[LN] Kono Koi wa Moto Kano no Teikyou de Oukuri Shimasu - Volume 1 - Chapter 2 - Part 2

        Chapter 2 - Fake Girlfriend (Part 2)

 Since it was originally during lecture time, the number of students on the street in the campus was small.

Even though it is small, it is far larger than the size of a high school, but I got used to that within a few weeks of entering the school. I get excited during events such as school festivals, but nothing has changed for me in my daily life.

Trees dressed in green leaves cover the descent to the main gate.

Although I can see the school building used for liberal arts on the way, unfortunately my destination is home.

I don't have a part-time shift today, so I'll just relax and read some manga. I have to think about how to play without spending money for a while.

I sighed, remembering the loneliness of my wallet.

As a college student, the cost of spending for fun was much higher than in high school.

It is not a bad thing to have more money at one's disposal, but it is still a chore to earn that amount through part-time work.

The workplace is a privately owned comic café, which is probably considerably easier than other part-time jobs, but I feel like I am a billionaire for the labor itself.

......I can't see the way ahead for myself.

As I was pondering this future, a small crowd had gathered near the main gate.

The front gate of the university sometimes serves as a place for recruiting people for clubs and other groups, and it is most likely that today, too, the insufficient number of club members are calling out to students on their way home.

I swerve aside and proceed to get out of the way of the solicitation as much as possible.

The fact that it was solicited at this time of the year means that there may have been some circle members who left during the process.

Universities often have several different types of circles in the same lineage, and some students move to larger circles along the way.

The more people, the better off we are in many ways.

In the basketball circle, you can practice anytime in a game format, and in the outdoor circle, group discounts make travel cheaper.

There are two types of clubs, university-sanctioned and non-university-sanctioned, and if you want to become one of the former, you need to have a certain number of people in your group.

But solicitation at this time of the year is a little tough, I mutter to myself.

"Oh, hey."

If it becomes officially recognized, the university can expect to provide partial financial support for its activities, and it will be easier to attract more students as it gains recognition.

The circle to which I belong, by the way, is also an outdoor circle officially recognized by the university.

The circle to which I belong, by the way, is also an outdoor circle officially recognized by the university.

I know firsthand that a large number of people can be an advantage.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.!"

While outdoor clubs may conjure up images of frequent mountaineering trips and trips to the beach, but....

"Hey!"

"Oh, wow!"

The sleeve is pulled back with a yank, and both thought and body are pulled back.

I've never had such a forceful solicitation.

I turned around with an involuntary scowl and everything was different from what I expected.

First of all, the voice was not a student at this university.

And from the circumstances, I assume this is part of the reason for the crowd. Rumor has it.

Yuzuki Mannami, in a series of encounters.

"Manami? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, how nice of you to say hello."

Manami looked a little more stern than I did, then looked around.

"I mean, what's with the crowd?"

"maybe it's a circle invitation. Maybe it's a circle jerk."

"I'm not sure I'd like to see that. That's unusual this time of year."

Manami said and walked one step ahead of me.

As I watch Manami's back as he gradually moves away, I hear a small voice from the side.

"Isn't she quite beautiful? She was in my house."

"No, I don't. If I did, I would definitely remember it."

Male students are having such a conversation.

Certainly, to a complete stranger, Manami would make quite a good impression. As can be seen from her distant back view, her flowing curves are more polished than those of her high school days, and it is not surprising that she is out of the ordinary person's frame of mind.

No one should take you seriously when you say that was your ex-girlfriend.

Well, it is a fake lovers' relationship, so it is right not to take it seriously.

Thinking this, I turn on my heel and walk in the opposite direction from where Manami went.

The road to the nearest station is in this direction.

When I get home, I think I'll pick up some chips and watch some anime on Netflix. What should I watch? Shaving, and...

I felt the sound of dada-da-da-da running sound approaching me from behind.

Next, a male student blurts out, "Hey, that was just now".

As soon as I turned around, I was hit on the back of the head with a sharp slap. I was hit on the back of the head with a sharp slap.

"Go after them!"

Chickens whirled around in my head.

