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Tactics
—Reina—
“Now, let’s analyze the situation again.”
After the fifth period ended, we were brought to recess, so Shibayu and I headed to an empty hallway. During lunch break, I heard what Shibayu had planned already, so we now prepared to put her plan into action.
“I’m counting on you, Yuzuyu-sensei.”
“Very well.”
Shibayu crossed her arms and took the character of a teacher. It seems like she’s trying to add some flavor to all this.
“First, Amamicchi took his distance from you, right?”
“Yes.”
“Because of that, you completely lost all faith and changed your profile picture on social media to a black screen, yeah?”
“I didn’t do that! Granted, a lot of girls might do that!”
Despite me bawling my eyes out, I at least stood my ground. I wouldn’t turn into some emo girl who hates the world just because I got rejected…Granted, I was pretty close to it.
“Well, in fact, as regular friends, you and Amamicchi were almost too close. Makes sense you’d panic at Tsubasa-chan’s arrival, but you might have overdone it.”
“Ugh…”
Thinking about it now, I realized that I may have overdone it trying to make Nanato conscious of me.
“But that is only a problem if you remain as friends. If you start dating, this level of distance is no problem. Mentalist Yuzu says so, which means there’s no trouble.”
“But…Nanato and I aren’t dating. And you’re not a mentalist.”
“Then you just have to change that fact. Even if that is just acting.”
That’s right, Shibayu thought of the idea that Nanato and I would pretend to be a couple. That way, I could act the same way as always, and it would resolve my personal worries.
“Will that really work out?”
“Amamicchi is kind, so there’s no way he’ll decline. If you really act like you’re asking for help with your trouble, then there’s no way he would cast you aside.”
“R-Right. One of the reasons I fell in love with him is because of his kindness, so he wouldn’t leave me to suffer.”
“Exactly. Just gotta tell him and it’ll be fine.”
Since I’m wearing rather flashy clothes for a high-level school like this, I’ll always gather attention, for better or worse. And honestly, I am one of the cutest girls at this school. Not that I mind if girls suddenly talk to me, but talking with random men can be a bit scary. Some would talk to you with nothing but good intentions, but others have wicked thoughts. Even on Minstagram and whatnot, some people ask to hang out, while others directly ask for my number. Dealing with all of them is a pain, so I ignore a lot of them. If I get Nanato to act as my fake boyfriend, that number of people should lessen drastically. On top of that, it gives me a reason to get close to him by having him act as my lover. I can cling to him as much as I want.
“But if you’re gonna ask him for that directly, it might seem a bit suspicious, so let Yuzuyu do the heavy lifting behind the scenes.”
“Thanks, Shibayu…”
Having her as an ally was definitely reassuring. I never would have thought of something like pretending to be Nanato’s girlfriend.
“Shouldn’t I help you in some way?”
Shibayu likes Shiroki, but that’s a secret. If she’s helping me, then I’d like to repay the favor.
“Well…If possible, then Yuzu would ask you to be more friendly to other people and not just Amamicchi.”
“Friendly?”
“Getting along. For example, try hugging Yuzu while saying ‘Ayooo’?”
“I don’t really get it, but sure.”
I couldn’t see the need for that, but I’m still going to help her.
“Shibayuuu! Ayooo!”
I did as I was told, embracing Shibayu. Didn’t expect to be doing this with a fellow girl, so I was a bit embarrassed. We never really acted like friends before, after all.
“Nice, nice. Your boobs are big, as well as your ass.”
“Are you some horny old man?! What meaning is there to this?”
I moved away from her, asking for her intentions.
“If we’re friendly, it won’t feel off seeing us together, right? And that way, Yuzu will have it easier to just randomly hug Tsubasa-chan.”
“Ahhh…I see.”
She’s trying to shift the perception of skinship in the group so that she can be more open with Shiroki.
“But, but…You didn’t have any problem touching me before, right?”
“Reinan and other people are just fine. But…With how Yuzu feels about Tsubasa-chan, touching her requires a lot of courage, so she wants to create a mood that will make it easier for skinship like that.”
“I see what you mean now. Well, that much I can do.”
If Shiroki and Shibayu stayed glued to each other, it would solve my problems, too. I’ll do my best to help her.
“Ah, Reinan…Recess is gonna end soon.”
“Right. Let’s go back to the classroom.”
Shibayu checked her phone and told me that our time was running out.
“Then, let’s start our operation. Yuzu will call it the—’I want him to be my boyfriend but that won’t work right now so I’m going with fake boyfriend for now’ operation.”
“So long! Why not Fake-Fake Boyfriend?”
“Yuck, that sounds so bad.”
“I don’t wanna hear that from you, Shibayu.”
“Fake fake but real?”
Since Shibayu continued to make fun of me, I gave her a flick on the forehead. Even if he might turn into my fake boyfriend now, I will make it real eventually.
