She’s My Girlfriend

 “So, where are we going?” Akari excitedly asked with sparkling eyes. Misha and Naoki sat across from him as they watched the young boy dart back and forth between the windows of the limousine.

“You’ll know soon enough,” Naoki gave Akari a calm smile as he rested his hands in the pockets of his brown vest.

“It’s an expensive restaurant, isn’t it?!” Akari beamed as he wiggled a finger beneath the tight collar of his white shirt. “I sure hope there’s wagyu steak!”

Misha leaned forward to correct the young boy’s red tie before sitting back up straight in her elegant white dress. “Please try not to ruin this suit before your appointment.”

“Which restaurant is it? Oak Peak? Sapphire Vine?” The maroon-haired gangster excitedly squirmed in his seat as he thought of all the extravagant food for him to eat in the afternoon.

“Well…” Naoki glanced out the window as he rested his chin upon his hand. He took a deep breath before giving Akari a sheepish smile. “More like Serpent’s Bistro…”

“Serpent’s Bistro…” The excitement from Akari’s eyes faded away along with his smile as he slowly vacillated his head towards Misha. In a silent display of betrayal and disappointment, the young gangster cast a glance towards her but the unwavering gangster maintained her customary composed demeanor.

“That’s right. You have a scheduled date with Lady Himeko,” Misha revealed, knowing there was no need for any further clarification. Akari turned his gaze towards Naoki for help but the playboy gangster simply avoided his gaze as he adjusted his glasses.

“You’re both traitors, especially you!” The young gangster shot an accusatory finger toward Naoki.

“L-listen, Akari,” Naoki tried to explain as Akari pouted and leaned back against the cushioned seat. “Himeko is such an adorable and cute girl! She may be the daughter of the Viper gang but that’s why this arranged marriage needs to happen!”

“But I don’t like her!” Akari countered as he crossed his arms. “Besides, I don’t think she likes me either! She’s always making fun of me and pushing me around!”

“Ahh, Akari… You just don’t understand that type of girl, do you?” Naoki tried to let out a playful smile before attempting to reach his arm around the lady next to him. “I’m sure Misha understands, right?—”

His words were suddenly cut off as the silent gangster sharply elbowed Naoki in his stomach, causing the mischievous male to curl up in immense pain.

“You do not have permission to touch me,” Misha closed her eyes as she brushed a tuft of her hair back.

Seizing the moment as an opportunity, Akari deftly released the lock on the side of the door, swiftly pushing it open as a gust of wind surged in, intensifying the surrounding sounds. Before Misha could react to his actions, Akari boldly leaped out of the moving vehicle, evading her outstretched hand. As his body connected with the ground, he executed a nimble roll to reduce the impact, coming to a stop unscathed, save for a layer of dirt that now adorned his once pristine white shirt.

“Akari, get back here!” Misha shouted after him before swiftly shifting her attention toward the driver, urging them to bring the car to a stop. Wearing a smug grin, Akari swiftly pulled his tie off and broke into a sprint just as the limousine screeched to an abrupt halt.

He had to find somewhere to hide. A place that was inconspicuous enough that they wouldn’t think of searching for him there.

As Akari turned around the corner, he stopped at the perfect hiding space: a quaint bookstore. The young boy never enjoyed reading so it would be the last place Misha and Naoki would go looking.

Entering the quiet store, Akari pulled the glass door open and eased into a leisurely walk. Rows of books lined the white shelves, meticulously organized by genre and bathed in the gentle glow of warm yellow lights. A handful of customers perused the shelves or sat on wooden stools, engrossed in the pages of a light read.

Weaving his way through the labyrinth of closely packed shelves, Akari sought solace in a narrow aisle. He took in a deep breath as he leaned against a stand, allowing himself to regain his composure. As Akari straightened himself, his hand nudged a book off a shelf, falling to the wooden ground. Reaching down to pick it up, Akari examined the cover.

The book had a rich brown leather cover adorned with the title, ‘Serendipity Symphony’ in cursive writing. Curious, Akari flipped the book open to a random page and tried to skim the page.

“Do you like that book too?” A demure voice asked him. Glancing up from the pages, Akari found himself standing across from the class president. But instead of glaring at him as she usually did, the brown-haired girl graced him with a gentle smile as she held a book in her hands, confusing Akari.

“I’ve read that book several times. It’s probably my favorite.” She leaned towards him with a curious expression. “What do you think?”

“I… um…” Akari instinctively reached his hand up to brush his hair back only to pause mid-motion as he comprehended the reason for the class president's warm reception.

Akari wasn’t currently the usual cold, composed gangster persona he portrayed. With his disheveled hairstyle and the absence of his iconic hair clip, he appeared as an entirely different person—a guise he adopted daily to conceal his identity from perilous gangs. Additionally, the dirt that clung to Akari and the tousled state of his hair only further masked his true self, making it impossible for her to recognize him.

“I haven’t read the book before,” Akari explained, his expression softening into a friendly smile as he did his best to maintain his disguise. “I just picked it up just now.

“Is that so?” The class president nodded slowly. “Well, I would highly recommend reading it if you ever have time to. Or if you have any preferences, I can try to help you find something you might enjoy.”

Akari pondered for a moment, considering his fondness for aliens. “Are there any good science fiction books?”

