Haruto stands in the kitchen beside his grandmother, finely chopping green onions. A light ton ton ton sound and the fresh green scent unique to green onions spread through the early morning kitchen. “Grandma, I’ll be out all day today. Make sure you don’t get heatstroke like the other day, okay?” “Yes, yes, I know.” His grandmother, making rolled omelets, nodded repeatedly at Haruto’s words. “Haruto, are you going out with Ayaka today?” “Yeah, that’s right.” Haruto sprinkled the chopped green onions into the miso soup as he replied. “Is that so?” His grandmother smiled, her facial wrinkles deepening with obvious delight. Seeing her reaction, Haruto felt a tightening sense of guilt in his chest. “Are you two getting along well?” “It’s fine, we’re getting along.” Haruto carried the finished breakfast to the living room, answering with a smile to hide his inner guilt. He wanted to introduce her to his grandmother and see her happy face. Ayaka was acting as his fake girlfriend to help him fulfill that wish. Was it truly for his grandmother’s benefit? The rational part of Haruto’s mind understood that his current relationship with Ayaka wasn’t good. However, it was also true that he felt a certain comfort in Ayaka being his ‘girlfriend’, even if it was fake. “Make sure you cherish Ayaka-san properly.” Sitting at the breakfast table, which was now set, his grandmother said the exact same words she had said the other day. In response, Haruto nodded emphatically, covering up his complicated feelings. “Of course, I’ll cherish her.” As he replied, he couldn’t help but think about his relationship with Ayaka.
The feeling of apologizing for making her lie. Guilt. His reason, wanting to treat her sincerely as a housekeeping staff member. Doubt about how she truly felt about him. And sometimes, the feeling of romantic love, which threatened to overwhelm and rewrite all those emotions like a flood. Images of Ayaka’s happy, cheerful smiles came to mind one after another. Each time, Haruto’s chest tightened, making it difficult to control his emotions. His heart would race on its own, and his expression would soften, the corners of his mouth turning up involuntarily. It was his own body, yet it wouldn’t listen to him at all. As Haruto let out a silent sigh due to this situation, his grandmother, sitting opposite him, put down her rice bowl and asked, “It’s been hot lately, but is Ayaka-san not suffering from heat fatigue or anything?” “No, she’s fine. She’s energetic.” Haruto nodded at his grandmother’s words and was about to drink his miso soup when he suddenly stopped. His grandmother had been talking about Ayaka frequently since the morning. Haruto sensed what she was thinking and opened his mouth. “Ah… um, I still need to ask Ayaka, but I was thinking about having her come over sometime to properly introduce her to you, Grandma…” “Is that so? That’s something to look forward to!” Hearing Haruto’s words, his grandmother’s face instantly brightened, and she smiled broadly. Seeing that smile, Haruto’s feelings became even more complicated, but he distracted himself by focusing on breakfast. After finishing breakfast with his grandmother, Haruto got ready and headed towards the station square where he was meeting Ayaka. Initially, Haruto had said he would pick her up at her house, but Ayaka had requested to meet outside, saying, “I’d rather meet up like it’s a date.” “I wonder if Ayaka’s already here?” Haruto checked his phone screen and quickened his pace towards the station. The last time they met at the station square to see a movie, she had arrived quite a bit earlier than the meeting time.
