The day after the date with Ayaka. Haruto was at his best friend Tomoya’s room. “So? Since when have you been dating Tojo-san, Haru?” To Tomoya, who spoke definitively, Haruto replied with a sigh. “Like I said back then, I’m not dating Aya… Tojo-san.” “You just started to say ‘Ayaka’ for Tojo-san.” “…I didn’t.” Haruto turned his face away from Tomoya’s glare. “Haruto-kun! Lying is no good!” Tomoya mimicked Ayaka’s way of speaking in a falsetto voice towards Haruto, who averted his gaze and closed his mouth. Tomoya blinked excessively while saying it, making Haruto’s temple twitch. “So, Tojo-san and I aren’t in the kind of relationship you’re thinking. It’s just a housekeeping staff plus customer relationship after all.” “Speaking of which, you’re currently working at Tojo-san’s house regularly, right, Haru?” “Well… Tojo-san’s family really liked my cooking and stuff, so they signed a regular contract with me.” “In other words, you have the family’s approval of your relationship with Tojo-san.” “Family’s approval, you’re…” Haruto gave him an exasperated look, but Tomoya dropped his joking expression and looked at him with serious eyes. “Haru, you said it before, remember? Something about still needing to sort out your feelings. And you asked me how I spent my time when I had a girlfriend, right? So you were dating Tojo-san for that, weren’t you?” Tomoya continued speaking with a sharp gaze. “Hey… Are you really not dating? Because if that’s the case, the distance between you two yesterday was abnormal. That’s, if you’re really not dating.” “Abnormal… It wasn’t that much, was it?” “It truely was that much. If you’re saying there’s nothing between you two after that, then either Haru is incredibly dense to the point of his daily life
being affected, or Tojo-san is a succubus who can wrap many men around her finger for that atmosphere to happen. The realisc option is that Tojo-san is madly in love with Haru though.” Haruto scratched his head at Tomoya’s clear statement. Despite his seemingly frivolous demeanor, he was surprisingly insightful and could hit on the core truth. Haruto let out a small sigh. After opening and closing his mouth several times, seemingly debating whether to speak, he resigned himself and revealed his current relationship with Ayaka to Tomoya. The lie Haruto told his grandmother. Ayaka agreeing to be his fake girlfriend to go along with that lie. The date practice they were doing to make sure the lie wasn’t exposed. After listening to all of this, Tomoya was silent for a few seconds after Haruto finished speaking. Then, he slowly opened his mouth. “Haru. You… are you an idiot?” “What’s with you suddenly?” “Fake girlfriend? Date practice? You wouldn’t normally do something like that unless it was with someone you like.” “…You can’t possibly know that, can you?” Although Haruto denied Tomoya’s words, his voice lacked strength. For Haruto, who had just been told something similar by Shizuku, his best friend’s remark deeply shook him. “Tojo-san is really kind… Maybe she’s just going along with my lie out of goodwill?” Haruto retorted, sounding a bit like he was making an excuse. Tomoya folded his arms and asked, “Are you seriously saying that?” “I don’t know anything about Tojo-san, so I can’t say for sure, but thinking normally? No matter how kind a person is, they wouldn’t go that far, would they?” “…………” Haruto simply fell silent at Tomoya’s words. “Conversely, what do you think of Tojo-san, Haru?” “That is…” “Do you like her? Or is she still just a customer from your part-time job?” Haruto looked down at Tomoya’s question. He had already realized his own feelings. He knew what kind of emotions he held for Ayaka. However, he couldn’t voice those feelings clearly.
