Whether due to autumn or the setting sun being more fitting, the twilight glow was so intense it seemed to swallow the entire world.
Crows cawed hoarsely on power poles, pedestrians strolled leisurely, as if all were waiting for night to arrive.
"While waiting for you, I was approached three times by love followers. So disgusting." Masuzu tucked her wind-blown hair behind her ear and sighed. "Tell me, how will you compensate me for my losses?"
"How about some cake?" Yuu walked ahead, holding up a small box.
Masuzu slightly frowned, giving him a look as if he were an idiot. "I already said I don't like eating—especially sweets."
"I made it myself."
"...I'll assume you're sincere."
Masuzu took the cake, turning her face away. Not meeting his smiling eyes, her tone remained flat.
"Alright, walk me home."
"Understood, Miss."
He stopped, and Masuzu said seriously, "Don't call me that."
"Masuzu." Yuu looked at the back of her perfectly round head, as if he could see into her thoughts. "Was today's performance not to your liking?"
(In other words, what's bothering you now?)
"Well, of course?" Unfazed by his sharp observation, Masuzu stretched her arms and sighed, shaking her head.
"There's no scene where a senior with a girlfriend suddenly has a secret lover! No chance for me to step in dramatically and shout, 'Stay away from my boyfriend, you little bitches!'—this wasn't the fate-filled stage I wanted to see!"
She rambled with dramatic flair, making Yuu behind her roll his eyes.
"If you really wanted a scene like that, why keep interrupting me with messages mid-way? You seemed afraid I'd cheat on you right there."
"To build tension, so you wouldn't make a mistake driven by emotion." Masuzu spoke in a reasonable tone. "Seeing you flirt with those juniors made me angry. Are you two really that close? Do you plan to add them to your harem under the pretense of teaching cooking and piano? Such a disgustingly romantic scene—it wouldn't be like me not to interfere."
She did this from an anti-love perspective! Masuzu proudly lifted her chin, giving a conclusion for her behavior moments ago.
"Hah, I see..."
It was hard to say at other times, but now, Yuu could hear it—eighty percent of her words were lies, used to cover her true feelings beneath.
Pursing his lips, Yuu didn't immediately expose her. "So, the result of today's fan meeting didn't satisfy you?"
"Before that, what exactly is 'satisfaction'?" Masuzu raised one finger, as if about to speak at length, but hesitated for some reason. Finally, she sighed, her voice lowering, her expression returning to calm.
"Never mind... I just wanted to ask."
"What?"
"Do you have any ex-girlfriends?"
"..."
On the road bathed in red twilight, Masuzu slowed her pace and turned to face him walking beside her.
As if merely curious, or as if harboring emotions so complex even she didn't know the answer, she carefully studied Yuu's face, searching for any shift in expression.
But soon, under his honest, clear gaze, she instinctively looked away, stroking the hair by her ear, staring straight ahead as if nothing had happened.
"If this song is played for someone, then it becomes truly beautiful..." You were the one who said that.
"That song was amazing—wasn't it called Harusame?"
"So, who was that song played for?"
Her voice was calm and soft, as if she were just casually asking, her profile glowing in the sunset light.
Yuu thought for a moment, then replied: "That's personal privacy. As fake partners... do you really need to know that deeply?"
Then, it was his turn to observe Masuzu's expression shift.
"..."
After a brief silence, Masuzu stopped and turned halfway.
"Don't answer a question with another question! Did school teach you to respond like that?!"
Though she used her favorite JOJO joke, her tone lacked its usual energy and cheer. Instead, Masuzu seemed troubled by something, showing a hint of despair.
Her silver hair fluttered in the wind as she smiled with a touch of loneliness.
"You're right. Everyone has things they don't want touched. That's why people can't truly trust each other—whether partners or spouses."
"Hah, I should control my curiosity a little... Pretend I never asked. After all, it's none of my business~"
The fake girlfriend said this, shrugging casually as she started walking again.
Perhaps she didn't even know why she wanted to know the answer, or why she felt annoyed and anxious hearing that emotionally charged song?
Maybe, as the other said, she was too possessive?
Even if it was fake, she didn't want anyone else to take him...
"If you want to know, I'll tell you."
Yuu's voice came from beside her, and Masuzu immediately felt warmth in her palm.
Coming to her senses, she looked down at her hand, now held in his. Masuzu raised an eyebrow, giving him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes: "If we're pretending to be a couple, do we really need to share personal privacy?"
"I never said I wouldn't tell you."
