While Hiromi Kato was stewing over it,
Megumi 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 name, 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?!"
"Megumi, 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.
Megumi 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 time 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" moment with someone like Rei Ao—even if it was just an act…
"Sis."
Megumi 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 members 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 message.
She directly @-mentioned that one, singular name.
Hiromi Kato: "@Rei Ao, Rei Ao, do you… have time tomorrow?"
The chat, quiet a moment ago, instantly lit up.
Eriri: "Huh? Hiromi-nee? What do you need Rei Ao for?"
She remembered Hiromi and Rei Ao weren't exactly at the "casually set a time" stage.
Sayuri: "Hiromi-san, do you need help with something?"
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 something unusual.
Seeing the rapid replies, Hiromi's cheeks warmed, 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 Megumi's idea. She thinks Rei Ao is a good fit…"
Megumi Kato: "Mm. I suggested it."
Megumi confirmed it, as brief as ever.
The chat rippled.
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "Heh… 'pretend boyfriend'? A classic, with room for imagination."
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "And Megumi's magnanimity is… astonishing."
Her words carried their usual layered meaning.
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 harassment? Unacceptable."
Shizuka Hiratsuka: "Want me 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 messier misunderstandings."
Yukino Yukinoshita: "For Rei Ao, stopping your coworker's harassment should be simple—perhaps even a single sentence would suffice."
Yukino Yukinoshita: "Why choose an inefficient method 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 someone would be easy.
Maybe just a hint, or some 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 assessment first.
Rei Ao: "If the goal is to make that man disappear from your sight or drop the idea entirely, it really would take me 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 Megumi's plan and 'pretend' to be your boyfriend?"
~~~
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