Volume 1 - CH 3.1

1

The date had further passed and finally entered the second half of October.

Every day had been going well.

Today the same as always, Sandai had warmly welcomed Shino coming to his place after her part-time job, placed her on his lap, and was playing a console game together.

“Aah, I’m gonna lose!”

“Today’s gonna be my wi—”

“—Then how about this!” Shino kissed him, seeming to try to cause a physical disturbance.

Having a sweet smell of strawberry gently tickling his nasal cavity, Sandai unintentionally dropped the controller in his hands, got the tables turned in that gap and lost.

“I won!”

“Hey… out of the blue like that is not fair.”

“It’s not not fair~.”

Shino stretched as if to say she was in a good mood, and began to get ready to go home because it would almost be time for her train.

With the street at night being risky, Sandai decided to walk Shino to the station, though he’d always done so. Then on the way there, Shino pressed her index finger on her lips, and went, “Hmmm,” as she tilted her head.

“What’s wrong?”

“It just hit me, but… somehow it’s just like being subtly noticed.”

“Being noticed?”

“You know, us, we’re trying not to talk at school, right?”

“Sure we are.”

“But it’s like, there are people who kinda have guessed our relationship. Or rather, somehow it’s like, there are those who seem like that.”

It seemed some students were beginning to vaguely suspect their relationship, perhaps the limits of keeping their relationship under wraps began to show.

They’d been taking various care to avoid it getting found out, but even so, both their eyes would also be filled with passion were they to make eye contacts when passing by each other.

That truly would just be an instant, but from the beginning Shino had been a beautiful girl who would constantly attract attention, so she would be watched by all sorts of students for every single move of her. There was a sizable number of folks who would not miss even a mere instant of that, so to say.

“So, if possible, I… sure would love not to hide it anymore. And I so wanna tell people that I’m dating you, Sandai. Telling them you’re the boyfriend I’m proud of.”

Sandai got just a little embarrassed from being told he was the boyfriend she was proud of. He was happy to hear that from her, but he was feeling awkward.

“Is that.. a no?”

Shino was poking her index fingers together while pouting. When it came to being asked like this…

Well, all that aside, to hide the relationship was somehow just a continuation of the decision made at the time he hadn’t thought they would be dating, and now that they were actually lovers, various things should certainly change as well.

Disclosing the relationship would also be a choice with a big advantage to Sandai. After all, it would become a strong deterrent against men secretly aiming for Shino.

“…Well, I guess there’s no need to forcibly hide our relationship anymore.”

“Then—”

“—Right, then let’s go as you say. That said, like suddenly showing a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship in the classroom seems like it would cause chaos at many levels, so I’d say it’s gotta be done gradually.”

“Gradually… Then should I tell my friends that we’re dating and have them spread the word?”

“My bad, I have no friends, so it looks like I’ve got to rely on you, Shino.”

“No need to apologize. In the first place the one who said not wanting to hide it was me, remember?”

The talk thus came to a conclusion, and it was decided to gradually spread their boyfriend-girlfriend relationship.

2

And now, after school the next day.

As Sandai was about to go home while looking at the back of Shino going straight to her part-time job from a distance, he was called out by a group of five flashy gyaru students.

Even Sandai knew of these five. They should be Shino’s friends, and he would often see them chatting happily between breaks.

“Hey Fujiwara, got a minute? So we heard from Shino herself, and you two are dating? It vaguely feels like that, but like, it’s just plain surprising, though.”

As planned, Shino had immediately told her friends about the fact of her relationship with Sandai, but still, the gyarus somehow seemed stiff.

Could they be thinking that I’m not a good fit for Shino? And so Sandai spontaneously put himself on guard with his bag as a shield, only for the gyarus to sigh all at once.

“…You don’t gotta be on guard like a stray cat like that. It’s not like we’re trying to find fault at you or anything. Shino thought you’re a good man and chose you, so not gonna make any complaints about that. It’s not about any of that, there’s just a bit of something we’re troubled with, and like, we sure love to have your cooperation.”

They seemed to have come to ask for a favor, and not to make a complaint. Sandai lowered his bag feeling anticlimactic.

“So there’s like a ‘gathering’ or like ‘dinner party’ and stuff like that, the kind where there’s also guys coming… and we’ve also been inviting Shino to one since ages ago, but she’s just always declining, you see. Especially lately it’s just totally hopeless. If she’s gotten a boyfriend, then that’s understandable, though. But I’m telling you it’s totally different with or without Shino. The Shino Boost is really just that amazing.”

