Kurasu no Daikirai na Joshi to Kekkon Suru Koto ni Natta Volume 5 Chapter 2

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(Fake) Girlfriend

Right as Saito intended to leave his home, Akane appeared in front of him with insane momentum. She blocked off his path and glared up at him.

“Wh-What do you want? I washed my rice bowl and made sure to separate the trash?”

Saito grew worried that he might’ve done something to anger Akane without meaning to. He immediately traced back his memories. Since this day would be a long one, he’d rather not waste too much time fighting.

“I’m not angry about housework. I want to warn you.”

“That I should be careful when I’m out and about at night…?”

“Not that!”

Saito readied his body for a possible incoming attack, feeling tense at the pressure from Akane. She however simply pulled down her skirt in anxiousness

“W-Well…you know? Playing lovers with Himari is fine and all, but don’t forget that you’re not a real couple. That’s all I wanted to say.”

“I can’t even forget something like that. Why would you remind me of that…” Saito asked, which made Akane blush furiously.

“B-Because you’re an idiot! You’d get all close to Himari, forget the original goal, and then go with the flow to…!”

“Go with the flow to where?” Saito sought an answer.

“D-Don’t make me say it! You bully!” Akane staggered backward.

Her face was as red as a tomato, which looked oddly adorable to Saito. Right now, he had the upper hand. Saito decided to go on the offensive.

“You gotta draw the line or I won’t do it. How far am I allowed to take it? A hug? A kiss? Or even beyond…”

“~~~!” Akane bit her lip.

Saito took a closer look at her face.

“Come on, say it. You brought it up, right?”

Unable to handle it, Akane pushed Saito away.

“Everything…”

“Huh…?”

“I’ll allow…everything…But in return…you’ll have to pay and atone with your body…”

Death penalty! Death penalty! Death penalty! These messages blinked furiously inside of Akane’s pupils. She wouldn’t forgive Saito if he made Himari cry, as Akane would then burn him to ashes.

“I’m heading out!!”

Maybe he teased her a bit too much, after all. Before Akane could blow up, Saito chose to run away, outside the door. Even if he had the advantage, bullying Akane too much would backfire. She was probably born into this world just to fight with him. Since Saito didn’t want to run into his classmates, he chose to take a detour on the way to school. Unable to take the quickest route was another reason for his recent exhaustion.

He simply wanted to dispel all these rumors and make everything return to normal. And to achieve that, he had to play the role of the boyfriend. Arriving at school, the hallways were filled with students, Himari surrounded by them. Unlike Saito, who only sat in the corner of the room while reading books, Himari was the center of attention. Boys and girls alike crowded around her, all smiles as she smiled back at them. If Himari hadn’t ended up friends with Akane, and if Saito and Akane hadn’t fought from the very start, he probably would have never talked with Himari.

Even today, it felt like they existed in different universes. He tried to pass Himari and her friends when she whispered into his ear.

“…Saito-kun. We started, remember?”

Her mutter seemed radiant almost, yet pleasant all the same. Her voice reached deep inside Saito’s brain, giving him shivers. Even her smile may seem the same, but it harbored a certain level of passion. Himari had already switched from being his friend to acting as his lover. It was a baffling acting ability she showed, as a single gaze alone changed everything about her.

“Hey, Himari~ What are you whispering about with Saito-kun?”

The girls snickered.

“Nothing at all~”

“That’s gotta be a lie~ I don’t buy that for one second.”

“Seriously, it’s nothing!” Himari shrugged with a glimmer of embarrassment.

Giving a proper answer would immediately clear up that question, but since she kept it vague, it only heightened the interest of the other person.

“H-Himari! What did you talk about with Saito?!” Akane rushed toward them, pulling on Himari’s sleeve.

“Nothing much!”

“Tell me! Is he threatening you! Silencing you?! I won’t forgive him if he did anything to you!”

“C-Calm down, Akane. I’m really fine.” Himari seemed genuinely bewildered.

Why is she so obstinate now?! — Saito commented in his mind. Akane was the exact opposite of Himari, always storming in face-first. Saito once again wondered how these two even ended up as friends.

Once lunch break rolled around, Himari approached Saito at his desk.

“Saito-kun, Saito-kun! Should we head to the cafeteria?”

“Don’t you always eat lunch with Akane?”

“Sure do, but I’d like to eat lunch with you today…Can we?”

“I’m not against it, but…”

Saito swallowed the desire to comment on the fact that Akane was currently glaring at them. She looked close to ripping her workbook apart. The aura emitting from her body was practically screaming “How dare you steal my best friend from me,” despite Himari having been the one who brought it up.

“Great! Then let’s go!” Himari grabbed Saito’s hand and started walking.

She held his hand with such a natural smoothness, but her hand was shaking ever so slightly. Saito looked at this side, seeing Himari flashing a tense smile, showing just how nervous she really is. And who could blame her? She had liked Saito for a while now, and she’s helping out with his best in mind. With this being the case, Saito had to respond to her determination. She’s doing her hardest to make this fake relationship a success, and yet Saito was hesitant. Thus, he completely ignored all the onlookers and tightly grasped Himari’s hand.

“S-Saito-kun…?” Himari seemed bewildered.

“…Thanks.” He hoped that he managed to bring across what he felt with these words.

“It’s okay.” Himari blushed ever so slightly, as they made their way to the school cafeteria.

The second they entered inside, the students present were creating noise. Let alone the third-years, even their underclassmen knew Himari very well. With her cheerful personality and charming looks, she always ended up at the center of attention. If this was any serious or prestigious high school, then you wouldn’t see students with blonde hair like hers. Then again, she wasn’t a gal that didn’t take school seriously, and the teachers were fine with her hair, too.

So if Himari came to the school cafeteria not with her good friend Akane, but with a boy like Saito, it’d naturally gather curious onlookers. Saito ordered a casual steak bowl whereas Himari went with omurice. Finding an open desk in the middle of the cafeteria, they sat down facing each other. Eating next to the windows may have been a bit more relaxing, but this wasn’t the time to be picky. They had to draw as much attention as possible.

“You really like omurice, huh?”

“Err, how do you know?”

“When I spot you eating here, you’d always order one.”

“…!” Himari’s body shivered.

“…Did I say something weird?”

“I was just thinking that you sure watched me a lot.”

“N-Not on purpose. I simply spotted you, that’s all.”

“I wonder about that~”

“It’s the truth!” Saito felt his face growing hot by the second.

Even in their first year, Himari would periodically call out to Saito in the cafeteria, and he simply couldn’t forget what she was eating at the time. Himari saw Saito’s reaction, covered her mouth with one hand, and giggled.

“I know, I know. But you shouldn’t say this sort of stuff to a girl. She’ll get the wrong idea, you know?”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“My friends keep bringing that up, too. Saying that you might just have feelings for me.”

“Seriously…?” Saito held his head in despair.

Thinking that girls judged his actions to such an extent when he wasn’t even around was like a wooden spike driven through his heart. He had to clear up that misunderstanding as quickly as possible.

“Who brought that up? Someone from our class?”

“That’s a secret. I don’t wanna get any more rivals.”

“Rivals? For what?”

“It’s okay if you don’t get it, Saito-kun.”

“There’s…something I don’t understand…?” Saito bit his lip in shame.

Ever since he was born, he had no problem reading through whatever book or literature he found. And yet, a single statement from a high school student was too much for him to handle, it left him paralyzed.

“Is the omurice here that delicious?”

“You could get addicted to it. If I don’t eat it for a while, I suffer from withdrawal symptoms like shaking hands.”

“Are they adding some dangerous substances in there?”

“They do add parsley.”

“That’s not dangerous, at least.”

“Wanna have a bite?” Himari scooped up some of the omurice, shoving the spoon towards Saito.

“No, that’s…”

“Ah, sorry. You probably think it’s gross since I already had a bite? Haha, what am I doing…Getting all excited.” Himari tried to hide her feelings by laughing it off, but Saito realized he had inadvertently hurt the girl.

He wanted to set things right, or he wouldn’t be able to live with this guilt.

“I don’t feel that way at all. It’s just…an indirect kiss. Just thinking about it makes me tense up.”

Himari seemed bewildered.

“Huh…? You’re…nervous?”

“Of course. I never dated somebody, so why wouldn’t I be.”

“Oh…that makes me happy.”

“And why is that?”

Himari put her hands on her reddened cheeks, explaining in a bashful manner.

“Because that means you see me as a girl.”

“Ack…”

She was perfectly on target with that statement, but hearing it from the person in question only inflicted more damage on Saito. And Himari wasn’t done yet, as she looked up at Saito.

“Then…should we do it? The indirect kiss.”

