A Very Popular Idol Classmate Has Taken a Liking to Me, A Person Who Doesn't Want to Work for My Whole Life
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.Daininki Idol na Classmate ni Natsukareta, Isshou Hatarakitakunai Ore
Src: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2496gr/118/
Act 4 - The Past of The Shidou Family
32-1 Fake Girlfriend
"Excuse me." (Yuzuka)
The young woman, Tenguuji Yuzuka, opens the door to her father Tenguuji Shuusuke's private office.
Shuusuke, seated in a chair at the far end of the room, glares sharply at his daughter with piercing eyes.
"Yuzuka, how are things progressing with the Shidou Group?" (Shuusuke)
"Yes. I’ve contacted the president of the Shidou Group, Mr. Shidou Yuutaro, and shared the details about the business merger. I plan to provide further explanations with detailed documents and then proceed to negotiations." (Yuzuka)
"They didn’t agree immediately?" (Shuusuke)
"Eh? Y-yes... I have yet to receive a definitive response." (Yuzuka)
"What about the engagement then? You met with his son, didn’t you?" (Shuusuke)
"...Yes." (Yuzuka)
Yuzuka bites her lip firmly before continuing.
"Mr. Shidou Rintaro, the Shidou Group's heir, seems to be still processing the situation. I intend to meet with him several more times to deepen our bond. I believe that, in doing so, the merger negotiations will also proceed smoothly――――" (Yuzuka)
"I don’t like it." (Shuusuke)
"Pardon me?" (Yuzuka)
"I don’t like that the Shidou Group hasn’t agreed immediately, even though we, The Tenguuji Group extended the offer. Shidou Yuutarou... I’ve found him annoying for some time now. That man!" (Shuusuke)
Shuusuke raises his fist and slams it down forcefully on his desk.
Hearing the loud noise, Yuzuka flinches under the oppressive atmosphere.
"Tch. Well, fine. Yuzuka, you understand, don’t you? 'It was your whim that led us to get involved with the Shidou Group'. The Tenguuji Group doesn’t need their support to thrive." (Shuusuke)
"Yes... I am aware." (Yuzuka)
"Honestly... you should have just quietly gotten engaged to the son of a company we already have good relations with. Stop letting your unnecessary whims dictate things for the company!" (Shuusuke)
"...!" (Yuzuka)
"Just follow my orders! You’re nothing more than a piece on the board, meant to act for the benefit of the company. That’s your value! Do you understand that?" (Shuusuke)
"Yes, I understand." (Yuzuka)
"If you understand, leave. I don’t have time to waste on you." (Shuusuke)
"Please, excuse me." (Yuzuka)
Yuzuka leaves Shuusuke’s office with a gloomy expression.
Alone, she leans against the wall of her family’s mansion and covers her eyes with her hand.
"I have to do this... I have to do better." (Yuzuka)
Muttering the words as if they were a curse, Yuzuka turns back and returns to her room.
◇◆◇
The decisions we made are as follows:
First, maintain our usual interactions outside of school, especially between me and Rei.
We’re classmates, and avoiding communication entirely would raise suspicions.
Trying to reduce those interactions unnaturally would make things look odd, and I doubt Rei could pull that off convincingly.
So, we decided to act as usual.
The significant change is that if I run into Mia or Kanon outside, we’ll have to ignore each other.
We’ll act as if we don’t know one another――――that’s the approach.
Second, stagger our departure times.
It’s likely to be discovered soon enough that I and the three members of MilleSta live in the same building.
What we absolutely need to keep secret is the fact that we visit each other’s rooms.
Furthermore, the fact that we live on the same floor should remain unknown.
I’ll share my departure and return times with them in advance, and they’ll adjust their schedules accordingly.
It’s a hassle, but the three of them readily agreed.
Third, identify someone to act as my girlfriend within a week.
The one-week timeframe is just tentative.
Depending on how the Tenguuji Group moves, it might be extended.
For now, we estimate that they won’t make any bold moves during this period, giving us some freedom to act.
"Alright." (Rintaro)
I engrave these points into my mind as I leave my apartment to head to school.
The time is slightly earlier than the usual time I departed.
This adjustment is for Rei’s sake, I want her to leave at her regular time.
After stepping out of the building, I casually glance around, but there doesn’t seem to be anyone suspicious loitering nearby.
That said, there are plenty of shadows, and if someone were hiding in a nearby building, I’d have no way of knowing.
"This paranoia is exhausting..." (Rintaro)
I want all of this to end soon.
I board the train, silently hoping for it.
For now, the person I’m considering to play the role of my girlfriend is a woman who works as an assistant at Yuzuki-sensei’s workplace.
Her name is Akazawa-san. She’s 24 years old and has been an assistant for two years.
