"Haa..."
Lying on my bed in my room, I let out a deep sigh, a mix of refreshment and lethargy.
"Hey, don't act so worn out. It's annoying."
"Ah, sorry. But come on, I can't help being tired."
"Didn't you feel good?"
"...If I didn't feel good, I wouldn't do it."
"Oh, okay. Then you should've just said so."
The girl next to me, looking grumpy while fiddling with her phone, is Kureha Yuzuha. She's a bit of a flashy gal and seems strong-willed, so she doesn't have the best reputation with guys, but she is pretty.
I let out another sigh as I calmly watch her.
We're classmates.
And we're friends with benefits.
"Well, I'm going home."
"Don't you want a shower?"
"Your shower is crappy. Can't you replace the showerhead already?"
"I don't have that kind of money."
"Oh, okay. See you tomorrow."
I watch from the bed as Yuzuha leaves my room, her long brown hair swaying as she quickly puts on her uniform and leaves.
We became like this not long after entering high school. The trigger wasn't anything big.
I saw Yuzuha being harassed by some delinquent-looking upperclassman, so I called out to her, and we naturally ended up in this kind of relationship.
I'm an outsider who came to a school outside my prefecture due to some issues back home, and living alone probably played a part too.
I wasn't in the mood for romance or anything, but I have an average sex drive, and she seemed to be looking for a convenient partner, so I think we're both satisfied with our current relationship.
Yuzuha is usually independent and doesn't act spoiled around me, but if she hated it, she wouldn't come to my place every day.
Well, I don't have a way to ask her that. I don't even know her contact info.
But I don't feel like asking either. I don't want to share personal stories or worries.
Because we are...
Friends with benefits.
---
◇
"Yo, morning, Minato."
"Mm, morning."
"Oh my, you look sleepy. Could it be you were with your girlfriend until morning?"
"I don't have a girlfriend. It was work, just work."
Morning.
At school, one of my classmates, Yumekawa Arisu, came over to me.
She's a sporty beauty with a bright personality, popular with both boys and girls. For some reason, she often talks to me, a gloomy guy, and we've gotten to the point where we chat sometimes. Well, I guess she's just curious.
"Hey, Minato, do you work every night?"
"What, do you want to invite me out at night or something?"
"Geez, that's not it! Honestly, even though you're such an introvert, you're strangely mature."
"I'm just twisted. Anyway, you asked about work? Well, I do have days off sometimes."
"Hmm, I see. Well then, I actually have a favor to ask."
Arisu put her hands together and smiled at me, looking a bit awkward.
"That doesn't sound good."
"Well, I wasn't sure if you'd hate this kind of thing, Minato."
"Just tell me already. Now I'm curious."
"Okay, okay. Um, just for one day, could you pretend to be my boyfriend?"
"What's that about? Are you being bothered by some weird guy?"
"You catch on so fast! Yeah, actually. There's this one-year-older guy, Tanaka-senpai from the soccer team. He's persistent. I thought if he saw me with a boyfriend, he might give up."
"Can't you just say 'sorry, I have a boyfriend'?"
"Well, I did. But he said he's never heard of me having one, so he won't give up."
"Popular people are different, huh. Isn't Tanaka-senpai our ace? You should just go out with him."
"He's good-looking for sure, but I haven't heard good things about him. I hear he has a friends-with-benefits thing going on too."
Seeing her say this suspiciously, I kept a straight face and replied.
"What if I said I'm also hooking up with a friend-with-benefits every night?"
"Minato? Pfft, ahaha, stop it with the jokes."
"Don't laugh."
"Sorry, sorry. But that joke is a bit of a stretch. You couldn't do that kind of thing, Minato."
"Why not?"
"Because you don't seem like you could be that player-like. And you don't look like the type to do that to someone else. Anyway, let me know when you're free from work."
I sighed a little as I watched Arisu head back to her seat.
She thinks she knows, but she really doesn't. It's true I don't like hurting people, but I'm not as much of a saint as she thinks.
"Yo, morning, Yuzu."
"Morning. You're always so energetic, Arisu."
"And you always look so tired, Yuzu. You're so pretty, it's a waste."
"Mind your own business."
Arisu cheerfully called out to Yuzu, who had arrived at school late as usual.
They're complete opposites, but they seem to get along surprisingly well. According to Arisu, they're childhood friends, but I've never heard Yuzu mention Arisu.
If Arisu ever found out that Yuzu and I are friends with benefits, she'd probably be disgusted.
Well, Yuzu never talks to me at school anyway. And even if I told her, she probably wouldn't believe me.
---
◇
"...Haa, haa."
After school.
Even though it's only early June, my room is muggy. I'm out of breath and sweaty.
In front of me is Kureha Yuzuha's slightly flushed face.
"...You're heavy."
"Ah, sorry."
Feeling the usual lethargy, I lie down next to her. After we're done, she always stares at her phone with a bored look, then gets dressed and leaves. But today, she kept looking at me like she wanted to say something.
"What? Was that not enough for you?"
"Don't call me a nympho. You had Arisu ask you for something today, didn't you?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. She wanted me to be her boyfriend for a day."
"Ah, right, she did mention that. So, did you accept?"
"No, I haven't answered yet. What, are you jealous?"
"...Don't be stupid. Arisu is my childhood friend, after all. I'm just worried that a scumbag like you might try something with her."
She said that, turned her back to me as usual, and started fiddling with her phone.
"Oh, okay. But what could I possibly do as a fake boyfriend for a day?"
"Says the guy who sleeps with a girl every day even though they're not dating."
"Then it's the same for both of us."
"...Yeah, same for both of us."
I saw her phone screen go dark with a click. Then she immediately stood up and started getting ready to leave.
"Well, see you tomorrow."
Leaving those boring words behind, Yuzu quickly left the room.
When I noticed, it was already night.