“Stop teasing me.”

“I’m not teasing you. I’m serious…I wanna do it with you.”

“Geez…” Saito felt his body’s temperature rise even further, as she munched on his steak bowl.

He knew this was necessary to regain his calm and casual high school life, but he also realized that playing pretend lovers with Himari for too long would be dangerous. If he even relaxed for a second, he would get swallowed up by Himari’s charm. Their lunch finished, with Saito barely even remembering the taste, and the two left the cafeteria behind them. On the way out, he felt the curious gazes of the other students around them, as well as Akane’s glares of killing intent, colliding on his back, but this was necessary to erase the bad rumors floating around at the moment.

“What’re we gonna do now?” Saito asked Himari with a quiet voice.

“Good question~ We finished eating lunch in the cafeteria, so I’d like to flirt around somewhere right until the next classes start.”

“…You’d like?”

“Ah, wait, no! I was just thinking that, if we’re acting like a couple, we have to be staying together somewhere!” Himari bumped one fist onto her chest.

Her eyes were radiating with excitement. It was clear this was her own personal desire. However, what she said made perfect sense, so Saito couldn’t argue against it.

“So a place where we can be alone…The biology prep room seems like it’d be vacant.”

“Too many specimens watching us!”

“Isn’t that the best part? Or do you get angry looking at them?”

“I’m not Shisei-chan, so no!”

“Then there’s no problem.”

The day Saito took Shisei to the prep room, he was terrified to find out that the number of specimens lessened after they left.

“There isn’t, but…Hmmm…”

Himari still seemed hesitant.

“Are you bad with grotesque stuff like that? I remember you playing horror games with Shise before, though.”

“I’m not necessarily bad with it, I just think that a romantic location would be a bit better. Being watched by eyeballs at every corner would only get me on edge.”

“I guess so…?”

Saito wasn’t familiar with the desires of a young maiden, but if they couldn’t manage to get a good mood going, it’d probably be even harder to convince people that they were dating. Himari offered a proposition.

“Why not the empty classroom near ours?”

“Wouldn’t the folks from class catch on to us?”

“That’s the whole point. They have to see us spending time together, or they’d never think that something could be up.”

“Right…”

The two headed up the stairs. On their way, whenever they ran into other students, they’d greet Himari like she was a queen walking through her castle. Arriving in the hallway of the 4th floor, Saito opened the door to the empty classroom, checking that nobody was inside. He headed inside, with Himari following after him shortly. They kept the door open just enough to let onlookers check the inside. Himari went ahead and hid in the shadows of a desk and chair, with Saito next to her.

“This feels like we’re doing something forbidden.” Himari snickered.

“Don’t say that.”

Becoming aware of this made Saito feel even more uncomfortable.

“So…what should we do to be flirting?”

“I wonder…” Himari returned a genuine question with a straight face.

“You brought it up yourself, yet you don’t know?!”

“I do know! I really do! There’s just way too many things I wanna do! I doubt I’ll ever get this chance again, so I’m trying to carefully select what I want without regret!”

Seeing Himari so panicky and flustered, Saito couldn’t hold back his laughter.

“W-Why are you laughing?” She asked.

“Usually you’d be pretty chill, so seeing you be torn between your desires was just too funny.”

In general, Himari was the one who’d always stop Akane’s rampages, clearing up the mood in class, and acting as their teacher in life. Because she could prioritize other people’s needs over herself and support everybody’s happiness, she was loved in return. However, the current Himari wasn’t perfect, but rather clumsy in trying to handle her feelings for Saito.

“…How could I be chill. I really like you, I can’t help it.” Himari pouted which sent a shock right through Saito’s chest.

“So what do you want to do? I’ll do whatever you’d like.”

“Whatever?!” Himari immediately latched on to that word, which had Saito stagger backward.

“As long as we don’t cross certain lines…”

“Then….I’d like you to carry me.”

“…Carry you?”

Himari was almost the same height as Saito, not to forget her exceptional figure, so he didn’t expect this kind of childish request. For a moment, he wondered if he had misheard. Himari seemed flustered as she poked her index fingers together.

“W-Well…You’d often let Shisei-chan sit on your lap, right? I was always jealous of that. It allowed her to be really close with you, and it seemed like you could spoil her lots like that, so…yeah.”

“I-I see…”

That being said, things were slightly different when comparing a girl as small as an elementary student, and a grown, well-endowed woman. When carrying Himari, all sorts of places would bump into him or pop out. Himari must’ve seen the hesitation on Saito’s face, because…

“W-Well, I guess I’m asking for the impossible! With how heavy I am, I’d probably end up crushing you instead! Sorry, just forget about it!” Himari covered her face in shame.

“No…I don’t mind. You won’t be hurting me, that’s for sure.”

“R-Really? Won’t I break your legs?”

“You should have some more faith in a man’s muscle strength.” Saito felt his pride hurt.

“Then…don’t mind if I do.” Himari stood up and faced Saito.

Since she had her skirt as short as always, Saito could glance up to see her thighs, and almost spot what was beyond that holy territory. Following that, Himari sat down on Saito’s lap, directly facing him. What followed was a soft sensation, as her breasts were pressed right onto Saito’s face, smothering him. Himari then asked in a worried manner.

“A-Am I heavy…?”

“Not at all, but…”

The attack power of her chest was enough to inflict serious damage on Saito. He tried to shake his head left and right to escape this trap, but he kept on sinking deeper inside this quicksand of pleasure. The sweet scent of honey melted his brain cells and left him even further defenseless. And if that wasn’t enough, Himari gently whispered.

“This position…makes it feel like we’re doing something lewd. I wonder why…”

“No idea…”

The scent emitted from Himari’s body was enough to rob Saito of his ability to reason. He tried to divert his attention from the girl in front of him, but all his five senses were drawn towards her to the point he could hear her breathing.

“Maybe this is a bit too much…” Saito attempted to escape when Himari whispered into his ear.

“Everyone’s watching…we have to do this properly.”

Just as Himari stated, Saito felt gazes coming from the door, as well as the faint voices of their classmates. They tried to keep their voices low but their excitement was unhinged. This, of course, forced the two to play it up to the very end.

“So…what do I do?”

“Mmm…” Himari suddenly twitched with a faint moan.

“W-What’s wrong?”

“Your breath tickled me…”

“S-Sorry.”

“It’s okay. It felt good so…I don’t mind…”

What exactly did she mean by that? Saito felt like he’d be losing something important, so he stopped his thoughts. The stimulus of being this close to Himari was more than enough he had to worry about.

“If we want to show off even more, then…I’d like a hug, too.”

“Like this…?”

“Ah…”

When Saito gently embraced Himari, a gentle yet ecstatic breath escaped her lips. Her body shivered with surprise but also pleasure, directly conveyed onto Saito’s arms. The gentle sunlight shining in from the window illuminated her blonde hair even further. This sugary atmosphere melted Saito’s brain. He was worried that the smallest movement would allow him to feel Himari’s body even more closely, leaving him absolutely frozen. Her breath tickled him, the throbbing of her body, and her chest being pressed onto him…it was too much.

“Is this…enough?”

“N-Not yet, people are still watching.” Himari pressed her body against Saito’s chest.

The curious voices of the onlookers had already vanished, but Himari must be able to see them from her position.

“How long are we supposed to stay like this?”

“I don’t know…Just…just a bit longer…” She begged like a small child, clinging to Saito.

When the two returned to the classroom of class 3-A, their classmates immediately leaped at them.

“Himari-chan, what was that about?!”

The first person to approach Himari was a girl looking equally as flashy. Since Saito often saw those two together, it didn’t surprise him that they were on good terms.

“Err, wh-what are you talking about?” Himari played innocent.

“What you just did with Houjou-kun! Some girls saw you flirting around with him in the empty classroom! You were practically glued to each other, I demand an explanation!”

“Ah, so you saw us…Ahaha, that’s a bit problematic…” Himari seemed truly bothered by this fact.

Once again, she portrayed her excellent acting talent. If Akane had been in this position, they would’ve been found out ages ago.

“I saw them eating lunch together, too!”

“What’s going on?!”

“Ishikura-san?!”

“Explain yourself!”

The other classmates were closing in on Himari with no remorse whatsoever. Secret conversations in the hallway, eating lunch together in the cafeteria, a rendezvous in an empty classroom, all these events built up their classmates’ curiosity which now exploded. Witnessing this, Himari glanced at Saito.

“What should we do about this? Should we tell them?”

Even that part was perfectly executed. Adding the “we” into her question only aided in getting her classmates more riled up. The room was in Himari’s control, the students dancing in her palm.

“Well…I don’t mind.”