I’ve known her for over a year, and while there’s a bit of an age gap, it wouldn’t be strange for someone my age to be drawn to an older woman.
Even Tenguuji Yuzuka likely wouldn’t find it too suspicious.
If I’m going to ask Akazawa-san for help, I plan to go through Yuzuki-sensei first.
It’s a pretty impolite request, and I wouldn’t proceed unless Yuzuki-sensei gave the green light――――that’s the current plan.
I arrive at school without incident, then get into the classroom which is still relatively empty, and slump into my seat.
Honestly, just getting to school had completely drained me.
I can’t help but notice every gaze that falls on me, leaving me uncharacteristically restless.
If this keeps up, I might genuinely lose my mind.
If it comes to that, I should file for emotional damages, seriously.
"Whoa, it’s rare to see you here this early, Rintaro." (Yukio)
As I distract myself by gazing out the window, a familiar voice catches my attention, so I turn around.
There stands Yukio, who has just arrived.
Seeing my best friend, I feel a faint sense of relief and let out a small sigh.
"Well, I thought it might be fun to show up early for a change." (Rintaro)
"......" (Yukio)
"......What?" (Rintaro)
I ask Yukio, who suddenly starts giving me a scrutinizing glare.
"Rintaro, you’ve got that face you make when you’re hiding something." (Yukio)
"Th-there’s no way I have!" (Rintaro)
"No, I can tell. After spending so many years together, I know. Something must’ve happened that made you come here early, right? The Rintaro I know doesn’t act on sudden whims." (Yukio)
"......" (Rintaro)
As always, this guy is like an esper.
Having hit the mark so squarely, I find myself at a loss for words.
And for Yukio, that very silence is all the confirmation he needs.
"Did something happen? We still have some time before the first period starts. If you feel like talking about it, I’m here to listen." (Yukio)
Something like asking Yukio for suggestions hadn’t even crossed my mind.
Although he’s one of the few friends I can truly rely on.
Caught up in dealing with everything involving Rei and the girls, I’d apparently forgotten something as important as that.
"...Things have gotten a bit complicated. Mind if I talk to you about it for a bit?" (Rintaro)
"Sure, as much as you need. I’m all ears." (Yukio)
A friend is worth their weight in gold.
We move to a quiet corner of the classroom where no one else can overhear, and explain the whole situation to him.
"――――Sounds like you’re in quite the tight spot, huh." (Yukio)
After hearing the gist of my story, Yukio has a somber expression on his face.
Tight spot, huh? Well, yeah, that’s about right.
But as I speak, I can’t help but feel how surreal it all sounded.
Hearing the words aloud only made me realize how absurd the situation was.
"Honestly, the chances are slim, but if this ends up causing you trouble too, I’m really sorry in advance." (Rintaro)
"You can apologize if something actually happens. Besides, I wouldn’t consider it a bother. If anything, I’d be angrier if you didn’t tell me about it and let things spiral out of control." (Yukio)
"Ugh......" (Rintaro)
Yukio’s words sting, a clear reminder that he was still holding a grudge over the fact that I hadn’t come to him sooner.
And it's reasonable for him—it was entirely my fault.
If the roles were reversed, I’d probably be throwing my complaints at him.
"But finding someone to act as... your girlfriend, huh? That’s going to be tough. You don’t have many female friends, after all." (Yukio)
"Thanks for bringing the reality... Though, you’re not wrong." (Rintaro)
"...Should I try finding someone on my end? It’s not the most respectful request, but I think I know a few girls who’d be willing to help if I asked." (Yukio)
Yukio’s good looks have earned him a lot of popularity with the girls.
While he doesn’t have a particularly masculine appearance, that’s actually part of his appeal to timid girls, who find him approachable rather than intimidating.
As time has passed, some of them have even formed what could only be described as a cult-like following――――.
"...If it gets to the point where I have no other options, I might take you up on that. But that’s a last resort. I don't want to rely on that kind of thing if I can." (Rintaro)
"Yeah, figured..." (Yukio)
Yukio smiles wryly.
Forcing unrelated people into this mess will feel wrong. If it comes to that, it might be better to distance myself from Rei and the girls for a while.
Even Rei and the girls share the same understanding of that.
"In the end, believability is key. If it looks suspicious to outsiders, there’s no point." (Yukio)
"That's what I'm saying." (Rintaro)
"......Well, if there’s anything I can do to help, just say the word. I’ll cooperate as much as I can." (Yukio)
"Thanks, I’m counting on you." (Rintaro)
Yukio has always been there for me.
I’m sure we’ll continue to rely on each other and be there for each other in the future.
――――Or so I think.
The shift in my relationship with Yukio came sooner than I could have imagined.
~"(This is a Translation Content of pemudatunawisata[dot]my[dot]id. so, read only on there, kay~)"~
[End of Chapter]
Cya~!
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