Ch 210 – 30 June, A night call from Chika 03
“Hm— Well, I’m fine with it. But I wonder "What should I do exactly?"” Kouta once again had no problem pretending to be Chika's boyfriend. But he doesn't like it when he needs to do something tiring or problematic.
“Um— I don't think it's that difficult. The most basic thing is that you need to take a picture with me to give the impression that the two of us are a couple to begin with. Then the most difficult thing is the fact that Kaguya is very interested in meeting you." Chika answered Kouta's question while looking cheerful.
“That’s not really difficult, but you look quite happy about this?”
“Ah— Sorry, but I can’t help it. It’s just I’m happy that my friend worries about me like this.”
“Is that so?”
"Yeah, she sometimes seems like a cold person and stuff. That's why it feels really good for me to see her worrying about me. She was very surprised to learn that I had a boyfriend and was staring at her boyfriend's abs like that. Hehe—” Chika said with such a beaming smile on her face.
“Well, if that’s the case. You should told the truth and not make her worry—”
“Eh, but isn’t I look like a pervert to ogling at man’s abs—”
“So you’re fine to lie to your friend rather than be seen as a pervert girl. Huh—”
“Either way, You're probably just doing what I described earlier. So you want to do this, right?" Chika said as she patted her hand lightly, keeping it near her cheek and tilting her head slightly to act cute in front of Kouta.
"Well, it doesn't sound too difficult. But isn't the person you're referring to from the Shinomiya family— That big Shinomiya Family, right?” Kouta asked such an important question in his mind.
“Yes, of course—”
“Will I be okay if we lie like this?— Plus it's not like it would be easy for someone from a family as big as the Shinomiya to discover the fact that I'm not your girlfriend and also have a relationship with Eriri. It feels very risky for me.”
“Ah— Etto— that’s—” Chika immediately seemed at a loss for words hearing Kouta's concern. Especially when the concerns expressed by Kouta are valid.
"Although I would love to help you with the risks and dangers that I can feel. I at least want to have the assurance that I won't get into trouble."
“Well— I think I can take care of that. So you don’t have to worry about that, right?”
“Hm, I don’t think just a verbal agreement will be enough.”
“Fine, we can write it on paper! Geez— Is there still any problem?”
Chika realized as Kouta still didn’t really agree and asked a question.
“Of course, I still have a problem before agreeing about this stuff.” Kouta knew that, in general, the protagonists would happily agree to the proposal of pretending to be a couple. Unfortunately for Chika, Kouta still felt it was not enough and there was at least one thing he wanted most from Chika's request.
“Eh, really— What else do you want?” Chika asked with a sullen look on her face and her lips turned up in a frown.
“Of course, I want a reward.”
“A reward!?”
“Yeah, I want a reward. You wouldn't think that pretending to date you and treating me to this sushi restaurant would be enough of a reward for me." Kouta spoke with a tonality that signaled slight irritation.
“Hau— Of—Offf—course I don’t think something like that—” Chika responded with a suspicious reaction, as if she had been caught.
“Haa— I thought so." Kouta sighed before he asked for one thing that was basically not a gift, but would be something fun for Kouta. “You don’t have to worry since I don’t ask something difficult. All I want to ask of you by pretending to be your boyfriend is that I want to have the privilege of being a boyfriend."
“Huh—” Chika looked very surprised by the proposal that came from Kouta's mouth. As if she needed time to digest Kouta's words. But before she could understand, Kouta teasingly stroked Chika's leg with his foot.
“Ah— what are you doing—” Chika was quite surprised and Kouta quickly took hold of Chika's hand, before telling her what he meant.
“Yup, what I want is the privilege of being a boyfriend— which means I can tease you and hold hands with you like this.” Kouta said so while changing the grip he had so as to intertwine the fingers between them in a more intimate handhold. “And I may flirt with you more frequently. It’s not like we never do this before—”
Kouta's demeanor and talk instantly reminded Chika of the hot kiss they had on their last date.
“Ah, about that— I'm fine— I guess— It's not that I'm into that or anything like that, but I think it makes our act look more convincing if we do that." Chika responded by suddenly spitting out the words of a tsundere with a blushing face.
“Ahahaha, well— Seeing you like this makes me want to ask for more reward, but I think this is enough for now.”
Kouta got up from his seat and then moved to sit next to Chika, he even did not hesitate to place his arm around Chika's shoulders so that he was closer to her body.
“Something like this is fine, right?”
“Well, yeah—”
Chika was no longer surprised by Kouta's sometimes slightly pushy attitude like this. Even like what happened on her last date, her heart was pounding because of Kouta's current behavior. At this point, she may have become a stupid girl that had a bad boyfriend. Who only came asking her for money—
“We can start with an easy one—” Kouta then took one of Chika's pieces of sushi and immediately fed it to Chika while not forgetting to use his cell phone to take a photo of them eating like this.
“Next is you turn—”
“Ah, yes—” Chika swallowed the sushi that Kouta fed her and because of all the things going on right now, her brain couldn't digest the flavor of the sushi. Even so, she imitated what Kouta was doing and fed him while the two of them were photographed together.
“Hm, isn’t this good—”
“Ah, yes— For now, that’s enough.”
“Hm, I think we can do it much better.” Kouta said as he kissed her check from beside and took the photo while saying. "It's good that we sent something 'bang' right away.” He added.
Then with this, the pretend dating between Kouta and Chika began. Well, it's not like any different than usual anyway—