I was visiting "savanna," a café near the university, when I was dragged by Manami. Despite the hot and bothered name, the interior was modern.

We finish ordering our takeout drinks and kill a little time waiting in the corner of the restaurant.

"That situation, normally you would follow me. Why did you run away?"

The waiter said it would take about five minutes, so we sat on a two-person bench set up in a corner.

Looking around the restaurant, one can see that students make up most of the clientele at this café.

This creates an open atmosphere in the restaurant, and everyone is talking louder than in an ordinary café.

On the flip side, I would feel quite lonely if I visited alone, but now I am alone with Manami, who has all eyes on me. I want to go home.

"I'm listening."

"Then recite it?"

"Hey, you listening?"

"Not there!"

Manami protests by stomping his foot on the spot with a bang.

I put my index finger to my mouth, but Manami kicked me out of the room, saying, "You'll be fine here".

Indeed, since it is in the corner of the restaurant, it may attract some gazes, but no one's voice will reach them in this clamor.

He's still the same,"You don't seem to be interested in me."

"No, I'm interested. On the contrary, is there any man who isn't interested in you?"

"Oh, really. Then do you know where I go to college?"

"Oxford University."

"You're fighting with me, aren't you? Are you?"

"No, no, no, sorry!"

I felt a tingle at my temples, and I shook my head in panic.

There are several highly recognized universities in the area and Manami is at the top of the list. Every student who goes to my high school knows about them.

The anecdote of Mannami's fans studying hard for entrance exams in order to follow him to college, and the deviation of the high school was raised to the bottom of the list, is well remembered.

The only one who was popular enough to compete with Manami was Yuka Nanano, who was regarded as one of the two most popular madonnas around her.

The contrast in appearance, speech and behavior has accelerated the spread of the moniker, so much so that it has even reached the ears of those in question.

Nanano is the cute type with a loose atmosphere and a mature presence. Manami is a firm and beautiful girl who is the center of the class. Looking at them again, I realize that they have completely different fashion sense.

While Nanano today was wearing a white blouse accented with pink gold earrings, Manami was wearing a black shirt and a silver necklace.

With such contrasts, it is inevitable that there were factions among the boys in high school.

"What are you staring at?"

"Whew."

"What a voice. ...... Well, never mind."

Manami let out a breath of exasperation and pulled out a vermilion-colored wallet from her handbag. She then pulled out 20,000 yen from inside and flashed it in front of me.

"What's that?"

"Yesterday's payment. You gave me the wrong account number."

"Oh, ......."

So that's how it is.

I'm not going to accept the money because it was my fault I got ripped off. Of course my wallet will be sad, but there is more to it than that, there is a sense of responsibility.

However, I did not expect them to come to the university. I had assumed that if I didn't know their contact information, it would be okay.

"I don't need it."

"...... so I knew it was on purpose."

Manami narrowed her eyes and let out a sigh.

Many men would probably shrivel up at the sight of her neat face. I might have been like that, too, if I hadn't dated in high school.

"I don't want to give you this because I care about you. I feel uncomfortable if you don't lend me or borrow from me."

"No"

"What do you mean you're scared?"

Manami backed away from me slightly as if she was donkey-dogging.

However, he showed no sign of putting the 20,000 yen back into his wallet.

But when it comes down to it, I really don't want to accept the money. That is not a conclusion drawn from logical thinking, etc., but just plain stubbornness.

As I was pondering, one alternative occurred to me.

"Okay, I won't take it."

"Isn't the context wrong?"

"No, sorry, no. I won't accept cash, but I will take consideration."

Manami looked dissatisfied, but nodded her head reluctantly, as if she had decided that I was not going to break.

"I'm going to go to ...... and see if I can find a place to drop it. Okay, whatever."

"Anything ......?"

"I'll kill you."

I don't know how he perverted my response, but Manami stood up with his fists clenched.

I buzzed and waved my hand, "Like cooking, for example!" I hastily add.

"Cooking?"

Manami gave him a dubious look and sat back down.

Cooking seemed to be the easiest way to do it, and there seemed to be no aftertaste as it disappeared into the stomach.

"No."