Saito was filled with half admiration but also fear as he nodded along. He once again realized that the individual most dangerous in this class might be Himari after all. Receiving his permission, Himari moved closer to Saito, fidgeting awkwardly.

“T-The thing is…Saito-kun and I are going out.”

“““Huuuuuuuuuuuuh?!”””

The classmate’s voices roared loudly.

“What was that?!”

“I thought Houjou-kun and Akane-chan were living together?!”

“Maybe they broke up already?!”

“Is he two-timing?!”

“Houjou…I’ll kill you!”

“He’s the devil! Kill him! Right now!”

“Somebody bring a red pepper we can put up his ass!”

The girls were bewildered, and the boys were riddled with bloodlust. The classroom slowly changed into a ritual site, the classmates ready to burn Saito at stake, when Himari stepped between them.

“Sorry, but all of this chaos is actually my fault. I was just joking when I said that Saito-kun and Akane are living together.”

“Joking…?” The girls all seemed confused.

“We’ve been dating for a while now, but when I saw Saito-kun and Akane getting along like that, the jealousy got the better of me. I said that as a joke and in the heat of the moment.” Himari gently embraced her own shoulders to emphasize her weakness. “I should’ve cleared it up sooner, but then this whole thing just sorta blew up, so I didn’t know what to do. Since Saito-kun is going to inherit the Houjou Group, I didn’t want to cause him trouble by announcing our relationship, so…I’m sorry, everyone.” Himari deeply lowered her head, explaining the basis for the rumors. She perfectly acted out her role that even Saito thought she was speaking the truth. However, in reality, they were all being played by Himari.

“You don’t have to apologize, Himari-chan!”

“We’re the ones who are sorry, okay?”

“I’m glad you and Houjou-kun finally got together!”

“Congrats!”

“Don’t you dare make her cry, Houjou!”

Receiving blessings and words of support, Himari seemingly successfully managed to overwrite the rumors of Akane and Saito living together. Himari looked at Saito with dampened eyes, smiling with a bit of relief mixed into it.

“Thank god…Now we don’t have to lie anymore. We can be open about our relationship, right?”

“…Yeah.”

Saito couldn’t help but admire what he had witnessed. From the movement of her body to her expressions and tone, everything worked perfectly into controlling the minds of their classmates. Himari’s acting talent greatly surpassed anything Saito would have imagined to see. Not even the skilled PR employees of the Houjou Group could pull off such a feat.

“Thanks for all the support, everyone!” Himari looked around, and her classmates nodded in unison.

“Saaaaito-kun~”

The fifth period ended, and right as Saito stuffed his textbooks into his student bag, Himari clung to him from behind. Her slender arms wrapped around his chest, as her cheek rubbed against his neck.

“Hey…don’t do that out of the blue.”

“Why? I think a girlfriend’s got the right to hug her boyfriend, no?”

“That’s true, but we are…” Saito wanted to argue that they were simply pretending, but Himari whispered.

“…Don’t let down your guard.”

“…!”

Saito observed their surroundings, seeing that several classmates were stealing glances at them. Himari seemingly managed to convince most of her friends, but some people were still dubious. Himari tried her hardest to erase those rumors, so a careless word from Saito could ruin it all. He had to pour all his focus into playing along.

“Doing this…in front of people is a bit…”

“Everybody knows we’re dating, so what’s the problem? If anything, I wanna brag about it.”

“Brag…”

Feeling the strength in Himari’s arms, Saito realized that she was serious, and not only because people were watching.

“You can be pretty possessive, huh?”

“Of course. I’m not handing you over to anybody.”

Her grip grew even stronger. Feeling that he became Himari’s possession made Saito’s chest flutter. Himari was generally pretty open-minded towards everything and everyone, but she was oddly passionate when it came to love, it seemed.

“Let’s head to the next classroom, yeah?”

“Okay.”

Saito stood up when Himari clung to his arm.

“I can’t walk like this.”

“No problem~”

“It’s a big problem for me.”

“Embarrassed because my boobs are hitting you?” She asked with a teasing tone.

“If you’re aware then stop it!”

“This is also a special right as your girlfriend.”

“And how many special rights are there?”

“108, methinks.”

“Like the 108 defilements in Buddhism?!”

With a bit of banter back and forth, the two walked down the hallway. Himari seemingly enjoyed Saito’s reactions as she’d cling to him even stronger. She was clearly much closer than your average buddy at school, which is why they gathered a lot of attention from the other students walking down the hallways. Even the girls from other classes called out to them.

“Himari, so you’re actually dating Houjou-kun?”

“That’s right. We’re super lovey-dovey.”

“I can tell by looking! I’m so jealous.”

“You better be~”

The girls were chatting energetically. Saito should have been part of this conversation, and yet the girls treated him like an accessory. This must be how a boyfriend feels when his girlfriend runs into a friend on a date.

“How far did you two go already? Did you kiss?”

“Erm…how far did we, Saito-kun…?” Himari asked as she looked up at him.

Saito wanted to throw in a rebuttal but held himself back.

“We…haven’t, yet.”

“Not yet? I feel bad for you, Himari.”

“I wouldn’t mind doing it soon…you know, Saito-kun?”

“I bet~” Saito just commented with a monotone response.

His face must’ve been deadpan beyond belief.

“Then do her a favor, Houjou-kun~”

“Eventually…”

“Why not right here?”

“What kind of torture are you proposing?!” Saito felt the urge to run away before he’d get forced into anything weird.

Is dating genuinely supposed to be this exhausting? Since Saito never had anything to do with romance before, he just wanted to get back to reading. The two were finally freed from the girls, already running late for their next class. They ran down the hallway while gasping for air.

“Sorry that I ended up late, Saito-kun!”

“Don’t talk while running or you’ll bite your tongue!”

“Ah, right! Hold on!” Himari clung to Saito’s arm and stopped.

Saito could barely stop, which had them almost fall over.

“We’ll be late at this rate.”

“That’s fine. Let’s be a few minutes late.”

“Why would we…”

“Just trust me~”

Himari must have her own thoughts about this. When it came to controlling the opinions of others, Saito guessed it’d be best to leave it to her. With that decided, the two spent some extra time near the stairs. The bell quickly rang with most of the students disappearing from the hallways, as only the two of them were left near the window. Himari ran her fingers through her long hair, looking at Saito with a somewhat bashful expression. The sun illuminated her back, creating something of an angelic shine.

“…Say, why don’t we just skip classes altogether?” Himari flashed a grin as she asked.

“Were you always the type to skip classes?”

She may look like a gal, but she had quite a diligent personality despite that.

“I normally wouldn’t. But I figured it’d be fun if I had you wish me. So let’s do it?” Himari sat down on the windowsill next to Saito.

Her skirt fluttered ever so slightly because of the breeze.

“And what would we do, then?”

“Let me think…We could take a random train to leave this country and never come back?” Himari spoke of a wild adventure.

“…Are you that stressed out?”

“Not at all. Going to the Antarctic would be nice, right? Nobody knows us, and we wouldn’t run into anybody. We could build a home away from the penguins and seals to live in isolation for the next 100 years.”

“Something’s up with you, right?” Saito grew genuinely worried for Himari.

She might just be suffering from her worries and troubles he wasn’t aware of.

“Then how about taking a stroll through town?”

“We can do that once classes are over, right?”

“You’ll do that with me?” Himari’s eyes lit up.

“Err…”

“A genuine couple would definitely go home together, right? And so that the others have absolute faith in us dating, we need to be lovey-dovey even outside of school.”

“That might be true, but…”

Himari wrapped both her hands around Saito’s, speaking with passion overflowing from her voice.

“Then let’s go on a date after school, no? It can be a pretend date! I’ll pay for everything, and we can do whatever you’d like! I’ll even carry your stuff!”

Seeing how earnest she was about her invitation, Saito had trouble flat-out rejecting her. The guilt of having previously rejected her still lingered in his chest, and he didn’t want to hurt her any further. Looking at her as a single human being, Saito was quite fond of her, after all.

“…Got it. If it’ll help us pretend.”

“Yay~! You’re so kind, Saito-kun!”

“Wha…”

Himari leaped into Saito’s arms, leaving him bewildered and uncertain about how to react. Pushing her away would’ve been rude, but something hindered him from returning the hug.

“Anyway, we gotta go. If we’re too late, it’ll negatively impact your grades.”

“I knew it, you’re so kind. You’re worried about me, right?”

“Of course. If your grades drop any further, you’ll be in deep trouble.”

Himari pouted.

“Hm? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what I said.”

“Welp, it’ll be fine! You’ll help raise my grades ten-fold, so I’m not worried at all, Teacher!”

“When did I become your teacher?”

