Somehow managing to survive today, I came to a variety shop that sells daily goods together with Barato Nanami-san on the way home.
To be precise, I escaped from the swarm of boys surrounding her… but still… thinking about going to school tomorrow makes me a little depressed.
No, Nanami-san is right beside me, so snap out of it, me. Just remembering the warmth of the hand we’re holding should be enough to blow that depression away.
The reason we came here was of course to buy a bigger lunch box for me… and while choosing the lunch box, the two of us kept going back and forth saying things like “how about this?” and “maybe this one?”
Somehow… while doing that, I couldn’t help but imagine that this must be what newlyweds feel like.
Right after that thought—
“This kinda feels like we’re newlyweds, doesn’t it? This is kinda crazy.”
Nanami-san suddenly said that.
I seriously thought I was going to die.
The combo of her blushing cheeks plus that shy smile had unbelievable destructive power. Thank you very much.
“I… I was just thinking the same thing.”
When I weakly counterattacked like that, Nanami-san turned bright red and started hitting my back repeatedly.
What a pleasant pain… no, I don’t mean that in some kind of M way or anything. It just somehow makes me feel happy…
And so, while being aware that we were acting pretty lovey-dovey, we finished choosing the lunch box…
“This one then. Okay, I’ll go buy it.”
When Nanami-san started heading toward the register, I panicked and stopped her.
At the very least, I should buy my own lunch box. Honestly, I even wanted to pay for today’s lunch ingredients.
But she refused when I tried to pay for the ingredients… saying she cooked it because she wanted to.
So at least let me buy my own lunch box—that’s what I told her as I handed her the lunch box I bought.
I mean, it’s obvious.
She’s already making food for me, and then letting her buy the lunch box too? What kind of boyfriend would that make me?
Even I understand that much.
But when Nanami-san received the lunch box from me, her face suddenly brightened.
“It feels like I just received a present.”
Hearing those words as she hugged the lunch box to her chest so carefully, I thought that a handsome guy would probably say something clever in this situation…
Unfortunately, I couldn’t.
The best I could manage was lowering my head and saying, “Please take care of me from tomorrow onward as well.”
She didn’t show even the slightest displeased expression and simply smiled and replied, “Leave it to me.”
After that, she asked what I’d like for tomorrow’s lunch.
I honestly thought anything Nanami-san made would be fine, but I’ve heard somewhere that saying “anything is fine” is the most troublesome answer.
So I requested the first dish that popped into my head.
“Umm… maybe hamburg steak?”
“Hamburg steak, got it. Ah, can you eat green peppers?”
“Of course I can… I can eat pretty much anything except strong-smelling herbs like cilantro.”
“I don’t like cilantro either. But you know, I kinda wanted you to say, ‘I’ll eat anything you make.’”
…I see. So that’s what I should say in situations like this.
That’s good to know.
Even though it was already too late, I repeated those words back to her—but she burst out laughing.
Well, at least it made her laugh.
After that, we chatted while walking home together.
Of course, we kept holding hands the entire time.
Then we parted ways at the station where we had met in the morning.
Before leaving, she told me she’d message me again tonight.
I nodded in agreement. I wish I could say something more thoughtful, but nothing came to mind.
Because sometimes it suddenly comes back to me.
The fact that she’s only going out with me because this is a punishment game.
“And… that’s everything that happened today.”
‘You’re sounding pretty negative there, but honestly, I think the punishment game thing already stopped mattering to her. She’s definitely completely smitten with you.’
After getting home, I started a social game on my phone and talked to Baron-san about it. As if my worries were meaningless, that was the immediate reply I got.
No way, I denied his words.
‘You already cleared the “going to school while holding hands” goal that I thought wouldn’t happen until later this week. And you even got a homemade lunch—and she even fed you with “ahh.” And you were confessed to just yesterday, right? That’s not normal.’
So he thought it wouldn’t happen until later this week…
Well… I’ll ignore that part.
I’m the one receiving advice, after all. I’ll assume he just set the bar high for me.
“Do you really think so? I mean, even if it’s a punishment game, she’s doing this to get used to men. Maybe she’s just using me to simulate a relationship?”
‘No, when it’s a punishment game confession, the relationship is usually way more business-like… I expected something like, “Don’t get the wrong idea, I’m only going out with you. Don’t talk to me at school.”’
“Nanami-san isn’t that kind of girl.”
Even though he was giving me advice, I found myself slightly irritated and argued back.
Since this was just text, he probably couldn’t tell I was annoyed, but even imagining her being spoken about badly made me feel a little unpleasant.
Well, that’s probably just the limitation of communicating through text.
I know Baron-san doesn’t mean anything bad by it.
‘Anyway, regarding her current behavior, there are a few possibilities.’
Baron-san then began analyzing Nanami-san’s situation.
‘Possibility 1: She’s the type who enjoys toying with men’s hearts. Like a little devil type… the kind they call a femme fatale who could bring down a nation.’
“I don’t think so. When they were deciding the punishment game, her friends said she isn’t used to men.”
That’s exactly why they chose me—the one they thought was herbivore-type or even fasting-type.
Besides, if she were that type of girl, she would’ve dated all those handsome guys who confessed to her instead of rejecting them.
I could confidently say possibility one was almost impossible.
‘Possibility 2: Since she knows the relationship will end in a month anyway, she’s trying out her ideal girlfriend image on you—someone she doesn’t mind being disliked by.’
I see… so that could be Nanami-san acting out her ideal girlfriend role.