Because of that, Haruto had left his house planning to arrive quite a bit earlier than the meeting time this time as well. And when he arrived at the station square forty minutes before the meeting time, he scanned the plaza. “As expected, she’s not here yet…” Haruto muttered to himself, his gaze directed at the busy crowd passing by. Just as he was about to walk towards a bench to wait until Ayaka arrived, a familiar voice echoed from behind him. “Haruto-kun!” Haruto turned around at the sound of his name being called, and there stood Ayaka with a delighted smile. “Sorry. Did I keep you waiting?” “No, I just got here too.” Haruto also smiled and welcomed Ayaka, who was running towards him with a beaming face. Today, she was wearing a casual white dress, filling her surroundings with a pure and lovely atmosphere. “That dress today suits you really well, you look beautiful.” “Hehe, thank you. I’m happy.” Ayaka blushed at Haruto’s words but showed him a shy, happy expression with a bashful smile. “Haruto-kun, you look really handsome too.” Today was supposed to be a practice date for being a couple. Because of that, Haruto had also paid attention to his appearance, even setting his hair properly with styling gel. Haruto usually didn’t use styling gel. But just receiving Ayaka’s simple comment, “You look handsome,” made him feel that fixing his hair and tidying his appearance properly had been worth it, and his expression softened. “Thank you. Um, it’s quite a bit earlier than the meeting time, but shall we go now?” The two of them had met up more than thirty minutes earlier than the original meeting time. Haruto checked the current time on his phone and looked at Ayaka. She was slightly blushing and averted her gaze, looking a little embarrassed. “I was so excited about finding the ice cream with Haruto-kun today that I left the house early.” “Oh, I see…”
Ayaka’s incredibly cute reaction made Haruto momentarily speechless. He desperately tried to compose his expression, which was breaking into a blush and a smile. “That limited edition ice cream is really delicious, you know. I understand being excited about it.” “…Yeah.” Ayaka paused slightly before nodding at Haruto’s words. That pause made Haruto’s heart race. “…Well then, shall we go look for the ice cream right away?” “Yeah! I hope we can find the ice cream.” Today, too, the midsummer sun was relentless. It looked like it would be a good day to eat ice cream, Haruto thought, walking away, trying to distract himself from his pounding heart. However, Ayaka next to him remained standing still, and he stopped immediately. “Ayaka?” To Haruto, who was tilting his head, Ayaka looked at him with slightly embarrassed, upturned eyes. “Today is a date… practice, right?” “Yeah, that’s right.” “Then… shouldn’t we act like a couple?” “Yes, that’s right.” “Even when we’re moving, we should walk like a couple, right?” “…Yeah, that’s right.” Haruto understood what she was asking for and offered his left hand to Ayaka. “Okay then, let’s go.” “Okay!” Ayaka replied excitedly and intertwined her right hand with Haruto’s offered left hand. For a moment, Haruto glanced at the left hand connected to Ayaka’s, then, inwardly struggling with how difficult it was to distract himself, he began walking slowly, matching her pace. “First, we’re going to the department store in front of the station, right?” “Yeah, that’s right. I wonder if they’ll have the ice cream?” “I wonder? Their selection is quite extensive, so I think we can be hopeful?”
Exchanging such conversation, the two walked amicably towards their destination, holding hands like a couple. In the basement of the station department store, various food items were sold. Side dishes and sweets like cakes. Souvenirs for tourists, Japanese confectionery, and more. Amidst products with relatively high price ranges, Haruto and Ayaka walked hand-in-hand. “Oh, look, Haruto-kun! This cake looks delicious!” “Wow! These sweets are beautiful!” “I smell freshly baked bread… it smells nice, Haruto-kun.” Next to him, Ayaka was looking around everywhere, her face shining with excitement. She was already captivating with her dazzling smile, but today she was even more adorably beautiful. “Ayaka, don’t wander off alone and get lost, okay?” Haruto said with a wry smile to Ayaka, who was glued to the display case of Japanese sweets. “Then, so I don’t get lost, Haruto-kun should hold my hand properly.” At Haruto’s words, Ayaka looked away from the display case and stared directly at Haruto. At the same time, his left hand was squeezed a little tighter. “…I’m holding it properly.” Haruto averted his gaze from her and quietly mumbled, trying to prevent her from noticing that his face was red. He heard Ayaka’s giggle next to him, but he couldn’t face her right now. “If they sell ice cream, the section over there is probably it? Shall we go take a look?” “Yeah, okay.” Haruto continued through the bustling basement of the department store, still averting his face from Ayaka but holding her hand firmly. As expected, Ayaka’s beauty was tremendous, and Haruto, holding her hand, occasionally felt impolite stares piercing him. However, Haruto told himself that if he could feel the soft, small touch of Ayaka’s hand and its gentle warmth, such stares were a cheap price to pay. The two reached the ice cream section and scanned the display cases. There was a wide variety of ice cream, including familiar standard products and multipacks. “There’s no limited edition ice cream…” “Yeah.”
