I Just Want a Single Ending [169]
"What?" Saku seemed surprised by this turn of events.
"Here, you can see for yourself."
Ikuyo turned her phone to show him the messages her friends had sent.
Sorry, Kita! We can't make it!
We were already off the train and almost there!
Image attachment: photo of a train station
But then our club president called saying we needed to come back. Super sorry!
Next time we're out, it'll be on us.
Hope you and your boyfriend enjoy the date!
"Doing club stuff on the weekend… It's a lot of work. Lucky I never joined a club," Saku commented, his first reaction after reading the messages.
"Saku-senpai, isn't that kind of a weird thing to focus on?" Ikuyo couldn't help but tease.
"Sorry."
Saku cleared his throat, then said, "But your friends not being able to come is a good thing for us, right? We don't have to pretend to be a couple in front of them now."
"That's true," Ikuyo agreed, nodding before typing out a quick reply to her friends.
With a call from the club president, there wasn't much they could do. She had no choice but to forgive them.
"This is great!"
Saku looked visibly pleased.
This meant his single ending remained unsullied. No need for any awkward moments—or making the huge sacrifice of holding Ikuyo Kita's hand.
"Well, let's call it a day. Thanks for helping out," he said, already planning to head out.
But before he could turn to leave, Ikuyo grabbed his wrist.
"Wait a minute, Saku-senpai. Today's not over just yet."
"What's wrong? Did something else come up?" Saku asked, puzzled.
"Not exactly. It's just that if we part ways here, it feels... incomplete," Ikuyo admitted, releasing his wrist and explaining her dilemma.
"Incomplete?"
To Saku, it seemed perfectly fine.
Since her friends couldn't make it, why stick around? Unless Ikuyo actually wanted to keep the date going?
If that was the case, he'd have to stay on guard.
All for the sake of self-preservation.
"You know how much I love taking pictures, right, Saku-senpai?" Ikuyo began to explain.
"Of course."
If he was a master of galgames, then Ikuyo Kita was an SNS pro.
She was constantly online, posting pictures as a daily routine.
"So, in my friends' eyes, you're my boyfriend, right?" she continued.
"Right."
Saku was starting to see where this was going.
"Then, don't you think it'd be pretty strange for someone like me, who's always taking photos, to not have a single picture with my boyfriend?" Ikuyo pointed out, laying out the real issue.
"...True."
Saku had to admit she had a point.
If they were really a couple, Ikuyo's personality meant there'd definitely be photos documenting their time together.
Yet, without a single couple photo, it was indeed suspicious.
"So, how about we take a few... couple-like photos today?" Ikuyo requested sincerely, looking hopeful.
[Agree]
[Refuse]
Seeing the system choices flash before him, Saku reluctantly replied, "Even if we take some photos today, it's not like we'll have enough to look like an actual couple, right? It could still come off as suspicious."
He didn't want to go through all the hassle.
Especially since she'd specifically requested "couple-like" photos. Those would definitely be… intimate.
"You don't have to worry about that. I'm not going to show these pictures to just anyone, and I certainly won't be posting them online," Ikuyo reassured him. "I just want to have a few on hand for when my friends ask, so it seems more convincing that we're a couple."
"If I don't have any photos with my boyfriend, it'd be way too obvious that something's off."
After all, no one's going to scroll through her entire photo gallery to analyze it.
So even a small number of photos would do the trick.
"Alright, let's take a few then."
Faced with her reasoning, Saku couldn't refuse.
If he'd agreed to pretend to be her boyfriend, he might as well see it through.
Hopefully, his single ending wouldn't mind this small detour.
[Stamina +30]
"Thank you so much, Saku-senpai."
Ikuyo's shoulders visibly relaxed at his agreement.
Now, she didn't have to worry about anyone questioning her relationship status.
"No need to thank me."
Saku quickly adjusted his mindset.
Since he'd already decided to go along with this fake relationship for the day, even with a few unexpected twists, it was still bearable.
"Then, Saku-senpai, let's go on a date today as a couple," Ikuyo announced enthusiastically, now fully in the mood.
Since they no longer needed to put on an act in front of her friends, they could be as relaxed as they wanted, taking things at their own pace.
Plus, since they both knew it was all pretend, they didn't have to worry about any misunderstandings.
This was essentially like a one-day "couple experience pass."
As a sixteen-year-old girl, Ikuyo naturally dreamed of experiencing a lovely romance.
She'd thought about all the places she wanted to go with a boyfriend, the photos she'd love to take.
And now, here was her chance to bring those dreams to life.
"A pretend couple, just for today," Saku reminded her firmly.
Compared to Ikuyo's excitement, his feelings were much more mixed.
Dating someone as cute as Ikuyo Kita would be any guy's dream.
But he was the exception.
'We're just a fake couple—got to keep my distance!'
Repeating this mantra in his mind, Saku steeled himself, his gaze resolute.
"Got it, don't worry!"
Ikuyo replied nonchalantly, already focused on studying the map.
---
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