Living Room
Miura Yumiko sat on the sofa.
Takumi Yuuya placed a can of soda in front of her.
"Today, we skipped class together."
"Afterward, I'll thank Hayama Hayato properly."
"And finally, I'll talk with Yuigahama, pretend we're together."
"That way, Hayama will definitely ask me about it."
"And my answer…"
He trailed off, leaving it unsaid.
Yumiko frowned at him."Aren't you worried people will misunderstand?"
"I'm not. I want to see what Hayama does when he finds out."
"What do you think he'll do?"
"I'm not Hayama Hayato—how should I know?"
Yuuya cracked open his can and took a sip.
Yumiko quietly opened hers too.
After finishing his drink, Yuuya set a notebook down in front of her, then slid onto the couch at her side.
Casually, he slipped an arm around her slender waist.
"Since we're ending things next week, I'll take my payment this afternoon."
[Disgust Level from Miura Yumiko +30]
A small pop-up flickered in Yuuya's vision.
"To be honest, I actually like you quite a bit."
[Disgust Level from Miura Yumiko +50]
In Front of the Station
Yuuya watched Yumiko walk into the station, then glanced at the pop-up log floating in his vision.
Just from watching a single movie together, Yumiko had provided 280 points of disgust.
He was more than satisfied.
By next week, things would come to a conclusion—and after that, there might not be another chance to harvest Yumiko's disgust.
His target would shift to Yuigahama Yui, but from her, he wouldn't gain disgust.
Instead—
He'd give Yukino a close friend.
Then torment that close friend.
Which meant more disgust points from Yukino herself.
The thought curled his lips into a grin.
Perfect.
After School – Fast Food Restaurant
Yuigahama Yui rushed inside and spotted Yuuya by the window. She hurried over.
"Sorry, I'm late!"
"Sit."
Yuuya slid a cola across the table toward her.
"Thanks," Yui said politely.
"I wanted to talk about Yumiko," Yuuya said, eyes on the window.
"M-me? What can I do to help?" Yui asked hesitantly.
"Next week, you'll be my girlfriend," Yuuya said flatly.
"Eh?!"
"Today, Yumiko and I skipped class. On Saturday, I'll thank Hayama, making it look like something happened between me and Yumiko. Then, next week, you'll play the part of my girlfriend, so everyone thinks I dumped Yumiko and got together with you."
"That's…"
"To make it more convincing, I'll have you join the Service Club, become Yukinoshita Yukino's friend. Once Hayama makes his choice, you and Yumiko can go back to normal."
"So… what exactly do I need to do?"
"Easy. Go shopping with me. Just act like a normal couple."
Yui hesitated.
Yuuya reached across and held her hand."You want to help Yumiko, don't you?"
"I… I do."
"Then it's settled."
"O-okay…"
She finally nodded.
Yuuya stood, smiling down at her."Let's start today's date."
The "Date"
For Yui, the word date still felt strange.
Hand in hand, Yuuya led her into a shopping mall.
At a cosmetics shop, he bought her a full set of makeup.
At a jewelry store, he picked out a necklace.
At a gift shop, he chose a teddy bear plush.
When they left the mall, he handed her the bags."These are for you."
"Huh?" Yui froze.
"Who else would I buy them for?"
"I-I can't accept them. They're too expensive."
"The makeup—Yumiko can teach you how to use it. The necklace is just an accessory. And the teddy bear, consider it an early birthday gift."
"Then… I'll just take the teddy bear."
"No. Even if you're only my fake girlfriend, I'm still giving you presents."
"But—"
Before she could argue, he pushed the bags into her hands.
Yui had no choice but to accept them. Still, she resolved to secretly return the makeup and necklace later. The teddy bear was fine, but the rest felt too much.
In Front of Her House
Yuuya escorted Yui home by taxi. She stepped out in front of her place.
"See you tomorrow, Yuuya-kun."
"See you tomorrow, Yuigahama."
He nodded, then the taxi drove off.
Cram School
Ten minutes later, he arrived at the cram school building.
A small river flowed in front of it, with benches along the bank.
Yuuya sat on one, waiting for Kawasaki Saki.
Beside the cram school stood another building—also a cram school, maybe?
But…
Students coming out were using sign language with the people who had come to meet them.
"Is this… a school for the hearing impaired?" Yuuya thought.
Then, a memory stirred.
Minutes later, a girl stepped out of the school.
Pink hair, pale skin, delicate features, a smile that seemed to heal wounds.
She wore a black jacket over a blue plaid skirt. It looked like a school uniform, though not one from any school Yuuya recognized.
He knew who she was.
Not because they'd met in real life, but because he'd seen her—in anime.
Gathering himself, he walked over.
Nishimiya Shouko was chatting in sign with classmates when she noticed him approaching. Curious, she tilted her head.
Yuuya stopped in front of her, pulled out his phone, and made a "call" gesture.
Assuming he wanted to borrow her phone because his battery was dead, Shouko immediately handed hers over.
Instead—
He added his contact information and gave it back.
She blinked in confusion.
Yuuya typed a message.
Her phone buzzed. She checked it.
"My name is Takumi Yuuya. I'm a student from Sobu High. Nice to meet you."
Shouko's eyes widened. She quickly typed back:
"Hello. I'm Nishimiya Shouko, from Chiba School for the Hearing Impaired."
Yuuya typed again:
"I know your name. I know this school. I know you go to the hospital often. I know your mother sacrificed a lot for you."
Shouko's expression froze. She stared at him, stunned.
Yuuya's fingers moved again.
"You think of yourself as a burden on your family, don't you?"
She stepped back, shaken.
This time, Yuuya typed quickly but didn't send. Instead, he simply held out the phone so she could read it directly:
"If you become my girlfriend, I'll give you money. That way, you'll never feel like a burden again."
Shouko's face turned bright red. She shook her head furiously. She started to raise her hands, but then remembered he didn't understand sign language.
So she typed back instead:
"Thank you for the thought, but I can't accept your money."