However, their target wasn’t there. Haruto was inwardly pleased about this. If they found the ice cream, the purpose of this date would be achieved. But if they didn’t, it would be an excuse to continue the date. He could spend more time with Ayaka. Haruto spoke words of disappointment aloud, trying to hide his true feelings. “As expected, it doesn’t seem like we’ll find it easily.” “Yeah, but… I’m happier about that.” “Huh?” Haruto questioned Ayaka’s words and looked at her face. “Because, that way… I can spend more time with Haruto-kun.” “…Oh, I see.” “U-uh huh.” Ayaka said exactly what Haruto had secretly felt in his heart, her cheeks slightly flushed. Certainly, they were in the middle of practicing being a couple. If so, the desire to spend even a little more time together must be the correct feeling for a couple. Ayaka is truly taking this practice seriously. Ayaka, who had said something incredibly potent with an expression mixed with shyness. Haruto almost stopped thinking for a moment at her words but somehow managed to come up with a plausible rationale to maintain his composure. “Well then, let’s go to the next place.” “Okay.” Feeling his ears were unusually hot, Haruto took Ayaka’s hand and began to walk. Leaving the food section in the basement, the two went up to the first floor and were about to head outside the department store. On the way, Ayaka stopped, saying, “Ah,” and looking at something. Haruto stopped with her and looked in the direction she was facing. There was a display of many yukata with a banner that said “Summer Festival Fair.” Haruto smiled at Ayaka, who was staring at the yukata with interest. “Let’s take a look.” “Is it okay?”
“Of course.” Haruto replied and headed towards the yukata display area. “Wow, this yukata is beautiful!” Ayaka immediately started looking at the yukata on display. Ayaka’s face softened as she looked at the brightly colored yukata. Seeing her like this, Haruto’s face naturally brightened as well. Haruto followed behind Ayaka with a gentle smile when she suddenly turned around. “Haruto-kun, what kind of yukata would you want your girlfriend to wear?” “Huh? Um… let’s see…” Haruto quickly scanned the displayed yukata at Ayaka’s sudden question. “I guess I prefer the calm, cool-looking ones like indigo or light blue, rather than red or pink?” “I see, calm and cool-looking…” Ayaka nodded with a very serious expression at Haruto’s opinion. He felt a little awkward and embarrassed and added some words to cover it up. “Well, I think Ayaka would look good in anything, though.” If Ayaka were his real girlfriend and wore a yukata to his liking, that would be very happy. Thinking such things, he watched Ayaka’s back as she began examining the yukata with even greater seriousness. Just then, someone unexpectedly called out to Haruto. “Huh? Isn’t that Haru? And… Tojo-san?” Hearing that familiar voice, Haruto looked in the direction it came from. There was his best friend, Tomoya, looking surprised to see Haruto and Ayaka standing side-by-side. He looked at Haruto and Ayaka alternately with an gaze mixed with slight confusion and definite curiosity. “Huh? Huh? You two look really close?” “Ah, no, this is…” Haruto, who could clearly tell what Tomoya was thinking from his smirking expression, racked his brain trying to figure out how to clear up the misunderstanding. At that moment, Ayaka tugged at Haruto’s clothes. “Haruto-kun…”
Haruto, seeing Ayaka looking up at him with a slightly anxious expression, decided to introduce his best friend in front of him for now. “This is my best friend, Akagi Tomoya. He’s technically in the same class as us.” “Akagi-kun… Ah! Um, hello.” At Haruto’s introduction, Ayaka looked up slightly, tracing her memory. Then, remembering Tomoya, she bowed her head. “Hello~! Wow, Tojo-san in casual clothes is super cute!” “Ah, um… thank you very much.” Ayaka seemed a little flustered by Tomoya’s cheerful compliment. “Hey, Tojo-san, can I borrow Haru for just a moment? Just for a second.” “Huh? U-um…” Seeing Ayaka nod slightly with hesitation, Tomoya put his arm around Haruto’s shoulder and pulled him a little distance away from her. “Hey Haru! You didn’t tell me you started dating Tojo-san!?” Turning his back