Pleased to Meet You (3K words)

Turning his head, hearing the teasing words, Sasaki caught sight of the girl's long, flowing hair as he handed over the lemon water on his right and said, "Is liking cats a privilege reserved for pretty girls? What do you mean, 'I don't seem like someone who likes cats'?"

Reina Kurashiki, who only extended the same level of conversation to handsome guys or people she approved of, paused her petting of the cat, took the lemon water, and replied in a casual tone,

"Because you look like a bookworm.

You do things only bookworms would do.

It's hard to imagine someone like you, always with your nose in a book, taking time to play with a cat."

Amused by her stereotypical judgment, Sasaki tilted his head and looked at her with a smile. "Judging people so quickly after a first meeting, isn't that a bit too hasty, Kurashiki-san?"

Reina gave him a playful glance, scanning him from head to toe, and responded with a teasing smile, "Oh? Am I wrong?"

"Not entirely."

Without elaborating further, Sasaki watched as she pulled a pink-packaged cat treat out of her shorts and offered it to the cat, feeling a bit surprised.

"You carry that with you? Do you really enjoy feeding cats, Kurashiki-san?"

While feeding the cat and gently stroking its back, Reina's face softened, revealing a serene smile that seemed out of place with her usual confident demeanor.

Her tone, slightly less condescending than before, became more relaxed.

"Kittens are adorable, aren't they? And feeding them is fun, don't you think?"

'Beautiful girls are cute too',

Sasaki liked feeding Yukiha and the others as well, so he understood what she meant.

He glanced at the little cat, its soft pink tongue lapping at the treat with little slurping sounds and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, it is pretty fun."

Seeing that someone agreed with her view, Reina Kurashiki's eyes showed obvious delight.

"Right? Right?"

"Watching a kitten eat is so stress-relieving."

"Yeah, I'd say so."

'Although, too much of that stress relief could leave your brain feeling a bit empty.'

"Huh? What's with this cat's color?"

As she turned her gaze back to the cat, Reina finally noticed its peculiar markings.

"Why did the cat mom only paint half of it?"

"Did she run out of paint halfway through?"

"So weird~"

Placing the cat treat between her pinkish-white knees, the girl, pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of the cat.

Click!

She uploaded the photo to her social media and continued feeding the cat, all while chatting with Sasaki in a light, intermittent way.

Once the cat had finished eating, she set it down, brushed her hands together, and stood up.

"You still need to go submit your manuscript to the publishing company, right? Let's go now, then we can find a place to eat afterward."

The rustling leaves overhead sang in harmony with the gentle breeze, which seemed to take notice of Reina.

Her thick, silky blonde hair, like smooth satin, swayed lightly as she stood up.

The sensation of the soft, golden strands brushing across Sasaki's face wasn't painful at all.

In fact, it felt like a tender caress between lovers, making his heart flutter.

Catching a subtle whiff of her fragrant hair, Sasaki shifted his gaze toward Reina, who was now standing tall and smoothing down her locks.

She looked quite different from the school uniform-clad girl in her photos.

In her casual attire, the girl exuded a bold, sexy allure.

Her curvaceous upper body was dressed in an off-the-shoulder, asymmetrical beige tank top with printed letters.

The loose, shoulder-revealing style naturally showed the strappy tank top underneath, also adorned with lettering.

Though her top didn't expose much beyond her shoulder and collarbone, the way her chest stretched the bold black letters—large on the sides and small in the middle—coupled with her slim waist and the dazzling white of her collarbone and shoulders, gave off an undeniably flirtatious and provocative vibe.

Below the shirt, she wore deep black wide-leg denim shorts, shorter than the average pleated skirt.

The shorts revealed her long, shapely legs, smooth and toned, reminiscent of a sleek white python.

They seemed to go on forever, thanks in part to her estimated height of about 1.7 meters (5'7").

Noticing Sasaki's gaze lingering on her figure, the girl, ever confident in her appearance, smirked slightly.

