Chapter 337: Pretending to be a Couple
Chapter 337: Pretending to be a Couple
When the door opened—
“Huh? Hiratsuka-se…nsei?”
Kasumigaoka Utaha was visibly stunned.
“Huh? Why are you two here? Wait, what are you two doing together?! And even coming to the onsen together on the weekend?”
The female teacher’s surprise was just as great.
Himekoji was also completely surprised.
“Teacher, why are you here? Huh, could it be… you’re the other grand prize winner?”
…
It must be fate, or something like that.
After a moment of stunned silence, the three finally accepted this unexpected twist.
They sat down in the room, and the atmosphere couldn’t help but become a little awkward.
Utaha had originally planned to wave some money and get the room’s original occupant to leave. But seeing Hiratsuka Shizuka, she immediately gave up that idea.
Thanks to Love Metronome selling over five hundred thousand copies, Kasumigaoka Utaha was indeed a bit wealthy. But the female teacher sitting across from her now wasn’t short on cash either.
Plus, with the teacher-student relationship between them, some things just couldn’t be said. It was both inappropriate and impossible.
The girl could only try her very best to be polite as she explained the problem she and Himekoji were currently facing to the female teacher.
Hiratsuka had already heard the boss mention that the grand prize was given out twice. She nodded in understanding.
“Mm-hm, I see. So, you and Himekoji want to stay in this room?”
“Ah, no, no, that’s not what I meant…”
Even though it totally was what Utaha meant, outright admitting it just wasn’t possible.
It wouldn’t be right, after all, Hiratsuka-sensei had also won the prize to stay here, and she arrived before them.
So Kasumigaoka looked very troubled, wanting to negotiate properly but unsure how to begin.
“Sure, go ahead and stay.”
“Huh?”
The teacher’s easy acceptance took Kasumigaoka by surprise.
“Really?” she asked again, unsure.
“Of course. The room’s pretty spacious anyway, just don’t complain later if it feels crowded.”
Hiratsuka-sensei waved her hand dismissively.
Besides, she thought secretly, she needed to keep an eye on this boy and girl alone together anyway. That was a teacher’s duty.
…
“This room is huge! Three people wouldn’t be crowded at all.”
Judging by the outcome, it looked like he’d still be spending the night at the hot spring inn with Utaha. But at least a teacher was here too, so anything that could get them in trouble probably wouldn’t happen, right?
Thinking that, Himekoji felt a little relieved.
He then threw in a casual remark, just to show he was still the protagonist.
“Three people? No, wait, seven.”
“Huh?”
“What?” Kasumigaoka and Himekoji both stared in confusion.
“Seven people? Just asking… but who are the other four?”
“Yukinoshita, Yuigahama, Hikigaya, and her Imouto.”
Hiratsuka-sensei listed them off like menu items.
“Those four went out together earlier. They’ll probably be back around evening.”
“Hikigaya is here too?” Himekoji asked, shocked.
That mission he had involving Hikigaya… he only had one chance left!
“What’s the matter?” Hiratsuka-sensei seemed slightly puzzled by Himekoji focusing on Hikigaya’s name, her gaze turning towards him.
“Ah, n-nothing! I just found it a little incredible that she, known for having terrible luck, could win the grand prize…” Himekoji scrambled for an excuse.
But for Hiratsuka Shizuka, this excuse felt like a punch to the gut.
“…Sh-she has terrible luck?”
That girl earlier had boasted about winning the grand prize on her very first try!
If that was considered bad luck…
Then what did you call her practically emptying the entire prize pool before finally forcing the grand prize out at the very end?
The female teacher’s face instantly darkened.
…
Back in the room (“Feiliu Zhixia Sanqian Chi”), the three chatted sporadically.
Meanwhile, the four-person group had split into a 3 + 1 formation.
“I have something to do by myself,” Yukinoshita stated coolly, breaking away from the group.
Although Yuigahama really wanted to follow, Hikigaya stopped her in the end.
“If Yukinoshita says that, she must really need to be alone,” said Hikigaya.
“Ahh, I know… but… but Yukino-chan is directionally challenged! She’s never been around here before! What if she gets lost?! I’m so worried!”
