Yuu 106-110

Title: The Beautiful Dream Rapunzel Princess Never Wants to Leave

“Then, see you at lunch break, as usual.”

“Yeah.”

It was strange—she was the one who initiated the lunch date first.

Usually, if Yuu didn’t bring it up, Masuzu would assume it never happened...

Thinking this, Masuzu turned and walked toward Class 2-J.

And of course, she knew the reason for her change in attitude.

Because she had started it.

Whether it was her unusually clingy behavior, her sudden silence, or anything else... She knew that only by acting first could she provoke a response from him.

Ever since they started dating, that man had always been so passive.

Like the sky reflected on a pond—only when you threw a stone would ripples appear.

Even during the autumn field trip, if she hadn’t accidentally disappeared, his attitude toward her wouldn’t have changed. He’d have remained in the role of a client.

That was fine. There was nothing wrong with it. On the contrary, it was the most perfect scenario she could imagine. She had no reason to complain...

Yet somehow, Masuzu didn’t feel happy at all.

She had a beautiful body and face, their lips had kissed countless times, and she’d even given him plenty of chances to be alone together—opportunities to do whatever Yuu desired.

But in that man’s eyes, there was never any longing for her. He always responded to her selfishness gently, helplessly.

...As if one day, he would simply leave her.

Because Yuu couldn’t hold onto her, he took no initiative—he just followed her feelings to please her, until their relationship returned to square one, and it wouldn’t matter even if they met again as strangers—

Masuzu feared this, even to the point of terror.

What if one day, as she sank deeper into this relationship, Yuu suddenly chose to let go, allowing her to fall into the abyss?

Would Masuzu become like her mother—forever hoping the man would return, yet broken-hearted by disappointment, silently crying where her children couldn’t see?

“I don’t want that!”

“As long as I reject love, I won’t fall into such a pitiful situation… That has nothing to do with me!”

She kept comforting herself with those words, but Masuzu also clearly knew that she, unable to let go, had already stepped toward the worst possible fate.

”This has nothing to do with being a couple. We’re just doing what we want… If you can’t believe in love, then believe in the things you can trust.”

Yesterday, Yuu had said that.

Yuu seemed to have seen straight into her heart, so he gave comfort accordingly—even if sometimes it felt cruel, he was still far too gentle.

Unfortunately, because her feelings were lies, this answer was also a lie.

If continued... ”I’ll be by your side” is also a lie, and everything up to now has been a lie.

How funny.

Masuzu, who had lived her entire life relying on lies, now felt despair, sadness, and fear about changing—because she couldn’t see sincerity. She also dared not pursue what she truly wanted from deep within her heart—

Yes, nothing was funnier than this.

No girl was more absurd than Natsukawa Masuzu.

“...So, just pretend you know nothing.”

Her steps halted. Staring down the quiet, empty corridor, Masuzu sighed softly.

“An old saying goes, fools are lucky. Dango-chan looks so happy—why must I be so smart?”

She raised a self-mocking smile, then suddenly turned halfway, glancing back.

Not because she regretted their brief parting—she just wanted to know if Yuu had gone upstairs yet.

...And their eyes met.

Again and again, she coincidentally caught that gaze—too gentle to bear.

Each time, she had to clutch her chest to keep her heart from melting away.

Holding her burning chest, Masuzu deliberately asked, “Why haven’t you gone up? Are you that fond of my butt?”

Yuu replied resignedly, “Yeah, yeah, hurry into class—don’t make me look at it again.”

Masuzu asked again, “Why is your voice so soft? Do I look like I need comforting?”

Yuu shook his head. “I’m not comforting you. I’m just escorting my girlfriend upstairs.”

“...”

After a brief silence, Masuzu gripped her clothes over her chest, unconsciously biting her trembling lip.

She wanted to hug him—so she couldn’t hug him.

She wanted to say she loved him—so she couldn’t say she loved him.

(Ah, why?)

(Why, even though he’s as gentle as ever, do I suddenly want to cry so badly?)

“Pffft...”

Because she wanted to cry,

Masuzu laughed.

“Your sweet words, Yuu, are the best in the world!”

Laughing when she wanted to cry, crying when she wanted to laugh.

(Only this way can I live. Maybe it’ll always be like this.)

(Keep deceiving. Everything is deception.)

(Why wake up from the dream?)