Their footsteps resounded through the otherwise quiet school building as they headed down the stairs. And yet, Himari seemed to be having fun, almost stepping down the stairs in rhythm. The second they entered the chemistry classroom, a roar of noise exploded from their classmates.

“They’re late!”

“What were they doing up to now?!”

“Do you really have to ask?”

“Curse you, Houjou…”

“So lovey-dovey!”

They were showered with gazes of excitement and welcomed with cheers.

“Keep it quiet, we’re in the middle of class.” The teacher scolded them, but the chattering wouldn’t stop.

—I see, that’s what Himari was aiming for…

In just five minutes, the impression of the two dating grew even stronger. It was masterfully done, once more. Saito apologized for being late and sat down in his seat. Right as he opened up his textbook, he felt a shiver running down his spine. Looking at his side, he spotted Akane glaring at him. She emitted evident killing intent, which overwhelmed Saito with its peer pressure. In her hand, Akane had a pen she had snapped in half. Saito felt terrified, thinking he might just get killed as soon as he got home that day.

The second the bell rang, Akane realized that neither Saito nor Himari were present. She wondered what they were up to, sending Himari messages here and there. However, no responses came. Himari wouldn’t even read the messages. Once the two rushed into the classroom, Akane could see Himari’s flushed cheeks. She had never seen such an expression on Himari. Her hair was in disarray. She simply clung to Saito’s arm like she was a cat.

—Seriously…what were they doing?

To Akane, it felt as if the two had left her behind, heading somewhere else without her. She felt terrified, like she was about to fall off her chair, so she clung to the corners of her desk. She didn’t know why her heart felt this restless. She knew they were just acting, and yet…When she saw the two smiling at each other again and again during class, it felt like a small needle was driven right through her chest. When classes ended and she saw Himari fixing Saito’s crooked tie, she felt the urge to break between the two…But, she couldn’t.

If she did that, it’d lead to their classmates doubting their relationship again. Himari was doing her hardest to ease up the situation for them, so she’d ruin all of that. Akane couldn’t afford to approach Saito in any way. Even their daily fights that had continued for the past three years were now on hold. Right as the group around Himari weakened, Akane saw her chance to approach her friend.

“So…Himari? Aren’t you going a bit too far?”

“What do you mean?” Himari sounded confused.

Akane fumbled over her explanation, struggling to speak up.

“A-About Saito. You don’t have to go all out, right? You look like…a couple who only got eyes for each other.”

“We do?” Himari’s voice harbored excitement.

“Why do you sound so happy?!”

“I mean, becoming such a couple with Saito is like a dream come true! So we look like that…? Hehe, I’m so happy.” Himari grinned in joy.

Seeing her friend happy made Akane happy, too…or so it should have been. Yet for some reason, Akane couldn’t be happy. She simply embraced her textbook close to her chest, as if to protect her heart.

“Anyway, I don’t think you should be acting so clingy with him.”

“That’s the whole point. It’ll get rid of the rumors faster. At least more than doing it half-baked.”

“But…but…”

Since Himari was speaking solely with reason, Akane had no room to argue. Why was she even trying to stop them from acting as a couple in the first place? If their plan of acting lovers was currently working out, there should be no reason to stop it. As Akane was bewildered about her own feelings, Himari was once again surrounded by classmates, not allowing Akane to speak another word, who could only waltz away in defeat.

After classes had ended, Himari didn’t waste much time leaving the classroom with Saito. They had their arms linked like a true couple, showing off immediately.

—Are they heading out on a date…?

Akane was left behind, preparing to head home as her chest was filled with hazy and gloomy feelings. As of late, she and Saito couldn’t head out shopping together, all the focus was on Himari.

—Hold on, that makes it sound like I want to head somewhere with Saito! That’s not it at all!

Akane violently shook her head when Maho came rushing into the classroom.

“Onee-chan! Your adorable little sister is here to pick you up! Let’s head home together!”

“Yes, let’s.” Akane felt as if she was being healed by her younger sister acting this energetic.

She felt like she finally had a place she belonged to. At least a million times more than when she was around Saito. Maho took Akane’s hand, and they left through the front entrance.

“I just saw Onii-chan and Himarin walking down the hallway! They seem really close like they’re an actual couple!”

“They’re just acting, nothing more!” Akane stomped on the ground in anger.

“You think so? Himarin always had the hots for Onii-chan, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re dating for real. Onii-chan seemed happy, too.”

“It’s fake! All fake! Just acting!”

“Why are you so pissed?”

“I’m not pissed at all!”

She clearly was. Even to the point, she herself was aware of it. She didn’t mean to act like this in front of her own sister, but she couldn’t stop herself. Her emotions were all over the place. Akane always had the tendency to be explosive when it came to her own emotions, but this grew exceptionally bad when Saito was involved. As soon as he was around, she naturally grew agitated, and when he treated her kindly, she became happy to no end. It was like an endless stream of confusing emotions. No matter what, the two were always on bad terms. That’s exactly why her emotions were in such disarray even now.

“Onee-chan, maybe you should let out some pent-up stress?” Maho spoke with a worried tone as she glanced at Akane’s face, which pulled her back to reality.

“I’m fine, really.”

“Are you really? I’m worried you might go around punching random strangers.”

“I’m not some hooligan!”

“It’s okay, I’ll do my best to erase and destroy any evidence that could be used in a court of law and lie during my testimony to ensure your safety!”

“I won’t do anything that would require you to do such a thing! Also, you can’t do that, you’ll get sued for perjury!”

Akane felt hurt that her sister saw her in such a light.

“Let’s head to a game center! We can shoot up some zombies to get rid of all the bad juju!”

“I don’t want any zombies!”

“Okay, then off we go on our date!”

Akane couldn’t say no to her sister, who simply pulled her along. Akane disliked such a grotesque and vile game, but it was a lot better than simply waiting at home for hours for no end. This is why she agreed to tag along. They moved away from their usual route from school to enter the shopping district, which was crowded with students as always. As they ran the risk of being spotted by their classmates, Akane and Saito had never come here before. She did frequent this street with Himari, usually on their way home, but that also stopped as of late. Akane was always plagued by housework, and Himari had found a part-time job, so their schedules never matched enough. Akane and Maho walked down the bristling street while holding hands when Maho spoke up.

“Now that I think about it, you went to this party a long time ago, right?”

“A party…?”

“You know, when you were about to graduate from primary school. Grandma took you to that party, yeah? I wanted to go myself, but I wasn’t feeling up for it. The party was held at that separate residence, owned by that friend of Grandma’s…”

“…!” Akane froze up.

She had never gone to any party before, but when speaking of one at a residence, there could only be one. It was a luxurious and separate residence owned by the Houjou Group and looked like the royal palace of the royal family. The attendees all wore expensive attires, enjoying food that Akane had never seen before. The one getting the most attention during that time was the son of Emperor Tenryuu, the acting prince and successor of the group—Saito.

“You were in such a great mood when you got back from that party, right?”

“Was I…?”

“Yep. You’d be all restless, spacing out, fidgeting around, and totally different from usual. What was that about?”

“That’s…”

Akane tried to remember what exactly happened back then when she felt her body growing hot. The returning memories, the scorching shame that filled her, paired with frustration…It felt as if she had opened up Pandora’s box, so Akane frantically slammed the box shut again.

“Nothing!”

“Huh? That’s not true, is it~ Also, the first time you met Onii-chan wasn’t in high school, but during that party, right?” Maho took a close look at Akane’s face.

“I don’t know! And I don’t want to remember!”

“So something happened?”

“Nothing at all! Not at that party!”

“So after that party?”

Akane crossed her arms and looked away.

“Nothing happened! We’re done talking about this! And if you don’t drop it, I’ll make you eat rice porridge!”

“How could you threaten me like that, Onee-chan?!”

“And to make it extra healthy, it’ll be only water and rice!”

“No! At least give me a hamburger with lots of juicy sauce!” Maho was starting to tear up.

Akane started to feel slightly guilty, but this was the only method she could think of to stop this endless questioning.

“Okay, fine! You don’t need to tell me then! I’ll just assume that you both fell in love with each other and then got separated.”

“Seriously, nothing happened…” Akane bit her lip.

After that party, up to their entrance exams for high school, Akane had not seen Saito.

—That’s why I…

Akane was engulfed in the same feelings she had during their entrance ceremony, so she slapped her hands on her cheeks to forget about it. As of late, something was wrong with her. Even today, her mind was always somewhere else…and it’s been like this for a while now. Especially so after she heard Saito and Maho talk in the hospital.

The two stepped inside the game center. Normally, Akane would play the crane games with Himari, take pictures at the photo booth, or play rhythm games, but Maho immediately walked to the back with the more serious games.