Haruto’s mouth wouldn’t open, as if sewn shut. Seeing his state, Tomoya nodded, saying, “I see.” “So Haru is head over heels for Tojo-san too.” “I haven’t said anything yet. Don’t just decide that on your own.” Tomoya shook his head slightly in exasperation at Haruto’s reflexive protest. “I knew because you didn’t say anything. In other words, you’re so seriously in love with Tojo-san that you can’t easily say ‘I like you’, right?” “…………” “And because you’re seriously in love, you lack confidence and have become timid about your relationship with Tojo-san. If it were someone you didn’t care about, you’d confess with a casual attitude, thinking it’d be lucky if you started dating.” “It’s not like that…” Hit squarely by his best friend, Haruto weakly denied it while averting his gaze. Haruto himself had never had a girlfriend before and couldn’t say he was experienced in romance. However, even he had a vague feeling that Ayaka might have feelings for him. He felt it, but he couldn’t be sure. Because he wasn’t sure and lacked confidence, he’d run away, thinking Ayaka’s affection might just be his imagination. But when he was with Ayaka, her smile, her cheerful demeanor, the warmth of her hand – they gave Haruto hope. The hope that she might become his real girlfriend. Haruto let out an even bigger, deeper sigh than before. “The other person is ‘the School Idol’, you know? She turned down every guy who confessed to her, so is there any chance she’d fall for me?” “Who knows, but I don’t think any of those guys ever had date practice with Tojo-san, you know?” “That’s true, but…” Haruto sighed for the third time at Tomoya’s words. What Tomoya had said resonated strongly in his head. ‘You’re so seriously in love that you lack confidence and have become timid about your relationship with Tojo-san.’ That was exactly right. Haruto desired something more than just the relationship of a housekeeping service staff and a customer with Ayaka. He wished to be more than just a classmate. And the stronger that feeling became, the more he would hesitate, imagining what would happen if that feeling wasn’t reciprocated. “Haah, am I… a coward?”
“Well, yeah, you’re a coward.” “Be a little more considerate.” Haruto protested weakly with a wry smile at Tomoya’s blunt response. Just then, the door to the room burst open. “Haru-nii!!” It was Tomoya’s sister, Haruka, who burst into the room with a loud voice. “Hey, Haruka. I told you to knock before entering a room.” “Shut up, Onii.” Haruka gave her brother a cold look at his nagging. “You, toward your brother──” “Yes, yes. I don’t have time to entertain Onii’s ramblings right now.” Haruka waved her hand at her brother in a shooing motion, then turned towards Haruto with a high-spirited attitude, as if her demeanor towards Tomoya was a lie. “Haru-nii!! Who was that super beautiful woman yesterday!? Is she your girlfriend!?” Haruka pressed Haruto with heavy breathing, interrogating him about Ayaka. “Uh, Haruka-chan. Tojo-san isn’t exactly my girlfriend──” “Liar! You’re definitely dating!!” “He says it’s not a lie, you know? Haru says he’s not dating Tojo-san.” Tomoya interjected, looking exasperated at Haruka who had interrupted Haruto’s words. “Ehh!? Really!? You’re not dating her even with that!? Haru-nii, are you crazy!?” Haruto awkwardly averted his gaze at Haruka, whose eyes were wide with astonishment. “I thought I was sane, but… I’m not so sure right now.” Haruto said this, looking off into the distance. Seeing his state, Haruka put her hand on her chin and spoke with a serious expression. “I think Tojo-san likes Haru-nii, you know. And Haru-nii likes Tojo-san too, right?” “Well, I don’t know about that? It’s not necessarily true that Tojo-san likes me, is it?” When he said something similar in nuance to what he’d told Tomoya earlier, Haruka vigorously shook her head, denying Haruto’s opinion.
“No way! Tojo-san is definitely in love with Haru-nii! One hundred percent she’s in love!!” “…What’s your basis for that?” “Woman’s intuition!” When Haruto asked for a reason, Haruka puffed out her chest and declared it with utter confidence, as if it were the most obvious thing. “Is that intuition reliable?” “Of course! So, when are you going to introduce Tojo-san to me, Harunii?” Haruto gave a wry smile at Haruka, who said this as if it were a matter of course. “At the moment, I don’t have any plans to introduce you to her, Harukachan.” “Why!? As Haru-nii’s sister, I have a duty to assess whether Tojo-san is suitable as your girlfriend!”