—Nanato—
Lately, I started keeping my distance from Tsubasa and Reina, feeling that we’d gotten beyond a healthy boundary, but since it felt like I actively avoided them, I only hurt them more. I was looking for a way to keep my distance without actively pushing them away, but is there even a convenient method like that?
“What’s that gloomy face about?” Itsuki asked me.
“I was trying to find a way to keep my distance from people without making it look like I hate them. Got any ideas?”
“I see. This is what you were pondering about…” Itsuki put one hand on his chin and started thinking.
“Maybe wear a hoodie below your blazer?”
“Yeah, that would definitely make me want to keep my distance from people, but I don’t want any weird nicknames.”
Itsuki completely missed my point and started looking for ways to get me genuinely hated by other people. It’s like putting a pin on my chest to stay away from me.
“Maybe you could walk around carrying a creepy Japanese doll?”
“That’s one hell of an idea, but I fear that might be too effective.”
“Wrap yourself in black clothing?”
“That way, I would get rejected by all of society.”
Itsuki was just giving me random ideas now at this point. I don’t think he’s gonna be cooking up anything worthwhile soon.
“Guys! What do we do after school?”
In the end, I remained without a solution even as classes ended for the day, with both Reina and Tsubasa approaching me. Out of reflex, I hid behind ITsuki’s back.
“I’ve got no ideas.”
I readied myself for the worst, but they stayed relatively calm and collected. It seems…like sticking close to Itsuki makes it harder for them to approach me.
“You’re too close. It’s already hot enough outside.”
“Leave your back to me.”
“I’m not fighting anybody, boy.”
This method may not be in Itsuki’s interest, but I’ll have to ask him to put up with it.
“And I will protect Shibayu’s back.” Reina copied me as she clung to Shibayu’s back.
They’ve gotten pretty close while I wasn’t looking.
“M-Maybe Shibayu can look after Tsubasa-chan’s back then?”
So said Shibayu, sounding oddly tense despite it being just Tsubasa.
“I’ve got a wall behind me, so no need. But thanks, Yuzuyu-chan.”
“R-Right…”
For some reason, Shibayu glared at the wall now. I’ve never seen someone resent a non-human object like that.
“A-Actually, you guys? I need your advice on something.”
We left the awkward atmosphere behind us, as Reina suddenly gathered everyone’s attention with a grave expression.
“Gotcha, then let’s head over to the café or something.”
“Yeah. Thanks, Nanato.”
I want to help a friend in need. But, is there even anything I can do…?
*
We headed to the shopping mall near the school. It was a place we all knew and regularly visited, even once a week at least. Entering the cafe, I ordered a hot chocolate. I sat down to the right of Itsuki and sighed, when I saw Tsubasa and Reina fight for my right side. It’s like they were playing a game of Musical Chairs.
“H-Hey…”
“I’m sorry, Reina-san.”
The both of them got flustered, yet neither of them gave up.
“I wanna sit here.”
“Me too.”
Neither of them seemed willing to hand over the seat. Seeing them fight like that genuinely scared me a bit.
“Whatever. I’ll just sit over there.”
“Th-Thanks.”
Surprisingly enough, Reina was the one who gave in. Yet, she looked oddly confident.
“So, what did you want to talk about?”
“Right, right. Hear her out,” Shibayu nodded with a comment and Reina started explaining with a much more serious expression.
“Lately, people won’t leave me alone.”
“Who exactly?”
“The people at school. The girls are one thing, but the boys are constantly on my case.”
Yeah, I do see random boys striking up a conversation with her in the hallway from time to time.
“Not only is it people from a different student year, there’s people DMing me on Minstagram. It’s getting a bit annoying.”
Oh yeah, some of our classmates asked me to give them Reina’s number. Of course, I knew she’d say no if I asked, so I just ignored those requests.
“Why do you think that is, Nanato?”
“Huh? Why? I mean, from a boy’s perspective…It’s because you’re hella cute.” I gave a genuine answer, which made Reina’s face turn beet-red.
“I’m cute?”
“Unbelievably so. You constantly stand out, and you’re always the center of attention.”
No wonder the boys are constantly showering her with affection. Not to mention that this gal attitude of hers really helps in giving them the feeling they could get along with her. Of course, that won’t work in her particular case. She’s even been confessed to many times already. Itsuki is a hottie, too, so whenever they’re together, they outshine everyone else.
“G-Geez, you can keep this flattery to yourself, Nanato.” Reina called this flattery as she looked at the ground, sneaking glances at me.
“But Itsuki agrees with me, right?”
“Not really? I’m not into gals like you are.”
“Can you not make it sound like any gal would be fine? Well, I don’t dislike them, of course.”
He should be a fellow man. How could he not agree with me on this?