(Then, be Sleeping Beauty. Until the handsome prince wakes me with a slap, keep embracing the happiness right before my eyes.)

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

The International Liberal Arts classroom was no different from an ordinary one. At most, its students were more independent, self-aware, and less noisy.

Masuzu set down her bag. In the quiet classroom, several students were already studying in the morning.

Some glanced her way. Others remained buried in their books, none making the effort to greet her first.

This was normal. During this dating period, male students had already lost interest in her. Female classmates, due to her appearance and cold demeanor, had indirectly excluded her from their social circles.

Simply put, Masuzu didn’t care about anyone, and no one cared about her. They coexisted peacefully.

Yet among them, there was one peer Masuzu willingly greeted.

“Good morning, Yukinoshita-san.”

The pale fingers flipping a book page paused. Yukino looked up, regarding her indifferently.

“Good morning, Natsukawa-san.”

After saying that, she coldly lowered her gaze again, showing no intention whatsoever to chat.

Masuzu didn’t mind—she usually treated others the same way. Only hers was subtler, not making people hate her.

Besides, unless she had something important to ask, Masuzu wouldn’t initiate a greeting with Yukino first—because of her relationship with Yuu, she didn’t particularly like any members of the Service Club.

Yuigahama didn’t need mentioning. She was the main enemy, always trying to steal other people’s boyfriends. Sooner or later, she’d snatch her breasts and turn them into volleyballs.

As for Yukino, although there was no romantic aura between her and Yuu, her appearance and personality gave off a dangerous vibe—as if it wouldn’t be strange at all if they started dating someday. How could she not stay vigilant?

Moreover, there was also her older sister, Yukinoshita Haruno...

That weird woman—Masuzu always felt she was inexplicably attracted to Yuu, so she had to remain on guard.

-

Title: Not Everyone Can Use Me as a Tool

Besides the aforementioned reasons, the most important one was that they had interfered in the secret she shared with Yuu—her fake relationship with him.

If they didn’t know, Masuzu could proudly walk into the Service Club as his girlfriend and make Yuigahama give up. It was all Yuu’s fault for trying to act cool!

Although, when she thought back on it, he had looked incredibly cool at that moment—cooler than anyone else in the world.

“...Natsukawa-san, can I help you?”

Yukino set down her book and looked up at Masuzu, who had been standing beside her lost in thought for no apparent reason. She felt slightly weary.

Masuzu snapped back to reality and smiled casually. “I just wanted to ask you about the kendo club’s visit to Yuu yesterday.”

“Ask me?” Yukino’s slender, elegant eyebrows furrowed. “Didn’t he tell you?”

“He gave me a general idea.”

“What would you like to know?”

“Will the Service Club go together this afternoon?”

“Together?” After a brief pause, Yukino immediately understood—Masuzu was asking whether they’d be interfering.

Recalling the scene where girls tested each other only to confirm if the boy they liked was being pursued by someone else, then manipulated one another, the corner of her lips couldn’t suppress a cold smile. Her gaze toward Masuzu shifted slightly.

“It seems you’ve truly changed a lot because of that person.”

“What do you mean?” This time, Masuzu frowned, but she didn’t immediately grasp Yukino’s meaning.

Yukino shook her head. Her expression returned to indifference, her voice clear and melodious. “They came through the Service Club, so even though it concerns Tenkuji-kun, as president, I’ll go to check and ensure everything runs smoothly.”

“As for Yuigahama-san, whether she comes or not is her choice—you can ask her directly.”

(Does it even need asking? As long as Yuu’s involved, it’d be strange if Dango-chan didn’t show up.)

Internally scoffing, yet on the surface, Masuzu wore a polite smile and responded with the same graceful demeanor as a noblewoman.

“I understand. Sorry to have bothered you.”

“Not at all.”

The conversation ended there.

Yukino picked up her book again, disappointed by the fact that yet another girl had joined the secretive circle of love-struck girls.

Masuzu returned to her seat, annoyed that the Service Club would interfere after school later.

In short, neither of them was in a particularly good mood.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Usually, after Yuu arrived at class, he’d meet the Galaxy Beauty who had finished morning practice, then greet Dango-girl, who was almost late.

Besides these two, several other classmates who were familiar with him would also say hello. Though not the center of attention, no one dared treat Yuu as an outcast.

