"The stars are so pretty!" Kushida held onto the railing with both hands, looking up at the starry sky and the Milky Way that you can't see in the city. "It would be even better if Horikita wasn't on this ship."
This is the Kushida I know. She must have been taken over by someone just now, right?
But Kamio Tatsuya knew better than to respond to her ramblings, or else it would never end.
Besides, this is the deck. Even though it's dimly lit, aren't you afraid of being overheard when you're so openly saying bad things about Horikita?
"Sorry, I made you listen to my complaints."
"It's alright, it's not like it's the first time. And you seem really relaxed. You even subconsciously said what was on your mind."
Kushida smiled a little awkwardly.
"Because Kamio seems to find me more useful than Horikita."
"Are you talking about this exam?" Kamio Tatsuya glanced at her. "Getting the students in the class to sign that paper is definitely your strength. And you've proven that you're really good at it."
Kushida is really childish. I'm clearly just using her, but she's actually happy about it.
What Kamio Tatsuya didn't understand was that for Kushida Kikyo, just being chosen over Horikita was a huge validation.
In that moment, Kushida felt like the emptiness in her heart had been filled.
Looking at the satisfied Kushida, Kamio Tatsuya wanted to ask her what had happened between her and Horikita, but considering that this was the deck and there were a lot of people around, he decided against it.
"By the way, Karuizawa asked me about you during the day today."
"Karuizawa?"
Kamio Tatsuya was surprised by Kushida's sudden news.
"Yeah, she asked me what kind of person you are." Kushida nodded. "I said you were a really nice person, and I also mentioned how you went with Sakura to fix her camera before."
Nice?
A pushover?
Heh, I'm not a pushover at all. She misjudged me.
But what does Karuizawa want from me?
"I see."
"Did you do something to make Karuizawa fall for you?"
Hey, what are you teasing me about!?
"Don't joke around, I don't remember doing anything that would make her like me." Kamio Tatsuya rolled his eyes at Kushida, who was teasing him.
After watching the stars with Kushida for a while, Kamio Tatsuya started to feel sleepy.
"I'm going back now. It's almost time to sleep."
"Okay, good night then."
When he returned to his dorm, Hirata immediately greeted him, with some apology on his face.
"Kamio, you're back."
"Yeah, what's wrong?"
Hirata hesitated and then told the truth: "Actually, Karuizawa asked me for your phone number. It seems like she has something she wants to talk to you about.
I didn't think I should give it to her without your permission, but she seemed really troubled... I'm sorry."
What, that's all?
Kamio Tatsuya couldn't understand why Hirata felt apologetic.
Maybe because he had experienced the chaos of information being leaked in his previous life, Kamio Tatsuya didn't care at all about his contact information being leaked.
"It's okay, I don't mind."
So it got leaked, oh well. What can you do about it now?
It's just a phone number, it's not a big deal.
But still, Karuizawa again. Not only did she ask about me, but she also asked Hirata for my phone number. What does she want to do?
And Hirata, you actually gave her my information just like that. Aren't you afraid your hat will turn green?
After washing up, Kamio Tatsuya lay in bed. His phone, which he had placed on the bed earlier, showed that he had a new message.
[Kamio, this is Karuizawa Kei. I'm sorry to bother you at this hour, but could I ask you to come to the rest area on the second basement floor at two in the morning? I have something I want to talk to you about.]
Kamio Tatsuya's first reaction after seeing the message was: Seriously, another honey trap?
Ryuen had used a similar trick to try to lure Kamio Tatsuya to the special school building last time.
If Kamio Tatsuya hadn't been quick-witted, he probably would have been beaten up.
And now... they're doing it again.
Are you kidding me?
So Kamio Tatsuya didn't even think about what Karuizawa wanted, and directly rejected her.
[Sorry, I don't have a habit of staying up late. But if you really have something to discuss with me, for Hirata's sake, we can meet at the cafe on the third basement floor at eight o'clock tomorrow morning.]
Karuizawa must have wanted to meet Kamio Tatsuya at two in the morning because she didn't want anyone to see them, so she chose a time when everyone was asleep.
But because of the vacation, the first-year students were all staying up late, so many of them couldn't get up in the morning. So choosing eight o'clock in the morning should also suit Karuizawa's wishes.
In her room on the fourth floor, Karuizawa, who was lying in bed, didn't feel disappointed when she saw Kamio Tatsuya's reply. Instead, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
No matter what, as long as he's willing to see me, it's fine.
[I understand. I'll see you tomorrow morning then.]
Looking at the message Karuizawa sent back, Kamio Tatsuya looked silently at Hirata, who had just finished washing up and was blow-drying his hair.
Thinking carefully about the way they interact, it doesn't seem like they have the understanding that couples have.
The next day, Kamio Tatsuya woke up, washed his face, and headed to the cafe on the third basement floor, where he had agreed to meet Karuizawa.
Because it was early, Karuizawa was the only one in the cafe.
When she saw someone coming, she specifically looked over to see who it was. When she saw that it was Kamio Tatsuya, she visibly relaxed.
"Good morning, Kamio."
Karuizawa looked completely different from usual. Not only was she not bossy, but her tone also had a hint of timidity.
"Good morning." Kamio Tatsuya yawned, not paying attention to Karuizawa's emotions, and then picked up the menu. "Do you want something to drink?"
"I'm fine, thank you."
She's being unusually polite. If you were this polite to that Rika girl, this wouldn't have happened, right?
Kamio Tatsuya naturally had some guesses about what Karuizawa wanted to say. He thought it was most likely about Manabe and the others.
After ordering a yogurt and a snack, Kamio Tatsuya started to ask about the main issue.
"So, what do you want to talk to me about?"
Karuizawa hesitated and then pointed to the private room in the cafe.
"Can we talk inside the private room?"
Whatever it is, she doesn't even want the waiter to know.
Kamio Tatsuya nodded: "Let's go."
Inside the cafe's private room, Kamio Tatsuya and Karuizawa sat facing each other. But compared to Kamio Tatsuya's relaxed demeanor, Karuizawa was very conflicted, and her face was alternating between pale and flushed.
After a long silence, Karuizawa said in a bitter tone, "Actually, Hirata and I are not really boyfriend and girlfriend. We're pretending to be a couple."
As expected, Hirata never had a hat on his head.
You can read 50+ more chapter on patreon com/JYouyi