“There certainly are!” The bookstore girl exclaimed, twirling around and motioning for Akari to follow her. The young gangster returned the book he had been holding back on the shelf before trailing behind the class president. They walked out of the aisle and made their way to the other side of the room, where the class president expertly scanned the shelves with her finger before plucking out a book.

“Here!” She presented the book to Akari with both hands. “The Quantum Conundrum. It's an intriguing story about aliens grappling with a quantum physics concept that surpasses even our understanding. It combines scientific depth with thrilling action.”

Akari accepted the book slowly as he gazed at the bluish-gray cover. “I like the art already,”

“Never judge a book by its cover,” the class president stated with a grin. “But in this case, I suppose you can make an exception if you're already drawn to it.”

“I'll give your recommendation a try,” Akari returned the smile.

“There you are!” A breathless voice called out. Akari froze as he noticed Naoki’s arrival, panting heavily as he leaned against a nearby shelf for support. Misha followed closely behind, seemingly unaffected by the chase though she had changed out of her dress and now donned a yellow shirt and a white jacket.

“W-we finally found you!” Naoki panted, his annoyance evident from the young boy’s antics. “There’s nowhere for you to go.”

Akari grimaced as he glanced behind him to assess the situation. While they had moved to a wider aisle, Naoki was correct. There was no other viable escape route. He had to come up with an alternative plan to elude them.

Feeling as though he had no other choice, Akari swiftly wrapped an arm around the class president and pulled her towards him.

“I’m not going to the date!” Akari declared firmly, the young girl now pressed against him. “Because I already have a girlfriend!”

The class president’s eyes widened as she found herself in such close proximity to Akari. She glanced up at him about to counter the statement but Akari shot a pleading look for her to play along.

Naoki was utterly confused as his eyes darted back and forth between Akari and the bookstore girl, mumbling incohesive words to himself as he attempted to make sense of the situation. Even Misha had widened eyes and while her usual neutral frown remained intact, her expression displayed a hint of surprise.

“A girlfriend?” Misha repeated Akari’s words, clearly not believing him at all. Naoki, on the other hand, began to bob his head understandingly as he placed his hand up to his chin.

“The more I think about it, it actually makes sense. That’s why you’ve been declining all those dates,” Naoki analyzed. “You already had a girlfriend. Of course, someone as handsome as you should have gotten one already.”

“E-exactly!” Akari played along with Naoki’s delusions. “That’s why I can’t go along with the date!”

“How come you never told us?” Misha asked as she glared at the young gangster. Akari hesitated as he tried to find an excuse.

“Come on now, Misha,” Naoki attempted to console her, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder but quickly pulled back, remembering the painful outcome that would result. Instead, he awkwardly moved his hand to the back of his head. “I’m sure our young boy has his reasons for not telling us. Besides, he was probably trying to hide it from you specifically—”

Misha’s high heels came crashing down on Naoki’s right foot, causing the glasses-wearing gangster to clench his teeth as he struggled to hold back a scream while arching his back, overwhelmed by the agony.

“Fine,” Misha let out a defeated sigh as she crossed her arms. “I won’t force you to attend today.”

“Misha…” Akari muttered, gratitude evident in his smile.

“However, don’t forget about your other meeting at eight sharp,” Misha stated. With that, she turned and started walking away from the bookstore, delicately holding her hands in front of her.

“As expected of our young master, you picked quite a cutie,” Naoki teased as he observed the young couple. But before he could say another word, Misha swiftly returned and pinched Naoki’s ear, forcefully dragging him out by it.

“O-ouch! Misha, wait! Please let go—” Naoki’s protests were ignored as the two of them disappeared down the room, leaving the shop with the jingle of the doorbell echoing behind them.

“Could you… let me go now, please?” The class president spoke up, lightly tapping Akari's arm. Akari glanced down, realizing that he was still holding the bookstore girl close to him. Immediately, he released his arm and took a step back.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Akari apologized. The young girl let out a sigh, holding her hand close to her chest before giving Akari a sly smile.

“Since when did I become your girlfriend?” She asked amusingly.

“I’m sorry about that, I really am,” Akari sheepishly avoided her gaze shyly. “They wanted me to go on a date with my arranged marriage partner. I really don’t care about it at all.”

“Arranged marriages, huh?” The class president pondered, contemplating the idea. “I didn’t know those things still happened.”

“To be honest,” Akari met her eyes with a pleading smile. “I would appreciate it if you could play along in the future.”

“What sort of request is that?” She chuckled with amusement. “Why should I agree?”

Akari fell silent, realizing that he couldn't come up with a good reason why the class president, who had basically met a stranger, would accept such a request.

However, the young girl let out a sigh as she gave Akari a smile. “You’re the first person to actually listen to my recommendations so I guess I’ll help you out.”

“T-thank you!” Akari stammered, bowing clumsily to show his gratitude. The class president smirked at him before she turned around. ready to leave the bookstore for the day. But before leaving, she paused and turned back to face Akari.

“I almost forgot! I never heard your name,” she pointed out.

“Aka—” Akari hesitated, contemplating his response. Revealing his actual name might not be a good idea if she discovered his true identity. He needed to keep his two personas separate.

“Aki. I’m Aki Arimura,” Akari provided an anagram name while beaming with a cheerful smile.

“Aki. It’s nice to meet you. My name is Ayano Suzumiya,” she said, extending her hand and offering a warm smile. “I’ll be in your care, Mr. Boyfriend!”