"Ugh..."
As if imagining the scene herself, Masuzu's breath briefly quickened. The arms wrapped around his back tightened slightly, and she deliberately spoke in a cold voice, "So your fake gentlemanly act before was all an act? You pervert!"
"If it were fake, do you think my hands would be this well-behaved?"
"Then why are your hands so well-behaved? Are my legs unpleasant to touch, or are you thinking of another woman?! Just confess!"
"..."
(This girl is getting more unreasonable by the second.)
"Pffft... Hahahaha..."
As if seeing his expression—even though her face was still buried against his chest—Masuzu couldn't hold back her laughter. Her tone returned to its usual casualness.
"Alright~ Masuzu will be kind today and won't tease you anymore."
"Does that mean you'll finally get off me?"
"Don't count on it—" Like she'd found the perfect pillow, she lazily leaned into him, releasing all her strength, savoring the feeling of her body gently supported by his. "At least until lunch break ends, let me stay like this."
"In return, I won't resist anything you do to me. Quite advantageous."
She'd said similar things many times before, and Masuzu knew Yuu would remain unmoved as always.
"Really?" Unexpectedly, Yuu's tone grew lively. "If I let you stay here, I can do anything I want?"
"W-What do you want me to do?"
"What do you think? Of course, all the things every man dreams of."
His hoarse laugh, unable to hide his desire, made Masuzu instinctively press her legs together, her blood rushing faster.
Amid her rapidly beating heart—nervous, anxious, yet full of hope—Yuu said:
"Shout his name loudly, and become Ultraman Zero!"
"???"
Of course, the triumphant "Osss!" failed completely. The romantic mood shattered, and Masuzu lost interest in teasing him further.
She simply closed her eyes and quietly fell asleep in his arms like a child, dropping all pretense and maturity, showing only her fragile, pale face.
Outside the gazebo, a cool breeze blew gently, not disturbing the silver strands resting beside her ears. Leaves rustled, but didn't disturb her softly closed eyelids.
Brushing aside a strand of her fringe, Yuu gazed at her delicate, beautiful face.
She had the charm of a foreign girl and the softness of a Japanese one. In short, she was incredibly beautiful.
...He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but she seemed far more beautiful than when they first met.
"Yuu."
Masuzu suddenly spoke, as if murmuring in her sleep. Her calm face remained unchanged.
Her voice was even softer than he imagined.
"What is it?"
"Are you here?"
"Open your eyes and you'll see me."
"If I don't open my eyes, you won't be here?"
"...I'm here."
"Really?"
"I'm lying."
"Then what's clinging to me now?"
"That's my phone. Don't make this chapter unpublishable."
"One more time—Are you here?"
"I'm here."
"Will you leave?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"When you stop remembering me."
"Then you'll always be here."
Masuzu smiled, and Yuu smiled too.
As if confirming his presence, the girl gripped his collar, took a deep breath, then exhaled happily.
"Yuu, I like... your scent."
She wasn't herself—she wouldn't lie.
So Yuu would always stay by Masuzu's side.
...That was enough.
That afternoon, she remained in a beautiful dream she never wanted to leave.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
The lunch break bell rang, and Yuu returned to class.
"Yuu-kun, did you go have lunch with Natsukawa-san again?"
Yuigahama, who had just entered from outside carrying her lunchbox, greeted him.
Yuu looked up from his phone. "And you? Did you go to the Service Club again to keep lonely Yukinon company?"
"Don't make Yukinon sound so pitiful! Besides, you were the one who started eating at the Service Club, but now you're the only one not going there!" Yuigahama complained irritably. As Yuu passed by, she accidentally caught a glimpse of his phone screen.
(Natsukawa-san again... Do they really not want to part for even a second, right after finishing their lunch date?)
Yuigahama had to admit, she felt intensely jealous right now—a tinge of sadness and heartache.
Yet she was used to it, so she could hide it behind a smile.
"Hahaha, I feel like you two are becoming more and more like a real couple... Back then, you were both so reluctant, saying you'd never take it seriously..."
Yuu put away his phone, stared straight ahead, and sighed deeply.
"Yui, no matter how reluctant you are, changes in the human heart can't be stopped. Whether it's a rent-a-boyfriend, an online boyfriend, or a fake boyfriend—not every word spoken can be kept until the end... Unless we surpass human limits."
Yuigahama blinked in confusion. "Sorry, I don't quite understand... I just know you borrowed dialogue from Part 1 of JOJO."
"My point is—just do what you want. Don't overthink unimportant little things."
Yuu smiled, then casually stretched his body.
"After all, do I look like someone who likes that girl?"
Yuigahama hesitated. She lowered her eyes and whispered, "Now, you seem more and more like it."
"..."
Like a crack in his acting, or a secret suddenly exposed from his heart, Yuu showed a surprised expression he couldn't hide.
A few moments later, he returned to his calm demeanor, leaving only a helpless smile at the corner of his lips.
"So it's come to this... Just as I said at the beginning, this day would eventually arrive."
After Yuu finished speaking, Yuigahama stared at him, opening her mouth as if wanting to say something.
"Yuu-kun..."
(Even though I was the first.)
(I met you, confessed my feelings, tried so hard to make you understand... Why can you still fall for her?)
(Why can't you see me, right here beside you?)
(If I found an excuse to ask you to be my fake boyfriend, would you unconsciously start liking me too, just like you did with Natsukawa-san?)
Her chest hurt as if torn apart, filled with so many questions and confusions she wanted to pour out to him.
But seeing his familiar yet increasingly distant profile, Yuigahama kept smiling and shook her head. She said nothing more. She only bit her trembling lip and silently walked past him.
"It turns out... watching the person you love fall for someone else hurts more than being rejected when confessing."
(But what can I do? If Natsukawa-san truly takes him away, it's only my fault—for lacking charm, for not knowing how to flirt with him more actively...)
Yuigahama had mentally prepared herself since the autumn field trip.
(I knew you never loved me, because in the end, I saw how you loved her.)
"Haha, I lose."
Yuigahama hugged her lunchbox tightly, lowered her head, and quickly walked back to her seat, not letting anyone see her crumpled expression.
After all, her face must look terribly ugly right now when she smiled.
Still, she couldn't run from reality—even if she couldn't become a firework, she had to at least be like a sparkler, slowly glowing in her own corner.
So, with feelings still not cooled, she would silently wish for his happiness!
Because, besides loving him...
Yuigahama was also Yuu's friend.