“Well, Reinan’s so cute she always stands out, so the boys are probably trying to rush ahead to win her over before she gets a boyfriend,” said Shibayu from an objective standpoint.
And she’s right. Anybody would want to have her as a girlfriend.
“That’s why a lot of people ask if Chiba and I are dating. Can’t stand it anymore. Why can’t someone just take her?”
I never heard of that. People think Itsuki and Reina are dating? Well, I can’t blame them for valuing Itsuki more than me. He’s a lot more high-spec than me.
“What’s that supposed to mean, Hirose? Consider it an honor.”
“I want a girl who’s kind but also nonchalant about things. You’re the exact opposite of that. No more.”
“There’s no woman like that in this world.”
Since Itsuki likes older women, Reina is completely outside his strike zone, I bet. And when I think of a girl who’s kind but nonchalant and funny, I think of Tsubasa’s older sister. My memories are vague, but she could be a bit weird at times.
“To get back on topic, I’m looking for a way so that people around me will stop bothering me. It’s even causing Hirose trouble now as far as I can see.”
“Absolutely!”
If Reina is actually bothered this much, then I want to help her.
“What if…”
“Hm? What is it, Nanato?”
She looked at me, like she was expecting something.
“Why not carry around a scary Japanese doll?”
“How would that help exactly?!”
Losing against the gaze of pressure from Reina, I subconsciously used the same idea Itsuki gave me earlier.
“Just kidding. If you act cold and distant to other people, they might lose interest, right?”
“I’m doing just that right now, but it doesn’t really work. They think they can change me or something.”
Yeah, gals always give off this feeling that you could go somewhere if you just keep pushing. That’s part of the concept of a gal. Though in Reina’s case, they’ll just genuinely get hated by her.
“Do you have any idea, Itsuki?”
“Well…Just as you did in middle school, you could model for a magazine to show off that you live in a different world from them?”
“Don’t bring up my dark past!”
Oh yeah, that takes me back to when we first met. Right now, she has no problem talking to other girls.
“You got anything, Tsubasa?”
I swung the conversation at Tsubasa, who had been rather silent up to this point.
“Well…Why not stop being a gal and wear some more plain clothes instead?”
Her idea was extreme, but it would also resolve a lot of problems.
“I think she already did that before, right? When we studied for entrance exams.”
“Yep, I remember.”
Itsuki pointed out this short period of time when Reina had dyed her hair black during exam season. She already had her bright blonde hair when we first met, so with that change, she lost a lot of appeal as a gal.
“Well, Reina was still plenty cute with black hair, so I’m not sure that’ll change much.”
I looked at her while reminiscing about this time, yet she just covered her face.
“Waaah, Yuzu so wants to see that! Was she really that cute, Amamicchi?”
Shibayu showed interest in my statement.
“Yeah. Well, she’d look cute no matter what she does with her hair or outfit, though.”
Hearing my added comment, Shibayu showed me a thumbs-up.
“Geez…Calling me cute again and again…” Reina awkwardly played with her hair.
“Sorry, maybe you didn’t like it?”
“I was as happy as I could be, you dummy.”
So she says, but I wasn’t too sure about that. That said, being called dummy by her did feel kind of good for some reason.
“Yuzu thought of Reinan with black hair, but now she’s just a prim and proper slut.”
“Who’s a prim and proper slut?” Reina objected to this classification.
But, just from her looks back then, Shibayu is totally right. She had a prim and proper look, but I could almost feel like she was wearing some insanely obscene underwear beneath her uniform.
“So what about you, Shibayu? Do you have any good idea?”
I threw the baton over at Shibayu. With her weird sense and thoughts, she might deliver exactly what we need.
“Why not act as her fake boyfriend, Amamicchi?”
“Wha…?!”
This idea came out of nowhere, forcing me to let out a weird voice.
“That way, the boys around here will start to lose interest. Upload some pictures with the two of you on social media, and the DMs will stop, too. You’ve always been close friends, so nobody will bat an eye even if you start dating.”
Shibayu’s idea made a lot of sense, and it was rather simple, too. It’s something you’d often see in dramas and shows. That said, I don’t really like the idea. It would be for Reina’s sake, but I can’t just blindly agree. I would have to deceive the people around me. Especially now with my relationship to Tsubasa and Reina being awfully vague. If I agree here, I won’t be able to date Tsubasa.
“Why not choose Hirose-kun for that, then?” Tsubasa suggested.
“Well, this whole problem came about because Hirose-kun was getting tired of being asked if he was dating Reinan, right? If Amamicchi jumped in here, it would resolve all that.” Shibayu explained why it couldn’t be Itsuki.
“Even if you say that…”
“Genuinely acting as her boyfriend would end up deceiving everyone else, but you could at least show off like you are dating, right?”
Seeing me hesitate, Shibayu offered another suggestion.
“Show off like we’re dating?”
