After dinner, I couldn't help but feel a warm and fuzzy feeling inside, even though this was all just pretending. It felt strangely nice to have Yui by my side, especially since she was my Oshi.
As I blushed and shook my head, I stood up from the table. "Thank you for the food," I said, carrying my plate to the sink.
"Hm? Done already?" Yui asked, looking at me with a hint of disappointment.
"Y-Yeah, I'm gonna... take a bath," I replied, feeling a bit flustered.
She nodded, and I headed to the bathroom. After putting my uniform in the washing machine, I stepped into the bathtub and leaned back, letting out a tired sigh. "Haahh... I'm tired..."
Looking up at the ceiling, I couldn't help but think about Yui's serious commitment to this pretend relationship.
It seemed like she really didn't want a forced marriage, and I admired her for taking this approach to solve the problem.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn't realize that Yui had called out to me. "Kousei-kun, how is the water?"
"Oh... It's warm," I said, snapping back to the present.
"Really? T-That's great," she said, her voice sounding a bit shy.
"Yeah, thank you, Yui."
"Hehe, no problem... I'll be stepping in now, okay?"
"Yeah—... WAIT, WHAT!?" I blurted out in surprise.
But before I could react, the bathroom door swung open, and there stood Yui, covered with a towel.
I quickly averted my eyes, "W-W-What are you doing?!"
"E-Erm... I want to wash your back."
"Eh!? I-I can do it by myself, though?!"
"N-No, you can't! It's my wife's duty to wash your back!" she declared boldly.
I couldn't believe how bold she was being today. This was the shy Oshi I knew, right? What is going on?!
Trying to control my embarrassment, I slowly peeked at her, only to quickly look away again. "Dang it, she's too cute!!" I thought to myself, my heart pounding.
After my heart finally settled down, I mustered up the courage to face Yui again. "Y-Yui, you don't have to do this, really. I can wash my back on my own."
"N-No, I insist!" she said, looking flustered. "I-I mean, we're pretending to be in a relationship, right? So this is just part of it..."
Her words caught me off guard, and I felt my cheeks heat up. "Y-Yeah, you're right. I guess it's all part of the act..." I mumbled, trying to hide my embarrassment.
She stepped closer, and I could feel her nervousness. "W-Well, um, turn around then, Kousei-kun."
I gulped, Slowly, I turned around, facing away from her. I could hear her movements, and then her hands gently touched my back, causing a shiver to run down my spine.
"W-Warm water... just like you said," she mumbled, trying to keep the conversation going.
"Yeah, it's nice," I replied my voice slightly shaky.
As she started washing my back, I couldn't help but feel my heart race. This was definitely a new experience for me, and despite it being just a pretend relationship, I couldn't deny the strange fluttery feeling in my chest.
"Kousei-kun..." she said softly, her voice barely audible over the sound of the running water.
I turned my head slightly, looking at her from the corner of my eye. "Yes, Yui-san?"
"Th-This is all just pretend, right? We're not really... dating or anything?"
I nodded, feeling relieved that she brought it up. "Yeah, it's just pretending. We both know that."
"Right, right," she said, her voice sounding a bit more at ease. "It's just a pretend relationship. So, um, no need to feel weird about this..."
"Y-Yeah, exactly. Just pretend," I stammered, trying to convince myself as much as her.
We continued in silence for a moment, and I could feel Yui's hands trembling slightly. It was clear that even though she was trying to act confident, she was just as nervous as I was.
Finally, she finished washing my back, and I turned around to face her again. "T-Thank you, Yui."
She blushed, looking away. "Y-You're welcome... I-I mean, it's all part of the act, right?"
"Yeah, that's right," I said, trying to smile to ease the tension.
This is just a pretend, just a pretend, just a pretend!