"She's a college student I met on the street."
Yuu paused briefly. Without a trace of guilt, he answered honestly.
This answer clearly didn't satisfy Masuzu. Or rather, she didn't believe his indifferent attitude.
Her fingers gripped Yuu's arm tighter. Masuzu widened her large, dull eyes. Red lines appeared in them, staring at him with dark, vengeful intensity.
"A college student you met on the street? When did you meet? Date, hour, minute, and second? How many words have you exchanged since then? What's the closest distance you've ever been to each other? Is she after your looks, your talent, or some other ability? Does she even know you have a girlfriend?"
"Whoa, whoa, does it really need to be this excessive..." Yuu complained.
Masuzu sneered coldly. She spoke rapidly: "Excessive? Not at all. This is just a normal girl's reaction. Whose fault is it that my boyfriend is so popular? No matter how cautious I am to prevent him from being snatched away by random women appearing out of nowhere, it'll never be too much."
Yuu was utterly speechless. "Your jealousy is even stronger than a real girlfriend's."
"Of course. How can mere dating compare to our bond?" Masuzu proudly puffed her chest, then lowered her voice, leaned in close, and stared into his eyes. "So don't try to change the subject... Tell me about this Mizuhara Chizuru. What does she want from you?"
"I can tell you, but before that—" Yuu placed his phone down, picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of scrambled egg from his bento, and fed it into his mouth. "How about we calm down first? Jealousy isn't bad, but having a composed attitude that can handle anything—I think a girl like that would be more charming."
"..." While chewing, Masuzu swallowed the scrambled egg in silence.
She bit her lip thoughtfully. Her slightly neurotic, forced expression slowly faded. Once her eyes sparkled again, she finally returned to her usual calm and serenity.
"You're right. It seems I was too overwhelmed by anxiety..." Lowering her head slightly, Masuzu sighed. Her clear blue pupils looked at him again, filled with seriousness. "Consider this a lesson. I'll improve myself."
Yuu smiled. He pushed the bento box toward her. "No need to treat it as such a serious lesson. There are plenty of people more neurotic than you... But you're my only girlfriend, so I just wanted to say this."
Masuzu froze slightly. She hadn't expected the other party to suddenly say something like that. Her lips trembled, and in the end, she said nothing. Only the corners of her mouth curled into a happy smile.
Then, as she shifted her gaze and turned her face aside, she suddenly pressed her soft lips against his cheek. Just one brief touch—then she pulled away.
"Why suddenly?" Yuu unconsciously touched his cheek, staring at her in surprise.
Masuzu touched her lips, her face flushed, and she showed a bright smile like a summer flower.
"It's fine. That's a reward for saying something nice."
Even though they'd shared far more intense kisses before, a cheek kiss was merely a polite gesture, like a greeting.
Yet right now, she was far shyer than she'd ever been in the past.
As he explained what had happened between him and Chizuru in the past, Yuu also replied to her message on his phone.
Yuu: {Can you tell me what it's about?}
Chizuru: {It's about acting. I'd like to ask for your advice.}
Yuu: {I'll ask my girlfriend first, then reply later.}
Though trying hard not to show emotion, Masuzu couldn't help but nod in satisfaction when she saw that sentence.
They shared the delicious homemade bento while discussing Chizuru.
Not long after, another message appeared.
Chizuru: {You're already dating? Congratulations. The last time we met, I thought you still needed time.}
He placed his phone on the table. Both froze when they saw the reply.
Yuu quickly realized—Chizuru and Yuigahama had met at a family restaurant while studying. Judging from her words, she probably assumed Yuigahama had become his girlfriend.
But before Yuu could reply, he heard a familiar murmur beside him:
"Dating already? Last time we met?... Seems like a lot happened without me knowing."
"Uh..."
Yuu turned back. What he saw wasn't the cold, jealous face he expected, but a girl trying to remain calm, smiling faintly with slightly trembling lips as she looked at him.
"Yuu, I—the magnanimous one—am waiting for your explanation."
"..."
Yuu fell silent for a moment, then chuckled. He stroked her head. "Is this called learning and immediately applying it? You're truly impressive."
"Don't try changing the subject with flattery." Masuzu's tone remained gentle, but her stance was uncompromising. "If you don't give me a satisfying answer, you won't leave this pavilion today."
And the truth Yuu told clearly didn't satisfy her.
So, before lunch ended, he was not only punished with rubbing, but also engaged in a short tongue duel with the girl.
"This is my powerful kissing technique I learned from Master Kakyoin, after long training with cherries! After hundreds of rero practices, I've finally mastered this incredible tongue skill. You definitely can't withstand it—receive it, Yuu! The five-centimeter radius splash of rero!"
Not long after, Masuzu was panting heavily and defeated. Her legs were even slightly wobbly as she walked out of the pavilion.
The facts proved that although training your tongue with cherries was useful, it still couldn't defeat a cheater.
In the end, Yuu and Chizuru agreed to meet tomorrow afternoon after school at Angel Cafe.
They didn't specifically discuss what they'd talk about, only knew it was related to acting. Her attitude was sincere, so he felt bad refusing.
And a similar incident had happened before—that is, the incident where Yuu had an appointment with his junior.
Back then, Masuzu chose to hide and eavesdrop. She saw the juniors flirting with Yuu and seemingly ready to go somewhere secluded to "communicate" (from her personal perspective).
But this time, something had changed in her heart. Masuzu decided to accompany him openly—as his girlfriend!
Chizuru was initially hesitant, but once she learned that Masuzu already knew about the fake girlfriend arrangement, she finally agreed to meet both of them—she had no choice unless she wanted to give up seeking Yuu's advice.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
After lunch, the afternoon classes quickly passed.
Yuu had just finished packing his bag when Masuzu appeared at the door of Class F, smiling sweetly and greeting him.
"Sweetheart~ Let's go home together~"