to Ayaka and lowering his voice so she couldn’t hear, Tomoya said to Haruto, leaning his face close. “Why didn’t you tell me! We’re best friends, right? Hey hey.” “Stop poking my side. Besides, I’m not dating Ayaka…” “Huh? No way? After seeing you two so lovey-dovey. And you’re even calling Tojo-san ‘Ayaka’?” “That’s… well, it’s complicated.” Haruto averted his gaze to escape Tomoya’s questioning. Seeing his reaction, Tomoya’s grin widened. “Even if you’re not dating, you must like each other, right? Definitely.” “I don’t know about that. My feelings aside, I don’t know hers.” Haruto replied in a barely audible voice to Tomoya’s confident assertion. Hearing his unconfident tone, Tomoya made a sound of understanding, “Ho ho ho?” Haruto couldn’t bear his friend’s expression and shrugged off the arm around his shoulder. “Anyway, what are you doing at the station square? Are you alone?” “Nah, I was dragged along to go shopping with Haruka—” “Haru-nii~!” Tomoya’s explanation was suddenly cut off by a high-pitched, energetic scream.
Haruto looked in the direction of the voice, and a girl with bright hair tied in a side ponytail came running from a distance and threw herself onto Haruto’s arm with the force of her run. “To meet Haru-nii in a place like this! It’s good my horoscope was number one today!” “Whoa, Haruka-chan!?” The girl who suddenly appeared was Akagi Haruka. Tomoya’s younger sister. His sister, Haruka, was as good-looking as her brother. She had a slightly assertive face, but her straight nose bridge and almondshaped, double-lidded eyes were as round and cute as an idol’s, giving her a sense of loveliness. Being a third-year middle schooler, she still had a bit of childishness about her, but it was clear to anyone that in a few years, she would become a beauty who would make men on the street turn their heads. She was bouncing up and down, still holding his arm, which flustered Haruto. “Haruka-chan, there are people around, maybe don’t stick so close…” “Eeeeh~! I haven’t seen Haru-nii in a while, so I need to get a proper refill!” “Refill what?” Haruto asked with a slightly strained smile. Then, a hesitant voice came from behind him. “Um… Haruto-kun?” Haruto turned around at the voice, and Ayaka was looking back and forth between Haruka and Haruto. Her expression seemed to heavily show a hint of impatience or anxiety. “Um… that girl is… that… um…”
“Ah, sorry. This is Tomoya’s sis—” “I’m Haruka, Haru-nii’s little sister!” Despite actually being Tomoya’s sister, Haruka casually told a lie. “Oh! Is that so?” However, Ayaka, not realizing it was a lie, bowed her head to Haruka with a somewhat relieved expression. “Nice to meet you. I’m Ayaka Tojo, in the same class as your brother.” “Thank you for always taking care of my brother! I’m Haruka Ōtsuki, his little sister!” “Don’t be ridiculous!” Along with the retort, Haruto couldn’t help but give Haruka a light chop on the forehead. Haruka covered her forehead with both hands, saying “Ow!” “Huh? Haruto-kun, what’s wrong?” “Sorry Ayaka, this isn’t my sister, it’s Tomoya’s sister.” “Huh? Huh? Akagi-kun’s?” Haruto pointed at Tomoya while holding his head, dealing with the unruly Haruka. In response, Ayaka seemed quite confused, looking back and forth between Haruto, Tomoya, and Haruka repeatedly. “Ehh! I am Haru-nii’s sister!! Haru-nii is way better than this!” “Hey, what do you mean ‘this’ to your actual brother? Your brother will be hurt, you know?” Haruka stuck her tongue out at Tomoya, who was protesting. Watching that exchange, Ayaka, still confused, somehow managed to understand that Haruka was not Haruto’s sister. “Let me introduce her again. This is Haruka Akagi. Tomoya’s sister, not mine.” “Is that so… but Haruto-kun and Haruka-chan, you look like real siblings, don’t you?” “Ah~ well, Tomoya and I are childhood friends, so naturally I’ve been close with Haruka-chan since way back.” For Haruto, Tomoya is both his best friend and childhood friend. And his sister, Haruka, whom he’s known since she was in diapers, is like a real little sister to him. “We’re close enough to even take baths together!” For some reason, Haruka puffed out her chest triumphantly. Hearing her words, Ayaka wore a very strained expression.