“Yep yep. Not just guys from other schools, but college students sure would also come in droves. If Shino’s name is mentioned.”

“You maybe don’t know, Fujiwara, but Shino is actually famous even outside of school. She even got invited to be a model or an idol and the like. Well, Shino refused, though.”

It was the first time for Sandai to hear about invitations from the show business, but she was that much of a beautiful girl, so there was nothing weird about it.

“I… I see.”

“With that reaction I guess you really didn’t know just how amazing Shino is, huh… I wonder if that kinda thing looked good to Shino instead.”

“Prob.”

“Shino and Fujiwara’s beginning of romance’s not important right now, so let’s just put it aside for the time being. Errr, so I’m gonna be straight, we’re talking about making you come to the dinner party with us. Like, we thought maybe Shino will come if we do, get me?”

“Well, we sure would love to have at least one more Shino Boost. It just really makes a difference in the guys joining in… So please.”

Then the five gyarus went to lower their heads to Sandai in turn.

Their attitude was conveying that it was a rather serious favor. That said, it was also something he wouldn’t want to accept as her boyfriend, frankly.

“I get what you’re all trying to say, but Shino’s not good with men, so I think it’s just not right to bring her out to a place like that, alright? Besides, like going there together with her boyfriend, the men you called sure are gonna get mad as well. In other words, just quietly give—”

“—Wait. It’s mutually benefitting, you know?”

“…Huh?”

“First, we’re gonna be able to naturally tell the guys, ‘Shino actually got a BF, so no-no. That’s why choose from among us, ‘kay?’ And so, if you show off your presence in front of the guys like, ‘I’m her boyfriend here,’ it’s gonna become a repellent for them not to get close to Shino, right? This is the so-called mutually benefitting.”

Sandai’s mind began to waver slightly, thinking that that way of thinking was a blind spot and that it might have a point. Then, as if to say this was their chance, the gyarus pressed in.

“I think Shino will be happy with the result, you know? You girls think so too, right?”

“I sure do. If in front of other guys you go ‘Don’t you dare lay your hand on my girl…’ like a chad, that’s totally heart throbbing, right?”

“And Shino looks pretty crazy about you, Fujiwara, so that sure is gonna KO her if you do something like that. You might just make her not want to leave you her whole life.”

“Totes~. And she gonna be like, ‘All I can see is you now!’.”

“And it’s gonna be a chance to see Shino’s happiness-to-the-max face. There’s no choice but to get on board, don’t you think?”

Being rallied up, Sanda was somewhat becoming inclined as well. It began to seem like something that could only benefit him.

“By the way… wanna give Fujiwara some makeover? If we’re bringing him, you want him looking a bit cooler, right? He’s just too plain.”

That was probably an opinion that just popped out all of sudden, but the gyarus’ ears twitched, and they showed their approval, going, “Agree!” one by one, and it got approved unanimously in just several seconds.

Sandai was bewildered as he hadn’t expected the conversation to go in a direction like that, but first he got both his arms caught in a tangle by two of the gyarus, and then got pushed in the back with a gusto by the remaining three, turning it into a very difficult situation to flee from.

“Then let’s get going.”

“Right, while the iron still hot~.”

“Ho-Hold on! This makeover or whatever stuff is just too sudden, I—”

Although Sandai was putting up a resistance somehow, “If you get cooler~ …I think Shino will also be happy, though?” he got whispered with such sweet words close to his ear, and his strength suddenly was wearing thin.

Sandai also knew by feeling that Shino liked the way he was, not giving any demands or anything regarding his usual look and such.

However, while that may be true, it didn’t necessarily mean there was no dissatisfaction at all. There was also the possibility of her thinking, ‘I wish he could get a little cooler.’

Such an anxiety smoldering in the furthest back of Sandai’s mind was tickled. Unlike Shino, these gyarus seemed to be greatly used to the opposite sex, and seemed to know what to say to sway a man’s heart.

“We’ll pay for it, so no worries.”

“Well, that’s just fair, isn’t it?”

“Can’t be helped.”

“And we’re the ones deciding it anyway, right~.”

“Right~.”

Now that such a deal was arranged, Sandai found himself nodding his head slowly.