After getting attacked by that cherry hunter inside the men's restroom, I was saved by the mysterious black-haired girl, Satou-san. But the favor she asked for in return was—
"…For the sake of my music, please become my boyfriend."
—a request so incomprehensible that not even a single word made sense to me.
"B-boyfriend? Me?"
"Yes."
"What do you mean ‘for the music’?"
"That’s…"
Satou-san looked around the area and pressed a hand to her chin, thinking.
"…Hey, is this place maybe… the men's restroom?"
"You came in here without knowing⁈"
"Well… that girl chased after you with such a scary look on her face… I got worried."
I thought she was the cool type, but maybe she's actually… surprisingly kind?
Just as that thought crossed my mind, Satou-san suddenly grabbed my hand and started walking.
"Come."
"W-wait, hold on a second!"
After being attacked by that cherry hunter, I had become wary of women in general. So the moment we stepped out of the men's restroom, I pulled my hand away.
Even if she saved me, she’s been wearing sunglasses and a mask this whole time. I can’t trust someone whose real face I can’t even see.
Could this be one of those cult recruitment schemes they warn us about on the university bulletin boards? That stuff about “be my boyfriend” might just be code for something. (Like boyfriend = new believer or something.)
"What’s wrong…? Did you forget something?"
"N-no, that’s not it!"
"Do you still need to use the restroom?"
"I do NOT!"
Satou-san tilted her head. Is she messing with me on purpose…?
"Satou-san, I'm seriously grateful you helped me. I mean it! But since we’re already here, I need to say it clearly…"
"…What?"
"I can’t trust you."
"Huh?"
"You're wearing a mask and sunglasses indoors, you suddenly ask me to be your boyfriend, and you keep saying weird stuff about music—I have no idea what’s going on! D-don’t tell me this is some cult recruitment tactic? Was everything staged? Are you and that girl in on it together?"
"…Hey, is this gonna be a long story?"
"You're not understanding the situation⁈ Right now I'm saying I don't trust you, BUT—"
While I was talking, Satou-san silently removed the hair tie holding her hair together, and then tossed her sunglasses straight at me.
My body reacted instinctively, and I caught them with both hands.
"What are you—huh⁈"
The moment I lifted my gaze from the sunglasses in my hands, I doubted my own eyes.
No way. This can’t be real.
My mouth hung open.
"I’m a singer-songwriter. That’s my job."
The straight black hair, smooth as flowing ink. Those captivating eyes that pull you in. Just letting her hair down and removing the sunglasses transformed her into a completely different person.
"M-MIZUKI…? The MIZUKI?"
The same MIZUKI who supposedly had a falling out with Sasaki… why is she here?
"You know who I am?"
"You performed at that halftime show the other day… but that’s not the point right now!"
I handed her sunglasses back and scanned the surroundings.
Thankfully, the area in front of the restroom was tucked away in a quiet corner of the store, so no one had seen her face yet—but people could show up any second.
"Please put the sunglasses back on before someone sees you!"
This was seriously bad. Between Sasaki and now MIZUKI, do I have some kind of special fate with famous people?
Unlike Sasaki, MIZUKI is still a fully active celebrity. If someone spotted us alone together in a place like this, it would blow up into a massive scandal.
"MIZUKI-san. We should continue this conversation somewhere else. Okay?"
"…"
MIZUKI silently slipped her sunglasses back on and stared blankly at me.
"What is it?"
"…You're surprisingly calm. Normally, people who recognize me react way more dramatically. Are you actually a celebrity too?"
"I’m just a normal college guy…"
"Hmm, is that so?"
I sent a message to Azaki on Lime saying something came up, and then left the shop with MIZUKI.
A second later, he replied with: “Use protection and sleep well lol” So I immediately blocked him.
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