“H-huh… together, in the bath…? Huh?! The bath!?” “No no! That was way back, okay? That was when we were kindergarteners or just starting elementary school!” “O-oh, right. Yeah…” Ayaka breathed a sigh of relief at Haruto’s desperate defense. Just then, Haruka turned her gaze to Ayaka and said, “Ayaka-san, was it? What is your relationship with Haru-nii?” Ayaka stumbled over her words at the slightly pressing atmosphere, which felt somewhat like an interrogation. “Um…” “For just being classmates, I feel a remarkably close atmosphere between you?” Haruka leaned towards Ayaka, muttering, “Mmm.” “Could you be Haru-nii’s girlfriend? If so, as his sister, I must properly judge whether Ayaka-san is suitable for Haru-nii──” “Stop saying stupid things and let’s go shopping.” Tomoya cut in midsentence and grabbed his sister by the scruff of her neck. “Hey! Onii-chan! Don’t interfere!” “You’re the one interfering. Well, we’re leaving now. See you, Haru, and Tojo-san too.” Tomoya dragged Haruka away, holding her firmly. As he left, he patted Haruto on the shoulder and said, “Tell me everything later, okay?” before departing. Ayaka stood dumbfounded by the Akagi siblings, who had passed through like a storm. While being pulled away by Tomoya, Haruka was making a fuss, shouting about “a sister’s duty!”, to which her own brother, Tomoya, retorted, “Your brother is me!” “Um… Akagi-kun’s sister, she’s an interesting girl, isn’t she?” “Yeah… I guess she’s a little unique?” Ayaka said, carefully choosing her words, while Haruto gave a wry smile in return. “But, Haruka-chan, was it? She seemed just like Haruto-kun’s real sister. I completely forgot Haruto-kun was an only child.” “Well, yeah… I’ve known them since we were babies, so I admit they’re like real siblings to me.” He had interacted with the Akagi siblings, his childhood friends, like real family. So, he himself was aware that Haruka had become like a real sister to him. “Oh… Haruka-chan was really cute, wasn’t she?” “Huh? Oh, the Akagi siblings have good looks.” When he said this, Tomoya, if not Haruka, would immediately get cocky, so Haruto tried not to say it in front of them if possible. However, it was a fact that Tomoya and Haruka were a beautiful brother and sister pair.
Ayaka let out a small “Hmm” at Haruto’s remark, which seemed to acknowledge that fact. Her expression looked somewhat sulky, not entirely unlike it. “…For Haruto-kun, Haruka-chan is like a sister?” “That’s right.” “I see…” Ayaka kept mentioning Haruka, which made a strange ticklish feeling well up in Haruto’s chest. If she was jealous of Haruka being friendly with him, then it was highly likely that the feelings he had for Ayaka were the same as the feelings she had for him. Thinking that, Haruto’s heart started beating faster on its own, and his face grew hot. He desperately tried to suppress the urge to smile and subtly peeked at Ayaka’s expression. She, who was in his line of sight, was deep in thought with a serious look on her face. “…Ayaka?” “Ah, sorry, Haruto-kun.” Ayaka smiled brightly at Haruto calling her name. “Okay then, shall we continue our date?” She said this with an incredibly cute and charming smile, for some reason emphasizing the word ‘date’. Feeling a slight pressure from Ayaka, Haruto nodded. “R-right. What should we do next? Since we’re here, maybe look around the station building shops a bit more?” “Okay!” When Haruto replied, Ayaka nodded with a smile. At the same time, she wrapped her arms around Haruto’s arm as if hugging him and tightly gripped his hand. “Ayaka?” “We’re practicing being a couple right now, after all. I need to act like a proper girlfriend.” Ayaka was pressed close, which flustered Haruto. To him, Ayaka seemed full of spirit, showing a strong enthusiasm for practicing being a couple. She’s already acting like a girlfriend plenty… Suppressing that thought in his heart, Haruto started walking with Ayaka. ※※※ I walked, tightly hugging Haruto-kun’s left arm to my chest.
