For a moment, the air between them felt a little strange. Neither of them spoke: one had nothing to say, and the other didn't know what to say.
After a long while, Karuizawa finally worked up the courage to speak.
"Hey, Shinjo-kun, could you... be my... boy... boyfriend?"
"I..."
Before Shinjo could finish, Karuizawa hurriedly explained in a quiet voice:
"I don't mean for real! It's just... I... You can probably tell, right? I used to get bullied a lot, so I started acting like this to protect myself. But I know it's all an act, and I don't have the confidence to keep it up... I thought that if I had a boyfriend, maybe..."
This was the first time Karuizawa had told anyone, all at once, about the past she'd been so reluctant to discuss. Maybe it was because their fates were so alike, or maybe it was because they'd spent so much time together.
Or maybe it was because that boy had just protected her from a group of delinquents!
Whatever the reason, it was enough to show that Katsuya Shinjo was someone Kei Karuizawa could trust.
But when she looked up at his expression, she noticed him murmuring something over and over:
"F...fake..."
"You really were disappointed, weren't you, Shinjo-kun?!"
The blank look vanished from Shinjo's face, replaced by his usual smile.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed, but mostly I was just messing with you."
"You! You're so mean..."
Her soft words sounded more like a coquettish complaint. It was the first time the girl had felt something that might be called love.
And wasn't it the same for Shinjo?
"So, could you say yes? I know I'm asking a lot..."
"Well, honestly, I had a feeling you might have been through something like that when we first met. Fine, I'll do it. But I'm going to charge you a fee for your request!"
Karuizawa's face lit up with delight, then turned awkward.
"But... you know my financial situation. I really don't have any points to spare."
"No, I don't want money. I want..."
If he didn't want money, what else did she, Karuizawa, have?
!!!!!!!
She sprang to her feet, one hand covering her chest as she pointed at him with the other.
"You... you're not asking for my..."
"What kind of person do you take me for...? Actually, I want you to join my Odd Jobs Agency."
Odd Jobs Agency?
Realizing she'd misunderstood, Karuizawa hurriedly apologized to Shinjo. But she was still having a little trouble understanding this unfamiliar term.
"Put simply, we charge a fee to help clients complete various jobs. Basically, people pay us to do things for them. But a club needs three members, and right now, I'm the only one. That's all there is to it."
"Oh! I get it! It's like those private detectives in Conan, right?"
"Uh, more or less."
Karuizawa nodded. "That's all you want as payment?"
To Karuizawa, that actually meant something else. She was only joining a club; all she had to do was sign her name.
But he was going to protect her at all times, and attend events with her to keep up the appearance of being a couple.
No matter how she looked at it, he was the one giving her a great deal for free.
Then she remembered the disappointed look on Shinjo's face earlier, and 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. You can't be so easy! At the very least, we should go on a few dates first...]
Shinjo obviously had no idea what she was thinking. Even if he had, he wouldn't have minded, since he seemed to be thinking along the same lines now.
"Ah, if you can, it'd be great if you could find a third member for me. Anyone will do, since all they have to do is put their name down. I'd really appreciate it!"
"I can do that!"
Her quick answer caught Shinjo a little off guard.
She was so confident because she'd already decided to force her two best friends to sign the club application!
"Then, since we're sort of a couple... should I call you Karuizawa, or... Kei?"
!!!!!!
[H-he's calling me by my first name!!! Isn't that way too intimate? But couples do call each other by their first names... So I should say yes...]
Karuizawa nodded almost unconsciously. "Then, can I call you Katsuya?"
"Of course."
Shinjo didn't want to admit that he'd been a virgin until recently, but she seemed even more innocent than he was.
Afterward, to celebrate becoming a couple, Shinjo reluctantly treated her to a huge meal, then took her for a stroll around the shopping district.
Though the two of them admitted they were a fake couple, whether you asked the people around them or looked at what was going on in their hearts, they'd both already tossed the word "fake" somewhere out of sight.
"Oh, right! Katsuya, who's Ayanokoji?"
"Huh? Don't tell me it's already been a month and you still haven't learned all your classmates' names."
Although Ayanokoji had about as much presence as air—and seemed to be deliberately trying to make himself less noticeable—not knowing him at all was going a bit far.
But judging by Karuizawa's bewildered expression, she genuinely had no idea who he was.
"You mean this Ayanokoji is in our class?!"
"Then why did you give Ryuen his name?"
Was it a professional habit?
Shinjo rarely used his real name in public, especially when he knew the other person might come after him. Even if giving a fake name probably wouldn't help, he still did it out of habit.
"Uh, that guy's really strong! If Ryuen actually goes after him, Ryuen's the one who'll end up in trouble!"
Shinjo fudged the truth, but he wasn't exactly wrong.
Karuizawa couldn't be bothered to think about someone she had no memory of, and wisely didn't ask any more questions.
That night, the two reluctantly said goodbye, then spent another half hour chatting on the phone. Most of what they said was trivial, but to them, every punctuation mark meant the world.
Karuizawa also embellished her story a little and left out a few "small details" before telling her two close friends, Matsushita and Sato, about it.
Both of them said in unison, "I knew it!"
Class C,
"Ryuen! That's one fine catch!"
"Ryuen, that guy might've been stringing you along."
?????
Ryuen, who'd been laughing wildly, stiffened. He gave Manabe a dangerous look, signaling for her to continue.
"Because earlier, I heard Karuizawa call that guy Shinjo-kun..."
"I don't care what he's called! Shinjo or Ayanokoji! I won't let any of them get away!"
At that moment, Ayanokoji, who was chewing on hard bread, suddenly sneezed.
"That's strange. Can I get sick too?"
Before you continue