“Let’s play this shooter, Onee-chan!”

She stopped in front of a sign that said ‘Gun Battle Crisis.’ The large screen in front of them showed movie-like action scenes, with two guns offered to the player.

“I did say no to zombies, right?!” Akane covered her eyes.

“This doesn’t have any zombies! You’re fighting either human soldiers or robots!”

“R-Really…?”

“Yep, yep! No need to be scared!”

“I-I-I’m not scared at all!”

Akane slowly moved her hands off her eyes and looked at the game itself. She spotted no zombies anywhere so far. Neither were any zombies part of the footage playing on the screen, either. Akane looked it up online, but the official site mentioned no zombies, too. Seeing all this preparatory work had Maho sigh.

“You don’t have to be this thorough, you know?”

“J-Just making sure!” Akane put her phone back into her student bag.

Maho generally was a kind girl with no bad intentions, but she had the tendency to play pranks on Akane when she felt like it. Hence, Akane could not afford to let down her guard for even a moment. Akane inserted enough money for the two of them to play a round and grabbed a gun. It was simplified but felt and acted like a genuine gun. Perfect for Akane’s current mood. Maho helped explain the controls.

“You keep the gun in your dominant hand, putting the finger here on the trigger. If you want to change your weapon, you press this button, and reloading is this button.”

“…Does this have actual bullets?”

“If it had, then you’d be killing people left and right with stray bullets!”

“I guess so…I would’ve taken Saito here, otherwise…”

“Don’t say stuff that’ll be used as evidence in court! And why would you want to use real bullets on him, anyway?! Did you two fight?!”

“I’m not going to shoot him, just gonna tickle him with some bullets…I have this insatiable urge to test out this baby on him.”

“Scary! Your honest feelings are terrifying, Onee-chan!”

While they were talking back and forth, the scene stopped playing and the game began. Akane didn’t watch a second of it so she had no clue about the story, but all she had to do was decimate the enemies coming at her. Hostile soldiers showed up, with Akane and Maho pointing their guns at them. Each time bullet shots resounded, cracks showed up in the screen. Whenever they fought back, the soldiers started hiding in the shadows, attacking once Akane ran out of bullets.

“Ahhh, this is so frustrating! Keep it quiet, already!”

The soldiers attacking started to look like Saito. Akane poured all her pent-up stress into the bullets, relentlessly firing at the enemy. When she envisioned Saito dodging those bullets, her aim became a lot more accurate. Slowly but steadily, the enemy soldiers had their heads blown off. When Akane picked up the boxes looking like weapons, she received a buff on her bullets. Akane marched through the battlefield riddled with screams, as she picked up enemies from left to right. When she regained her senses, the screen said ‘Stage Clear! High Score!’ in bold text. Following that were loud cheers from all around. Akane hadn’t even realized that she was gathering attention from the other visitors.

“Wow, wow! We got a high score, Onee-chan!” The third-best in the entire country! Were you actually a gamer in secret?!”

“I never played this game before.”

“Then how were you so good at it?!”

“I just thought of the enemies as Saito, and then my body moved on its own…Telling me to kill them as quickly as possible.”

“Why do you hate Onii-chan so much?!”

“I’m glad we’re not living in America. I would’ve bought a gun by now…”

“Oh boy, I am just as glad! I feel bad for Onii-chan! He would’ve died a hundred times over.”

Since the game had concluded, Akane quickly escaped from there. Maho apparently planned on taking the national record, but Akane wanted to avoid any unnecessary attention. There was already a ruckus at school, so she was more than exhausted.

“Hey, let’s play this together! Or actually, play it for me!” Maho clung to Akane’s arm, pointing at what looked like a boxing arcade game.

A red sandbag dangled down a box-like machine, with gloves available nearby.

“Maho…do you think I’m some kind of hitman? There’s no way I can do this!”

“Of course, you can! Just think of that red bag as Onii-chan and whack him a good one!”

“Saito is…the sandbag…” Akane suddenly was filled with a rush of motivation.

She put on the glove, staring down at the sandbag. The sandbag suddenly looked like it grew a head, Sait’s face grinning at Akane as if he was ridiculing her, saying something like “Keke, you can’t ever beat me.”

“Just you watch…I’ll smash in that arrogant face of yours…”

“Face?! Where do you see a face?! You’re not talking about mine, right?!” Maho grew genuinely worried.

Akane took a deep breath, pulled back her arm, and rammed it right into the sandbag with all her might. WHAPOW, an explosive sound rang out, together with celebrative music from the machine, as a mechanical voice said “High Score!” Out of joy, Maho leaped at Akane.

“Holy smokes, Onee-chan! You got the second highest score!”

“Seems like I can crush Saito’s face just fine.”

“Onii-chan’s face doesn’t matter right now! But you’re amazing, it’s the power of rage fueling you! Let’s aim for the highest score!”

“You’re right…I need more power to utterly obliterate Saito…” Akane nodded in satisfaction.

Saito walked through the shopping district when he happened to glance inside a particular game center. If it was just any normal game center, he didn’t have to be this terrified. However, what truly sent shivers down his spine was Akane absolutely demolishing a punching machine with all her might. The audience watched this in astonishment, with Maho jumping up and down in joy. And then, Akane screamed “Saito, you dummy!” from the top of her lungs. Saito watched all of this unfold.

For a split second, Saito felt like he saw himself as that sandbag. And without a doubt, Akane was doing the exact same in her mind.

“What’s wrong, Saito-kun?” Himari looked at Saito’s face as she stopped next to him.

“L-Let’s go over there, maybe.” He grabbed her hand and took her away from the vicinity of the game center.

“Th-This is the first time…you ever held my hand, right…?” Himari blushed.

It was adorable as all hell, but Saito didn’t do it out of any romantic intention. He simply felt the instinct urging him to run away. If Akane saw the two going on a date through the business district right now—even if it was just pretending—she would most likely smash Saito’s head in. That’s how much anger was built up inside of her at this moment.

The business district was bristling with fellow students wearing the same uniforms as Saito and Himari, ranging from normal friends to openly-displaying couples. Just as Himari had stated previously, if they showed off as a couple on a date, it’d make it even more apparent that they are dating.

“So, what should we do?” Saito spoke up.

“You’re asking a girl that?”

“I’ve got absolutely no experience with this sort of stuff, and I figured you’d know a thing or two.”

“Don’t make me sound like some easy girl! Today’s…the first time I’m on a date with a boy…” Himari seemed slightly perturbed by Saito’s comment, pouting openly.

She may look like a gal on the outside, but she was exceptionally pure. If she had black hair and wore her uniform properly, Saito wouldn’t even see her as a gal.

“Sorry, this might be your first date, but it’s still only a pretend date.”

Himari frantically waved her hands.

“I-It’s okay! Just being able to go home with the Saito-kun I love is more than enough for me, really!”

That insert made Saito feel even more guilty. Even if this was a fake date, he wanted her to enjoy herself. This was his duty, and what she deserved.

“Where do you want to go, Himari?”

“I’m fine with wherever you want to go, Saito-kun.”

“But I want to know what you’d like to do.”

Himari put her index finger on her lips, thinking.

“Hmm, then…a hotel, maybe?”

“On our first date?!”

“Ahaha, I guess I’m jumping the gun a bit…But, I would be fine with that, you know?” Her eyes, brimming with passion, looked at Saito.

Was she just testing for his reaction, or was she being genuine? Himari’s body, and her slender waist, were pushed against Saito. He felt the saliva building deep inside his mouth. His heart was racing painfully fast, not even allowing him to gulp.

“…I can’t do that.”

“Why? You’ve got a girl with you who’s willing to listen to whatever request you may have. You can even cast me aside once you’re done with me, too.”

“I don’t want to hurt you. If we’d end up doing that, it’d be once we’re dating for real.”

“Saito-kun…” Himari’s eyes lit up, as a faint snicker escaped her lips and her shoulders relaxed. “You’re such a dummy. If you’d act more self-absorbed and self-indulgent, you could finally make me hate you. If you treasure me this much, I’ll only fall in love with you more.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. I’m really happy.” Himari clung to Saito’s arm. “Just take me wherever you’d like. I want to know more about you.”

“Gotcha.”

If she wished for it, then Saito had to oblige. He decided to bring her to a bookstore in a back alley where he’d always buy the newest releases on the way home. It was a small store with manga magazines stocked on the shelves and books aimed at children on display. Hand-written assignments hung on the outside glass window, creating a feeling of familiarity. The assortment wasn’t anything special either, but their selection was quite refined, often hitting Saito’s taste. The faint scent of ink around, and the unfriendly owner created a calm and pleasant atmosphere. Himari looked around several times and took a deep breath.