In my heart right now, a considerable amount of anxiety has started to sprout. The cause of it is the existence of his best friend Akagi-kun’s sister, Haruka-chan. Haruto-kun said that Haruka-chan is like a sister to him, but that doesn’t guarantee it will always be that way in the future. You can’t predict what will trigger romantic feelings, after all. I’ve deeply felt that myself, falling in love with Haruto-kun. Also, there’s the possibility that Haruka-chan has feelings for Haruto-kun. Watching their friendly interaction just now, I felt a squeezing anxiety in my chest. To calm the emotions swirling in my heart, I tightly gripped Haruto-kun’s left hand. “…Ayaka?” “Hey, Haruto-kun. I’d like to look at some clothes, if that’s okay?” “Huh? Oh, yeah, that’s totally fine.” Haruto-kun immediately agreed to my request. He was currently looking at the information display next to the escalator, checking which floor to go to, “Um, the women’s clothing section is…” I stared intently at Haruto-kun’s profile. Saki said before that if we dragged on this fake couple relationship, my relationship with Haruto-kun would get awkwardly complicated. Besides, it seems he’s secretly popular with girls at school. There’s no time to dawdle! I have to use this couple practice strategy to try my best and attract Harutokun’s attention with all my might! With renewed determination, I came to the women’s clothing section with Haruto-kun. “Is it okay to look around a bit?” “Of course.” Haruto-kun followed behind me without a hint of displeasure at my words. If this were a real date as a real couple, I wonder how incredibly happy I would be… I have to work hard to win that future! I carefully considered what kind of clothes would appeal to Haruto-kun. The selection of clothes being sold is transitioning from summer items to autumn items, but since hot days are still continuing, there are still plenty of light summer clothes available. As expected, Haruto-kun is a guy, so maybe something that shows a little more skin would be good…? Thinking about the impression I’d make on him, I picked up a few types of clothes I would never normally choose. “…Could you watch me try some on?”
“I don’t know much about women’s fashion, is that okay?” “Yes. W-well, see, today I’m Haruto-kun’s girlfriend, right? So, for me right now, my boyfriend Haruto-kun’s opinion is the most important.” “O-oh, right…” Embarrassed, I said it a little quickly, then held the clothes to my chest and headed for the fitting room. I could hear Haruto-kun’s footsteps following behind me, but too shy to face him, I went straight into the fitting room and closed the curtain. “Phew…” After taking a deep breath to calm myself, I gathered my resolve and took off the dress I was wearing. Then, I immediately put on the first outfit I had brought. The first thing I put on was a white off-shoulder blouse and a skirt that was shorter than the ones I usually wear. I’ve worn off-shoulder tops before, like on the movie date with Harutokun, and occasionally for casual wear, so the psychological hurdle was slightly lower. But the one I wore on the movie date had a more modest design, and I wore a thin cardigan over it. Also, the ones I usually wear are simple designs. Compared to that, the blouse I’m wearing now has a large frill at the chest, which is really cute, but I feel like it exposes a little too much skin… B-but if this can catch Haruto-kun’s attention!! I braced myself and pulled open the fitting room curtain. “Haruto-kun, how is… it?” I asked for his opinion from Haruto-kun, who was waiting properly in front of the fitting room. “Yeah, I think it suits you really well and looks cute.” “T-…thank you… Okay, I’ll change into the next outfit.” Saying that, I quickly closed the curtain to hide my face, which was grinning from being praised. I was incredibly happy to be called cute. But I also felt a bit frustrated. I worked up the courage to show some skin, but Haruto-kun’s reaction was just normal. For me, I wanted to… make him more nervous… “With this, maybe it will resonate with Haruto-kun?” I muttered that to myself, checking my appearance in the full-length mirror. The next outfit I wore was a combination of a shirt with a V-neck back and skinny denim pants. From the front, it looked normal, but the back was boldly exposed. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Haruto-kun. How about this?” I asked Haruto-kun, subtly twisting my body to show the back.