"Eh."

"Where are you going to cook? Your house or mine? Or my house?"

I realized the problem when you mentioned it, but I immediately thought of an alternative. There are places on campus that rent out kitchens.

"Still no."

"I haven't said anything yet!"

They refuse to speak up and I protest without a second thought.

However, Manami seemed to have his own ideas and let out a small breath.

"I can't cook anything worth 20,000 yen. Even taking into account the cost of labor, it's a little too high for me."

"No, you don't have to be so serious about going over ......"

I don't need any compensation either.

As I was about to tell him so, Manami opened his mouth first.

"I'm telling you, I'm not leaving until I decide what the price will be. I don't know if you're going to show up, but I came all the way here to see you, and I'm not going to let it get away from me again. ......Well, if you accept the money, that's all that matters."

"I won't take it. I mean, what were you going to do when I came back through the back door?"

Manami let out a sigh and replied.

"I was going to call my friends who go to this college and have them find a place for me and drag me here."

"Absolutely not. ......?"

I was terrified at the thought of a big, muscular man.

I don't know who he is referring to, but the fact that Manami can't say he is joking makes it even more terrifying.

But one possibility occurred to me, and I patted my chest.

If Manami were to call out to him, he first realized that the appropriate line would be that of an acquaintance of the same sex.

"The only girl who goes to my high school is Nanano. She doesn't have that kind of muscle power."

"Nanano?"

Manami gives a dubious look.

It seems to have missed.

Then who are you talking about? I was about to reply, but an unexpected question came first.

"Why are you calling me by my last name? Didn't you confess?"

...... it was.

Manami and I stopped talking at all after one day in our senior year of high school, so he probably doesn't know I was dumped by Nanano.

The fact that Manami doesn't know about it means that Nanano may not have told anyone else about the fact that he dumped me.

I was a bit touched by Nanano's response, which now turns out to be a bit of a surprise to me.

Although I don't believe that Nanano has the personality to tell everyone about it, I had to break it down to the point that it was a matter of reporting the story to at least a friend.

If I were to be confessed to by someone of the opposite sex, I would be happy and would feel compelled to report it to someone.

After all, it seems that people who are usually popular have a different response in that area.

Nanano dumped me when I was a senior in high school.

Just as he said it, Manami stood up with a clatter.

I looked up at her in surprise and for some reason she was staring at me.

Their gazes cross for a few seconds.

Then he suddenly leaned over to me, grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me with his wobbly hands.

"I'm not your ex-boyfriend! You're my ex-boyfriend, how dare you dump her!"

"What's with the rhetoric?"

The momentum almost flips him over, and he manages to maintain his balance.

As he was shaken, not understanding at all what it meant to be angry, Manami eventually folded his arms.

After a moment of thoughtful gesture, he opens his mouth.

"Can I? You are my ex-boyfriend, after all. Do you know what this means?"

"No, I can only take ...... literally."

Manami frowned, so he has another answer.

...... What in the world is this?

Manami is now a college student and a bit more mature, so maybe I'm just not being thoughtful enough.

But as I was inwardly holding my head in my hands without any idea, Manami sniffed.

"That's the thing, whatever the reason for your breakup, your actions carry my name as well."

"Go to .........?"

I couldn't figure it out after hearing it.

"So when I thought Nanano-san dumped you on me, I went to ......!"

"I don't care! You're being unreasonable!"

Certainly, there is no possibility that a crime or other inhumane behavior could lead to suspicion toward those who have been in a relationship in the past.

But how many names do the adults of the world carry when they are told that about the extent to which they are rejected by the opposite sex?

I can understand if he wants me to behave moderately as a rational human being, but Mannami's insistence is not very acceptable.

That's when I remembered.

Manami, sitting in front of me, was known as one of the two greatest Madonnas in her high school days.

But before that, his nickname was...

"--Tyrant, Yuzuki Manami!"

"When did you start pulling nicknames out of your ass?"

Spacone! and the top of the head is struck with a small sound.

As he greeted the chick who had come around again, Manami stood up with a slip of paper.

The drink is ready, and the waiter seems to have been called.