“This…place has a great atmosphere.”

“Oh, you can tell?”

“Yeah. It’s pretty plain, but that’s what’s good about it. Like we’re in a different world from the outside.”

Saito nodded strongly.

“That’s right. It doesn’t stand out much, which keeps out all the weird customers. It makes me feel like I stepped into an ancient library, and with no folks causing a ruckus, I can take my time looking for new books. Looking up books online is one thing, but going through them with your own hands immediately gives you this sense of familiarity. Taking in everything about a book with all your senses is the best part of reading a book.”

Himari let out a snicker.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you talk this passionately about something.”

“I wasn’t planning on doing so…” Saito suddenly felt embarrassed.

Since he had found a kindred spirit in Himari who understood his feelings, he just started blurting out what he had been thinking all this time.

“The usual calm and collected Saito-kun is pretty cool, too. But I like it when you’re passionate about something. So tell me more about you?”

“…Yeah.”

She wasn’t making fun of him by any means, but that only left Saito even more restless. He found himself unable to directly look into Himari’s eyes, which felt like they had seen right through him.

“What kind of books do you like, Saito-kun?”

“I’m not particular with genres. Sometimes I just go in order of a bookshelf.”

“Seriously!? That’s amazing!”

“It’s pretty inefficient, though, and it’s heavy on my budget so I stopped doing that.”

Saito may be the one to inherit the Houjou Group, but his parents were average citizens. He may receive enough money to survive from them, but that wasn’t enough to just buy random books.

“I’d like to read a favorite book of yours. Got anything?”

“Hmmm…I don’t know what to recommend to someone whose head will explode if she reads a book…”

“My head will be fine! And I’ll read whatever you recommend to me!”

“Then I’ll buy a book for you as thanks for everything.”

Himari’s eyes opened wide in shock.

“Seriously?! I’ll definitely read it! Over and over until I can recite it by heart! Hell yeah, a present from Saito-kun!” Himari seemed overjoyed, as Saito took her along through the store.

With Himari this motivated, Saito sought to choose a book that’d help her in some way. For her future, more than anything. With that thought in mind, Saito grabbed a compendium of laws from the bookshelf.”

“Err…what’s this? A brick?” Himari shuddered at the thick lump in front of her.

“It’s a compendium of all the laws of Japan. It’s got the constitution, civil law, criminal law, and commercial law written down here. It’ll help you a lot.”

“I don’t want to become a lawyer, you know?!”

“I know lawyers who probably got their license from the black market with how they object to their own questions, so I’m sure you could do it too if you set your mind on it. You’d at least be a lot nicer to the witnesses on the stand. And also, knowing about the law is important even if you don’t want to become a lawyer. The ones who know the system know the way to victory. If you don’t know anything, you’ll end up in court fighting some crazy ex of yours who accuses you of committing domestic violence.”

“I didn’t know society was such a scary place! I’ll never graduate for the rest of my life!”

“Well, if you keep going at this rate…y’know.”

“Ouch?! My attendance is absolutely perfect, at least!” Himari emphasized, but Saito ignored her and headed for the cash register.

A book of this size bit heavily into Saito’s wallet, but it was a token of gratitude, so Saito dealt with it.

“W-Wait a second! I’d like something else as thanks, actually!”

“So you…don’t like law literature? I’m a pretty big fan, you know…” Saito seemed dejected.

“I don’t know if I will like it or not, but there’s no way I can remember all of that! And I’d feel bad just letting this thing get dusty in some drawer!” Himari shivered in fear.

Forcing someone to learn something always had the opposite effect, and Saito knew that.

“Got it. Think of what you’d like and tell me, okay?”

“It doesn’t have to be anything physical, either. For example…I could have you do 5000 push-ups, or dig a hole for me that you’ll visit every single day.”

“Do you want me to die?”

Because that’s what this sounded like.

“That was just an example! I wanna know how far I can go!”

“…Well, for the most part, I’ll let you do whatever.”

Saito knew that Himari wouldn’t ask for anything ridiculous. Unlike Akane, who’d get Saito exiled from earth, and Maho who’d ask for his chastity, Himari was a safe bet. After the two of them walked around inside the store a bit, they eventually stepped outside. Since a new release Saito was waiting for came out, he also bought that on the side. They continued to walk down the shopping district when a sweet scent drifted toward them. Himari spotted a crepe store with a colorful billboard, which had a large row of students waiting in front of it.

“Saito-kun, do you like crepes?”

“If it doesn’t have too much cream. I sometimes eat crepe with Shise.”

“I never had crepes that weren’t sweet. Let’s feed each other, yeah?”

“Like we’re a couple…”

“We are a couple, right?” Himari gave Saito a wink, who had no counterargument.

The two lined up after the other students and ordered the crepes. Saito chose one with tuna and cheese as more of an afternoon snack, whereas Himari went with a banana chocolate caramel custard maron vanilla triple ice, which honestly sounded like a chant to cast some magic spell. As the name suggested, the crepe was packed to the brim, about to collapse. Saito was worried just watching the crepe wobble. Yet Himari seemed calm as ever, just munching on it.

“Mhm, delicious! The crepe from this place is the best!”

“So there are differences between stores?”

“Of course! Come on, have a bite.”

“Mnom.”

Himari suddenly pushed the crepe towards Saito’s mouth, who reflexively took a bite.

—Sweet.

It was a lot sweeter than any sort of candy or crepe Saito had tasted up to this point. This sweetness melted away inside of his body, making him feel dizzy.

“That’s an indirect kiss for me!”

“Wasn’t I the one who got it…?”

Saito’s blood rushed to his head. This one couldn’t be avoided, so it didn’t count—is what he’d like to tell himself, but he realized he took a bite from the exact place Himari had. A feeling of shame and embarrassment filled his body as if he had directly licked Himari’s lips. Himari on her end just smiled to herself.

“I’ve always dreamed of this.”

“Of what?”

“Going on a date after school with the person I love, doing some light shopping, eating delicious food, and just spending time together. I had always wanted to experience something like this since I was in elementary school.”

“Aren’t you quite the romantic?”

“I’m not, this much is normal!”

“I, for one, never thought about this.”

Let alone in elementary school, Saito never thought about this topic until now in high school. All he ever cared about were books, and he decided to not get involved with people who could provide him with substantial knowledge. And yet, here he was, going on a pretend date with the most popular girl at school.

“…I’m having some doubts here, but we’re just pretending to be on a date, right?”

“Hm? Yep. What about it?”

“I feel like we’re doing pretty much what would be normal for a genuine date. What’s the difference between a real date and a pretend date?”

“Ah…” Himari froze up.

“Oi, what’s that ‘Oops, I got found out’ impression of yours?!”

“I wasn’t found out just yet!”

“The heck does that mean?!”

Himari panicked.

“E-Erm, okay! If this was an actual date, then you’d be dead by now!”

“I didn’t know that a date was a battle to the death.”

Saito had assumed a date to be a more peaceful activity. That being said, Himari must be a lot more experienced than him, so she would know.

“On an actual date, we would’ve kissed by now! Since we’re just pretending, we left it at an indirect kiss! And you’ll survive!”

“I better…”

Saito couldn’t follow what exactly Himari was talking about, but he guessed what she was trying to say. Basically, since this was a pretend date, Himari held back for his sake.

“Anyway, let me take a bite from your crepe!” Himari most likely wanted to change the topic, just frantically munching at Saito’s crepe. “~~~?! S-S-So spicy!” Her head turned as red as a tomato.

“It’s not that spicy. This is just a ‘Bursting Hellfire Chili Pepper Tsuna Cheese Crepe’, as you can see.”

“That name alone sounds spicy!”

“It’s perfectly normal. They even have one that’s 50 times as spicy if you’d like. Just gotta check their hidden menu.”

“Why does a crepe stall need a hidden menu?! Water! I need water!” Himari started running.

She frantically looked for a vending machine but to no avail. She started shaking while biting on her lip, soon reaching her limit.

“Over here!” Saito remembered a nearby park and ran.

Himari reached the water fountain, pushed her body forward, and took a good sip. The water completely splashed into her face as a result, leaving her drenched, but she completely ignored that. Once she managed to survive through the spicy hell, she sunk down onto a bench.

“Lord, that was spicy…I thought my tongue would burn off…”

“You’re exaggerating. It was still on the softer level, so you can’t break at this level.”

“Who am I fighting?! I’m not heading off to some fast-eating contest!”

“In the event that you accidentally buy spicy ramen ten times and have to live off that for a week, you’ll thank me,” Saito spoke like he had experienced this before.