On the contrary, he was nearly worshipped like an idol.

He was skilled at everything, easygoing, and extremely handsome. Having such a perfect presence—except for already having a girlfriend—in the same class made Yuu proud just thinking about it. So how could classmates possibly hate someone so flawless?

Alright, enough self-praise.

Today was no different. After reading a novel briefly, Totsuka, wearing his sports jacket, entered the classroom and walked toward his seat as usual.

“Yuu, good morning!”

“Good morning, Totsuka.”

His fair, handsome face was dotted with fine sweat, cheeks flushed healthily red. Eagerly, Totsuka leaned both hands on the desk and cheerfully said, “Listen, listen! Everyone’s training spirit has been super high lately! Even though I still can’t be too strict, I feel more and more like a real captain! At this rate, we might get a better ranking at the prefectural tournament than expected!”

The tennis club competition was held later than the kendo club’s. While the kendo club was preparing for nationals, they were just gearing up for the prefectural tournament... Fortunately, this wouldn’t interfere with cultural festival participation.

“Really? That’s great then.”

Yuu gave a faint smile and encouraged him, “Then don’t slack off—start training wholeheartedly from now on, and focus during matches! Once you master topspin serves, I’ll teach you how to hit tornado drive shots. I guarantee you’ll become the pillar… eh, the pillar of Sobu High’s tennis club.”

“Yes, Sensei!” Totsuka clenched his fist, his small face serious as he nodded vigorously. “I definitely won’t disappoint you—please look forward to my performance!”

After saying that, as if suddenly feeling a bit shy, he scratched his blushing cheek and giggled.

It might sound embarrassing, but when Yuu saw that smile… surprisingly…

He actually felt comforted by a fellow man—and thought even the Mona Lisa’s smile couldn’t compare.

Apparently, after spending so much time with girls, he needed a handsome guy to rebalance his mental state?

Perhaps this was what yin-yang balance meant.

Of course, there was no romantic flutter. Totsuka was one of his rare male friends, and no matter how handsome he was, it wouldn’t affect Yuu’s sexual orientation.

But Totsuka’s smile really was different from Masuzu’s slightly melancholic one earlier. Totsuka’s smile didn’t weigh heavily on his heart—it was truly precious.

“By the way, Yuu.”

That soft, clear voice pulled him back to reality. Yuu looked at the silver-haired youth before him.

“Did you hear about the kendo club? Their vice-captain got injured and suspended, so some members said they want to ask you to join as an outside member...”

“I’ve heard. I plan to resolve this issue this afternoon.”

“Really?” Totsuka blinked in surprise. “What will you do? Accept them?”

“That’s the plan—as long as they don’t make me feel disrespected.”

Yuu shrugged, his attitude appearing relaxed.

Totsuka, however, looked worried. “Is that okay? If you agree to be an outside member for the kendo club, other clubs might start—“

“Don’t worry.” Yuu understood his concern, but cut him off with a smile. “Only clubs capable of qualifying for nationals, whose captains can fight me, would interest me enough to join. If I state that clearly, no one lacking self-awareness will dare come bother me.”

“Ah, isn’t that... a little arrogant?” After carefully asking, Totsuka couldn’t help but give a wry smile. “No, I almost forgot… During the autumn festival, what you said was far more arrogant than this.”

“Exactly.”

Yuu stretched his arms, leaning back in his chair. Casually, he said, “Right now, the only club meeting those criteria is our school’s strongest—kendo. Not everyone can ask me to be their tool.”

“Mm-hmm, that’s definitely Yuu.”

Totsuka admired and envied Yuu’s confidence and cool attitude, further solidifying his determination to become a true man just like him.

-

Title: The Feeling of Being Called “Onii-chan” by an Angel

After Saika, several kendo club members from his class asked him the same thing. However, facing people he wasn’t particularly close to, Yuu didn’t say much—only that he already knew about the issue and would check on the situation at their club after school.

Eventually, by noon, rumors spread rapidly among gossip-loving students that Tenkuji Yuu would temporarily become captain for the kendo club’s national tournament.

On the school forum, the video of the challenge at the Service Club resurfaced to the top. Many remembered the terrifying sound of clashing bamboo swords and how Yuu had snapped a shinai cleanly in two. This further boosted Yuu’s popularity.

Because of this, Kanade even came to see him during lunch break to apologize.