“You could upload a selfie of the two of you online. That way, the others will misunderstand and think you’re dating, but you don’t have to make it public.”
“Well, that much I could do.”
I didn’t feel right about the whole fake dating thing, but just showing off how close we are is nothing out of the order.
“Thanks a lot, Nanato.” Reina showed a relieved expression.
So did Tsuabsa, so I guess she’s fine with this.
“I wanna take a picture right away, so I’m coming over.”
Reina switched places with Itsuki, closing in on me. She took out her smartphone to direct the camera at us, creating an angel ready for a picture. She seemed very used to this.
“Come a bit closer.”
“O-Okay.”
Told by Reina, I put my face closer to her. Taking a picture like this was embarrassing, so I covered half my face with my cup.
“More! This way, we don’t look like a couple.”
She urged me to get even closer. Our cheeks were almost about to touch. Being this close to her definitely made my heart race. Not to mention the sweet scent drifting up my nose. If I look down a bit, I could see her cleavage. I tried to keep my distance from her so that I could keep my feelings under control, but it was all for nothing.
“Okay, perfect!”
Reina finished taking a picture and showed a satisfied grin.
“So you’re gonna upload this and hope it causes a misunderstanding, right?”
“That’s the hope I have, yeah.”
I joined in that hope, but will it really work out…
“Would you be bothered if rumors about us dating were to start floating around?” Reina asked.
“Not at all. I’m not bothered by it like Itsuki.”
“That’s good.”
Having Reina as a girlfriend would be one amazing bragging right. Or rather, maybe the people around us will shower me with jealousy. Oh crap…This might actually bring a lot of demerits.
“You better take responsibility.”
“Huh? What do you mean? I’m ready to go as far as you want, so just tell me and I’ll be there for you.”
Reina didn’t even understand what I was talking about. Well, as long as I can help her, I guess this much is an easy price to pay…
—Tsubasa—
To help with Reina-san’s problem, we all headed to the usual café. Both Reina-san and I had kept a bit of distance from Nanato-kun lately, but all that was reverted when Reina-san asked him to help out and show off that they might be dating. Realizing that Reina-san was not willing to give up on him no matter what, I started to panic. However, I don’t want to weigh down Nanato-kun too much or he might suddenly keep his distance from me, so I had to wait for a chance.
Obviously, telling him that I still think of us as engaged must have thrown him off. I understand he needs some time to think, and I regret having acted this rashly. However, what’s done is done, so I have to make sure he keeps me in his vision like Reina-san.
“Oh, there’s a crepe store right here.”
Since Nanato-kun absolutely adores sweet food, he must have spotted this right away.
“Let’s all try some together.”
Nanato-kun turned around to face the others, but none of them nodded.
“I-I’m down, Nanato-kun.”
“Tsubasa…Thank you.”
I was clearly just trying to cheer him up with that, but he still smiled back at me, which made me happy all the same. I wasn’t that hungry, but I wanted to see him gleefully eating his crepe.
“I’ll take strawberry and chocolate cream with ice cream topping,” Nanato-kun ordered his crepe with a sparkle in his eyes.
It reminded me of when we were just innocent little kids, making my heart skip a beat.
“I’ll take the same,” I said.
I wanted to try the same menu as Nanato-kun.
“Is this your first time eating crepe, Tsubasa?”
“Yup. We didn’t have this back home.”
“Right. Just to hype you up, but the sweetness is gonna make you feel real happy.”
“I-I can’t wait.”
Nanato-kun spoke like a child about his favorite toy. It was adorable.
“You’ve always liked sweet food, right? Our family would sometimes give you leftovers from the cakes we used for our birthdays.”
“That takes me back. I was always jealous of you because you got to eat more cake thanks to having an older sister.”
Nanato-kun reminisced about the past. This kind of happiness is something only I can enjoy. Reina-san doesn’t know about any of these stories.
“Did you hurt your finger?”
He looked at my finger and said so, to which I frantically put it behind my back. This morning, I felt like putting on the ring our parents bought to celebrate the engagement, but now I find myself unable to take it off. I put on a bandaid there to make sure nobody realizes, but now Nanato-kun seems worried instead.
“It’s nothing big, don’t worry about it.”
“Really? If you say so.”
If he saw my ring, he might understand my feelings better, assuming he remembers the meaning of it. And if I think of the possibility that he might say he threw it away, I might just not be able to move on.
“Nanato, they’re looking for a part-time employee.”
“Oh, for real. There’s a poster about it.”
Hirose-kun pointed at the outside of the part-time job.
“You said you wanted to work part-time at a crepe store, right?”
“Yeah, maybe I should apply.”
Seems like he’s interested in working part-time. I want to stay close to him, so I could apply here…No, no, no. Joining him at the same job would make me a stalker. I don’t want him to hate me…I should look for a different place. The crepe we ordered was ready, so we grabbed it and sat down at a nearby bench.
