I Really Don’t Want a Girlfriend Anymore

"Bullseye! Amazing, unprecedented, a demon king has emerged in this event!"

"To keep him from stealing the spotlight alone, all you other boyfriends, get fired up!!"

The host on stage kept praising, reigniting the cooling atmosphere and boosting the nearly extinguished enthusiasm.

Amid the audience's admiring gazes, Yuu received his qualification proof early from the staff—after all, there couldn't possibly be ten perfect scores.

With Haruno, he waited in a corner near the stage until the elimination round ended, and they started chatting casually.

"I actually wanted you to be low-key, not too showy."

"You're lying. Your smile was so happy."

"Hmph hmph, how do you know what I'm thinking?"

"Isn't that what a boyfriend's supposed to do? Try to understand what his girlfriend's thinking, connecting without needing words."

"If every boyfriend in the world had standards that high, maybe no girl would ever want to break up."

"Thanks for the compliment."

The dart elimination round soon ended. The host called the top ten couples to the stage for the final round.

Since the host was quite talkative, to avoid dragging this out, let's fast-forward to the start of the competition.

"Explain the rules!"

"The man holds the woman and spins five times, then puts on a blindfold and smashes a watermelon with the woman's guidance!"

"Smashing the watermelon isn't the end! The couple that finishes eating the watermelon the fastest and kisses in front of the screen wins the event, becoming the King of Couples among all couples and taking home the grand prize!"

A title that didn't exactly inspire enthusiasm.

Yuu glanced at the so-called grand prize: two sets of suits from a specific brand and model at the mall's clothing store, one for men and one for women, worth over 100,000 yen—pretty luxurious.

After all, the entry ticket was only 30,000 yen, a bonus from shopping.

But for a rich woman who could pay 210,000 yen for a rental boyfriend, this meant nothing, right?

"Let's just withdraw from the competition." He turned to Haruno.

But Haruno gave him a puzzled look.

"Why?"

"Why, you ask…" Yuu's cheek twitched, his gaze unconsciously drifting to her soft, pink lips.

"You have to kiss in front of everyone at the end. Can you do that?"

"Why not?" Haruno smiled, as if deliberately teasing or just wanting to see his reaction, looking at him calmly.

"I don't mind~ It's just a kiss. We're lovers, and we don't hate each other—it's natural, right?"

She narrowed her eyes, hinting: "The only one with a problem is you. If you hate me or don't dare kiss a girl, I won't mind if you want to back out."

[So, a chance to kiss me openly—do you want it?]

The question was tossed right in front of Yuu.

He couldn't figure out what Haruno was thinking—he was just a rental boyfriend. Was it necessary to offer his lips for a minor competition?

Could it be that Haruno had experienced so much she didn't care about minor mucosal contact like this?

"Oh, by the way, it's still my first kiss~"

Observing his intriguing reaction, Haruno touched her cheek, deliberately smiling sweetly.

Yuu pressed his forehead, taking a few deep breaths.

Of course, he could refuse with reasons like "a rental boyfriend can't engage in intimate acts" or "it's my first kiss too, why should I give it to you?"

But first, Yuu didn't dislike Haruno. Holding hands with her didn't feel repulsive, and kissing might feel the same.

Second, Yuu didn't care much about his first kiss or first night. The only reason he hadn't done it was because he hadn't met a girl who intrigued him.

Sora was his sister, so she didn't count.

Third, and most importantly—

He really hated seeing Haruno's relaxed look, as if she'd already predicted he'd lose.

Like a naughty kid repeatedly throwing rocks at a shop, confident the owner wouldn't lash out at a customer, acting mischievous without hesitation when given the chance.

"…Then get ready mentally."

Yuu stretched his muscles, showing a serious expression, his eyes narrowing sharply like knives, staring straight ahead.

"When we kiss, whoever gets embarrassed first loses."

"You actually agreed…" Haruno muttered, but the smile on her face didn't fade—in fact, it grew even happier and more satisfied as she nodded.

"Good! So manly! Whoever gets embarrassed first has to obey the other's request. If Yuu-chan doesn't get the first kiss privilege, you lose too. How's that?"

Yuu gave her a meaningful look: "Just as I wanted."

A spark of cunning flashed in her eyes. Haruno twirled a strand of hair with her finger, waiting for the event to start with joy and anticipation.

Soon, ten watermelons were placed on the stage, and all participants stood at the starting point. The boyfriends placed their hands behind their girlfriends' backs, ready to lift and spin once the host gave the signal.

The slim ones were fine, but some couples with heavier girlfriends showed expressions like they were ready to die, their bodies trembling slightly. Yet, under their girlfriends' gentle gazes, they could only muster their manliness.

Hope they'd be okay.

"Oh, by the way, Haruno-san." Yuu suddenly remembered something.

"How much do you weigh?"

"…"

Haruno's expression froze, then she slowly turned, looking at him with a polite smile.

"Once you know, you might not live to see tomorrow. So, do you want to know? If you do, I'll tell you this girl's biggest secret."

Yuu almost said, "Not old age?" but his survival instincts kicked in. He looked away and quietly warmed up.

"Alright… Start!"

Though his movements weren't exactly skilled, with Haruno's cooperation, Yuu successfully lifted her in a princess carry.

"If you show even a hint of discomfort… my girlfriend will get mad, you know?" In Yuu's arms, Haruno looked at his neck, smiling as she spoke.

Yuu took a deep breath, acting with a loving expression: "Why are you so light? Are you not eating? Take care of your health, Haruno-san."

"That's enough, spin." Haruno reached out to poke his cheek. Amid Yuu's resigned expression, she wrapped her arms around his neck, saying eagerly:

"Harder, faster, don't be afraid of dropping me~ Spin, Yuu-chan!"

"Tch, you talk too much!"

Gathering all his strength, Yuu held Haruno, who was not light at all, and spun five times.