“I…see…?” Himari seemed bewildered, not realizing that her hair and uniform were drenched.

Her wet blouse stuck to her well-endowed chest, involuntarily showing her underwear. Her skirt suffered a similar fate, revealing water droplets on her thighs that sparkled beneath the sun.

“I think you should head home for today, you’ll catch a cold.”

“I’m fine, I can still keep going!”

“Don’t force yourself, you hear me.”

“I’m not! I’m on a date with Saito-kun, so I don’t wanna go home!”

She bawled like a little child, which was another first for Saito. Usually, she’d keep a mature air to herself, which is why he couldn’t say no.

“Here.” Saito took off his blazer and put it on Himari’s shoulder.

“Wha…”

“You can’t walk around like this. I’ll send you off, so let’s go home?”

“O-Okay…” Himari blushed as she held onto Saito’s blazer.

Himari’s home was inside a 7-floor flat, located on the third floor. They passed by the vacant caretaker’s room, stepping inside the small elevator. The inside was packed with reminders for garbage collection day or other information on suspicious people that had appeared in the area. The box slowly moved up the floors, as Saito didn’t know where to look. Himari was wearing Saito’s blazer, but he could still see her drenched blazer, leaving him troubled. Usually, Himari was brimming with joy and energy, and yet she was now like a meek little child.

The bell rang and the doors of the elevator opened, which allowed Saito to sigh in relief. Several lock systems were hanging on the walls of this hallway, with children’s toys scattered here and there. Finally, Himari came to a halt in front of the door plate that said “Ishikura.” She rummaged through her student bag, taking out a key with several key chains on it.

“Anyway, I’m gonna…” Saito reached out his hand, waiting to receive his blazer from Himari.

She however had other plans, as she took his hand.

“…Won’t you come in for a bit?”

It didn’t take much from Saito for him to realize how nervous she was. Her hand that grabbed him was visibly shaking.

“I can’t…”

“Your blazer ended up drenched because of me! I don’t want you to catch a cold. So I could make some tea for you! It’s delicious Darjeeling tea I got from the owner of the café I work at!”

Saito found himself unable to immediately reject Himari’s offer. He had always been weak when it came to her, and she was helping him out immensely during this case, too. She was basically dragged into the whole situation with the Houjou Group.

“…Got it. If it’s for a bit, I guess.”

“Great!” Himari pulled Saito inside like she was dancing in joy.

Saito had expected a typically girly room with pink colors and plush toys, but that was way off. The room was colored in a blatant white, giving it a more relaxed tone, and equipped with a large drawer. A glass table stood on the rug in the center. The inside was clean and tidy, not showing a sign of dirt in any corner. On top of her student desk stood a bottle of perfume, together with picture frames. One showed Himari and Akane, with the other being a picture of Saito alone.

“This is…”

Saito spotted the picture, which had Himari panic.

“A-Ah, sorry! I wasn’t taking that in secret! I just bought this picture during our field trip! It must be gross to have this picture around! I’ll give it back to you!”

“You don’t have to.”

Saito genuinely felt embarrassed, but that’s all.

“A-Are you sure?”

“You paid for it, so you have the right to put it up.”

“Then can I ask for additional pictures that I can put up in my room?!”

“That…I’d rather not.”

“I’ll pay for them! I got my part-time job money, so I can pay 100k for a picture!”

“They aren’t that expensive!”

Saito didn’t know why she would treasure a single picture this much. If anything, Saito hated remembering things about the past, but there was nothing he could do with his memory. That’s why he at least didn’t buy any pictures from the field trip. And since his parents never cared much about preserving the growth he had gone through, there also aren’t any pictures of him at their home.

“I’ll change really quickly, so just wait here.”

Himari stepped out onto the hallway, leaving Saito alone in a girl’s room. He didn’t know where to sit, so he just stood around like a dog showering in the rain, as he looked around the room some more. On the bookshelf of the study desk, he spotted women’s magazines, books about hairstyles, nail art, and other specialist books. “The mechanisms of lust and desire,” “studies of mass psychology,” “process of emotional guidance,” and so on. Many books about psychology for some reason. And they also seemed fairly worn down.

—She was…reading all this stuff? Is she actually pretty clever?

Saito grabbed a random book. Flipping the pages, he saw several parts of text underlined, with added small notes written in feminine handwriting. She wasn’t just reading that, she was properly studying it. She wasn’t particularly skilled at studying for school subjects, but she could be passionate about things she cared about.

“Sorry for the wait!”

Himari returned to the room, so Saito quickly put the book back. She carried a tray with a teapot on it in one hand, showing off her waitressing skills…which in itself was fine, but Saito was rather baffled by Himari’s attire. She wore knitted clothes with revealing shoulders and a long sweater that reached down to her waist, which barely didn’t cover her thighs. Below that was a Schrödinger’s level question if she was wearing short pants or a skirt.

“Oi, you’re not wearing anything below that sweater!”

“Huh?! Wait, I’m wearing underwear!”

“Not that! I don’t see you wearing a shirt or pants!”

“Ah, that? No worries, this sweater was designed that way. It’s like a one-piece dress.” Himari laughed in a cute way and put down the two cups on the table.

Since she put her knees down on the floor, her thighs were in plain sight once again, troubling Saito with where to look.

“I’m more than worried…”

“Did I get your heart racing?”

“…A bit.”

“Yay~!” Himari’s ears turned faintly red, as she poured some tea into a cup.

A pleasant smell filled the room, giving warmth and comfort.

“Don’t just stand around. Have a seat! Over here, over here~” Himari pulled on Saito’s arm, having him sit down on the corner of the bed.

Saito hesitated too long and found himself abiding by her motion. He had a feeling like sitting next to a girl on said girl’s bed would be more than just a bed, but moving away now would hurt Himari’s feelings. Seeing no way out of this, Saito went to pick up his cup and took a sip. A pleasant taste filled his mouth, sinking deep down his throat.

“This is pretty good.”

“Right? They usually don’t sell these tea leaves in normal stores.”

Himari also tried some of the tea, letting out a satisfied sigh. She stretched out her long, white legs and put her hands on her bed. Following that, she opened up her messenger app and showed Saito her screen.

“Take a look, this is our class’s group chat.”

“We had that? I’m not part of that, you know.”

“Neither is Akane. Said she couldn’t be bothered.”

“And I wasn’t even asked…”

“You didn’t seem interested in the first place.”

“I guess so, but…”

Saito still felt hurt that nobody even bothered to ask him. Even more so when he saw Shisei being part of the chat, sending random emotes.

“More importantly, look at this. Everyone’s talking about us.” Himari swiped her finger along the screen, showing more messages.

‘Ishikura-san and Houjou-san seemed really close, huh!’

‘I saw them walking through the business district a few hours ago!’

‘Seriously? Are they on a date?’

‘They were flirting like crazy.’

‘Himariii, tell us!’

‘Dummy, she’s busy right now!’

‘Ah…’

‘I figured~’

‘Holy smokes~’

…So on and so forth. All rumors about Saito and Akane were forgotten, as their classmates were hungry for more Himari x Saito material. Saito was filled with admiration.

“That’s crazy…your plan worked out perfectly.”

“Ahaha, that was just a fluke, really.”

“I highly doubt that. On that bookshelf over there, I can see so many books about psychology. Were you studying up on this?”

“Ah…I guess.”

“You’re really good at controlling people, huh?”

“Good…Well, I had to get good at it or I wouldn’t be able to survive.”

“What do you mean?”

Himari wrapped her long sleeves around the teacup, gazing down at the water surface.

“I told you how I was bullied back in elementary school, right?”

“Yeah.”

Since she looked flashy with blonde hair, she always attracted negative attention. The common consensus is to exile anything other than yourself, after all.

“Thanks to Akane’s help, the bullying eventually stopped, but it rekindled when our classes changed. Akane ended up hated because she stepped for me, so I figured I couldn’t let things continue. I don’t want to trouble Akane any more than necessary, either.” She spoke with a determined tone.

Unlike Akane, Himari was a kindhearted girl, but she had the will when she needed it.

“That’s why I learned a lot. So that nobody would dare to attack us. So that everybody would like me. And for that, I had to control their hearts.”

“…I see.”

The reason Akane managed to keep her place in class despite her severe personality is probably because of Himari’s assistance. No student had the courage to go against the friend of the school’s most popular girl. Himari looked at Saito with a bit of worry in her eyes.

“…I bet a girl like me isn’t cute at all.”

“No, I respect what you’ve done for your friend.”

The Houjou Family never hesitated to choose whatever method to obtain their goals. Compared to Tenryuu’s acts in the past, Himari’s efforts rather looked cute to Saito, and her motive was simple, too. However, there was one thing bothering him.