“Hey, Shiroki? I think Shibayu wants a bite. I’m on a diet though, so don’t mind me.”
“H-Hey, Reinan?!”
Reina-san suddenly pushed Yuzuyu-chan’s back. I guess she’d be getting hungry with all this food.
“You could just ask for it, Yuzuyu-chan.”
“But it’s the crepe you bought, so…”
Yuzuyu-chan seemed oddly hesitant.
“Yuzuyu-chan, open up.”
“Aaaaah.”
Yuzuyu-chan’s voice was quivering for some reason.
“How is it?”
“It’s delicious. Yuzu’s gonna melt.”
Crepe really is amazing…It makes everybody who eats it happy. I’m honestly jealous of the crepe for being loved so much by Nanato-kun.
“Geez…I wanna be crepe, too.”
“Huh?! You want Yuzu to eat you?!”
“No…If I was crepe, then I would be loved unconditionally by Nanato-kun.”
“…Are you okay?” Yuzuyu-chan looked at me like I had gone insane.
“S-Sorry, I was just lost in my own fantasies.”
“It’s okay! You’re cute, so I forgive you!”
Sometimes whenever Nanato-kun is involved, I just lose sight of what’s happening around me. If I’m not careful, I’ll go through something just as embarrassing again…
—Nanato—
I finished the crepe and was filled with a sense of bliss when Itsuki suddenly tapped me on the shoulder.
“Hey, look at that.”
Looking ahead, I saw a group of four boys and two girls wearing different school uniforms. And, the two girls were awfully familiar.
“For real…?”
Suzuki and Ootsuka—The two people Itsuki and I were on good terms with back in our second year of middle school. And Susuki is also my ex-girlfriend of three days. After graduating from middle school, I thought we’d never run into each other again, but since we still live in the same town, these kinds of bad coincidences could happen.
“I’d rather not be seen here, so let’s go somewhere else.”
“Good call.”
All my happy feelings from the crepe quickly disappeared. Not only did I get broken up with by Susuki without any reason, she even started hating me after. Just remembering it made me live through severe trauma. I glanced after the two girls, but they didn’t seem all too friendly with those four boys. In fact, the two seemed to try and stay distant.
“You curious?”
“Not at all.”
It’s all in the past. We may have dated, but my connection to her has rotten away at this point. There’s nothing to concern myself with, and even if I did, it was pointless.
“Like I said before, Ootsuka still contacts me from time to time.”
“You said that at DonQui, yeah.”
Ootsuki is a girl with bright-colored hair, always in the center.
“She asked if life at Komaba High was fun. I responded in agreement, but that’s also when we stopped chatting.”
“You can never tell what she’s thinking, huh?”
Many times Ootsuka wouldn’t say a thing and just followed us around. She wasn’t a party pooper or anything like that, but she rarely suggested anything herself.
“Well, if she’s doing fine, then that’s all that matters, right?”
“True.”
What she’s doing and with whom is none of my concern anymore. No doubt Susuki has already forgotten about me.
“What’s that serious face about, Nanato?”
“Wah! You surprised me…”
Reina suddenly appeared in front of me, glancing up at my face.
“Too close!”
“What’s it matter? We’re supposed to be looking like a couple, remember?” She said and closed in on me further.
However, having Reina close with me definitely helped me clear up the gloomy feelings instigated by seeing Susuki.
“Th-Thanks.”
“Don’t know what for, but you’re welcome,” she gave me a dubious look.
“Is there any chance you’ll ever come to hate me?”
“Of course not, dummy.”
This response came from her almost instantly, forcing me to suppress the urge to hug her. But if I did that, it would ruin our friendship. Though with all this fake boyfriend appeal thing, it would honestly play more into everything, though. Well, I sure don’t have the courage to do something so bold in public anyway.
“Nanato, let’s move.”
“Good point, Itsuki.”
Since we finished our business here, we left the shopping mall before we could run into Susuki’s group and then eventually disbanded.
—Reina—
After we split up, Shibayu and I settled down at a nearby park.
“Guess that went as planned?” Shibayu put one hand on her chin, smiling.
Thanks to the whole “Showing off as if we’re a couple” appeal, I managed to drastically close the distance between Nanato and me. It’s fair to say that this was a huge success.
“Thanks to your great follow-up, we managed to convince Nanato without leaving him much room to talk his way out.”
“Just leave it to Yuzu and you’ll have the world dance in the palm of your hand.”
“You didn’t make much progress with Shiroki though.”
“Let’s forget about that. Yuzu just can’t think straight whenever Tsubasa-chan is involved.”
I never had much interest in what Shibayu was up to, but seeing her fumble over her own words and act all like a maiden in love when it came to Shiroki was pretty interesting. It makes me want to push her back.