“No, no. Haruka-chan, you’re Tomoya’s sister, not mine.” I retorted, stating the absolute truth. At my words, Haruka looked at me with a serious gaze and said, “I think of Haru-nii as my real older brother, you know? Since way back, Haru-nii has been one of my important family members. Right? Onii, you think of Haru-nii as family too, don’t you?” “Damn right! Haru is my important best friend and also family!” At Tomoya, who declared this with his chest puffed out, I scratched my cheek to hide my embarrassment. Long ago, when my grandfather passed away, Tomoya and Haruka said similar things and stayed close by. I felt truly grateful to the childhood friend siblings for that. “So, please introduce me to Tojo-san!” “Hmm, I’ll consider it positively.” “That’s what someone who won’t introduce me would say!” But that and Ayaka were separate issues. I intuitively felt that if Ayaka and Haruka met, a lot of troublesome things would happen. I continued to skillfully evade her request until lunchtime, when I headed to the Tojo house. ※※※ In front of the full-length mirror in my room, I checked my appearance for perhaps the umpteenth time today. “Yep, I’m okay. Nothing strange, right?” Twisting my body to check my back view, I said to myself, as if convincing myself. I wore a white blouse on top and paired it with a pastel-colored skirt, aiming for a clean, gentle impression. Today was the day I would meet Haruto-kun’s grandmother. It would be the first time meeting her since becoming Haruto-kun’s fake girlfriend. Phew, I’m nervous… I met his grandmother once when I was taking care of Haruto-kun. She was very kind back then, and I had the impression she was a good person. But if she finds out it’s a lie, she’ll probably get angry, right? Imagining that moment, I trembled slightly. But on the other hand, if Haruto-kun’s grandmother takes a liking to me here, I feel like she’ll become a very powerful ally. If that happens, the
chance of Haruto-kun confessing to me should increase significantly! “Al- alright! I’ll do my best!” With renewed determination, I left the room. I went to the living room to tell them I was going out, and Dad was playing with Ryota. Mom went to the office today, and Dad was working remotely from home. “Dad, I’m going out for a bit.” “Oh, okay.” Dad, who was playing toy sword fighting with Ryota, took his eyes off Ryota and looked at me. “Will you be back late?” “No. I’ll be back in the evening.” “If you’re going to be late, make sure you contact us, okay?” “Okay, got it. See you later.” As I left the living room with a wave, I heard Ryota’s sharp cry of “Opening!” from behind me, followed immediately by Dad’s dying scream, “Guh! You got me~” It seems Dad was taken down by Ryota. I went outside, easing my tension slightly with the cheerful family conversation I heard from behind me. Passing through the residential area and coming out onto a main street, I walked along that street for a while. Then I saw a famous coffee chain store appear before me. “Is Haruto-kun there?” Actually, I was going to head straight to his house, but Haruto-kun said that would be too much trouble, so we decided to meet at a nearby coffee chain store. When I looked towards the store, I found the person I was looking for right away. Haruto-kun was sitting on a pole in front of the store, looking at his smartphone. The moment I saw him, my face automatically broke into a smile, and I rushed towards him as if drawn by a magnet. “Haruto-kun, sorry, did I keep you waiting?” “No, not at all. I just arrived.” Haruto-kun lifted his gaze from his smartphone and gave me a gentle smile. Since Haruto-kun started coming to my house for housekeeping, I’ve seen many of his expressions, but among them, I like this smile the best.
