Tsundere or not, Akane quickly brushed off the minor quarrel.
As the two arrived at Keyaki Mall, she excitedly pointed at the giant Christmas tree in the center of the mall and demanded Kaoru take photos of her.
Kaoru held up his phone, guiding her poses while snapping plenty of pictures.
"You're really good at this," Akane said, leaning in to admire the photos.
"I should've brought you out sooner. Chiyoko and the others would've loved this too."
"The person in the photos is the pretty one." Kaoru shoved the phone back into her hands.
Though the girl hadn't exposed anything indecent, her close proximity let him catch a faint scent—enough to make his skin prickle.
'Have I been playing around too much lately?'
"At least you have some taste." Akane grinned at her phone before a sudden idea struck her.
"Wait, let's take one together!"
"You're not taking one with Horikita-senpai, but with me?" Kaoru didn't immediately agree.
"Didn't I say? Today's a practice date—you're playing Horikita right now. Of course I want a photo with him!"
With that, she grabbed Kaoru's arm, as if afraid he'd run away, and dragged him under the Christmas tree.
Even in daylight, the colorful lights shimmered brilliantly.
"Uwah, you're way too tall! Stand farther—no, no, too far! I can't reach you. Just crouch down!"
For some reason, Tachibana Akane insisted on hugging him for a group photo, as if she believed it would better capture the vibe of a young couple.
As the girl kept adjusting her pose, Kaoru could feel the soft swell of her chest pressing tightly against his arm, the slight curve rubbing against his sleeve.
If it were anyone else, Kaoru might have suspected she was trying to seduce him.
But judging by Akane's cheerful grin, she was just innocently naive and easy to fool.
"Ehehe, look, look! Does this look good?"
"Kinda like a couple madly in love."
"No way!"
"You're already this close—next thing you know, you'll be kissing me."
"You're the one who wants to kiss me!" Akane puffed up her cheeks and pointed at the photo.
"See? Doesn't this give off an intimate vibe? I heard that when people get close like this, their heartbeats speed up. Maybe Horikita will be moved!"
"Did your heartbeat speed up just now?" Kaoru asked.
"Nope." Akane crossed her arms, understanding his implication.
"Because it's you I'm with. Who'd get their heart racing over someone like you?"
"Wasn't I supposed to be Horikita-senpai today?"
Just as Akane was about to retort, Kaoru suddenly reached out, his fingers lightly brushing against her cheek and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
The moment their eyes met, her heart betrayed her, pounding uncontrollably.
Where his fingers touched, a tingling current spread through her skin.
"Your hairstyle looks really nice today. You put a lot of effort into it, huh, senpai?"
His tone was as teasing as ever, his smile the same one she saw every day.
Yet, her heartbeat only grew faster, as if it might burst at any moment.
Akane could feel her face burning, but she could only stare dumbly at Kaoru.
It wasn't until murmurs from the surrounding crowd reached her ears that she finally snapped out of it.
"W-Who asked for your opinion?! Touching me out of nowhere is so rude!"
With that, the girl lowered her head and bolted away like a startled deer.
Kaoru chuckled, then took out his phone to message Ichinose Honami and Karuizawa Kei, reporting the day's events.
Before long, he caught up with Akane.
"The sundae combo is a couples' special. Don't try anything funny—just follow my lead."
"You're the senpai. Of course I'll listen to you."
Tachibana Akane felt quite pleased and decided not to dwell on what had just happened, as even she couldn't quite understand her own behavior earlier.
The location was a nearby café, where most of the students lining up at the counter were couples.
Even those who came alone usually squeezed into a corner seat, keeping silent.
Kaoru followed behind Akane, observing the reactions around him, occasionally smiling and nodding at passersby—an utterly ordinary gesture under normal circumstances.
However, his smile left boys stunned and girls blushing.
His charm had increased far too much.
Kaoru began calculating his next steps.
"One couple's set, please! Yes, we're a couple on a date, so I'll have a milk chocolate, and he'll have a large strawberry ice cream!"
When it was Akane's turn, she seemed unusually nervous, rambling a string of words while staring unblinkingly at the menu, even startling the girl at the counter.
After getting their order, Kaoru noticed her exhale in relief, muttering something about fearing she might be found out.
Still, Akane was in high spirits.
"Do you like sundaes?"
Seeing her sparkling eyes, Kaoru played along knowingly.
"Are you planning to swap bites?"
"Eh? You know about that rule too?" Akane was surprised—she had expected to have to remind him.
"I could tell from how you were eyeing both sundaes." Kaoru didn't find it strange.