“I am a bit scared…that you might use those techniques on me.”

Himari’s eyes opened wide in shock.

“I wouldn’t use them on people I care about! That wouldn’t be fair! Obtaining something through these means wouldn’t make me happy at all!”

“I guess so.”

However, going out with somebody meant using these techniques to some sort of degree, at least. Saito made sure to cook Akane’s favorite food, got her a present, and is generally working hard so that they could get along. When it came to tampering with someone’s heart to a small degree, Saito wasn’t any different from Himari.

“Anyway, you really helped me out a lot. Without you, we would’ve been stuck in this mess forever. Sorry that you had to go through this.” Saito lowered his head towards Himari.

“It’s okay, I gained a lot from this, too.”

“You did?”

“After all, I couldn’t ever hope to do something like this before. You have never come to my home before. Even playing pretend lovers…it started with a lie, but…it doesn’t have to end that way, right?”

The bed creaked. Himari put one hand on the bed, pushing her body towards Saito. A sweet fragrance drifted up from her bare shoulders.

“I’m married…”

“You are, but it’s like a forced marriage, right? Because of your family. Or, do you actually have feelings for Akane?”

“I…don’t.”

He shouldn’t have. He had seen Akane’s adorable expressions from time to time, but she gave him far too much trouble. With her looks, Saito couldn’t be faulted for almost falling victim to them. However, with Akane being the human equivalent of a violent dragon, there was no way Saito could fall in love with someone like that. After a brief silence, Himari placed her hand on Saito’s lap, bringing her face closer.

“Then…I have a chance, right? I’m totally fine…as your mistress, you know?” She whispered passionately.

Her eyes were filled with lust and desire, entrapping Saito. He could feel his heart beating painfully fast. Realizing that she was serious and that she would accept him at any moment, Saito’s body started burning.

“Don’t sell yourself short.” Saito tried to stop her, but Himari wouldn’t listen.

“I’m not. If I can get you, I’m fine doing it in any way possible.”

“Even as a mistress?”

“There’s a girl who managed to even one-up me in that.”

“Huh…?”

“Ah…”

Saito narrowed his eyes when Himari covered her mouth.

“Who are you talking about?”

“S-Sorry, forget about it.”

“You know I can’t forget about it. What are you on about?”

“I’m really sorry. That was my fault. I know nobody will be happy even if I complain about this.” Himari grew silent.

Even if Saito questioned her further, getting information would be difficult. Saito sighed in resignation.

“I’ll act like I didn’t hear about it.”

“Yeah…” Himari lowered her head.

In order to get rid of this awkward atmosphere, Himari spoke up with an energetic voice.

“Oh yeah! Saito-kun, aren’t you hungry? Let’s eat dinner together. I may not be as good as Akane, but I’m fairly good at cooking.”

“I can’t stay here for dinner, you know?”

“Totally. Both Dad and…her…aren’t coming home today.”

“Are they out on a trip?”

She called her not her mother, which Saito got hung up on.

“Not a trip. When I’m here…they both don’t come home.” Himari put her fists together on her lap.

She was different from the usual popular girl at school, showing a weaker side of hers. Piercing solitude emitted from Himari.

“…We’re the same.”

“Huh?”

“Both my parents hate me, too. They never came home, or did they come to watch me during my sports festival or during the parent-teacher day. It’s funny, right?”

“…I don’t think it is.” Himari sighed.

—Yeah, it’s not funny at all.

“But…I’m happy to know that I’m not alone.” Himari smiled.

Even though there was nothing to gain if they were kindred spirits, just sharing the same pain was some kind of saving grace for her. Realizing that, if he stayed in this sweet but oppressive atmosphere anymore, he might do something irreversible.

“I gotta go home now.”

“You can’t.” Himari clung to Saito’s waist.

The distance between the two melted, as their heat turned into one. Her arms would not let him go, no matter what.

“Hey…”

“Just a bit…longer, please? I’m so lonely…”

Saito couldn’t brush away the weeping Himari.

Even late at night, Saito showed no signs of coming home. Akane saw the two of them leaving the classroom together, so their date must be going on, still. What were they doing right now, and where? Maybe they were even staying over the night somewhere? Just thinking about that, Akane was feeling restless and she couldn’t focus on her studies. After working through one page of her questions, she realized that she was working on something outside of the scope of the exams an hour later.

“I can’t…And it’s all Saito’s fault…”

Should she call Himari to ask for Saito’s location right now? But if Himari happened to give an immediate response, it’d only hurt Akane more. Maybe she wouldn’t catch on to Saito coming home because she was sitting in her study room. This glimmer of hope inspired Akane to grab her reference book to the first floor and wait there. She sat down on the sofa in the living room and tried to work through her homework, but it was to no avail.

She turned on the TV, but no interesting show was on. She followed that by trying to heal herself by watching cat videos online, but that also had no effect. After what felt like endless agonizing solitude, she heard the front door opening.

—Saito!

Akane reflexively shot up, only to sit back down and fix her posture. If she rushed to the entrance to greet him, it’d make it seem as if she was waiting for his return. Like a puppy waiting for its owner to come home. She couldn’t stand being humiliated like that. Instead, she stayed seated on the sofa, pretending to read through her reference book. Finally, Saito stepped into the living room, still wearing his student uniform. There were wrinkles visible in his blazer, and he seemed overall exhausted.

“I’m home.”

“……”

Saito awkwardly greeted Akane, who offered no response.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing at all. Dinner’s on the table, so eat up and head to bed.”

“Dinner…” Saito winced as he saw the cup of ramen on the table. “Didn’t you say that cup ramen is bad for the body? Even when we had that fight, you’d cook meals for me.”

“I don’t care! You like it, right? Then just eat it and ruin your body!”

“Why are you so angry?”

“I’m not angry!” Akane formed fists on her lap as she roared.

She really wasn’t angry. She knew that this fake dating plan was necessary to get their lives back to normality, and Saito was most likely working hard towards that. Saito wasn’t to be blamed. She shouldn’t reproach him. What he did with Himari, where he stayed with her, it all had nothing to do with Akane. Or so it should have been, but she could not hold back her curiosity. Her thoughts and feelings were in complete disarray, she was out of control.

“Were you…with Himari this entire time?”

“Y-Yeah. After taking a stroll through town, we stopped by her place.”

“H-Her place…What about her parents?”

“Weren’t home today.”

“…!”

Akane could look Saito in the face anymore, so she chose to run away. She rushed up the stairs and stormed into her own study room. Pushing her back against the closed door, she took a deep breath. Her heartbeat was starting to feel painful, as she could feel it in her ears. Just what were these feelings she had? She had no idea. Why was this black lump located in her heart bothering her so much? It drove her insane. And at that moment, she received an incoming phone call from Himari.

“Hello…”

‘Akane, did Saito-kun get home safely?’

Himari’s voice was as energetic and cheerful as always. Or rather, she sounded a lot more excited than usual.

“…Yes.”

*Good! He already ate dinner with me, so you don’t have to worry about that.’

“I never was. Didn’t make anything, either.”

‘Perfect, then. Listen to this, Akane, when I said he could join me for a bath, he was so embarrassed!’

“I don’t wanna hear that!” Akane roared.

Himari, naturally, didn’t know how to react to that.

‘A-Akane? What’s got you so riled up? You’ll make me go deaf if you scream like that.’

“S-Sorry…” Akane’s shoulders tensed up.

Himari isn’t to be blamed for this. All she tried to do was help Saito and Akane in their time of need, driven by nothing but goodwill.

“Um, Himari…being pretend lovers must be a lot of burden on you, right? You can stop if it’s too much…”

‘I don’t feel bothered at all. Even if it’s not real, I’m fine having this kind of relationship with Saito-kun.’

“But…the rumors are mostly gone…”

‘It’s not enough. We have to do more.’

“How long do you plan on keeping this going…?”

‘For the rest of our lives, maybe?’ Himari laughed.

—For the rest of their lives…

Did she mean it as a fake couple, or as a genuine one? Out of the blue, the tone of Himari’s voice dropped drastically.

‘…Do you not want this? Saito-kun and I ending up in this sort of relationship? If you’re feeling jealous, then I’ll stop.’

“I-I’m not jealous! I don’t have any feelings for that guy!” Akane felt heat rushing to her nape and further up.

‘Then it’s totally A-okay! You and Saito-kun can live together as before, and I’m allowed to be as lovey-dovey as I want with him! Everyone’s happy, and we have no problem, right?’

“Yeah…no problem at all…”

So she said, but this restless sensation in her chest didn’t subside no matter what she told herself.