When I see Haruto-kun’s gentle smile, I feel like my mood brightens instantly, no matter how down I am. I wish I could take a photo of Haruto-kun smiling someday. But if I had something like that on my smartphone, I’d probably stare at it all day and wouldn’t be able to get anything else done. The other day, Saki took a two-shot photo of us during a barbecue in the backyard, and even that photo makes me grin when I look at it. A photo of him smiling would be dangerous… As I was thinking such things, Haruto-kun’s gaze turned towards my hands. “Ayaka, what’s that?” “Oh, this. I thought it might be rude to go empty-handed, you see.” I slightly lifted the paper bag I was holding and said. Inside was an assortment of baked goods. I originally thought about getting sweets like cake, but with this heat, it would probably spoil quickly, so I safely chose something that would last. “Sorry, I made you worry.” “No! Not at all. Don’t worry about it.” I have to make a good impression on his grandmother, even just a little bit. For Haruto-kun to turn my way! As the first step to becoming Harutokun’s real girlfriend, it’s absolutely essential to get his grandmother to like me! “Alright, let’s go.” “Okay.” I nodded with determination. Until now, I’ve been pretending to be his girlfriend for practice. But today, in front of Haruto-kun’s grandmother, I can be his real girlfriend. So, I can show the results of our practice and act as Haruto-kun’s ideal girlfriend to the best of my ability. Well, even when I say “act,” since I’m already in love with Haruto-kun, I just need to express the feelings I have for him. I never even dreamed that I would be so completely captivated by a classmate who came to my house for housekeeping. Now, when I can’t see him, I just space out, wondering “What is he doing right now?”. When he comes for housekeeping, just being in the same house makes my heart pound, and I’m constantly thinking about how I can talk to him naturally or if there’s anything we have in common to talk about. And when we’re alone in my room doing date practice, I’m so happy that I feel like I’m floating, like my body might just lift into the air.
This summer break, every day has been exciting, fun, and I couldn’t wait for the next day to come, but I also felt a bit of sadness for the days passing by. I’m truly spending a summer that’s completely different from any before. The boy in front of me, who is the cause of all this, is walking beside me, still wearing the gentle smile that captivates my gaze. As I was thinking such things, we arrived at his house in no time. It was the same ordinary detached house that felt a little old that I visited before when I was taking care of Haruto-kun. But for me, it was a special place: the home of the person I liked. Haruto-kun stepped ahead and opened the front door for me. “Thank you.” Saying my thanks, I stepped through the front door and entered Harutokun’s house. I felt it when I came before too, but inside the house, there was a faint scent of Haruto-kun, and I unconsciously took a small deep breath. “Grandma, I’m home. Ayaka is here.” Haruto-kun closed the front door and called out towards the living room. Immediately, his grandmother came to the entrance. “Oh, welcome, Ayaka-san.” “Hello. Um, it’s just a small token, but…” I handed the grandmother the paper bag containing the baked goods that I was holding. “Oh dear! Thank you very much for your thoughtfulness. It must have been hot outside, wasn’t it? Please come in and make yourself comfortable.” Saying that, his grandmother prepared slippers for me. I lowered my head and said, “Thank you very much,” as I put on the slippers. When I came last time, I went straight from the entrance to Haruto-kun’s room on the second floor, but this time, I was shown into the living room instead of his room. “Please sit down and make yourself comfortable. I’ll go make some tea now.” “Ah, yes. Thank you.” As I lowered my head to thank her, his grandmother smiled broadly and disappeared towards the kitchen. “You might think it’s cramped, but please sit wherever you like.” “No, it’s not cramped at all. I think it’s a lovely house!”