“And thanks to me, you got your indirect kiss while they were eating crepes, right?”
“That was totally unnecessary. With Tsubasa-chan’s sweetness and the crepe’s sweetness, you ruined Yuzu’s stomach.”
“So you’re hella satisfied?”
I could see how happy she was, putting both her hands on her cheeks as she grinned to herself. She’s so cute, I had to rub her head.
“More importantly, let’s talk about you, Reinan.”
“That’s true. I can’t stay satisfied with just this situation. I have to do what I can now that I have this chance.”
I took out my smartphone and put up the selfie I took with Nanato. It was a lovey-dovey picture with our cheeks glued together.
“If I upload this on Minsta, they’ll think I’ll have a boyfriend, right?”
“Probably, yeah. But it might just look like you’re good friends, you gotta add a fitting comment under it.”
“That’s true.”
I started thinking about what to say when I’m going to upload this picture. Lately, I see a lot of girls adding secret messages to their boyfriends in these posts. I was always jealous when I saw that, so maybe I should do the same now. “Now lately, now I don’t know, totally a lot, lots of fun, obviously like, video calls and totally, emergency brakes—Put this together, and it says “Nanato Love.” Nobody will realize this, but it’ll be my kind of message to Nanato.
“Uploading complete!”
Uploading the picture, I felt fulfilled. Writing these kinds of messages is also pretty fun. I can write whatever I feel without a worry in the world.
“You don’t have Minsta, right Shibayu?”
I was thinking of checking that when uploading, but I remembered she never mentioned anything like that.
“Nope, she don’t. Dealing with other people like that feels like a pain. And Shibayu isn’t as cute as other people, so her pictures won’t blow up.”
“You are cute though, Shibayu. Granted, with a different cuteness, but you’re adorable like a small animal.”
“Nah, being next to you or Tsubasa-chan makes me lose all confidence.”
“Cuteness is decided by other people. I’m saying you’re cute, so you’re cute.”
Speaking of cute, Nanato repeatedly called me that today, right? Oh man, oh man, oh man…Being called by the person you love is the best. It shows that he’s properly looking at me.
“I’ll teach you how to put on proper makeup sometime, so you can be even cuter.”
“Reina-tan…”
She leaped at me and gave me a passionate hug. I wish Nanato would do the same thing to me, but he’s not the type of person to do that, I guess. Plus, if he did that, it would make his feelings rather apparent. But at the very least, thanks to Shibayu’s plot, I can now act as close as I want with Nanato, and we might even get together if the stars align. I have to make sure that Nanato’s heart desires not Shiroki, but me instead.
—Nanato—
“Time to go.”
I prepared everything I needed for school and left the front door. Since Tsubasa asked if we could go to school together, I’m heading over to meet her now.
“Morning, Nanato-kun.”
“Morning.”
She was already waiting for me in front of the flat. It was the same feeling like back when we were in elementary school. Once we started walking, Tsubasa kept a bit of distance between us. Before, she’d stay close enough that our shoulders could almost touch, but I guess she’s kind enough to give me space.
“You didn’t have to contact me or anything, I always leave my home at the same time, so you could have just waited.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. It’s been a month, so Reina won’t be feeling awkward anymore.”
“That’s true. I think she’s opened up to me a bit.”
Things were a bit iffy between them at first, but now that they’ve been spending most of their days together, things have calmed down between them. Thanks to that, our whole friend group was doing fine.
“Nanato! Morning!”
We reached the park in question, where Reina was already waiting. The moment she spotted me, her eyes lit up.
“Ah, Shiroki’s with you. Got it.”
“Good morning, Reina-san.”
Oh yeah, Tsubasa is calling her by her first name, but Reina doesn’t do that. I thought things may be improving, but Reina still calls Itsuki by his last name. I’m guessing she’s the type who stays with people’s last name. It took ages until she called me by my first name, so I guess this must be something special for her.
“Let’s go. Come on.”
Reina wrapped her hands around my arm, surprising me.
“H-Hey, too close.”
“We’re supposed to show off to others, right?”
Reina used this whole operation as an excuse to forcefully stick close to me.
“But there aren’t many people walking past here, right, Reina-san?”
“…That’s true.”
Reina was forced to let go of my arm. Seeing that, Tsubasa sighed in relief.
“Then let’s do it once we get close to school.”
“Please take it easy on me.”
“If we don’t take it seriously, nobody will believe us, right?”
I definitely want to help Reina in her time of peril, but if she sticks this close to me, it’s going to destroy my ability to reason. I guess I can only put my mind to it in hopes of getting used to this…
We entered the school building and changed into our indoor slippers, as I realized some of the girls from our class kept looking our way. However, they were definitely not friendly, so I’d rather make my way from here.
“Wait for me, Nanato!”
Reina grabbed my arm from behind, pulling me closer.
“I’m not leaving you behind.”