Then, as if deliberately, she stretched her arms above her head in a languid motion, flaunting her voluptuous, flawless figure without reservation as she looked down and asked with a teasing smile:

"Well? Pretty impressive, isn't it?"

Sitting on the wooden bench, Sasaki shifted his gaze from admiring her figure to her face.

However, instead of showing the flustered reaction Reina Kurashiki had expected, he simply smiled and nodded.

"Mm! Kurashiki-san, your figure is great, and you're very beautiful."

"..."

Reina wasn't satisfied with his bland compliment or his calm demeanor.

She was used to receiving admiration and envy from others and never thought she could lose in this regard.

But considering that this guy in front of her already had a girlfriend, it irked her somewhat.

With one hand on her hip, she leaned down, her well-endowed chest hovering right in front of him, barely concealed, just the edges teasingly visible as she asked in a soft, sultry tone: "So, how do I compare to your girlfriend?"

Sasaki blinked, momentarily unsure why she was asking this, especially being so close.

Then he noticed her slightly furrowed brows and the subtle pout on her lips, betraying a bit of frustration.

He suddenly understood.

She wasn't satisfied with his earlier reaction and wanted him to acknowledge her more.

This wasn't a big deal.

If she wanted compliments, Sasaki could give her as many as she wanted.

But comparing herself to Otome, Natsuha or even Momo?

Now, that was a bit ambitious.

It wasn't that Reina was any less than them, but...

Sasaki had more than one girlfriend.

How could she compete with the collective charm of all of them?

Besides, if she was trying to bribe him, she could at least make it worth his while!

All he could see were vague outlines, what was the point of this test?

After all the efforts of Otome and the others, Sasaki had built up a solid resistance to casual flirtation.

Still, not wanting to hurt Reina's pride, he opted for a diplomatic response. "You're all beautiful. You're all attractive."

Sasaki thought he'd spoken sincerely, but to Reina, it sounded dismissive.

The worst part was that his tone seemed effortless, and his wandering gaze didn't seem remotely captivated.

His casual demeanor—like she wasn't even remotely a threat compared to his girlfriends, and that he was merely flattering her to save her face, infuriated Reina to the point where she almost felt her hair stand on end.

Knowing that throwing a fit now would only make her seem like a "blonde loser," Reina took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

She straightened up and, with barely concealed irritation, said in an impatient tone:

"Hurry up, we're going to be late. It'll be lunchtime soon."

Looking at the girl, who obviously looked unhappy and angry,

Sasaki knew that she was not satisfied with his answer, but how could he accept such a small benefit as a reward for changing his words and betraying his beloved relatives, who shared the same his fluids?

Some people just don't know how to negotiate properly...

Smiling, Sasaki asked her, "Do you have any wet wipes?"

"Ugh, you're such a bother,"

Although he didn't know what he wanted to do, it didn't stop the girl from disliking him.

Who told him to make me unhappy!

With a dissatisfied grumble, Reina fished a small packet of wet wipes from her shorts pocket and tossed it to him.

Sasaki pulled out one of the wipes and, with a smirk, casually draped it over the head of the cat, who had been silently watching the whole exchange.

"Meow?"

"MEOW!!!"

In response to the cat's clearly annoyed meows, Sasaki, holding the wet wipe, rubbed its fur the wrong way once.

"There, now when its owner comes looking for it, they'll be able to spot it right away."

Tossing the wet wipe into the nearby trash can, Sasaki returned and explained his playful reasoning to Reina Kurashiki, who had been considering trying it herself.

Glancing at the cat, which had retreated to the side and was now busy grooming itself, avoiding further contact with the two humans, Reina let out a slightly disappointed "Oh."

Leaving the park, Sasaki and Reina walked for about five minutes before arriving at the train platform.

"Please stay behind the yellow line while waiting for the train."

"The train is arriving, please prepare for boarding…"

It was Saturday, a weekend day for students and a rest day for some workers.

Although not as crowded as the weekday rush hours, there were still more people than on an average workday, many heading out for leisure.