Yuu was mocked with his own words, but he didn't care at all, his expression relaxed.
"I just wanted to see how much you care about me... Now it seems you're starting to like me more?"
"Hah! Impossible!"
Scoffing, Masuzu spoke with harsh attitude and hateful tone: "Didn't I already say? In me, there will never be those cheap, disgusting plots only love followers have!"
She looked away, suppressing her excitement, suddenly smiling sweetly. "Yuu, you should be careful not to get too carried away and actually fall in love with me, okay?"
"If that happens, I'll just break up with you and find someone else to be my second fake boyfriend."
Yuu shifted his gaze from her, looking at the colorful sky between the buildings.
"...I see."
The touch in her hand was so real, yet someone stubbornly insisted it was a fabricated illusion—the girl struggled with all her might to deny and mock it.
(What happened in the past, that Masuzu hates anything related to love so much?)
Everyone had sides they didn't want touched.
Even Yuu had a past he didn't want to talk about.
So, was half of a girlfriend perhaps made of things like this?
Masuzu, like this, was far more complex and profound than the ever-changing twilight sky—and she could vanish in an instant.
"Fine. To prevent that, I'll try to be a better fake boyfriend."
Hearing his answer, Masuzu still smiled, though her gaze subtly shifted. "You don't want to see me owned by another man? Huh, you're no different. A guy as popular as you—just wave your hand, and women come running."
"Aren't you the same? Plenty of guys want to be your boyfriend, yet you won't let me go—you're getting clingier."
"Heh, sorry." Masuzu gave a cold smile.
Feeling her try to pull her hand away, Yuu tightened his grip, holding her more firmly as he thought.
As a boyfriend, what could he do?
Wait patiently? Chase her aggressively?
Neither.
He had to take the step. He had to change this ongoing lie, change reality itself—until he saw a happy ending for both of them.
Yuu smiled meaningfully.
What was called love—wasn't it roughly the process of someone dedicating their heart and effort to things like this?
That's why he once traveled 133 kilometers just to hug her.
That's why he once crossed the boundary between virtual and real to help her.
A piano melody echoed from the past, and now, twilight cast silver light. He gently pulled her into the night wind.
Yuu suddenly spoke.
"I said, Masuzu."
"What? You're holding me so tightly—do you want to drag me to a hotel to rest?"
Held too tightly, Masuzu could only resign herself, glaring at his profile in annoyance.
(Ugh, why does he look so happy?)
(Is he a sadist?)
Complaining inwardly, Yuu looked into her eyes and smiled.
"What if one day I really fall in love with you, and we start a serious relationship?"
"..."
Silent for several seconds, then Masuzu stared at him like he was an idiot.
"Even as a joke, please don't make such a terrible one?"
"What if it's not a joke?"
"Then it's even worse. I'll have to consider breaking up with you now, moving somewhere else to start a new life, and finding someone else who definitely won't fall in love with me as my second fake boyfriend."
Facing her stubborn attitude, Yuu pressed further.
"What if we eventually fall in love with each other? Don't rush to refuse—this is just a hypothetical. Would you still want to leave the people, things, and feelings you love, no matter what?"
"I..."
A statement, not a question—but it made Masuzu fall silent.
They walked quietly down the street, passing shops, arriving at a quiet residential area.
After passing a park filled with laughter, a sigh escaped her cherry-colored lips.
"...I don't know. Don't ask me."
"People like me, who can only live through lies, don't have time to think about such luxuries."
Yuu nodded, seemingly unsurprised by her answer.
"Fine. Pretend I never said that."
"Tch, I really don't understand what you're thinking... Never mind. Maybe that's what makes it interesting."
Angrily stroking her long hair, after a long sigh, Masuzu showed a relieved smile again—and unconsciously tightened her grip on his hand.
"To be honest, seeing you chat with those juniors made me really uncomfortable. And the feeling when you played piano, as if longing for someone, also annoyed me... Worse than with that ponytail girl."
"You're jealous."
"Yeah, I am."
(Hah? She's so honest?)
Yuu stared at her in surprise, but saw a mischievous smile in her crescent-shaped, narrowed eyes.
"Then, how will you compensate me? Remember, cake alone won't satisfy me."
From shopping streets to upscale residential areas, less than ten minutes on foot without taking a train.
Standing beneath a luxury apartment building, Masuzu tilted her head up, gazing at him, her lips forming a flirtatious, teasing curve.
On her pale, delicate face, a blush spread as if burned by the setting sun.
"If your girlfriend is jealous, how far will you go for her? I'm curious, Yuu."