Then, I felt his face might have turned red just slightly. “…That also suits you really well, I think. Ayaka, you look cute in anything.” “O-oh, thank you… Could you look at just one more outfit?” “Yes, gladly.” Seeing Haruto-kun nod, I retreated back into the fitting room. “Did he get a little nervous, I wonder?” Remembering Haruto-kun’s reaction just now, both embarrassment and happiness welled up inside me. More… I want to make him more nervous… Feeling such a desire surge in my chest, I tried on the last outfit. “…Is this… too daring…?” I found myself staring intently at my reflection in the mirror. What I was wearing now was an off-shoulder top that was even wider open than the first blouse, and it was short, exposing my stomach and even my belly button. Is this called a tube top? Is just this one piece okay for the top? It has a big frill, so it’s not like underwear, right? I felt a little uneasy about the outfit, which barely covered anything but my chest area. By the way, the bottoms were also shorts that only came down to about halfway up my thighs. “It feels like wearing a swimsuit…” With so much exposure, I stopped moving, gripping the curtain. I froze like that for several seconds. But driven by the desire to make Haruto-kun nervous, which was growing within my chest, I pulled the curtain open with a swoosh. “Huh!?” The moment Haruto-kun saw me, he widened his eyes in a way that was almost funny, and stared at me without blinking, as if he was frozen. “Um… how is… it?” I asked, feeling his gaze on my body. Then Haruto-kun’s expression changed as if he’d come back to his senses. After that, he answered with his eyes darting around, so much so that it made me want to laugh. “Um… well…” Haruto-kun spoke in a small voice, stumbling over his words. “Since we’re practicing being a couple right now, my opinion as a boyfriend… is that okay?” “Yes. Please do.” When I nodded, he was silent for a moment before answering. “Then, that outfit is… no good, I think?”
“Huh!?” At the unexpected ‘no,’ my heart instantly filled with anxiety. Was I too daring?! Too much exposure?! Could it be… he thinks I’m a loose woman?! W-w-what should I do~~!! My thoughts froze at his words, halfway to panic. I might have gotten carried away and messed up… Just as I was thinking such things, Haruto-kun’s quiet voice reached my ears. “I think the outfit suits you really well. It’s very, um, mature and attractive. But it’s too attractive, to the point where I might not be able to concentrate on the date.” “Huh?” “I’m really happy that you’d wear such a dedicated outfit for the date, but I’d hate it if I were absent-minded throughout the date because of it. Also…” Haruto-kun paused for a moment, then said to me while shyly scratching his cheek and averting his gaze. “I don’t want to show that look to other guys. If I were Ayaka’s… real boyfriend, I’d want to monopolize… you right now. That’s why… that outfit is no good, I think?” “Huh!?” The moment I heard Haruto-kun’s words, I felt my body suddenly heat up. “…Okay. Um… I’ll change.” “Okay.” I pulled the curtain open sheepishly, looking down. Once the curtain completely blocked Haruto-kun from view, I couldn’t help but squat down on the spot and cover my face with both hands. “Ugh…” I changed slowly, taking my time, and somehow managed to regain my composure in the meantime. “S-sorry to keep you waiting…” “Okay… Are you going to buy that outfit?” “No. I think I’ll come shopping for clothes again next time with Saki.” “Ah… Aizawa-san would probably give good advice.” “Yeah…” “…Well then, shall we go to the next place?” Even though the atmosphere was a little awkward, Haruto-kun still held out his hand to me. Hearing my noisy pounding heart, I took his hand and started walking beside him. In my head, the words “I want to monopolize you” have been repeating endlessly since just now. Hah… monopolized… I want to be monopolized… I muttered that in my heart, glancing at Haruto-kun out of the corner of my eye repeatedly.
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