Chapter 77

Rin'ou's low, muttered words made Mizuki tilt her head.

"Two people?"

"About Nato-kun and Yui. Be honest."

Rin'ou pressed on with her question.

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Mizuki blinked a few times with a puzzled look but soon put on a smile.

"Hehe, those two... are a lovey-dovey couple! Don't you think they suit each other?"

At Mizuki's matter-of-fact tone, Rin'ou was speechless.

She had hit the mark. Just by looking at Yui's face, it was obvious. She looked like a girl in love.

"Of course, that's what it was from the start...! Liar Nato and Devil Yui...!"

"W-What's wrong, Ryou? Your face is scary?"

Upon closer reflection, the photos she had taken by chance when she followed them didn't have a clear explanation.

Yuki had said they just happened to go home together, but it was natural to think they had already been dating at that point, or even before.

In other words, they had been together for a long time and had tried to hide it by making up lies, deceiving her.

Rin'ou, with Mizuki looking up at her worriedly, bowed her head and muttered with a self-mocking tone.

"I was completely deceived, the clown. Laugh at me. I was just being toyed with by the two of them. They must have been laughing at me behind my back."

"What are you saying? Yuki-kun and Yui-chan wouldn't do that!"

"How can you say that so confidently? I saw it, I was deceived so much!"

If they had just been honest from the start, it would have been better.

If they were genuinely in love and dating seriously, she had no intention of mocking or breaking up their relationship.

In the end, it meant that Yui and she were only that close. There was no obligation or trust to talk about anything.

"About being the 'killer of the neighboring seat' or 'watching over warmly'... they must have already been together! If that's the case, why didn't they just say so..."

"But that's not true, they're doing it for Mizuki's sake!"

Rin'ou, surprised by Mizuki's unexpectedly strong rebuttal, raised her head and stared at Mizuki's eyes.

"...What do you mean by that?"

"They're fake lovers for Mizuki's sake."

"F-Fake lovers...? What's that...?"

"Yuki-kun said he would get a girlfriend to help Mizuki make friends."

The word "fake lovers" from Mizuki's mouth confused Rin'ou.

Summarizing Mizuki's somewhat unclear explanation, Yuki and Mizuki had made a pact to get girlfriends and friends to encourage Mizuki to make friends.

Yui was helping Yuki in this endeavor.

"But I've never heard of this... But even so..."

"They're keeping it a secret from Mizuki. Yuki-kun doesn't really understand it, but Yui-chan is really into it. She's just shy, you know."

"But, but, how do you know they're fake lovers?"

"I saw it in Yuki-kun's phone. In the LINE chat with Yui-chan. Hehe... Yuki-kun can't keep secrets from Mizuki."

Mizuki folded her arms and gave a mischievous smile.

The idea of fake lovers was hard to believe, but it did sound like something those two would do.

"But, Mizuki, don't tell them you know? I just peeked at the phone out of curiosity... Mizuki is in trouble too. I'll get scolded for looking at someone's phone without permission, so I have to pretend I don't know..."

Mizuki, now looking troubled, emphasized this. She seemed to have some guilt.

Rin'ou, stunned by the unexpected news, stood there in shock.

"S-Such... So, the devil was me...?"

"Devil?"

Not a devil, but a foolish clown. A true clown.

Mizuki had no friends. She hadn't even known that. Or rather, she hadn't noticed.

Even if it was a lie or a deception, could she blame the two for their actions, which were meant to help Mizuki?

Her head was a mess, and her thoughts were scattered. She noticed Mizuki looking up at her curiously.

Rin'ou, trying to smile, touched Mizuki's head and said softly,

"Having no friends is hard, isn't it? Isn't it..."

But Mizuki didn't show any signs of it, at least not in front of her.

It felt like someone else's problem, and her eyes started to sting.

"I haven't made any friends yet... but it's okay. Yuki-kun is busy, but he still takes care of me, and Yui-chan is fun to tease... Mizuki loves Yuki-kun, and Yui-chan too. The other day, Mizuki cried, and Yui-chan tried to make me laugh. She had this weird notebook, but it was really boring..."

Mizuki, recalling the incident, continued to talk happily and aimlessly.

That's right. Yui... of all people, Yui wouldn't deceive someone or laugh at them behind their back.

Rin'ou should have known that.

(Because Yui... was the one who cheered up the sulking me...)

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(Note: The last part of the original text seems to be a note about a book release, which is not part of the story. It has been omitted in the translation.)