“But I don’t wanna be away from you!”
She spoke in a suggestive tone I wasn’t used to from her. It was cute, but it also made my back itch for some reason.
“I’m shocked you can say something so embarrassing in public.”
“I-I’m doing this for the plan. I’m not serious or anything,” Reina made excuses with a quiet voice so that the people around us couldn’t hear her.
If she goes too far with this, it’ll look less like us dating and more like I’m just being teased. Entering the classroom, the atmosphere was clearly different from usual. Our classmates were whispering to themselves, all staring over in our direction. Yet Reina was oddly unaware of this and just stuck close to me even now.
“Yesterday was fun, right?”
That statement once again would invite misunderstandings, and I know she did this for the sake of showing off how we’re potentially dating, but I really wish she’d stop now.
“That’s true.”
“Today would be a good day for me, too.”
Again, I know her intent behind this, but that is not something to be saying beet-red and in public.
“…About what?”
“Huh? Hanging out, of course.”
“That, huh…”
I don’t know if Reina made it sound intentionally double-edged or if I’m just dreaming up things…It’s probably the latter, necessary for our operation.
“I saw your post yesterday, Chiba-san. Congrats.”
“You’re showing it off first thing in the morning, huh?”
For some reason, the girls around us were congratulating Reina. I wonder what they were talking about with “post”…
“Huh? Uhhh?”
Shockingly, Reina herself was confused. I guess this crossed the boundary of what she expected.
“Everyone’s talking about you already. You’ve always been gathering attention, so it spread in an instant.”
“I thought you were trying to get Hirose-kun jealous by being with Amami-kun, but it seems like you were always gunning for him in the first place.”
The reason we were gathering so much attention seems to be the rumors going around.
“H-Hold on…” Reina grew pale.
She looked at me, asking for my help or something, but I didn’t even know what was happening to begin with.
“Good luck, Chiba-san! I’m cheering for you.”
“Y-Yes, I’ll do my best.”
Both blessed and supported, Reina couldn’t say another word and just nodded.
“What’s this about, Reina?”
We moved away from the other students, as I demanded an explanation from her.
“I don’t really know myself…Maybe showing off that we’re a couple has already shown its effect?”
“So they think we’re actually dating?”
“Probably…”
Reina seemed just as confused. So by uploading that picture on social media, our classmates did the rest by guessing work? No way, a single picture wouldn’t do just that.
“I’m so jealous, Amami…”
“Why does it have to be you?”
Meanwhile, the boys in our class all threw curses at me. And they think that I’m dating her too, apparently. We haven’t even done much work to make them think that, and yet everything acts like a new couple has been born.
“A bit troublesome…” I sighed and started thinking.
Reina always stands out in class because of her cuteness, and if she started dating someone, it would undoubtedly start spreading like a wildfire.
“Sorry, maybe this is a bit uncomfortable for you after all?”
“Not at all. I just think it’ll be exhausting to be the center of attention for too long.”
I gently rubbed Reina’s head to dispel her worries, but that only caused more people to respond with cheers.
“I didn’t think it would explode like this right from the first day…I wonder what caused this.”
“Oh yeah, you did upload that picture yesterday, right?”
“Yup. But, I didn’t add anything that would elude us dating. Just simply uploaded the picture.”
Granted, we were rather close on there, but a picture alone definitely isn’t enough proof. I feel like there’s another specific reason hiding there, but I can’t tell…
—Reina—
For some reason, our classmates came around to congratulate me for getting a boyfriend. The original plan was for them to be pondering if this was the case, but it had already crossed that situation. However, it’s more than convenient for me. Because I wouldn’t mind genuinely dating Nanato. That said, I have to organize my priorities. How to deal with Nanato’s feelings, our relationship as friends, there’s a lot to think about.
“Hey, Shibayu? What is going on here?”
I made my way to Shibayu and asked her. Since this is something she came up with, she might know something.
“Yuzu’s completely lost, too.”
“So even you don’t know…”
How did things escalate like this? I can’t help feeling restless.
“Maybe someone within our group spilled the beans? Setting up this situation behind the scenes.”
“No way they would do that.”
Or so Shibayu said, but this situation couldn’t have been born naturally.
“Oh yeah, you uploaded the picture on social media, right? Show Yuzu that. We might find a hint there.”
“The one on Minsta? Sure, but it’s just a normal picture.”
I took out my smartphone and opened up my Minsta page.
“The heck is this?!”
For some reason, Shibayu screamed in shock.
“What’s wrong?”
“The hell is this weird message added to the picture. Reading this, it’s plain as day why people would think you love Nanato and that you’re dating!”
“H-Hey, too loud…”
Hm…I guess there’s a problem with the text I added to the picture.
“No, no, no, only a small portion of people would realize that, right?”
“Hell no. Gotta be at least 90%. Are you stupid, Reinan?”