“It’s not like it’s some wilderness. She should be fine, right? Her lost nature isn’t activated a hundred percent of the time… er… it s-shouldn’t be a hundred percent, right?” Hikigaya started strong, but her voice faded with doubt. By the end, she sounded worried herself.
“Wait… what do we do if she does get lost?”
…
The thing they worried about came true in less than half an hour.
“Um… excuse me… I… I seem to be a little lost…”
Yukinoshita’s voice sounded hesitant over the phone.
It was rare to hear the girl sound so unsure.
“Yu-Yukino-chan! Don’t panic! Where are you? We’ll come find you right away!”
Yuigahama tried to comfort her, though anyone listening could tell she herself was the one panicking more.
“She already said she was lost, so why are you asking about her location? How could that possibly help?”
Hikigaya muttered with slight exasperation nearby.
He shook his head and took the phone from Yuigahama in a somewhat commanding manner.
“Yukinoshita, don’t you know how to ask for directions? I know this might hurt your pride as the esteemed Miss Yukinoshita, but isn’t now the time to worry about that?”
“…Mhm, there’s no one to ask.”
After a slight pause, that answer came through the phone.
“Are you being picky about who to ask? Anyone is fine as long as it’s not a human trafficker, right?”
Hikigaya snapped impatiently.
“No… It’s just that there isn’t a single person around me.”
“Huh? What are you saying? Did you actually leave the city and head into the wilderness?”
Hikigaya was instantly stunned by this unexpectedly “unique” answer.
“That’s the case. I entered a small alley somewhat carelessly earlier, and then walked deeper and deeper. I couldn’t get out, couldn’t find the way back, and didn’t meet anyone I could ask for directions…”
“Phew—-”
Hikigaya sighed in sheer disbelief.
Directionally Challenged Yukinoshita was indeed rightfully titled.
To turn a small alley into a maze—probably that skill deserved Directionally-Challenged Level 5?
Could Yukinoshita be one of those legendary seven?
“Alright, alright, I get it. Can you tell me about any landmarks near you? Also, where was the last place you remember before getting lost?”
“Landmarks? Does a telephone pole count?”
“A telephone pole? Well, do you think a telephone pole counts?! Yukinoshita, I’m telling you, if this keeps up, your character image in my mind is about to collapse!”
Hikigaya massaged his temples with a headache.
“Forget it, forget it. Just tell me the last place you remember before getting lost.”
“Mmm… I think… I think it was the milk tea shop where we split up.”
“Hah… haha…”
In the end, Hikigaya resignedly hung up the phone.
He simply couldn’t accept that his perfect image of Yukinoshita had a directionally-challenged flaw.
Was this a minor flaw on white jade?
Although, unexpectedly, it might be considered a charming point?
“Let’s split up to search. Oh, and let’s also ask Hiratsuka-sensei for help.”
…
The first one to find Yukinoshita was Himekoji.
Thanks to the System’s underwear-scent tracking skill—and the prerequisite of possessing Yukinoshita’s underwear.
When Himekoji found her, Yukinoshita was completely unaware.
The girl was fumbling with her phone’s navigation repeatedly. Several times she rotated the phone as if trying to confirm directions, but after a while, she seemed to give up, letting out a short, weak sigh.
Next, Himekoji saw her shove the phone back into her pocket.
The girl seemed to have made a firm decision, striding forward with a resolute posture that held a unique, clean beauty. But alas…
“Hey, that way is a dead end.”
Himekoji couldn’t help but warn her.
“Who is it?”
Immediately, Yukinoshita’s guard went up as she glared at him.
Whoa, scary!
“It’s me, it’s me…”
“Huh? P-Pervert-kun?”
“Yeah, so, no need for such guardedness, right?”
Himekoji stared blankly as Yukinoshita instantly dropped into an Aikido stance against him.
Here he was, coming all this way out of kindness to find her, but she treated him like some suspicious creep.
“Precisely because it is Pervert-kun, I need to be even more vigilant! Speak! Why did you follow me all the way and lure me into this deserted alley? What exactly are you trying to do?”