Now that I think about it, she was surprisingly proactive for someone who supposedly isn’t used to men.
If it’s an act, then it makes sense.
…If that really is acting, then women are terrifying.
I’ve thought this before, but she could probably make a living as an actress.
She’s beautiful, cute, has a great figure, and a good personality… and most of all, she’s incredibly cute.
‘Possibility 3: Because you helped her the day she confessed, she already became completely smitten with you.’
“I think that’s the least likely one. All I did was shield her so water wouldn’t splash on her. Would someone really fall for someone over something like that?”
Setting aside the outdated wording…
Anyone could’ve done that.
Would someone really fall in love over something so small?
Well… considering how completely she had me wrapped around her finger all day today, maybe I’m not in a position to say that.
Still, as a reason for her to like me… it’s hard to believe.
‘Possibility 4: Actually, you were reincarnated from another world with a cheat ability that makes women fall for you when they confess to you.’
“Isn’t that ability way too specific?”
If women fall for you when they confess to you… they’re already in love at that point.
So you wouldn’t even notice the ability. It’d be completely useless.
Baron-san really brought out a strange conclusion.
‘Personally, I think possibility three is the most likely.’
‘I think it’s number one. You should break up with her immediately.’
Peach-san suddenly joined the conversation, said that much, and then disappeared.
She’s always been strict about Nanami-san.
She probably just can’t tolerate people playing with others’ feelings.
She seems like someone with a strong sense of justice.
“Among those, I think it’s number two. I’m probably just a practice partner she doesn’t mind being disliked by. That’s why she can do all those things without worrying about what people think.”
‘Well, whether it’s two or three, what you need to do next doesn’t change much.’
Earlier, Peach-san advised me to break up with her immediately.
That was probably due to her strong sense of justice.
But in terms of playing with someone’s feelings, I’m not much different.
During this punishment game, if she ends up falling for me…
And after that happens…
What would I do then?
‘By the way, Canyon-kun, she made you lunch. Did you do anything to thank her?’
“Ah, no… I said thank you, but… with everything going on, I didn’t really do anything in return…”
That’s right.
She made me lunch and even fed me fried chicken with “ahh.”
And all I managed to do was say thank you.
She refused the ingredient cost, so I didn’t know how else to repay her.
When I explained that, Baron-san replied in an exasperated tone.
‘Ingredient cost? Come on, you’re not dealing with a lunch shop… Instead, you should treat her to something like sweets.’
Ah… I see.
I didn’t think of that at all…
Or rather, I was so flustered that it never crossed my mind.
No… since we walked home together, there were plenty of chances.
This was clearly my fault.
“Then tomorrow I’ll repay her—”
‘Ah, wait, Canyon-kun. Because you didn’t do anything today, I just thought of the next mission. This Saturday… you’re going to ask her out on a date.’
“A date?!”
The sudden mission made me panic.
Asking her out myself felt like an enormous leap forward—something I didn’t think I could possibly do.
She called today an after-school date, but she was the one who invited me.
And it was just an extension of walking home together.
But inviting her myself…
The difficulty level skyrockets.
‘You don’t need to overthink it. She wants an equal relationship, right? So it’s natural to repay her for the lunch. …Yes, you should go watch a movie together. That’s the classic choice.’
A movie date…
That phrase sounded completely unfamiliar to me.
I really couldn’t imagine myself doing something like that.
‘It might be a little old-fashioned, but you should pay for the whole date that day. If you frame it as thanks for making you lunch, she’ll probably accept it easily. Since you get lunch money from your parents, just save that up.’
That’s true.
She said she’d make lunch for me every day from now on.
Just accepting that without giving anything back…
It would make me feel guilty, and it wouldn’t match the “equal relationship” she talked about.
If I want to keep going out with her, then like Baron-san said, I should properly return the favor.
Otherwise, I’d always feel indebted to her.
Since this relationship started as a punishment game, at the very least I want us to stay equal.
No matter what happens later.
‘Today you talked mostly about yourself… probably because she’s such a good listener. Starting tomorrow, you should learn more about her interests. Ask what kind of movies she likes.’
“…That sounds like a high hurdle, but I’ll try.”
‘Once you decide the movie, reserve the tickets in advance. Buying them on the day can get hectic, and she might insist on paying for her own ticket. If you buy them beforehand, that won’t happen.’
“Got it… by the way… did you learn that from…?”
‘Of course. I got it all from the internet. Apparently that’s the smart way to handle a movie date. Even when paying for lunch, it’s good to quickly settle the bill while standing up from the table.’
Even if it’s just advice from the internet, it still sounds useful.
I’ll keep it in mind.
‘Remember, the important part is that you invite her. You can’t always wait for her to make the first move. Show her that you’re interested in her. Otherwise she’ll never like you… though I think she already likes you a lot.’
“Thank you, Baron-san.”
‘No problem. I hope things go well for you. And… Canyon-kun, it’s important that she likes you, but you should also try to like her too. If you two keep dating like that, then someone like me—who never had much youth during my student days—would feel happy about it.’
“Yes, I understand. I’ll try… to fall in love with her too.”
I said I’d try, but honestly, I already thought that part would be fine.
After all, even while knowing this relationship started as a punishment game…
I’ve already begun to feel attracted to her after just one day.
No… to be honest…
I already like her quite a lot.
I’m at least aware of that much.
…I’m pretty easy, aren’t I.
Just as I thought that, a message arrived on my phone.
The sender… was Nanami-san.
And the message said this:
“…Is it okay if we talk on the phone right now?”
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