I Accidentally Saw Her Get Dumped — Now the Losing Heroine Senpai Won’t Stop Clinging to Me - Episode 16

After the movie, we decided to grab some lunch and headed to a fast food place near the station.

It was a weekend afternoon, so the place was pretty packed—groups of teens, families, and couples filled the space.

Amidst all that, Senpai and I sat at a small two-person table by the window.

“Phew, popcorn just didn’t cut it!” she said with a stretch.

What she ordered: a cheeseburger, fries, and a milkshake. A full-on sugar-and-salt combo.

“Here you go, eat up, Shounen~! Have some fries!”

“Ah, thank you…”

“And hey, about that movie—we have to talk about that scene! It was the scariest part!”

“You mean that one at the end? With the mirror?”

“Yes! When the ghost was faintly reflected behind them! That’s totally cheating! I seriously can’t handle stuff like that!”

“Then why did you pick a horror movie?”

“Ehhh, good question. I dunno either! Ahaha~”

She laughed as she munched on a fry.

I had a sneaking suspicion she was pretending like she didn’t totally freak out and grab my arm back in the theater.

…Well, to be honest, I was kind of glad she was pretending it didn’t happen.

That moment made my heart race way more than the movie did.

“…Huh?”

Just then—

I heard a small voice behind us.

“Wait… isn’t that Shirakawa-senpai?”

“No way—seriously!? Is that her boyfriend? Who’s the guy? I don’t recognize him.”

The mood shifted in an instant.

Senpai noticed too and immediately stopped eating.

She lowered her gaze slightly, placed a hand over her mouth, and leaned in toward me.

She mouthed: “Sorry”, then added: “Want to put on a show?”

“…Huh?”

What’s that supposed to mean?

I whispered back, but Senpai had already flipped a switch.

“Heeey~ Haru-kun~!”

She suddenly called me by a nickname!?

Wait, no—this is moving way too fast—

“Say ahhh~?”

“Wh—what!?”

“C’mon, like always! Let me feed you~ Say ahhh~”

Before I could react, she shoved a fry into my mouth.

The girls behind us were definitely staring—hard.

I could feel their eyes boring into us.

So, this is the plan? If she acts like a ridiculous lovestruck girlfriend, they’ll think, “No way that’s Shirakawa-senpai,” and dismiss it?

Well… if that’s the idea, I guess I have no choice but to go along with it.

Still…

(This is way too embarrassing…!)

First the nickname, then the fry feeding—it was whiplash-inducing.

And that was just the beginning.

“Haru-kun, I just loooove you soooo much!”

She shouted it loud enough for half the store to hear, in a voice that was somehow exaggerated and natural at the same time.

…The whole place went quiet.

Okay, maybe not the whole place, but definitely the girls behind us.

I froze, forgetting to even chew the fry in my mouth.

Snapping out of it, I blurted out:

“Chi-chan, I—I love you too~!”

“……………”

(Those stares… they’re burning a hole in my back…

This was just supposed to be a normal weekend…!)

“Wait, what? Was Shirakawa-senpai always like that?”

“Maybe she’s the type to go all-in when she’s in the mood…”

“And her boyfriend’s expression is so dead. Is this actually for real?”

Their whispers were sharp enough to make my ears ache.

Eventually, they seemed to decide it wasn’t Shirakawa-senpai after all, and went back to their meals.

Across from me, the mastermind of this whole act looked extremely pleased.

“Aaand scene! Whew, that was exhausting!”

Senpai sipped her drink and slumped back in her chair.

“…Don’t you think that was a bit much?”

“Ehh~? But it worked, didn’t it? They totally bought it. Now they’ll just think we’re some cringey couple and won’t bother looking into it further.”

“Well… I guess it did work, technically…”

“But hey—did your heart race a little? Even a tiny bit?”

“…Huh?”

“Hehehe~ Your face was bright red, you know, Haruma-kun~!”

“T-That’s just because it was an unfair attack, okay!?”

“Hmm? So, I should go for something more natural next time?”

“Please don’t… seriously, my heart can’t take it. Also… sorry for calling you Chi-chan without asking…”

I had gotten caught up in the moment and blurted it out—it felt wrong not to apologize. But—

“Don’t be! Honestly, I kind of liked it~”

She reached out and gave my head a little pat.

“W-What was that for…?”

“It’s just the afterglow of our little couple act!”

She smiled as she chewed on her straw.

Man, she’s really good at steering the mood.

And I… was completely swept along for the ride.

But I didn’t hate it.

There was something oddly comforting about her.

No matter how much she joked or teased, I could always tell she wasn’t being completely serious.

And yet—

Every once in a while, there were moments that felt real.

“…We really did look like a couple.”

I kept that thought to myself.

I didn’t have the guts to say it out loud yet.

But maybe, just for today—

Just for a moment—I wasn’t her “comfort buddy.”

Maybe, I got to be someone who almost felt like the real thing.

“Hey hey, Shounen?”

“Yes…?”

“You’ve got some acting chops, y’know? I’ll be looking forward to our next performance!”

She winked, and her smile seemed to shine brighter than usual.