“Hey Yamato-kun, let’s go explore a new game in the literature clubroom today.”

After school. As soon as we left the classroom, Yuzu said with an unnaturally bright smile.

“Rejected. We’re busy today.”

When I gave her a white eye, Yuzu puffed out her cheeks.

“What do you mean? You have nothing more important to do than to spend some time alone with me.”

“Yes. To be more specific, we have to prepare for the festival. Come on, let’s go to the basketball club.”

I left Yuzu and walked quickly down the corridor and she trotted alongside me.

Yuzu pouted and suddenly made a suggestion, “How about I go to the basketball club by myself and you go to the literature clubroom to play a game?”

“You’re the one who pulled me to help them, and now you’re telling me I shouldn’t be in it?”

When I went at it with a hundred percent correct argument, Yuzu’s lips pursed in a sultry pout.

“But with Hiiragi-san there, I’d get really jealous. You know, it’s like she’s showing off how long she had spent time together with you unlike me; I only wish you were in my shoes to feel how terrible that is. It tremendously feels like a silent show of superiority.”

“Hina is not someone who has that in mind.” I bemusedly replied, but Yuzu’s sulky look had not changed.

“I totally hate that ‘I understand this guy’ attitude. Even if she actually does know you, I wish she could be more reserved about it.”

“I’ll be more careful in the future. Will you cheer up for me?”

When I condescendingly made that request, Yuzu let out a deep sigh and returned to a flat expression as if she had run out of energy to sulk any longer.

“Well, if you insist, I’ll try to make myself feel better,” she said and for some reason, she linked her arm with mine.

“Hey, get away from me.”

“No~ This is the condition to fix my foul mood. We must go to the gymnasium in this condition and show Hiiragi-san our flirtings.”

“…Whatever floats your boat.”

It was easy to imagine that Hina would not be particularly jealous of such a thing and would just harmlessly tease us; but if I pointed that out to Yuzu, she would probably bring up again that I had that vibe of ‘I understand her’.

I had no choice but to walk down the hallway and into the gym while maintaining this embarrassing show of affection. Perhaps because they have decided on something concrete, the basketball team had finally switched to festival mode, and today they were preparing for the festival instead of practising.

And that was when Hina—her hair in a ponytail—noticed me.

“Ah, it’s Yamato, and Nanamine-sa…n. Wow, you guys appear to be very affectionate today.”

We might have appeared too much like a Ba-couple; Hina who greeted us was in a dilemma whether to tease us or stand astonished.

“Oh, yes! Sorry, we’re just a bit too affectionate!”

Yuzu took the opportunity to show off how lovey-dovey we were.

“Sorry. She’s just very jealous of Hina.”

“Why did you have to say that?!” Yuzu’s face was bright red when I told the inside story since I felt really sorry towards Hina.

And Hina, too, seemed to understand the situation and smiled. “Ahaha, that’s not surprising, actually. But it’s okay. I won’t take Yamato away.”

“*pouts* …I’m not anxious about that.”

Whether it was the spirit of trying to keep up appearances or the embarrassment that washed over her after she had returned to her senses, Yuzu’s tone dropped.

“Now let’s get to work. You two, go sand and polish the set scenes here.” Hina lightly ignored our ba-couple banter and pointed to some set scenes that seemed to be in the process of being made.

“O-okay… We got it.” Yuzu seemed to be out of sorts when our quips were ignored just like that, she nodded her head in acknowledgement.

“See? Like I’ve said, she had no reactions, right?”

When I criticised Yuzu for overthinking the matter, she released my arm in full awkwardness.

“Well… That’s true, but…”

“Yuzu, you are such a worrywart. Do you like me that much?”

“Shut up!” Yuzu’s blushed yet again.

Hina didn’t pursue the matter, but not me who just saw Yuzu showing some openings in her guard—I was hyped up.

“Well, I never thought my girlfriend would be this disturbed just by me having a single female friend. You’re lucky I’m a loner, aren’t you? If I’d had a lot of friends, then you wouldn’t have been able to sleep at all.”

“Ugh… Yo-you’re irritating…! But still, even if it’s you, Yamato-kun, if our situations are reversed, you’d surely be green with jealousy!”

“I won’t. In reality, I don’t get jealous when you’re friends with Sakuraba and Namase, you see?” I scoffed; my words stunned her with realisation and she puffed her cheeks in frustration.

“Now you said that… But wait, why aren’t you jealous? You should be, and be more anxious about it!”

“I won’t, okay.”

In the first place, we were dating precisely because of Yuzu’s social troubles involving those people; it’d only defeat the purpose if I were to be jealous of them.

“Okay, I got it. That only means that you trust me that much, right? I’m happy to know that, but when you are fully at ease like that, I feel somewhat dissatisfied.”

“Yep. I love you for being able to interpret things in such a positive way, and I hope you’ll always be oblivious to my true intentions.”

“Whaddya say?!!” Yuzu punched me on the shoulder with a bang.

Hahaha, that was my complete win. With this, she’d be a bit meeker for a while.

“…Um, I’d like you to stop flirting and do your work. please.”

The next thing I knew, Hina was looking at us like we were idiots. I mean, all the members of the basketball team around us were looking at us with lukewarm eyes.

“SOR-Sorry!”

“We are sorry!”

The previous intensity was gone, and we were suddenly feeling rather uncomfortable, so we pushed our embarrassment aside and got moving.

“Geez… Yamato-kun, you’ve changed. You never used to flirt with girls in public. I guess people change when they have a girlfriend. I almost got heartburn seeing that,” Hina complained with a deep sigh as she smoothened the set scenes with sandpaper next to me; our quips just now might have been too much for her.

“Um…sorry.”

Was this the price I had to pay for making fun of Yuzu so impetuously just now? It was too embarrassing to be told that by a friend with whom I had an awkward situation for a long while.

By the way, Yuzu also received a deadly blow by that rebuke; she moaned in a faint voice and then fell silent as though she had sunk deep into the sea.

“Honestly, I was only in half-belief when I heard that Yamato and Nanamine-san are dating, but now I’ve witnessed how you two flirt, I could only believe it.”

NO, NO, NO, we’re only a fake couple. Seriously.

Or should I describe our relationship as dry since our relationship was purely transactional?

“…Did we look like we flirt that much?”

“Sure you do. A pure 100% Ba-couple.”

I was rendered speechless for a while there. Let’s just assume I didn’t hear that, yup.

In addition, I heard a halted grunting sound from behind me, as though Yuzu had been shocked into silence yet again, but maybe, that was only my imagination.l

“E-er… Hinano-chan, are these parts okay like this?” As our conversation came to a halt, a whispered voice called out to Hina.

It was Kunie-san, who had been working silently since earlier.

“Yes, I think it looks good. So can I have you do that one next?”

“Al-alright. I’ll do my best!”

“Sanae, you’re going to be on stage as well, so take it in moderation, okay?” Hina smiled at Kunie-san and gave her instructions smoothly.

I felt somewhat moved at that sight.

chocolala: Another Ba-couple act from this duo! Now who would believe they are fake?