Fake Couple or Real Couple

For a moment, the air between the two felt somewhat off, but neither spoke; one had nothing to say, and the other didn't know what to say.

After a long while, Karuizawa finally gathered the courage to speak up.

"Hey, Shintō-kun, could you... be my... boy... boyfriend?"

"I..."

Before Shintō could finish, Karuizawa hurriedly whispered an explanation:

"It's not for real, though! Actually, I... you should be able to tell, right? I used to be bullied a lot, so I put on this act to protect myself. But I know it's just a facade, and I don't have much confidence... I just thought if I had a boyfriend, maybe..."

This was the first time Karuizawa had told someone about the past she never wanted to reveal, whether it was because of their similar fates or the time they had spent together.

Or perhaps it was because this boy had truly protected her from a group of delinquents just moments ago!

All of this was enough to prove that Shintō Katsuya was worthy of Karuizawa Kei's trust.

However, when she looked up to see his expression, she found him muttering something to himself:

"Fake..."

"You really were disappointed, weren't you?! Shintō-kun!"

The blank look on Shintō's face vanished instantly, replaced by his usual smiling expression:

"It would be a lie to say I wasn't, but it was mostly just me teasing you."

"You! You're so mean..."

Her soft, gentle words sounded more like she was acting spoiled, and it was the first time the young girl had felt something that might be called love.

And for Shintō, wasn't it the same?

"So, will you agree to my request? I know it's a bit much to ask..."

"Hmm, honestly, I guessed you might have a past like that the first time we met. Alright, I'll agree, but I'm going to charge a certain fee for your request!"

Karuizawa's face lit up with joy, then turned awkward:

"But... you know my financial situation well enough. I really don't have any points left."

"No, it's not money I want. It's..."

He didn't want money? Then what else could she, Karuizawa, possibly have?

!!!!!!!

She jumped up, one hand covering her chest while the other pointed at him:

"You... you don't mean you want my..."

"What kind of person do you take me for... Actually, I want you to join my Yorozuya."

Yorozuya?

Realizing she had misunderstood, Karuizawa hurriedly apologized to Shintō, though it was clear she was still struggling to understand the unfamiliar term.

"Simply put, it means taking on requests for a fee and helping clients complete them. To put it bluntly, it's doing work for people in exchange for money. But since a club needs three people to be established and I'm the only one right now, that's all there is to it."

"Oh! I get it! It's like a private detective, just like in Conan!"

"Uh, something like that."

Karuizawa nodded, "The payment you want is just that simple?"

To Karuizawa, this actually carried a different meaning. Since it was just joining a club, it was nothing more than picking up a pen and signing her name.

Yet, he was offering to protect her at all times and even attend certain events to maintain their facade as a couple.

No matter how she looked at it, he was giving her a huge bargain.

Thinking back to Shintō's disappointed expression earlier, she understood!

[This man must like me!]

[But if that's really the case, should I accept... or be forced to accept... No! Karuizawa! You're a girl, how can you be so frivolous?! At the very least, we should go on a few dates first...]

Shintō clearly had no idea what she was thinking, and even if he did, it wouldn't matter, because he seemed to be thinking the exact same thing right now.

"Ah, if you can, it would be best if you could help me find a third person. Anyone will do, since they just need to be a name on the roster. If you can manage that, I'd be truly grateful!"

"I can do it!"

The speed of her reply actually caught Shintō off guard.

The reason she could guarantee it was because she had already decided to forcibly coerce her two best friends into signing the club application form!

"Then, since we're a couple... is it better if I call you Karuizawa, or should I call you... Kei?"

!!!!!!

[Just... just my first name!!! Isn't that a bit too intimate? But I guess couples do call each other by their first names... so, I should agree...]

Karuizawa nodded as if possessed: "If that's the case, then can I call you Katsuya?"

"Of course."

Although Shinjo was unwilling to admit that he had been a virgin until recently, the other party seemed even more innocent than he was.

Afterward, to celebrate their new status as a couple, Shinjo bit the bullet and treated her to a big meal before taking a stroll through the shopping district.

Even though both of them acknowledged that they were a fake couple, whether in the eyes of outsiders or deep within their own hearts, they had already tossed the word "fake" to who knows where.

"Oh right! Katsuya, who is... Ayanokōji?"

"Huh? Don't tell me you haven't even memorized the names of your classmates after a whole month."

Although that guy Ayanokōji had the presence of thin air, and it seemed like he intentionally downplayed his own existence, it was still absurd to not know him at all.

But looking at Karuizawa's blank expression, she truly didn't know.

"You're saying this Ayanokōji is a student in our class?!"

"But if that's the case, why did you give his name to that Ryuen?"

Should this be called a professional habit?

Shinjo rarely used his real name when out in public, especially when he knew someone might be looking for trouble. Even if giving a fake name might be useless, he had grown accustomed to doing it anyway.

"Uh, that guy is really something! If Ryuen actually goes to bother him, it'll definitely be Ryuen who ends up unlucky!"

Shinjo brushed it off with a vague excuse, but in reality, what he said was perfectly true.

Karuizawa couldn't be bothered to care about someone she had no impression of, and she sensibly didn't press the matter further.

That night, the two bid each other a reluctant farewell, only to spend another half hour on the phone. Although most of what they said was meaningless drivel, to them, every single punctuation mark felt significant.

Karuizawa also took the opportunity to embellish her story, trimming away a few "minor details" before sharing it with her two good friends, Matsushita and Satō.

Both of them chimed in simultaneously: "I knew it!"

Class C, "Ayanokōji! Good, what a fine piece of prey!"

"Ryuen, that guy might be playing you for a fool."

?????

Ryuen, who had been laughing maniacally, suddenly stiffened, signaling Manabe with a dangerous look to continue.

"Because, I heard Karuizawa call that guy Shinjo-kun earlier..."

"I don't care what he calls himself! Whether it's Shinjo or Ayanokōji! I won't let either of them off the hook!"

At that moment, Ayanokōji, who was busy gnawing on a piece of hard bread, suddenly let out a sneeze.

"How strange, can I even get sick?"