Certainly, compared to the living room in my house, Haruto-kun’s living room might be smaller in terms of area alone. But I would never feel uncomfortable about that. In fact, I’d be happy even if it were smaller. Because that way, I can naturally get closer to Haruto-kun. As I was thinking such things, Haruto-kun sat down on a cushion in front of the table. Seeing that, I also sat down on the cushion laid out next to Haruto-kun. To make myself look like a real girlfriend as much as possible, I sat in the seiza position, snuggling right up next to Haruto-kun. “…Uh, doesn’t it get hot if we’re too close? You see, the air conditioner in the house is a bit old, and it doesn’t cool down the house that much.” “It’s okay. More importantly, if we don’t properly show that we’re a close couple, Grandma will find out it’s a lie.” I lowered my voice and whispered into Haruto-kun’s ear, so that his grandmother in the kitchen wouldn’t hear. “Oh, I see… Thank you.” Haruto-kun, who thanked me shyly with a slightly red face, was so cute that I let out a small chuckle. Like just now, when Haruto-kun gets shy and his face turns red, my heart overflows with an indescribable sense of happiness and satisfaction. After all, if Haruto-kun reacts like that, it means he’s conscious of me, doesn’t it? As I happily gazed at Haruto-kun’s profile, which was adorably blushing, his grandmother returned to the living room with a tray carrying teacups and the baked goods I had brought. “Oh my. It’s lovely to see you two getting along so well.” His grandmother looked at Haruto-kun and me, who were sitting snugly together, and spoke with a happy expression. Her words made me feel a little itchy and shy. “Haruto. Ayaka-san is truly a lovely and wonderful girlfriend, isn’t she?” “Of course, Ayaka is, well… the world’s best girlfriend.” “Hwa… Ah, thank you, Haruto-kun.” The world’s best! I’m the world’s best for Haruto-kun! Of course, that was said under the premise that I’m a fake girlfriend. I know. My head understands it perfectly. But my heart just rejoices on its own! Ignoring my reason altogether, I just feel happy automatically!
Right now, I might be wearing a sloppy, relaxed smile. I shouldn’t show that kind of expression to his grandmother, but for some reason, I can’t put any strength into my cheeks. “Well, well, it’s most important that you two are getting along so well.” Saying that, his grandmother placed the tea and sweets in front of us. I said, “Thank you. I’ll have some,” and took a sip of tea. “Ayaka-san.” “Yes?” “Is Haruto doing well? Is he making you sad or neglecting you?” At his grandmother’s words, I shook my head vigorously and replied with a full-powered smile. “Haruto-kun is the world’s absolute best boyfriend for me!!” My ears got hot, embarrassed by my own declaration. But those words were from my heart. If Haruto-kun really became my boyfriend, it’s already certain that he would be the world’s best boyfriend. ※※※ “Haruto-kun is the world’s absolute best boyfriend for me!!” Ayaka’s expression as she clearly declared this, while red with embarrassment, shone so brightly it felt like she was emitting light. His grandmother, who had looked directly at her charming smile from the front, froze for a few seconds, then sharply turned to look at Haruto. “Haruto! What a wonderful girlfriend she is! Ayaka-san is!” “Uh, yeah. Grandma, it’s not good for your health to get too excited.” “Just seeing Ayaka-san’s wonderful smile makes me feel ten years younger.” “Hehe, thank you very much.” Ayaka smiled happily at his grandmother’s words, and the grandmother was captivated by her expression once again. I felt I had never seen my grandmother so cheerful. His grandmother, who seemed to have taken a great liking to Ayaka, apparently thought of something, clapped her hands, and stood up. “That’s right, Ayaka-san. Would you like to see Haruto’s childhood albums?” “Yes!! I want to see them!!”
Ayaka replied to his grandmother’s suggestion without a moment’s hesitation. She must have really wanted to see those albums; she leaned forward with her hands on the table in front of her, her hips slightly raised. Seeing Ayaka’s state, I protested shyly to my grandmother. “Hold on, Grandma. Don’t say weird things.” “It’s absolutely wonderful! Little Haruto-kun is definitely going to be cute!” “Yes, yes, I’ll bring them now, just wait a moment.” “Yes!” My grandmother, who paid no attention whatsoever to her grandson’s words, left the living room for a moment to get the albums. Ayaka, who was eagerly anticipating my albums, wore a beaming, almost bursting smile. “It’s not that great, you know? Don’t expect too much.” Ayaka turned to face me, who was giving a wry smile, keeping her beaming face. “Huh? I will expect a lot. Because it’s little Haruto-kun, right? It’s Mini Haruto-kun?” “Mini… I’m not some kind of mascot.” “If there was a Haruto-kun mascot, I’d want one.” Although her tone sounded like a joke, seeing that her eyes were surprisingly serious, I put on a strained smile. “No way, I don’t want to see merchandise like that of myself.” “I think it would sell, though.” “In that case, I feel like making merchandise of Ayaka instead of me would sell better.” If they made figures and acrylic stands of Ayaka, who was called the school idol and was such a beautiful girl, they could probably make a fortune. As I was thinking such things, Ayaka stared intently at me. “Haruto-kun, do you want them? My merchandise?” “Huh? Oh, uh, well… but you see, Ayaka is as cute as a real idol, so there might be a lot of people who would want to put up posters of you in their rooms, don’t you think?” At my words ‘as cute as an idol’, her mouth corners curved up happily. “Haruto-kun too?” “Huh?” “Haruto-kun, if there were a poster of me, would you put it up in your room?”
