My Part-time Girlfriend

"Wait, wait, wait. Are you really sure about this?" I stammered, my voice cracking as I tried to process her words. My palms were slick with sweat, and my heart pounded like a drumline that had completely lost rhythm.

Kaori sat across from me on the park bench, her posture as perfect as always. She radiated an unshakable calm, the kind that only made my growing panic feel even more ridiculous. She didn't seem bothered by my confusion—or my nerves, for that matter.

"Yes, I'm really sure about this," she said, her tone unwavering yet oddly reassuring. Her expression didn't flicker, as if this whole situation wasn't as mind-boggling as it felt to me.

"No, I mean…" I gestured helplessly at myself. "Of all people. Why me?"

Kaori tilted her head, her brows knitting slightly like she genuinely didn't understand my hesitation. "No other reason. I just feel like I can trust you."

Trust me? My brain temporarily blue-screened at her words. Trust me? She might as well have said, "I trust a goldfish to pilot a spaceship." That's how absurd it sounded. Why on earth would Sugiyama Kaori—class president, star student, the untouchable golden girl of our university—choose me for something as insane as this?

"Nah…" I mumbled under my breath, staring down at the patch of grass near my feet. "How can you trust an NPC, a loser like me?"

"What did you say?" she asked, her brow lifting slightly in curiosity.

"N-nothing!" I waved my hands frantically, as if I could erase the words from existence. Great. Just great. Now I sounded even more pathetic.

Kaori let out a quiet sigh, leaning forward slightly. Her eyes softened—not quite pitying, but close enough to make me squirm. "Look, I know this might be sudden for you," she said, her voice gentler now, "but I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't sure. So, are you in or not?"

"Are you really, really sure about this?" I asked again, almost desperately. "Making me your fake boyfriend of all people?"

"Yes," she said simply. Her gaze didn't waver. It pinned me in place, grounding me even as my thoughts spiraled into chaos.

"I mean…" I rubbed the back of my neck, searching for the right words. "I'm broke, and I need the money, so if you insist, I'll accept. But—"

"So it's a deal?" she interrupted, her lips curving into a small, triumphant smile.

I hesitated. There it was—that gnawing guilt I couldn't ignore. Agreeing to this felt like signing a contract with a moral gray zone I wasn't ready to navigate. Pretending to be her boyfriend in front of her family meant lying through my teeth, deceiving people who trusted her. It didn't feel right.

But then again... I wasn't exactly in a position to be picky. My wallet was as empty as my fridge, and the idea of earning money while spending time with Kaori was, admittedly, tempting. Maybe this was my chance to figure her out, to understand what lay behind that calm and confident exterior. Or maybe I was just lying to myself to make this decision easier.

"Deal," I said at last, my voice barely above a whisper.

Her smile widened, and for a fleeting moment, I thought I saw a flicker of relief in her eyes. "Great. We'll start tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!" I yelped, my voice shooting up an octave.

"Yes. My parents are expecting to meet my… boyfriend as soon as possible," she said, her tone as casual as if she were telling me to bring an umbrella. Meanwhile, my entire face felt like it was on fire.

"Wait, wait. Hold on," I stammered. "Shouldn't we, like, plan this or something? Go over the details? Practice?"

Kaori blinked at me, her expression calm but mildly amused. "What's there to plan? Just be yourself."

"Be myself?" I echoed, incredulous. "You're asking me to act like your boyfriend in front of your parents, and you think I should just wing it?"

"Yes," she said with a shrug. "Besides, if we rehearse too much, it'll come off as fake. We want it to look natural."

Natural? Nothing about this was natural. I was about to become Sugiyama Kaori's pretend boyfriend overnight, and she wanted me to just... improvise? I swallowed hard, realizing that no matter how much I protested, I'd already signed myself up for this madness.

This was going to be a disaster.

...

Sunday Night.

Later that evening, I lay sprawled on my bed, staring up at the cracked ceiling of my room. My mind raced with a thousand what-ifs, each one more terrifying than the last.

What if her parents hated me on sight? What if I said something stupid and ruined everything? What if they saw through the act and threw me out of their fancy house? What if Kaori regretted choosing me before the night was even over?

And then there was the other problem: Hoshino Chi.

She was in the same class as Kaori and me, and I couldn't help but feel like this fake relationship was bound to stir up trouble. Chi didn't recognize me as the awkward guy she'd rejected in high school, but what if she did eventually? If she found out that Kaori and I were faking it, she'd probably have a field day. I didn't even want to imagine the kind of drama that would unleash.

It was strange. For years, I'd dreamed of being closer to someone like Kaori—someone who seemed so far out of my league it wasn't even funny. And now here I was, her "boyfriend," even if it was all pretend. It should've been a dream come true, right?

Instead, it felt like walking into a minefield with no map and no clue which step would blow everything up.

"Ugh," I groaned, burying my face in my pillow. "What have I gotten myself into?"