Fake Boyfriend

Nagumo Miyabi might have vaguely brushed against the misty edges of the truth, but faced with that thin pane of paper, he hesitated to reach out and poke through it.

Whether unwilling or afraid, it was unclear.

But Shiraishi Makoto had no mind to dwell on that now.

Staring at the private message from Ichinose Honami on his phone, he walked alone to the small grove behind the school building, where he spotted Ichinose Honami already waiting from afar.

"Ichinose-san, did something happen?" Shiraishi Makoto asked, puzzled, since this was the first time Ichinose Honami had sought him out privately.

"Ah, Shiraishi-kun, you're here." Perhaps lost in other thoughts, Ichinose Honami hadn't noticed Shiraishi Makoto's approach until he spoke.

"It's like this—I have a personal matter I'd like to ask for your help with." At this, a rare look of hesitation crossed Ichinose Honami's face.

Then, from her handbag, she pulled out a pink letter, its seal adorned with a red heart sticker.

"Is that... a love letter?" The moment Shiraishi Makoto saw the pink envelope, he understood what was happening.

Ichinose Honami was the great angel of Class A, so it was no surprise that many students—both in her class and others—had feelings for her. In the two months since school started, several had already tried confessing, but she'd gently turned them all down.

With Ichinose's skill, rejecting someone without hurting them wasn't difficult.

The only possibility was that the sender was someone very close to her—Shiranami Chihiro.

"Yes... someone wants to confess to me here." Ichinose Honami held up the love letter, looking flustered.

"Yesterday, I found this in my locker, but... I really don't understand matters of love, and besides, I don't think I can develop a normal romantic relationship with this person..." She clutched the letter lightly, as if searching for the right words to explain the situation.

"So, it's a female classmate, right? And from our class." Shiraishi Makoto, feeling the moment was ripe, cut off Ichinose's hesitation.

"That's right—did Shiraishi-kun already figure it out?" Ichinose Honami trusted Shiraishi Makoto's observational skills; perhaps he'd long noticed Shiranami-san's feelings for her.

"So, what did Ichinose-san want to ask me?" By now, Shiraishi Makoto had a good idea of what she was after.

"I don't know how to refuse without hurting her..." Ichinose Honami looked troubled. "Then I remembered how Shiraishi-kun helped Kushida-san from Class D handle those rumors."

She hesitated for a moment, then cautiously lifted her eyes to meet his, her voice growing softer. "If Shiraishi-kun could pretend to be my boyfriend..."

The idea of a fake boyfriend was a bit cliché and easy to see through. But for the two of them, it was surprisingly fitting.

First, they had a good personal rapport. From the start of school, Ichinose Honami had led the class openly, handling almost all the orders and unity-building. Shiraishi Makoto, meanwhile, focused on strategizing and quietly securing class interests. Their work was complementary, and they discussed class decisions together, so they knew each other well.

Second, both were single. If Ichinose Honami wanted someone else to play the part, she'd have to ask if they had a girlfriend or crush, worrying about whether the act would strain their personal relationships. But she didn't need to ask Shiraishi Makoto, since he'd just finished a similar act with Kushida Kikyo.

Third—and most crucially—if Shiraishi Makoto and Ichinose Honami were actually dating, no one in the whole school would be surprised.

When Yamauchi Haruki claimed Kushida Kikyo was his girlfriend, everyone's first reaction was disbelief, because their standings in grades, class contributions, and everything else were worlds apart. But Shiraishi Makoto and Ichinose Honami had been acting together since school started, joining the student council together, leading Class A together, and both shining equally in school performance and reputation.

Even so... as Shiraishi Makoto weighed the pros and cons, a figure burst into the grove.

"Honami-san? Shiraishi-kun?!" Shiranami Chihiro stood not far away, staring blankly at the two facing each other. Her face went pale, her eyes filled with disbelief.

She'd only invited Ichinose Honami alone—why was Shiraishi Makoto here?

Could it be...

A bad thought surged into her mind.

"S-sorry, I didn't know you two were already dating..." Shiranami Chihiro lowered her head, tears welling at the corners of her eyes. After a slight bow, she turned to flee.

"Shiranami-san, wait." Shiraishi Makoto quickly called out, stopping her.

"It's not what you think." He broke her misunderstanding. "Say what you wanted to say, right here. I'll step out first."

With that, Shiraishi Makoto walked toward Shiranami Chihiro. As he passed her, he said quietly, "I admire your courage to risk everything, but sometimes, courage alone isn't enough."

Then, he followed the path between the school buildings and left.

Shiraishi Makoto found a bench to sit on. Before long, he saw Shiranami Chihiro run out, her face buried in her hands, crying.

"So it ended like this." He watched her run off, then turned to look at Ichinose, who also wore a hint of disappointment.

"So, Shiraishi-kun, why didn't you want to pretend to be my boyfriend?" Ichinose Honami sat down beside him, not blaming him.

From the start of school, Shiraishi Makoto's choices and handling of major issues had almost always been optimal. Besides, she was too caught up in the situation to be fully objective, so she hoped he could analyze it for her.

"First, gathering the courage to confess to someone isn't easy—especially in your case." Shiraishi Makoto sighed. "Even if it's destined to go nowhere, I don't want to cheapen the sincerity of that courage with an act, leaving her with lifelong regret."

Ichinose Honami was silent for a moment before nodding softly.

"Second, you were so focused on not hurting the other person that you left no room for yourself." Shiraishi Makoto turned his head to look at her. "One lie needs many more to cover it. If I agreed today, the whole school would know we're dating by tomorrow. What would you do then?"

"You'd think pretending to be a couple is already a big bother for me, so you'd rush to break up. But even a breakup needs a reason, and when that time comes, you'd choose to 'tarnish yourself,' letting all the gossip fall on you."