Real or fake—
Masuzu stood in the night wind, released his hand, and smiled brighter than the entire twilight.
"If you can, tell me about your ex-girlfriend too—if your answer satisfies me, I'll give you a reward appropriate to the situation."
Firm, smooth thighs, a swaying skirt, and the absolute territory above it.
As if expecting a reaction, Masuzu watched his expression.
"...Then, I won't hold back?"
Yuu smiled too, without hesitation, lifting her chin.
This was the best solution.
Masuzu narrowed her eyes slightly, as if realizing a fact, and scoffed.
"Such a skilled move... When you said it was your first kiss, were you lying to me?"
Yuu's expression didn't change. "I was a rental boyfriend. Rather than lying, isn't it more like acting?"
Annoyed, Masuzu continued accusing firmly: "So you stole the first kiss of a pure 17-year-old girl like me? You're truly cruel—you're more perverted than frog urine!"
(Enough, how obsessed is she with frog urine?!)
Yuu couldn't help but frown.
"Aren't you embarrassed saying that... When you were the one who kissed me first just to joke around?"
"But you can't deny you lied to me, can you?" Her expression shifted again. Masuzu smiled flirtatiously, looking like her plan had succeeded.
"Hmph, later I'll write down this crime in my notebook. Once I collect ten, Yuu will become my pet dog."
"What is that? Worse than a Death Note!"
Yuu initially thought it was just her usual joke. He could joke carelessly even in a moment like this.
But upon closer observation, he noticed Masuzu occasionally avoiding his gaze, swallowing, her blush never fading from her small face, and her hand hanging at her side nervously rubbing the hem of her skirt.
Clearly, these were signs of nervousness.
(A kiss is just the touch of two lips and mucous membranes sticking together, right? Why is she so nervous now, like a girl truly experiencing her first kiss?)
Of course, Yuu didn't ask. He only smiled resignedly—then, before Masuzu could react, he lowered his head and kissed her soft, moist lips.
Her temperature was higher than expected, stiffer and more awkward than before.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, host has received a reward: Horseback Riding Skill (Expert Level)]
[Congratulations, host has received a reward: Kissing Skill (Expert Level). (Current count: 2)]
"..."
Masuzu's eyes widened slightly. She stared at him up close, silent for three or four seconds, then closed her eyes calmly.
Then, she stood like a wooden statue, letting her lips be touched, breaths mingling, ears behind her hair turning red.
When she closed her eyes, Yuu couldn't suppress a smile—
Back then, even during first kisses, both people would actively respond.
Turns out, when Masuzu wasn't joking, she was so nervous during a kiss—just standing still, letting him kiss her, almost like she was clinking teeth...
Truly a surprising side.
Smiling as he thought, Yuu placed both hands on her slender shoulders, gently massaging them, relaxing her shoulder blades that had unconsciously tensed.
Just as Yuu was about to use his Expert-Level Kissing Skill to show this girl, who wanted to appear calm, what a real kiss felt like—
A voice suddenly came from afar.
"I didn't expect Masuzu to be so bold, kissing a man in public... If Father sees it, he'll surely punish you severely, won't he?"
It was a clear, young girl's voice.
Masuzu suddenly opened her eyes. Unconcerned with the transparent thread stretching and breaking in the air, she turned around.
In a hoarse voice Yuu had never heard, she murmured in disbelief:
"Mana... why are you here?"
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Meanwhile.
"My older sister is coming again... Can't this person just stay at university or at home instead of coming to my apartment to bother me?"
Taking the elevator down, Yukino pulled her jacket collar tighter, sighing with an annoyed expression.
"After all the effort to leave home, really... Huh."
She swiped her card to open the main door. Blinding twilight filled the world, but the shadow of sunset was no longer visible in the distance.
Ink-black night colored the sky. A bright full moon hung high, not yet casting the dreamy moonlight.
Yukino looked left and right. Not seeing anyone familiar, she walked toward the road outside the apartment.
Though waiting inside would've been easier, to avoid her sister criticizing her for laziness, Yukino decided to take the initiative.
But before finding Haruno, she spotted two figures who shouldn't be here, not far away.
"Tenkuji? Natsukawa-san?"
Yukino's eyes widened in shock, her steps instinctively freezing.
Before she understood what was happening, she saw familiar shoulder-length curly hair behind a nearby power pole.
"...Sister?" She gasped.
She'd only come down to pick someone up—why did it feel like...
She'd stepped into a world unrelated to herself?