Sasaki guided Reina, who was eager to push forward, into the train car like a steady rock amidst the current.

As soon as the girl spotted two empty seats, she gestured to Sasaki to sit with her.

However, two other figures who had just squeezed through the crowd noticed the seats at the same time.

Seeing the blonde girl dressed provocatively, they assumed she was alone and, without hesitation, shoved her aside to take the seats for themselves.

However, just as Reina was about to stumble, Sasaki caught her, steadying her before she could fall.

Before he could let go, the girl straightened up, her anger flaring as she directed a furious shout at the two seat stealers:

"! Are you blind?!"

It was the end of May, practically summer, so people weren't wearing much.

Sasaki could clearly see that one of the men, wearing a black short-sleeved shirt, had a tattoo on his left arm that resembled an eye.

Normally, most people wouldn't pick a fight over something like a seat, especially when the other person had a tattoo.

After all, better to avoid trouble, as it was "just a seat" after all.

Kurashiki Reina, however, wasn't the type to hold grudges over minor things.

She would have been fine giving up her seat in special circumstances.

But this blatant seat-grabbing behavior infuriated her.

If she wasn't happy, no one else was going to be happy either, no matter who they were.

Still fuming, she tore the lid off her half-full cup of lemon water and splashed it directly onto the two men.

"Baka!"

"Kusoyarou!"

Soaked by the drink, the two thugs, who looked like students themselves, immediately stood up, cursing angrily.

They were quick-tempered and, after yelling, seemed ready to get physical.

Seeing them getting ready to fight, Reina showed no signs of the typical bravado-filled but cowardly behavior of girls who bluff.

Instead, her eyebrows shot up, and she swung her hand, slapping one of them.

Standing behind her, Sasaki was shocked by the way she started fighting over a disagreement.

However, seeing the two men lunging at them, he immediately wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her back into his embrace.

Then, without hesitation, he kicked both of them squarely, sending them crashing back into their seats.

Since there were other passengers around, he didn't use full force.

After knocking them down, seeing that they still had the strength to stand up, Sasaki stepped forward, slapped each of them, and then grabbed their collars, dragging them out of the train and onto the platform.

As the train doors closed, the once-crowded carriage suddenly cleared a small space around Sasaki, as if he were a shark amidst a school of sardines.

Without feeling any pressure from the crowd, he calmly walked back to Reina and sat down beside her.

Unlike the others, who now eyed Sasaki warily, the girl wasn't the least bit intimidated.

Sitting comfortably in her seat, she even patted Sasaki on the shoulder with a tone of pleasant surprise.

"You've got a pretty solid build, huh? No wonder you're so good in a fight."

Sasaki, leaning back in his seat, didn't resist as she continued to knead his shoulder like a massage.

He glanced sideways at her and teased:

"Well, if you can hold your own in a fight, I'd feel embarrassed just standing by and watching."

"Speaking of which, you're pretty bold, jumping straight to throwing punches after just one insult."

"I'm a person who values happiness above all else. If they ruin my mood, I ruin theirs. Worrying about the consequences comes later,"

Reina replied nonchalantly.

Sasaki blinked at her response and tilted his head, asking, "Is that why you brought me along as a shield? To irritate your family?"

"Exactly."

The girl nodded, twirling a lock of her hair between her fingers, with a mischievous smile on her lips.

"But… after seeing how you handled yourself today, I'm starting to like you more. Maybe turning this fake relationship into a real one isn't such a bad idea."

Before meeting Sasaki, Reina hadn't planned on saying something like that.

After all, once they became real lovers, certain things between them would inevitably occur—things only lovers do.

Reina Kurashiki originally thought that Sasaki would naturally fall for her once he saw her looks and figure, then she would smoothly complete the task she had promised Rina.

However, this guy seemed oddly confident about his current relationship.

She couldn't tell if his girlfriend was truly that beautiful or if Sasaki was just stubborn.

However, since making him fall in love at first sight didn't work, she decided she'd have to take things further by turning their fake relationship into a real one.

