Chapter 106: Pretending to be Lovers, But Not Specifying When It Will End
"Something wrong?"
The next day, when Ren arrived at Toyosaki, he was cornered at the classroom entrance by Mai.
"I'm here to declare war on you, Senpai. Even if this behavior is unkind, unjust, and immoral, I won't give up on Renako."
Mai spoke with a serious and stern expression. Even if it meant unfair competition, she was determined to reclaim everything she had lost.
"Oh?"
A female love rival? And one who refused to give up on Renako even after he had kissed her? Ren grew curious about what Renako had done to make Mai so fixated on her.
As for the declaration of war—it was laughable. To Ren, Mai as a competitor was no more significant than a stray by the roadside.
Knowing Renako's hobbies and sharing common interests with her, while their fake relationship was still ongoing—even if they were classmates, it was useless. Let alone the fact they were the same gender.
Even Hitori and Karen, who had already experienced playing with miniature dinosaurs under the covers with him, felt somewhat embarrassed lying face-to-face. Renako, who lacked such experiences, would likely avoid any intimate contact with girls as if fleeing from the plague.
Still, Ren was grateful that Mai persisted. Otherwise, maintaining the fake couple facade would have been more difficult.
After all, if the incident were resolved, there would be no need to continue the act—but the incident wasn't fully over yet.
So Ren accepted the challenge. By noon, Renako came running to him again to vent her frustrations.
"Senpai~ Mai-san still won't give up, huh? Even though we've been pretending so successfully."
Since Hitori and the others were present, Renako didn't dare speak too explicitly. Still, recalling yesterday's kiss made her blush with embarrassment.
But more than that, she felt troubled and annoyed. She already had a boyfriend—albeit a fake one—but Mai didn't know that. Yet today, Mai had confessed her feelings to her anyway.
Comparing the two, Renako found it even more unsettling. On one side was a friend who suddenly confessed to her out of nowhere; on the other was a handsome senpai who willingly lowered himself to pretend to be her boyfriend and even played games with her.
Who she leaned toward now went without saying.
"This probably relates to why you made her want to confess in the first place, right? What exactly did you do to make her care about you so much? Can you tell me?"
Ren continued playing the role of the understanding senpai, asking Renako what had happened between her and Mai.
"I guess I can...?"
Hearing this, Renako glanced at the others in the clubroom, then leaned close to Ren. Bowing her head, she brought her unique fragrance near his ear and quietly explained what had transpired between her and Mai.
It wasn't some overly complicated or storybook encounter—just two people who had known each other for a long time finally opening up to one another.
It had been two months since school started. Just as Renako hadn't refused Ren's proposal to fake a relationship despite not being close initially, she and Mai had also become genuine best friends.
So Mai opened up and showed her vulnerable side while having a heart-to-heart with Renako, who was feeling unwell from the exhaustion of playing the role of an extrovert.
As the popular girl who had been the center of attention since childhood, a top student, and the leader of her social circle, Mai always felt she couldn't show her true self. Her perfection felt more like an act rather than something she genuinely enjoyed.
"I think I get it now."
After analyzing the situation for a while, Ren came up with several theories. He believed the most likely explanation was that Renako was the first person to understand Mai's true feelings, which led Mai to develop feelings for someone who could accept and understand her.
Isn't this how romantic comedies begin? When a beautiful girl's hidden true personality and secrets are discovered?
"What did you figure out, Senpai?"
"I understand why she likes you, but that's beside the point. If she's still pursuing you, it's better to keep up the act, right?"
Under Renako's confused questioning, Ren deliberately kept her in suspense before changing the subject. He wouldn't mention the kiss, but he needed to discuss the fake boyfriend arrangement.
"That's true, but I still feel like I'm causing you too much trouble, Senpai."
Mai's pursuit made Renako afraid to reveal that she and Ren were just pretending. She felt that if she confessed the truth, Mai's personality might lead to some forceful reactions—scary stuff, man.
"It's no trouble at all. I promised to help you, so I can't just give up halfway. Also, the hair clip you changed today looks really cute on you."
Ren smiled slightly and continued to steer the conversation elsewhere, complimenting Renako's appearance today.
Renako looked slightly different from yesterday—her hair was smoother and better maintained, adorned with four additional hair clips. Her white school shirt seemed more filled out, her school skirt was hitched up a bit higher to show more thigh, and she had switched to black knee-high socks instead of short socks. At a glance, one could notice her unusually plump legs—she was definitely a JK with thick thighs.
"So you did notice, Senpai! I'm so glad~"
At this, Renako showed a happy smile, shyly fiddling with her skirt. Today's outfit was actually suggested by her younger sister Haruna.
Initially, she worried the changes were too subtle for Ren to notice, but Haruna insisted that smaller changes were better—if someone noticed them immediately, it would prove they paid close attention to her.
And Ren had indeed noticed. Did that mean he cared about her?
This thought made Renako lower her head in embarrassment.
Seeing this, Ren smiled but didn't say anything to burst her bubble.
After school in the afternoon, he asked Renako to meet him again.
"Senpai, is something the matter?"
Renako was somewhat confused since they had already spent time together during lunch break. She thought Ren would have other things to do after school.
"What do you think? We're going on a date, of course."
"Eh? A d-date!?"
This answer was something Renako hadn't anticipated. If they were pretending to be a couple, wouldn't it be enough to act that way only in front of Mai? Since Mai wasn't even present now, there seemed to be no need for them to keep up the act at all.
Moreover, going on dates—was that something fake couples should do? Wasn't that almost no different from real couples?
"Right, aren't we lovers now? Or do you not want to go on a date with me, Renako?"
Ren said with a laugh, then walked over to Renako's side, took her hand, and gave it a suggestive squeeze.
Renako didn't understand immediately, looking at Ren with a mix of surprise and confusion. It wasn't until Ren gestured with his chin toward the area behind them that Renako realized what he was hinting at.
Behind them, Mai was following them with her friend Sena Ajisai.
Because of this, Renako didn't pull her hand away from Ren's—not that she had intended to in the first place.