When Fumino saw a man and woman who were clearly lovers holding hands and making out, she would only find it very romantic. While sending them blessings, she also hoped that one day she could be like everyone else.
Fumino had imagined such a scene several times, and it was clear who the male lead was.
But now, the same scene was presented very clearly before her eyes.
But she's not a heroine.
"Furuhashi, have you been waiting long?"
"…Uh, no, I just arrived."
Saying the cliché sentence dryly, Fumino forced a smile, pretending not to care and looked at the two people's hands holding each other.
Hina had just come out of the yukata shop, when she saw her expression and the atmosphere between the three of them, she quietly stepped back.
After holding it for a long time, Shinichi showed no signs of wanting to explain after saying hello, and Rui stood beside him obediently, looking at the surrounding scenery.
Fumino finally couldn't stand the strangeness that was growing in her heart, she asked an indirect question.
"Um, Shinichi-kun, Rui-chan... You two have a really good relationship..."
The two looked at each other and laughed for some reason.
"That's pretty good."
"This is a bit much."
Fumino's head was filled with questions, she ignored the unhappiness that was starting to well up in her heart.
Rui stopped teasing her, and just as she was about to say "the truth", a force came from her palm, and she looked at Shinichi.
"Let me tell her" – Shinichi blinked.
Rui nodded, knowing in her heart that Shinichi wanted to sever past ties with his own hands.
If the two are actually dating, that's probably true.
But it wasn't, so Rui didn't know what Shinichi was thinking.
Anyway, she couldn't guess, so let Shinichi do whatever he wanted. So Rui m with the mentality of watching a good show.
Shinichi and Fumino met their eyes.
"Even though suddenly, I'm dating Rui."
Surprisingly, this sentence came out easily.
Previously, Shinichi thought that he would hesitate, was it because of his acting skills?
Or because he felt relieved after finding out that Fumino decided to stop liking him?
He cleared his mind and carefully observed her reaction.
"...Eh?"
It took a long time before Fumino responded.
The bag in her hand fell to the ground, and her body swayed slightly. She took a step back, her eyes wide in disbelief.
"Date?! You and Rui-chan?!"
Rui nodded silently, swinging the hand that Shinichi was holding upwards, letting Fumino see it clearly.
Shinichi looked at her deeply shaken eyes, including Fumino's pale face, and her trembling fingertips, it all came into Shinichi's field of vision.
"...Sigh~"
After being stunned for a long time, Fumino took a deep breath. Then asked seriously.
"Are you serious?"
There were many things she wanted to ask, including why it happened so suddenly, what should Rizu do, did other people know about it, etc...
She had a lot to say to Shinichi.
But those words were suppressed by a stronger will, after much thought, she asked such a simple sentence.
Rui looked at Shinichi, who was always observing Fumino, and nodded slightly.
"Seriously."
"Seriously pretending to be a couple."
Shinichi hoped that when he explained it later, he wouldn't be beaten to death by Fumino.
Hearing the confirmation, Fumino felt complicated. Even Shinichi couldn't catch the various emotions that were passing through her.
"I see..."
She lifted her face with a slightly forced smile.
"It's really sudden…" Afraid that her appearance would cause them to misunderstand, Fumino waved her hand and defended herself.
"I'm just a little surprised. After all, Asada-kun is dating his cousin... Ah! I do not mind! But don't your parents mind..."
Rui replied casually: "His mother very much welcomed this and asked us to take safety measures."
Even though she looked like she didn't care, she held Shinichi's hand nervously. It seems like Rui can't say such suggestive words easily.
"Then you have to do well. After all, you are still young…"
Faced with these indecent remarks, Fumino thought she would blush, but she didn't expect only a feeling of nausea to surge up her throat, dispelling her constantly wavering will.
She tried to suppress the uncomfortable reaction coming from all over her body.
Fumino endured her dizziness, and spoke to the two of them in a sincere tone.
"I wish you the best in your relationship! Will you send me a wedding invitation when you get married?"
After trying hard to finish this sentence, she turned around and took a deep breath.
If she didn't do this, she was afraid she would cover her mouth and run home crying in a humiliating manner.
She had clearly given up on liking him, but even now, she was still confused and unable to calm down because of his words.
Is it really... Lovesick?
"…"
Shinichi and Rui looked at each other in silence.
"You are absolutely right." Rui said this with her eyes, helpless and mocking.
Previously, she asked Fumino how she would react after finding out the two were dating, but she didn't expect the details to be exactly the same as what Shinichi said... How well did this guy know her?
Shinichi looked at Fumino's back and hid a feeling of guilt that he didn't even know he had.
After glancing at Rui, he was already thinking about how to explain it to Fumino, when he was about to speak, Rui suddenly grabbed him and said.
"Don't worry, it's impossible to send wedding invitations. The person he likes is not me. We were just pretending to be dating, and we wouldn't do anything like that."
Shinichi turned his head in surprise: "Rui, you..."
"If I say it first, it will be easier for you to explain later. At least you don't have to worry about my feelings." Rui rolled her eyes.
"Anyway, don't forget our plan. How you want to do other things is your problem… Tsk, I know you don't like seeing girls sad, and you always like to treat them differently."
She pushed his shoulder impatiently, and Fumino turned around and looked at the two of them.
"Fake relationship? What really happened..."