I was about to answer ‘Yes’ reflexively to Ayaka’s question. However, admitting that honestly to her was too embarrassing for me, so I tried to change the subject without answering. “S-speaking of which, I sometimes hear rumors at school that Ayaka is affiliated with an entertainment agency. Is that actually true?” “Huh, what’s that?! Is that kind of rumor going around at school!?” My words seemed to be completely unexpected to her, and she opened her eyes wide in surprise. “Based on that reaction, it seems the rumor is false.” “Of course! I could never become someone like an entertainer!” “Is that so? Don’t you ever get scouted when you’re walking around town, Ayaka?” “…Sometimes, I do get business cards from people wearing suits, maybe?” “Those are definitely scouts from entertainment agencies.” As expected, it’s probably natural for girls as beautiful as her to be approached by people like that. “If Ayaka wanted to, she could probably become a popular idol easily.” At my words, Ayaka’s cheeks were faintly colored, and she looked at me shyly from under her eyelashes. “Rather than being cheered by many people… I want just one special person to look at me.” “…” I, who was looked at with moist eyes as she said this, lost my words at her excessive cuteness. I froze, unable to avert my gaze, as if sucked into Ayaka’s eyes. To me, she gave a soft smile. “If only Haruto-kun is by my side… I’m happy with just that.” After saying that with a smile like an angel’s, Ayaka, unable to bear the embarrassment any longer, added hastily with a bright red face. “H-how was that? I feel like I said that really like a real couple would, didn’t I?” “Huh? …Ah, ah! Yes! It was very real-like!” At Ayaka’s words, I came back to my senses and nodded my head up and down repeatedly, looking slightly flustered like she was. Just as we were nodding at each other, faces bright red, my grandmother, who had gone to get the albums, returned to the living room. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Ayaka-san.”
My grandmother spread out the three albums she was holding on the table. “Thank you. May I see them?” As if to dispel the awkward atmosphere with me, Ayaka’s voice was brighter than usual. Confirming that his grandmother had nodded, saying, “Of course you may,” she reached out for the albums. “That one is from when Haruto was in elementary school.” My grandmother said, looking at the album Ayaka had picked up. “Wow! Little Haruto-kun is so cute!! Is this Sports Day?” “Yes, that’s right. These are photos from when he was running the anchor leg in the relay.” Perhaps remembering those days, my grandmother narrowed her eyes nostalgically and looked at the albums. Several photos were pasted there of me as an elementary school student, wearing a red and white hat and running on the track with a baton in my hand. “Haruto-kun was the anchor for the relay. You were fast, weren’t you?” “Back then, yes. I’m really slow now.” “Is that so? Do your legs get slower?” “I don’t feel like I could beat anyone from the track and field club.” “You shouldn’t compare yourself to people from the track and field club.” Ayaka smiled “Hehe” at my words, and continued flipping through the albums happily afterwards. Occasionally, she would ask my grandmother for anecdotes from back then and looked at the photos without getting bored. “Oh, the school play. This is… Momotaro? Haruto-kun playing the monkey is cute.” “Haruto seemed to love playing the monkey. Even after the school play ended and he came home, he would happily talk, adding ‘Ukiki’ to the end of his sentences.” “Isn’t that too cute?” “Grandma… don’t tell Ayaka weird things.” My grandmother and Ayaka were having a wonderfully enjoyable time, but for me, it was a time of enduring embarrassment. Every time Ayaka turned a page and saw a new photo, she would repeatedly say “cute,” making my heart feel incredibly itchy.