She probably hadn't even considered the idea of an indirect kiss; she was just used to sharing with friends.
Many girls ordered different flavors so they could exchange bites and sample each other's treats.
"You're pretty sharp. But I'm not stingy—you can try mine too." Akane scooped a spoonful into her mouth before sliding her sundae toward Kaoru.
With spoons involved, it definitely didn't count as an indirect kiss.
Kaoru took a bite as well, then pushed his sundae toward her.
"How is it?"
"Pretty cold."
"No kidding. Yours is a bit too sweet for me."
"The chocolate's nice."
"Ah! I forgot to take a picture for Chiyoko and the others!"
"Did you tell anyone about today?"
"Why would I?"
"Because people are watching us."
Only then did Akane glance around, realizing quite a few people were indeed observing them—and their murmurs were audible.
"She's so cute!"
"Her boyfriend's so handsome too!"
"They're a perfect match!"
"How can someone look that good even eating a sundae?"
Akane's face flushed red.
Truthfully, she hadn't planned this "date" at all—even her confession to Horikita Manabu had been a spur-of-the-moment impulse, spurred by Kaoru's provocation.
Now, it finally dawned on her: this was a small town.
Their little act wouldn't escape anyone's notice, and they might end up making the fake relationship real.
"It's fine. You're Ichinose's boyfriend anyway—any misunderstandings will clear up soon."
Akane still believed the odds were in her favor.
Even if a few people gossiped behind her back, it shouldn't matter even if word reached Horikita's ears.
Kaoru fell into silence at her optimism.
It was hard to comprehend what went on in the mind of such a cheerful airhead.
After finishing the parfait, Tachibana Akane contentedly took him to pick out a gift.
The two arrived at the department store, faced with shelves upon shelves of dazzling goods.
Even with the most eye-catching Christmas gift banners hanging overhead, they still felt at a loss about where to begin.
Akane furrowed her brows.
If it were a gift for a girl, she'd know exactly what to choose—but what did boys like?
"What do you like?" Since she couldn't figure it out, Akane turned to Kaoru.
"Does that mean I can pick anything here?" Kaoru deliberately—or perhaps not—picked up an expensive item.
"In that case, let me think."
"Under 5,000 Personal Points." Akane wasn't about to give him the chance to fleece her.
No way would she let him pick the priciest thing.
"You want me to pick something for Horikita-senpai?" Kaoru chuckled. "How did this turn into you letting me pick my own gift?"
"I've already given Horikita Christmas gifts twice. The first time was a scarf, the second time was a pair of glasses." Akane pouted. "He didn't seem to like either. Each time, he just said 'thanks.' I don't get what you boys like."
"Different stages of a relationship call for different gifts." Kaoru paused. "When feelings are heating up, all you need is to dress up nicely, show up alone at his door with a gift and cake, smile, and say 'Merry Christmas.' That's enough."
"But you still have to pick a gift he'd like, right?" Akane frowned.
"The gift is you." Kaoru blinked. "What could be more meaningful than a girl he's interested in?"
Akane punched him a few times while grumbling, "You say that because it's a girl you like! I don't even know if Horikita likes me!"
"At least that's how it is for me."
Akane hmphed.
Of course he'd be happy—what a horndog!
But then, the girl suddenly remembered something and hurried over to another shelf.
"Hey, hey, hey! What do you think of this?" Akane excitedly held up a Gundam model.
"I've heard boys in class talk about this. Do you like it?"
Kaoru fell silent.
He felt Akane might be unstoppable—if she showed up at a diehard otaku's room with a figurine, it'd be an instant win.
Too bad he wasn't an otaku, and neither was Horikita Manabu.
"Whoa, this is a collector's edition! Does that mean it's limited?"
"Probably. There's only one set left here."
"This looks so cool. The stuff you boys like isn't bad either. And this one—the colors are amazing."
"Do you know what this is called?"
"Uni… Unicorn?"
"I'm surprised you noticed the label."
"I didn't know! Can't I look? And even if I didn't know, you could've just told me! Meanie!"
Just as the two were getting into it, footsteps approached, followed by a voice filled with utter despair.
"Nooo, put that down! That's my Unicorn!!"
Kaoru turned to see a boy with a shattered dream in his eyes, staring intently at the Gundam in Akane's hands.
"Eek!" Akane yelped, nearly dropping the model.
Unexpectedly, the boy became even more agitated and shouted loudly, "Hey hey, Tachibana, you better be careful with that! It's a limited edition Unicorn!"
Kaoru was surprised—this guy knew Tachibana Akane.
Was he a third-year student?
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