Cooperator Yuki

The goddess said that she and I were going to fake being lovers.

I was expecting her to confess her feelings for me, but I was disappointed.

 

I chuckled.

 

“The other day we played brother and sister, and now we’re pretending to be lovers?”

 

“I was not trying to be playful, but I think it would be hard to deny that we are together when there are so many rumors in… class.
So, why don’t we just pretend from the beginning that we are dating?”

 

I could understand her suggestion.

I see.

 

It was a reversal of thinking.

Instead of clearing up the misunderstanding, it would be okay if we remained misunderstood.

 

And I felt a little ashamed of myself.

I hadn’t grown in any way.

 

I had always assumed that Kaho liked me as a member of the opposite gender, but that was not the case.

I didn’t even realize that Yuki liked me.

 

And now, I mistakenly thought for a moment that Mikoto-san might like me.

I was about to make the same mistake again.

 

Anyway, there is no way that Mikoto-san likes me after all.

I had to keep that in mind.

 

But still, there are a few problems with her proposal.

I blurted out.

 

“I wonder what Kaho will say.”

 

Mikoto-san made a surprised face.

She had not thought of that at all.

 

“I know… Akibara-kun likes Sasaki-san, don’t you?”

 

“Yeah, I do.”

 

“Do you still want to date Sasaki-san?”

 

“That’s … true.
If Kaho accepts me, I will be happy.”

 

“I see.”

 

Mikoto-san kept her eyes down and mumbled in a slightly gloomy voice.

It is true that I still like Kaho.

 

So, in that sense, the misunderstanding that I am dating Mikoto-san is a bad thing.

 

The possibility of going out with Kaho would be gone.

Well, it just means that the possibility that was originally 0.0001 becomes totally zero.

 

Besides, there is also the matter of Yuki.

 

It’s not that Yuki confessed to me.

But when Yuki saw me and Mikoto-san together, she had a hurt look on her face, and then she said why can’t she be the one next to me?

As Mikoto-san said, it seems that Yuki likes me.

 

In such a situation, I think it is not sincere to pretend that Mikoto-san and I are boyfriend and girlfriend without deciding what to do about Yuki.

 

When I said this, Mikoto-san looked dejected.

 

“I knew that if I told them that I was dating Akihara-kun, it would mean that I was annoying you.”

 

“That’s not what I meant, but …”

At that moment, I heard a clatter from a corner of the biology preparation room.

What is it?

 

Could it be that someone is here?

In this small room?

 

I looked around the room and noticed something.

There was a package covered with some kind of white cloth on the floor at the far end of the room.

But what I could faintly see under the cloth was a girl on her knees.

 

“Could it be Yuki?”

 

The girl shivered.

I removed the cloth.

Around the corner.

 

A petite girl in a school uniform, wearing red under-rimmed glasses.

It was Yuki, Kaho’s best friend from middle school.

For some reason, she is holding the top of her gym uniform to her chest as if it were very important to her, and her cheeks are glowing.

What is it?

 

Yuki stared at me in horror.

 

“Sorry.
Aki-kun? I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”

 

“Why is Yuki here?”

 

“Hey, various things…”

 

“? Well, that’s okay, but did you hear what I just said?”

 

Yuki nodded.

 

I shushed her.

I may have conveniently succeeded in clearing up Yuki’s misunderstanding.

 

I was sure she could tell from our conversation that we weren’t in a relationship.

Yuki was hiding, and since we were the only ones present, there was no reason for us to lie.

 

“Are you two not in a relationship? Do you have … anything to do with each other?”

 

Yuki confirmed with a look of trepidation.

Mikoto-san and I looked at each other and nodded.

 

Yuki sighed in relief and looked at me apologetically.

 

“It was my misunderstanding…”

 

“I told you so yesterday.”

 

“I’m sorry.
I’m embarrassed.”

 

Yuki blushed.

 

I remembered yesterday’s scene.

Yuki ran off in tears, but she finally realized that the reason for it was just a misunderstanding.

 

“I’m glad … the two of you are not … dating.
Besides, I’m really … glad Aki-kun remains in love with Kaho.”

 

Yuki smiled very happily.

Then Yuki looked at me and Mikoto-san.

 

“You were just talking about Aki-kun and Mikoto-san pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend, weren’t you?”

 

“Uh-huh.”

 

Naturally, Yuki would be against such a thing.

There is no reason for Yuki to agree, either in the sense that she likes me or in the sense that she has been trying to bring me and Kaho together.

 

However.

 

“I’ll cooperate with you if you pretend to be Mikoto-san’s boyfriend’s girlfriend, Aki-kun.”

 

Yuki smiled mysteriously as she said this.