Followed her? Lured her?
Was this a joke?
Seriously followed? Seriously lured?
She got herself lost, so now she was blaming him for it?
“Hiratsuka-sensei asked everyone to search for you separately!”
Himekoji had to start from the story about winning the hot spring inn top prize, laboring to finally clear his name of the stalking and manipulating accusations.
“Hmm… Fine, I’ll believe you just this once.”
Yukinoshita looked very reluctant.
“Right, you came just in time.”
Next moment, as if suddenly remembering something, Yukinoshita hesitantly glanced down at her hand a few times. She was tightly clutching a small promotional flyer.
It was for an animal expo.
“Th-That thing… You’ve never had a girlfriend before, right?”
Yukinoshita, usually brisk and sharp, was uncharacteristically hesitant and stumbling over her words.
“Correct.”
There was nothing to hide about that. Himekoji was more puzzled by why she’d ask such a thing.
So, his gaze instinctively shifted to the flyer in her hand.
“Well then, you’re lucky. Today, I can permit you to pretend to be my lover.”
After saying that, Yukinoshita seemed afraid Himekoji didn’t fully understand, adding a clarification,
“Of course, just for today.”
“Huh?”
For a moment, Himekoji thought he’d misheard. But thankfully, the very next second, he got enough clues from the flyer Yukinoshita held.
At this expo, couples had a chance to receive a panda plush toy…
Wait!
Was Yukinoshita seriously willing to sacrifice just for a panda plush?
And wasn’t this an animal expo? Not a plush toy expo?
Why was the gift a panda plush? And not… an actual panda?
Although, if they were giving away actual pandas… that would probably be a huge problem…
…
(To be continued)
“Is it to get the panda plush?”
Though almost certain, Himekoji asked anyway.
“Half and half.”
That was the reply.
Only half?
Then what about the other half?
…
It was a pre-rehearsal for Nanami’s date.
Yukinoshita thought her experience could serve as a reference for Nanami and Himekoji’s “Amusement Park date.”
Once accepting a request, she’d take it seriously with full effort.
That was Yukinoshita.
Even if the one impulsively taking the request was Yuigahama.
…
“Half and half.”
Only half?
Then what about the other half?
Himekoji didn’t ask further.
“Anyway, congratulations. Pretending to be lovers with a beauty like me – just this precious memory could last through his whole life, right?”
He admired how naturally Yukinoshita stated that…
“Sounds like some mighty charity.”
She’d asked him to help get the plush, yet made it seem like he scored a huge bargain. Himekoji couldn’t help griping.
“Any complaints?”
The strong-willed Yukinoshita immediately shot him a fierce glare.
“N-Not really.”
“Eh? R-really?”
Expecting pushback, Yukinoshita faltered, surprise flashing across her face.
Himekoji shrugged it off.
Actually dating Yukinoshita? No thanks. But fake dating? That was fine.
Yukinoshita never lied.
So “just today” meant just today.
“Pretend” meant it’d stay pretend.
A safe deal, in his book.
Just as Yukinoshita was 100% certain of his perversion, Himekoji was dead sure “nothing would happen” between them.
Noticing her dazed look, Yukinoshita turned away, facing the wrong direction.
“I… thought you’d refuse.”
“No special reason to refuse. More importantly – pretend-dating someone like me, you’re really okay with that?”
“Someone like you? What do you mean?”
“What else? Obviously a per—”
Himekoji’s words were cut off.
“Enough,” Yukinoshita snapped. “I hate that self-deprecating talk.”
Turning back, her face was clear and cool again.
“I barely said anything… Since when is it self-deprecating? And isn’t Pervert-kun your favorite name for me?”
“That’s different. Coming from others, it serves as a warning.”
“Yeah, yeah. Fair enough.”
Himekoji shrugged, dismissing it.
“Shall we head out?”
“Okay.”
“Do you know the way?”
“Huh?”
“To that Animal Expo.”
“Eh?”
Yukinoshita blinked dazedly, looking rather lost.
Why ask her?
Everyone knew she was hopeless with directions.
…
…