This wasn't about Rina anymore.

It was about Reina's belief in the undefeated power of her appearance.

She was confident that her looks and figure were second to none.

The only reason Sasaki wasn't head over heels for her was because his girlfriend currently had the upper hand of being his official partner.

As long as they were on equal footing, there was no way Sasaki wouldn't admit the truth: that she was the most beautiful.

And once he said it, she'd give him a little taste of what it meant to be with her, make him fall hard, and then, after fulfilling her promise to Rina, she would kick him to the curb.

Sasaki, who was oblivious to her scheming, noticed her slightly mischievous smile and tilted his head.

"Aren't you worried your family will disapprove?"

"They don't get a say in who I date," Reina said with a dismissive snort, her brow furrowing in impatience. "Stop asking pointless questions and just give me an answer—are we doing this or not?"

'If you're serious, I'm all in,' Sasaki thought silently, but instead of answering right away, he asked:

"Do you know what real lovers do?"

What they do? Of course! The kind of things lovers do.

As a "gyaru", while she hadn't experienced it herself, Reina wasn't ignorant about matters between men and women.

So, she let out a soft scoff and nodded.

"Then, can you do that with me? Or do that in the future?"

This was a private question, so Sasaki leaned in close and whispered it softly into her ear, his breath gently teasing her skin.

Can she?

Of course, she couldn't.

Reina shivered slightly from the tickling sensation in her ear and frowned, shaking her head.

She could have lied to Sasaki, but he already knew she was in a forced engagement situation so, there was no point in lying about it now.

"Is there any relationship where lovers don't do that sort of thing?"

Sasaki pulled back slightly, looking at her with suspicion.

"Don't tell me you're just doing this for fun, playing with me for kicks?"

Realizing that he was catching on to her true intentions,

Reina's eyebrows shot up, and she impatiently retorted,

"What are you talking about? I think you're okay, and I just thought we could get along."

"Fine, I can't do that stuff, but there are other things lovers can do. I'll make it up to you."

Seeing that she was halfway into the trap, Sasaki gave her a curious look and asked, "Like what?"

"Kisses, hugs, the usual stuff that lovers do. I'll also give you money. I can give you a lot…"

"Talking about money ruins it," the boy interrupted, shaking his head as he leaned back in his seat.

"Real lovers are together because they like each other. It's about making each other feel good emotionally and physically.

Bringing money into the equation messes with the balance."

"…"

She couldn't argue with that.

Her mind started thinking, trying to come up with things normal lovers wouldn't typically do but that she could offer to keep Sasaki interested.

The list of possibilities was short.

After a moment, she thought of something, but... could she really do that?

Going through the backdoor…

Could it be that Rina and the others had been reading fake novels all along?

Left with no choice, Reina hesitated for a moment before whispering her idea into Sasaki's ear.

"…"

As expected, the boy pursed his lips and shook his head.

"Well, I've heard of that sort of thing, but I haven't tried it."

Hearing that Sasaki hadn't done it even with his girlfriend made Reina inwardly pleased.

"Then, consider that your compensation."

Sasaki frowned, pretending to hesitate.

"This…"

Knowing that some things could get rather extreme, Reina certainly didn't want to end up with any embarrassing marks on her body.

Seeing Sasaki still mulling it over, she hurried him along.

"Stop hesitating! You already have multiple girlfriends, and I'm not even asking you to break up with her. Show a bit more confidence, will you?"

Playing with fire, aren't we?

Sasaki thought to himself, a bit amused by how freely she was offering herself.

It was the first time that Sasaki saw such a free gift.

Feeling strange in his heart, he sat up straight and stretched out his hand to her:

"Then... please give me your guidance from now on, Reina?"

Seeing how formal he was, Kurashiki Reina subconsciously straightened her back and stretched out her hand:

"..."

After a moment of hesitation, not knowing how to address her lover, she reverted to her usual manner, and said:

"Mm, nice to meet you... Fuyumi?"

"Yeah."

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