“I originally wanted to keep this secret until everything was settled, to avoid rumors… I sincerely apologize.”

She bowed deeply, her soft voice gentle.

Her golden eyes were filled with regret, and her attitude of admitting fault was extremely serious.

Combined with her calm, petite, and cute appearance, even the cruelest person couldn’t possibly be angry at her.

Moreover, Yuu hadn’t intended to be angry in the first place.

“This isn’t your fault. The one who started it was probably someone from my class in the kendo club. You have no reason to apologize.”

Kanade tilted her head slightly, blinked her clear eyes, and asked innocently, “Really?”

“Of course. And it’s not me who should be worried—it’s the opposing team in the kendo club… I’ve already agreed to help you.”

“...I see.”

Seeing him reaffirm it with a relaxed expression, Kanade placed her small hand over her flat chest, as if silently relieved.

Yuu couldn’t suppress a smile and reached out to pat the girl’s head—the way he usually did with his little sister. But after touching her, he suddenly realized she wasn’t his sister and casually pulled his hand back, quickly changing the subject.

“Where’s Isshiki? Why isn’t she by your side?”

“She went ahead to reserve a spot in the cafeteria.” Without changing her expression, Kanade glanced at his hand, then looked back at his face. As if thinking nothing of it, she stared straight at him.

“Tenkuji-senpai, why did you touch my head?”

And she asked directly, without hesitation or pretense.

“Uh...”

For the first time, Yuu felt awkward, and his face flushed slightly.

Under her innocent gaze, it felt as if all his acting and pretense were stripped away. He felt completely exposed when questioned.

Since he had no ill intentions, he dismissed his subconscious guilt and answered honestly, “I have a younger sister at home. I suddenly thought of her, so I did it reflexively. Sorry if that made you uncomfortable.”

“I don’t feel uncomfortable.”

Shaking her head, her eyes lowered as if pondering something. Then suddenly, Kanade said:

“Tenkuji Onii-chan?”

“???” Unconsciously, Yuu took a step back—proof of just how shocked he was. “You said... what?”

“Tenkuji Onii-chan.” Her tone serious, Kanade repeated it. Her golden eyes gazed at him innocently, as if confused why he was so surprised.

“Is there something wrong?”

“Of course there is!”

As he said that, Yuu glanced left and right, as if burdened by guilty conscience.

After confirming no one else was eavesdropping, he sighed in relief. Otherwise, today’s rumor might have turned into a scandal: Tenkuji Yuu forces first-year angel Tachibana Kanade to call him ‘onii-chan.’

Though he didn’t care much about others’ opinions, developments like this were somewhat hard to accept.

“Why did you suddenly start calling me Onii-chan?” After calming down, Yuu asked.

Kanade answered simply: “As a thank-you.”

Yuu was flooded with question marks: “A thank-you?”

This was completely unlike the girl standing before him!

Although he’d only known her for a day—too soon to draw conclusions—even he might not easily see someone’s true nature.

“Hmm, Isshiki said so.”

Not knowing what she was thinking, Kanade nodded. Her expression remained cold and calm, yet her eyes radiated honesty and sincerity.

“She said yesterday that men like Senpai enjoy being called ‘Onii-chan’ by younger girls—it’s a form of gratitude for them… Since you agreed to help me, I want to express my thanks.”

“...”

Understanding her reasoning, Yuu felt relieved but also slightly helpless. In short, his emotions were a complete mess.

He covered his forehead, unable to hold back a sigh.

(Isshiki Iroha, why are you teaching strange things to your pure-hearted classmate...)

(Fine, fine—but does she feel absolutely no guilt?!)

“Hmm... Is it not allowed? This is the first time I’ve called anyone Onii-chan...” Kanade murmured with slight worry, lowering her head a bit. Her snow-white face reddened, making her look even cuter.

Yuu almost couldn’t resist patting her head again, but quickly controlled the impulse and casually waved his hand.

“It’s fine, but don’t randomly call others Onii-chan. It could lead to unwanted situations… Just ignore whatever Isshiki said.”

“Really? I understand, Tenkuji-senpai.” Kanade nodded obediently, then pulled out a slip of paper from her pocket and handed it to him. “Then, here’s a substitute thank-you.”

It was a cafeteria coupon, with no expiration date, redeemable for one large bowl of extra-spicy mapo tofu.