“For real?”
I once again checked the text I added. Once again, reading it the right way would create the words ‘Nanato Love.’
“Talk about a traitor…You’re the culprit.”
“Waaaaah…”
“Don’t ‘Waaaah’ Yuzu. Let alone trying to make people think you’re dating…This is pretty much a declaration.” Shibayu shook her head.
We moved along just as we planned, and yet I messed it up. Nothing goes my way…
“What do we do now?”
“Nothing. At this point, you can only start acting like a couple. If you delete the post and deny everything, it’ll backfire.”
Denying the rumors would equal a statement that I’m not dating, which will have the boys approach me again.
“Yuzu might have underestimated the amount of attention you get. Then again, with the handsome Hirose-kun and the cutest girl in the universe Tsubasa-chan, that only made things a bigger topic.”
“But this way, I get to be as close as I want with Nanato, right?”
I tried to think positively, stating the merit.
“No, no, no, there’s something even worse,” Shibayu showed clear anxiety. “If you and Amamicchi are practically dating here in public, that will make it harder for Tsubasa-chan to approach him. You’re pushing her into a corner.”
“That may be true, but…”
“How does Tsubasa-chan feel…And this isn’t what we promised to Amamicchi.”
Shiroki may be my rival, but I still want us to get along for the sake of our friend group. But the way things are now, it might actually look more like I’m forcefully trying to snatch Nanato from her.
“Oh god, is she gonna hate me?”
“Well, Yuzu’s gonna try her best to not make things take a turn for the worse, but I really think you should not overdo it for a while.”
“O-Okay…”
I have to apologize to Nanato later. If he were to hate me, my world would fall apart. With the teacher entering the classroom, the other students sat down. Nanato looked rather bothered, and Shiroki just stared at me in silence.
Recess arrived, so I rushed over to Nanato. All the way, I was watched by the girls, but I guess I deserved that.
“Sorry, I think this whole appeal thing got overboard and this is what happened.” I talked to Nanato with a quiet voice, but we still ended up the center of attention.
“Well, what’s done is done. But, we’ll definitely stand out if we stay here.”
Following Nanato, we headed to an isolated hallway. I was worried that he might be angry at me, but his calm voice allowed me to relax. Nanato is kind after all, so he might still feel stressed out while trying not to show it.
“You’re not angry?”
“I don’t like the idea of it, but it’ll help keep the boys off of you, right? That’s an easy price to pay.”
“Nanato…”
How could he be such a good guy? He’s kind, doesn’t get angry, thinks of me first, and says exactly what I hope. I’ll only fall in love with him more. I already did, but I’m gonna go crazy at this rate.
“Nanato?”
I was so embarrassed I took a few steps back, but he suddenly moved closer to me.
“If we don’t stay close, they’ll start thinking that we’re already done, right?”
That’s true. Nanato still has his trauma of having been rejected after a mere three days. So if we stopped pretending and “broke up,” it would open old wounds. If I’m not careful, I’ll only start hating him more…
“Yeah, we gotta stick close at least for today.”
Also, how could that ex of his break up with him after just three days? Does she even know how much of a struggle I’m going through just to be with him? Not to mention the arrival of that damn childhood friend of his!
“Reina.”
“Wueh?!”
Nanato suddenly grabbed my arm, making me jump in shock.
“Ah…my bad. Just reminded me of a painful memory.”
Seems like he really was reminded of his trauma with his ex-girlfriend. To cope with that, he touched my arm. Since I’m the one always seeking out body contact, this made me really happy.
“What’s wrong?”
“I just…felt lonely.”
“Heh, don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.”
Since he looked oddly defeated, I returned my grip on his arm. But, the fact that she could leave such a mark on Nanato, he must have really cared for her. And realizing this, it genuinely bothered me.
“What are you two doing here?”
We heard a voice from behind us, and turning around, Shiroki was staring at us.
“Ah!”
Catching on, Nanato frantically pulled his arm back—Or tried to at least, but I wouldn’t let him go.
“We’re trying to act like lovers in public.”
“I said it earlier this morning, but I think it’s pointless to even do that with no other people around.”
I did feel guilty about all this, but Shiroki used every chance she got to hug Nanato, too, so I don’t have to hold back.
“So maybe we should have done this in front of the others?”
“That’s…”
“Well, I can’t really do that myself, so we’re getting used to it outside the looks of others. There’s no particular meaning to this, so don’t worry.”
Listening to my words, Nanato sighed in relief. But, I didn’t really like that.
“Let’s go back. Class is gonna start soon.”
“That’s true.”
It marked the beginning of a weird time where Nanato and I could be a fake couple. This would allow me to show him what it would be like to have me as a girlfriend. If I do my best now, the path to genuinely dating him could open up. This might be the best chest I could ever get—
CClaw Translations 