Chapter 2: The Bridge Developments Are Too Rapid

I was confused by developments I couldn't keep up with. Boyfriend? Shigure's? Me?

「...Um.」

「What?」

「Let's get off each other first.」

I help Shigure get off me.

Her thighs have been hitting my abdomen this whole time, and my rationality is sending out danger signals. Those thighs are dangerous. Thinking about the white panties underneath makes it even more dangerous.

Facing Shigure, I decided to ask the biggest question.

「...Are you mentally ill?」

「I don't want to hear that from you. What about?」

「I mean, telling a guy you just met to go out with you, only a naive princess in a tower would do that. ...Eh, are you a princess? A princess on a bridge?」

「Of course not. Well, listen. ...I'm in trouble.」

With that generic opening, my brain started getting confused again.

「I can tell by looking. You did jump off a bridge.」

「...I just slipped and fell. That's not the point! Listen to what I'm saying.」

Shigure sighs and starts speaking again.

「Minazuki-senpai. You know him?」

「That judo guy, right? He won some competition recently...」

「Do you know the rumors about that senpai? About him going after girls...」

Shigure spoke with obvious disgust.

It's a famous rumor. Minazuki Shuuto. The ace of the judo club. The guy who single-handedly raised our school's judo club's reputation. His other face is that he's trash who cycles through the school's girls.

Recently, rumors spread throughout school about his messy breakup with Amanai-senpai from the tea ceremony club. His notoriety rivals Shigure's at school.

「That person's evil clutches are reaching for me. So, help me.」

「...Em, so in other words? You want me to play the boyfriend role because Minazuki-senpai is coming after you?」

「That's about right.」

...I still can't understand. I don't get what beautiful girls are thinking. Maybe all their nutrition goes to their looks and not enough resources reach their brains?

「...Well, I understand the situation, but is there a reason it has to be me?」

「Good question.」

「I couldn't stand it, so I had to ask.」

Shigure begins speaking while looking up at the sky where the rain isn't stopping. Her well-formed profile showed beauty along with glimpses of hardship.

Even her troubled profile is beautiful. This is the enchanting woman who has the school's boys under her spell.

「That person is persistent. With that typical bleached hair and weird accessories... He was even severely warned by his advisor the other day.」

「...And the main point?」

「...That person has been pursuing me for a while. No matter how many times I refuse, he keeps clinging to me annoyingly, saying "Do you have a boyfriend? If you do, I want to know what kind of person he is". So I ended up saying it.」

「...The characteristics of an imaginary boyfriend?」

「Right. And he says he won't be satisfied unless he sees the boyfriend himself. ...Your face coincidentally looks exactly like the characteristics I described. Typical center-parted hair. Somewhat tall. Tired-looking eyes. Facial features that you can't really call handsome or not handsome. This can only be described as a doll created by my desires, right?」

Shigure, speaking about me as if I were her possession, was annoyingly beautiful.

The status of being a beautiful girl works advantageously in all situations. I hate that unfairness.

「Fate, yes, fate. It has to be.」

「...So you want me to pretend to be your boyfriend to deceive Minazuki-senpai?」

「Right. You catch on quickly, that helps.」

「Impossible.」

As expected, Shigure froze with an expression that seemed to say she couldn't believe my response.

「...Haa?」

「It's only natural. I don't want to deal with that gorilla bastard. What if he holds a grudge and beats me up later?」

「As my boyfriend, you should be able to handle it.」

「Boyfriends aren't superhuman monsters. ...First and foremost, I hate lies. I absolutely hate them.」

The reason Shigure is famous isn't just her beauty.

"Wolf Girl". That's Shigure's nickname.

She's become known as the lying beautiful girl who uses all sorts of lies to ward off guys who pursue her. She's deceived dozens of men with lies, the thing I hate most.

Her solitary appearance, not flocking with anyone, earned her the nickname Wolf Girl. Everyone at school knows it.

You shouldn't trust the person called Shigure Ren. That's common knowledge among the school's boys. Even this conversation we're having now might be a lie.

「I'll give you my panties.」

「...That's slightly tempting, but I won't do it.」

Keep your sanity, me. That's the devil's whisper.

As if deflecting my resistant gaze, Shigure's amethyst eyes reflect me. Their brilliance, reflecting raindrops, was like jewels.

「Lies become the truth if they're not exposed. So if you play my fake boyfriend, it becomes real.」

「That's too convenient. Besides, even if we can deceive him now, it'll be exposed later. What will you do about the grudge?」

「We can say we broke up because we didn't get along. I'll figure something out after that.」

「Figure something out...」

「Anyway, I want to handle the present moment. If I don't grasp today, tomorrow won't come. ...Give me your answer by tomorrow. Well then.」

Shigure walks into the rain with an umbrella. Halfway there, as if remembering something, Shigure turned around and said threateningly.

「If you refuse, I'll spread rumors that you forced me to let you see my panties. I'm a liar, but rumors tend to grow. If I spread it around, it would become quite serious.」

「Then I'll tell everyone what color your panties are.」

「Forget about the panty color! ...Then, I'll be waiting for a good answer.」

With a devilish smile, Shigure walked away.

I held my head in my hands, listening to the sound of rain hitting the ground.