“Alright, we’re even. See you after school.”

Seeing her insist on repaying the favor, Yuu didn’t refuse. He took the coupon and turned to leave with his lunchbox.

He had promised Masuzu they’d eat together at the small garden behind the school.

He was already about five minutes late, so Masuzu would surely suspect he was dealing with another beautiful girl and accidentally ran late.

Though that was indeed the truth, Yuu couldn’t possibly confess. A jealous girl wouldn’t listen to reasons—he’d need to think of a way to calm her down...

“...”

Standing in place, Kanade watched Yuu’s back disappear around the staircase corner. Suddenly, she remembered something and flinched slightly.

“I forgot to ask him—can he actually make mapo tofu? Ah, never mind. I’ll ask after school.”

Thinking of mapo tofu, the girl’s expression showed a noticeable change.

She let out a soft sigh tinged with regret, then turned and walked toward the cafeteria in the opposite direction.

“But what Iroha said should be correct… When I called him Onii-chan, he seemed quite pleased.”

(So to him, it was a gift. He’s just too embarrassed to admit it.)

Kanade thought deeply, storing this discovery alongside the mapo tofu issue in her mind.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

In the small garden behind the school building, inside a gray stone gazebo.

“Sorry I’m late.”

Carrying his lunchbox, Yuu sat across from the silver-haired girl.

Masuzu posed like Commander Ikari Gendo, a cold glare flashing in her sapphire eyes, her voice icy.

“If apologies could solve problems, why would we need a military?”

“Why not police?” Yuu couldn’t help but comment.

Masuzu ignored him. “You’re four minutes and thirty-two seconds late from the promised time. According to our agreement, you must be rubbed four hundred and thirty-two times.”

“Why not per second? Besides, I didn’t promise an exact time.”

“Then I’ll lose a hundred times more.” Ignoring his follow-up question, Masuzu scoffed. She stretched her arms, as if there was nothing she could do.

“You don’t even understand that. Seems Yuu can’t live without me.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure... Ugh.”

Yuu sighed.

Masuzu operated normally.

-

Title: Yuu Is So Pathetic

Masuzu once said that eating was merely a means to replenish nutrients, and eating elegantly served no purpose. The faster and shorter the meal, the better.

So before Yuu started bringing her lunch, her lunches had been Weider IN brand nutrition jelly or simple combinations of bread and milk—whatever could fill her stomach easily. Masuzu could be said to be extremely careless about food.

It wasn’t due to an eating disorder, but purely a matter of personal philosophy. Even though Yuu’s bento was delicious, it couldn’t change her poor eating habits—unless Yuu prepared all three of her daily meals.

In reality, if he split the porridge he made at night into two portions, then most of what Masuzu ate now was indeed made by his own hands—this was treatment no one else had ever received except his younger sister.

Wait, that phrasing sounds kind of perverted...

Not just wanting to control someone’s stomach, but completely dictating everything they ate and drank? Yuu wasn’t that type of person, nor did he think he’d ever meet someone like that.

“By the way, it’s amazing you can maintain a better figure than most high school girls while eating such things.”

Don’t get it wrong—the “most high school girls” here refers specifically to Yukinoshita Yukino. Her legs were beautiful, but unfortunately, her chest and hips lacked volume. Compared to someone slightly more voluptuous like Yuigahama Yui, she couldn’t even compare to Natsukawa Masuzu, whose body was as proportionate as a model’s.

For teenage boys in their puberty phase, the first thing they look for is symbols of maternal affection...

Of course, Yuu only dared think these words in his mind—he would never say them aloud.

Holding a spoon in her mouth, Masuzu stared at him with his calm expression. She sensed Yuu was thinking something bad, but didn’t care much and replied casually:

“Maybe I inherited it from my mother? Scandinavian girls tend to have good bodies.”

“Really?”

“...You’re very interested, aren’t you?”

Masuzu paused briefly, then smiled. Yet there was no warmth in her eyes.

“Not really. It’s nothing special.” Of course, Yuu’s perfect acting must be used precisely in moments like this.

After staring at his flawless, unreadable expression, Masuzu finally sighed. She scooped up a small piece of boiled potato with meat and continued lazily:

“It’s true I have a nice figure, but I’m very light in weight and don’t gain fat easily. Because of that, my stamina isn’t particularly good either.”