I follow her closely as she heads to the cash register, this time trying not to get angry.

I get a black coffee and Manami gets an iced café au lait with a lot of fresh cream on it, and we go outside.

As I was dizzy from the heat outside, Manami made a grumpy sound.

"The conversation has changed. Yeah, I've made up my mind. Well, this is what it should have been, and I've decided."

I feel like the conversation is going on without my input at all.

No, I don't feel like it, but in fact it must happen.

"I'll take a date with you as payment. I'll pay for it, of course."

"What? Why would you do that!"

I was so taken aback that I let out a loud yell.

"There are several reasons. You still love Nanano-san, don't you?"

"I don't like soot!"

"Really? You looked just like you did in high school."

"...... What's this, high school?"

"Yes, it's the same face you had when you liked Ms. Nanano. That's what you looked like when I mentioned Ms. Nanano's name."

I feel like a gyroball thrown into an unprepared catcher's mitt.

My feelings for Nanano were a problem I try not to think about too much.

"No more confessions?"

"...... it is."

Indeed, Nanano and I have clearly gotten along better since we went to college than we did in high school.

Manami is right, and I would be lying if I said I never once considered the option of confessing again.

But as you can see from today's exchange, he has no pulse.

In Nanano's eyes, I am only a friend, and I can sense in some parts of the conversation his intention to "don't try to get out of that frame of mind".

Even seemingly mocking acts are followed up with a polite, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not like that".

A little too much time has passed for me to see him as a member of the opposite sex.

There is no room for dreaming of a relationship.

I guess Manami can say that because he is not aware of any relationship between me and Nanano.

"As my ex-boyfriend, I can't stand the thought of Nanano-san dumping me twice. That's why I'm going to help you get used to the situation."

"Is that why you're dating ......?"

"That may mean that to you, but it doesn't to me."

"I didn't know the two Madonnas didn't get along."

I had never heard such rumors in high school, but it seems to me that there is some kind of special rivalry between the two.

However, Manami easily shook his head.

"It's normal. I'm just concerned about it. ...... or rather, stop calling me that stupid name, it's just silly."

Manami sniffs with a hum.

He was not being modest, but seemed to really dislike it.

If so, I don't understand at all what makes Manami say so much.

Even if it is true, Manami and I are former lovers. I think it would be better not to decide such a sensitive issue too soon.

Manami might really propose to Nanano-san to take revenge on her after the date is over. I would refuse such a proposal, since there was a very strong possibility that I would be rejected.

Let's have them leave Nanano's presence for once.

And to do that, we need to──

"I was dating an older guy until the other day. He dumped me after three days."

A piquilli, a disturbing movement was seen on Manami's temple.

My instincts are screaming at me to get away from Manami.

She is on the verge of exploding. Why on earth would she do that?

"If it's just ...... you..... Nanano, it's still ......."

"No, wait, calm down. It's not like Rina-senpai is an acquaintance of yours."

I thought what you said earlier was that you didn't want to see what people you knew would think of you.

That's why I mentioned the name of Rina-senpai, who is not acquainted with Manami, but her boiling point is just around the corner.

"How much of a person is that ...... person? If it's Nanano-san, or if it's just some lightweight playing with me, I'm not sure I'd remember her..."

"Oh, calm down! Look at this, look at this, look at this! She's so beautiful! She's got the personality of an older woman! Her friendly personality!"

I hurriedly searched for Rina's Instagram account, displayed it on the screen, and held it up in front of Manami's eyes.

Manami looked at it with a frown on her brow, and as time passed, her expression shifted to a calm one. ......That Rina-senpai could appease such a grumpy Manami through the screen was terrifying.

"...... Yeah, I forgive you. It would have been a different story if we had known each other, but oh well. If you say that much, you must be a decent person."

"I want to go home. ......"

When I muttered this from the pain in my stomach, Manami tilted her head in a kyoton.

"Going on dates shouldn't be a bad proposition. Apart from Nanano-san, don't you want to be popular with girls? If you get used to the situation, you'll have a better chance of being popular with girls than you do now."

