to have entered Fantasy Land by this point.