After that, Ayaka and my grandmother seemed to hit it off through the photos of young me, and they had a lively discussion about childhood me. By the time they finished looking through the three albums my grandmother had brought, the sun had begun to set. Seeing the clock on the wall, my grandmother let out a slightly surprised voice. “Oh? Is it this late already?” “It’s already evening, isn’t it?” The setting sun streamed in through the window, and Ayaka looked around the living room bathed in orange light. “Um, I should probably be going soon.” My grandmother smiled broadly at Ayaka, who spoke regretfully. “Ayaka-san. Thank you for the enjoyable time. Please come visit again anytime.” “Yes!” Ayaka, showing a truly happy expression at my grandmother’s words, nodded greatly. “Ayaka, I’ll walk you home.” “Okay, thank you, Haruto-kun.” Ayaka and I stood up and headed for the entrance. My grandmother followed behind us. Ayaka, who changed into her shoes at the entrance, turned back once, faced my grandmother, and bowed her head. “Thank you very much for today.” “Not at all, it is we who should be thanking you.” “Well then, goodbye.” “I’m heading out, Grandma.” Ayaka waved to my grandmother, who was seeing us off at the entrance, and left the Ōtsuki house. ※※※ Haruto and Ayaka walked side by side through the residential area, which was dyed red by the setting sun. “Thank you so much for today. It’s been a while since I saw Grandma that happy.” “That’s good. If she hadn’t been happy, there wouldn’t be any meaning to acting as a fake girlfriend, right?”
“Yeah… you’re right.” My voice hitched slightly at Ayaka’s reply. My grandmother was very happy. That’s what I wanted. I didn’t want to make my grandmother sad, I wanted to make her feel at ease, I wanted her to be happy. It was because I wished for that that Ayaka cooperated with my feelings and acted as my fake girlfriend. I felt an overwhelming debt of gratitude towards Ayaka. However, at the same time, I felt a pain in my chest, like guilt. “Oh, Haruto-kun. This is fine. Thank you for walking me.” “Okay, then take care on your way back.” “Okay. Bye-bye!” Even after parting from me, Ayaka turned back many times and waved with a smile. In response, I also stopped at the place where we parted and waved back slightly. Eventually, when Ayaka turned the corner and was completely out of sight, I let out a small sigh. “Staying like this… is no good, is it?” Seeing Ayaka and my grandmother together, and the happier the atmosphere, the more the fact that she was a fake girlfriend seemed to weigh heavily on my heart. My grandmother’s smile was made from my lie, from the false relationship between me and Ayaka. That fact was constricting my heart. “Fake girlfriend… huh.” In the back of my mind, as I murmured this alone, Ayaka’s smile appeared. Ayaka next to him always had a joyful, happy expression. Every time I recalled such a captivating girl, the words of Shizuku and Tomoya would simultaneously resurface in my mind. ‘Haru-senpai, you don’t understand a woman’s heart at all. Even if it’s just for show, you’re acting like a couple, you know? You wouldn’t do that with someone you don’t even like, right? And date practice? Tojo-senpai is trying hard because she wants Haru-senpai to turn her way.’ ‘Fake girlfriend? Date practice? You wouldn’t normally do something like that unless it was with someone you like.’ Ayaka, who always showed me a dazzling smile. And the words of my friends. If this weren’t about myself, I would surely think the same thing. ‘Just confess and start dating her,’ I’d think. However, when it comes to myself, I can’t make up my mind easily.
If Ayaka were to become my real girlfriend, I could see my grandmother’s happy face without any worries. And above all, my own feelings for her would be realized. That would be a truly wonderful thing for me. That’s exactly why I couldn’t make up my mind. The more strongly I wished for it, the more I became afraid of what would happen if it didn’t come true. As a result, I would escape into the current situation and be satisfied with it. “…Damn, I’m pathetic… I’m really a coward.” My powerless monologue drifted sadly through the residential area, which was starting to grow dark.
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