"Everyone wants to be liked by girls. If you're asking that question of everyone, then yes."

"You're being so roundabout. Just admit it."

"Don't tease me too much!"

When I protested, Manami paused for a few seconds before apologizing, "Sorry. I guess it depends on each person," he apologized honestly.

Feeling somewhat surprised, Manami exhales one breath as if she has regained her composure.

"I too would be snotty-nosed if my ex-boyfriend was popular. I'd like to make Nanano-san approve of me and my long term relationship with Anta. Even if you exclude the [going out] part, it would at least make it happen."

...... Even if I were to become more popular, I wonder if Nanano would change his perception of me. I have heard that girls are more attracted to men with many rivals from a biological standpoint.

However, he did not think that would be enough to change her. Perhaps this doubt was showing on her face, but Manami cowered her shoulders.

"I admit that it was selfish of me to target Mr. Nanano, but I really want to make you a better man than you are now. But I really want to make you a better man than you are now. Whether you have feelings for someone else or you want to try someone new, at your age, it's better to be a little more comfortable in the situation."

"I don't know if familiarity with the scene helps that much."

"I think so. What do you think getting used to dating produces? Correct, it gives you more leeway."

"Hey, I haven't answered any of your questions yet."

When I replied in confusion, Manami laughed and said, "It's going to be a long conversation. I hate that I am not quite wrong.

"Women are more attracted to men who can afford it. Just like you guys are looking for someone prettier."

"It's not just the face..."

"Of course, I don't like women just because they can afford it. But I don't think it's wrong to be part of it."

If it is at least one factor, perhaps it is. If it were argued that when given the choice between those who can afford it and those who can't, many people would choose the former, it would be about right.

"There are two ways to build that margin. You either build confidence from your successes or you learn how to deal with your failures. Or you can learn how to deal with failure."

"Then you mean lots of successful dates!"

"There's a reason I'm daring to suggest ...... that you familiarize yourself with the place."

"Hmm?"

"Because no matter how obtuse you are, if someone points it out the moment you make a mistake, you'll notice."

............ Apparently I'm classified in that however dull frame of mind.

"You make a lot of mistakes with me, and you learn a lot of coping skills."

"If you make a lot of mistakes, you can become a man with a lot of room to grow. I see."

Certainly that would benefit both parties in no small measure.

Manami smiled confidently at me.

"How's it going? I don't think it's a bad story."

"...... okay, if that's what you mean."

"Done."

Manami ran in front of me and spun around.

Put your hands on your hips, and turn up the corners of your mouth.

"I'll produce your love life for now!"

The sun is shining brightly above Manami's head.

I squinted at the sight.

Not because it was dazzling. It was because it overlapped with a scene from my high school days, and I couldn't help but feel nostalgic.

The day we began our fake lovers' relationship. Is it a coincidence that it coincides with the promise we made at that time?

"You haven't changed your line account, have you?"

Suddenly, Manami asks me. Just like that day, with an innocent expression on her face.

"Yeah, just like that."

In reply, Manami took his phone out of his pocket and quickly ran his fingers over it.

"Hi, I've unblocked you."

"Thank you."

It felt somehow very strange to say thank you.

I was quite shocked when I realized that I was blocked, but I didn't expect it to be lifted so easily.

I wonder why he blocked me in the first place, but I refrain from asking questions because I am sure he will say, "You are a small man" again.

"I forgot to mention."

Manami came up to me and poked me in the chest with her index finger.

"Don't fall in love with me by mistake, okay? That's not the purpose of this compensation."

"How many people do I have to nail down ......?"

"Because... we were fakes."

Manami said so casually, then turned on his heel and drank a cup of café au lait.

I follow suit, and once I do, I bring a cup of black coffee to my mouth.

Yes, that's right.

There is no sweetness in our memories like a lover's.

...... promise to think so when we part ways.

And this situation coincides with a promise I made when we started dating.

I don't know if Manami remembers that promise.

"...... You, I thought you weren't good at black?"

"............ overcoming-jidai."

"I'm going to go to ...... oh, yeah. That's the kind of place to start."

Manami's dumbfounded response.

My pretense failed again.

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