Chapter 50: Nightmare (3)

"What do you mean?" I asked her, even though I had a hunch she already knew about my situation with Natsumi and Chinatsu.

"You're acting clueless, Kurogane-kun, but let's not pretend. I know you're involved with both Morikawa-san and Matsushita-san, and it seems like you guys have some kind of secret arrangement."

"Well, yeah, keeping it on the down-low is kind of a necessity. Our relationship is a bit unconventional, as you pointed out."

It's not just about the unconventional part, though. There's also Natsumi's strict mom and our parents who wouldn't exactly give us a round of applause. It's not that I want to keep it a secret. Honestly, I'd love to shout it from the rooftops that I'm dating them. But reality isn't that easy. The world wouldn't be cool with it, and we'd be swimming in judgmental looks. I could handle that, but I worry about how Natsumi and Chinatsu would handle it. They might not take it as well.

And if Matsushita Sumire-san ever caught wind of Natsumi and me dating, she'd probably tear us apart. Natsumi's mom is not only strict but also pretty selective about who her daughter should date. Apparently, I didn't make the cut in her book...

"That's why I'm telling you to be my fake boyfriend, and I won't spill a word about your little three-way arrangement. I promise," she said, raising one hand and crossing her heart with the other for extra emphasis.

"So, you're basically blackmailing me, in other words?"

"I'd rather not use that word, but yeah, it's kinda like that."

This was turning into a mess way more complicated than I thought. But I had to stand my ground. I didn't want someone like her pulling my strings. For the first time in four years, anger surged through me. When Ichinose sensed it, she flinched a bit, but she held her ground.

"Anyway, let's get back to the point. Are you gonna take the deal or not? Depending on your answer, I might just spread a rumor about you buying condoms at a convenience store with Morikawa-san and Matsushita-san. People will put two and two together pretty easily."

And she had a point. Even if she only mentioned buying condoms, folks would jump to conclusions about what we did with them. I regretted buying those condoms at that particular convenience store. I didn't think anyone from my class would be working there as a cashier. My bad for assuming nobody from my school would be in that area.

"You got any proof of that?"

Ichinose grinned at my attempt to get an upper hand. "Nah, I don't. But who says they won't believe me? I mean, look at me—I'm drop-dead gorgeous and practically a goddess around here."

"That's just a title Kaneda made up. It doesn't define your place in this school."

And, seriously, wasn't it a bit narcissistic of her to assume people would buy into her story just because she's attractive? I never thought Ichinose was this type of woman.

"Well, the fact is, my beauty has a way of making my words sound true. Not that they aren't true in this case, so arguing seems pointless."

"You know, Ichinose, I never figured you for someone this twisted. Is this the real you, and what we see is just a facade?"

"There's no facade. I'm just desperate for help. That's why I'm doing this."

"Sure, but I'd appreciate it if you kept me out of your issues."

I didn't want to get tangled up in her drama. I preferred steering clear of it.

"I'm sorry, but that's not an option. You're the only one I think could pull off being my boyfriend."

"How come?"

"Well, for one, you've got some fighting skills, and your face isn't half bad. Plus, the way you got those two to agree to your three-way thing suggests you're pretty good at talking."

"That's not true at all. I do have some martial arts skills from my younger days, but other than that, you're mistaken. My face... well, I'm more on the ordinary side, and I'm not as good at talking as you think. If anything, my social skills are below average, you know."

That was true. I wasn't much of a talker; I was more on the quiet side. My classmates saw me that way because I rarely engaged with them. Getting Natsumi and Chinatsu to date me involved more begging than smooth talking—kneeling in front of them while they eyed me with disdain, scowling and their chins held high. Not exactly the actions of a great communicator.

"In any case," I said, pointing my finger at her, "you've got zero proof that I'm dating both of them. Even if you spread the word, people will likely just brush it off. It's not groundbreaking news that the three of us are close, right? Some folks already think we're dating, but without proof, they've got nothing. Same goes for you, Ichinose. So, my answer to your little request for cooperation is..." I stuck my tongue out at her. "I'm out."

Even if she blabbed to everyone about seeing me buy condoms with Natsumi and Chinatsu at the convenience store, people wouldn't take it too seriously.

When I pointed that out, instead of getting frustrated about overlooking something, she just tilted her head and smiled, "Did you think I didn't take that into account?"

Ichinose pulled something from her pocket. It turned out to be her phone, and on it was a video of me buying condoms, with Chinatsu and Natsumi waiting behind me as the cashier, which was Ichinose herself, scanned the condoms I was purchasing.

"If talking won't do the trick, this video should, right?"

I almost felt my knees giving way when she said that, but I managed to stay upright. How the heck did she manage to get a video of that? Was that even allowed?

"Luckily, the store owner was kind enough to let me have this. Too bad for you, there's CCTV footage."