“That’s because you don’t eat properly and only consume minimal nutrients. How could your stamina possibly be good?” As he spoke, Yuu picked up a piece of chicken for her.

Masuzu wrinkled her nose in disgust and opened her small mouth toward Yuu.

“Aaaah—I won’t eat unless you feed me.”

Acting like a spoiled child, Masuzu opened and closed her mouth, waiting for him to feed her.

From Yuu’s perspective, he could see her soft, moist tongue slowly moving inside her small pink mouth. Her quiet, almost inaudible breath suddenly made the air feel warmer, teasing the deepest part of his heart.

If her pale pink lips opened just a bit wider, perhaps... he might catch a glimpse of spinach remnants between her teeth.

“Fine, just this once. I’m truly not interested in feeding play.” Taking back the chicken on his chopsticks, Yuu placed it into her mouth, then immediately pulled the chopsticks away—denying her any chance to flirtatiously play with them.

With cheeks puffed, Masuzu chewed several times with a regretful expression, then swallowed. She seemed slightly troubled as she exhaled.

“So bitter...”

“Bitter? It’s just plain chicken.”

“Don’t worry about little things like that.” Masuzu shifted her hips, her shoulder brushing against Yuu’s. The scent of her shampoo and her natural girl’s fragrance reached his nose. Her blue eyes carefully watched him, her face slightly flushed. “Want to try?”

“Try what?” Yuu cautiously set down his chopsticks, both hands ready to protect his purity at any moment.

He also had no interest in doing that for the first time in an open place.

“Of course...” Drawing out her voice, Masuzu suddenly leaned forward.

Her head passed under his left arm. She straightened her upper body and leaned her fragile back against his right arm. Then, with a hop, she lifted her hips and dropped herself onto his lap, sitting sideways on top of him.

“Masuzu?”

Yuu froze. He could feel not only the warmth and softness of the girl’s body, but also the sensation of plump, prominent peaches pressing against him.

She was as light as a feather, yet the weight was undeniable—snugly and firmly pressing down on his thigh.

“...I’m very light in weight.”

Her soft voice laced with laughter, her hot breath holding something back, swirled around his chest, igniting a flame of desire.

Masuzu didn’t look up. She wrapped both arms around his neck, burying her face—hot as an iron—against his chest, making the softness cling closer, refusing to let even a trace of cool air diminish this warmth.

He lowered his gaze.

Among strands of silver hair, the base of her ears was deeply red, glowing with an enticing apple-like hue.

“Yeah, you’re light.”

Yuu whispered.

His slightly hoarse voice, warm and gentle, enveloped her, along with his arms pulling her even tighter.

Masuzu moaned, “Hm—“ as if slightly pained by Yuu hugging her too tightly.

“Ah, sorry...” Yuu reflexively tried to loosen his hold, but Masuzu instead hugged him harder. Her relatively small body trembled slightly from the effort she exerted.

“Tighter… It’s fine if it hurts. It’s fine if you crush me.”

Her voice, as if it might vanish in the wind, was filled with confusion and fragile pleading.

“...” His expression slightly complex, Yuu sighed silently and continued holding her without moving.

“If you’re a masochist, that’s your problem. Do I look like someone who enjoys hurting others?”

“You don’t have the heart?”

“Yeah, I don’t.” Yuu answered honestly.

“Fool... You’ve been tricked.”

With an odd pause, silver strands brushed against his chest. Masuzu snorted proudly, as if hiding her embarrassment.

“You’ve completely fallen for me! You said you wouldn’t take it seriously, but within a month, you’re already conquered. You’re so pathetic, Yuu. If our client relationship were still going, I’d kick you right now, you know?”

Yuu laughed too. “But now, forget kicking. Your legs are entirely in my control—I can touch them whenever I want.”

“Then why don’t you?” Masuzu countered—an utterly unreasonable question.

Yuu replied resignedly, “This is school. Even if few people come here, if someone saw me touching your legs, Hiratsuka-sensei would come after me with her iron fist.”

“So hugging like this is okay?”

“Alright, I admit it.” Yuu lowered his head, his warm lips brushing the side of her hair, then said jokingly, “I’m just afraid that if I touch you, I won’t be able to control myself and will immediately check whether you’re really wearing nothing underneath.”

-

Title: The Many Forms of Love

“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.