While Hiromi Kato was stewing over it,
gumi Kato glanced out the window and, in an offhand tone like she was discussing what to have for lunch, said:
"I think Rei Ao would be perfect."
"Eh?!!"
At that na, Hiromi jumped like a cat with its tail stepped on.
Her eyes went round, and the blush that had just faded surged back even hotter.
"R-Rei Ao?!"
"gumi, you—you're kidding, right? He's your… your boyfriend!"
Have her sister's boyfriend pretend to be her own?
How was that even acceptable!
Just imagining the scene made Hiromi's cheeks feel hot enough to fry an egg.
Yet deep down, a sliver of anticipation she didn't dare admit to even herself stirred.
gumi turned to her flustered sister.
Her expression didn't change.
"It's just pretending. The goal is to fix your problem."
"Rei Ao's presence, bearing, and ability should be more than enough to make that coworker back off."
"And he's free most of the ti anyway."
"B-but…"
Hiromi's heart pounded.
Her head told her it was improper, but another voice in her chest was urging her to accept.
A chance to spend even a short "couple" mont with soone like Rei Ao—even if it was just an act…
"Sis."
gumi cut off her wavering.
"Are you sure you want to pass up a once-and-for-all solution?"
"Or is it that you don't actually want to refuse?"
Her tone was calm, yet oddly persuasive.
Hiromi was struck speechless by that last, pointed line.
Her cheeks flushed so red they could drip.
While she wrestled with herself, a different conversation quietly began on another level.
Deep in her consciousness, a group-chat window—limited to mbers of this world—floated into view.
Its very existence was a microcosm of the tangled web connecting them to Rei Ao.
After much hesitation, thinking of that annoying coworker, of her sister's suggestion, and of that unspoken flutter in her heart,
Hiromi finally mustered the courage to post a ssage.
She directly @-ntioned that one, singular na.
Hiromi Kato: "@Rei Ao, Rei Ao, do you… have ti tomorrow?"
The chat, quiet a mont ago, instantly lit up.
Eriri: "Huh? Hiromi-nee? What do you need Rei Ao for?"
She rembered Hiromi and Rei Ao weren't exactly at the "casually set a ti" stage.
Sayuri: "Hiromi-san, do you need help with sothing?"
Even without seeing her, you could hear the warmth and care in Sayuri's words—befitting a mother.
Sonoko Machida: "Oya? What's this about?"
An editor's sharp instincts were picking up sothing unusual.
Seeing the rapid replies, Hiromi's cheeks ward, but she pressed on and succinctly explained the trouble at work and her idea to ask Rei Ao to pose as her boyfriend so the guy would give up.
To add weight—or to show it wasn't just her flight of fancy—she added:
Hiromi Kato: "This… this was actually gumi's idea. She thinks Rei Ao is a good fit…"
gumi Kato: "Mm. I suggested it."
gumi confird it, as brief as ever.
The chat rippled.
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "Heh… 'pretend boyfriend'? A classic, with room for imagination."
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "And gumi's magnanimity is… astonishing."
Her words carried their usual layered aning.
Tohru: "Eh?! A pretend boyfriend? Sounds fun!"
Tohru: "But wow, Hiromi, that's awful—getting pestered by a guy like that."
Blunt as ever: sympathy mixed with curiosity.
Shizuka Hiratsuka: "Workplace harassnt? Unacceptable."
Shizuka Hiratsuka: "Want to go have a little 'heart-to-heart' with him? IronFist.jpg"
Yumiko Miura: "Guys like that are the worst. I'm with you, Hiromi—get a badass boyfriend to scare him off!"
Yui Yuigahama: "Ehh? A pretend boyfriend… that's so dramatic! But if it helps Hiromi-san, I'm all for it!"
Yukino Yukinoshita: "I… have reservations."
A cool voice cut in, like a splash of cold water over the heated discussion.
Yukino Yukinoshita: "@Hiromi Kato, I understand your situation."
Yukino Yukinoshita: "But a pretend boyfriend is a roundabout tactic with potential risks—like causing ssier misunderstandings."
Yukino Yukinoshita: "For Rei Ao, stopping your coworker's harassnt should be simple—perhaps even a single sentence would suffice."
Yukino Yukinoshita: "Why choose an inefficient thod likely to create side issues?"
Yukino's questions hit the bullseye.
Indeed, given Rei Ao's ability, getting a regular office worker to stop harassing soone would be easy.
Maybe just a hint, or so subtle nudge.
The chat fell quiet for a beat, everyone seeming to consider her point.
Then the tagged party finally appeared.
Rei Ao: "Yukino is right."
He acknowledged her assessnt first.
Rei Ao: "If the goal is to make that man disappear from your sight or drop the idea entirely, it really would take only a word."
Rei Ao: "I wouldn't even need to lift a finger."
The words carried an easy confidence—just stating a simple fact.
Rei Ao: "That said, I am free tomorrow."
Rei Ao: "So, @Hiromi Kato—what do you want?"
Rei Ao: "Should I resolve it the most efficient way, or should I go with your and gumi's plan and 'pretend' to be your boyfriend?"
~~~
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