Lucas Amaki brought Gotoh Hitori into the amusement park little by little.
There were just too many people.
Gotoh Hitori's social anxiety flared up again.
She walked into the amusement park, trembling.
"Gotoh-san, relax. You don't have to worry."
Lucas Amaki spoke gently.
"But… but… Amaki-san… there are really so many people here…"
Gotoh Hitori's breathing became irregular and her voice gradually weakened.
Lucas held his forehead helplessly and gently patted Gotoh Hitori's shoulder.
"It's okay, Gotoh-san. Just follow me."
Lucas grabbed her wrist and led her somewhere full of nostalgia—
Yes, the carousel.
He looked at it fondly, as if recalling his childhood.
That day was just like this one. It was a weekend, and because his test scores had been good, his mother had taken him to the amusement park.
Today, things were different. This time, he was the one bringing someone.
But their relationship was a little… ambiguous.
"Gotoh-san, come on and try it. It's not as scary as you think."
Lucas said with a smile.
"But… but, Amaki-san, I still…"
Gotoh Hitori's voice became more and more unclear.
This was her first time at an amusement park, and she wasn't familiar with anything.
The only people she was close to were her sister, mother, father, her guitar, and Lucas Amaki…
"It's okay, Gotoh-san. Come on up. I'm right here with you. Don't be afraid."
"Amaki-san…"
Lucas gently pulled her toward the carousel and went to insert coins into the machine.
He got onto the ride and sat in front of Gotoh Hitori.
"Guests, ready to start?"
The staff asked.
"Yes."
Lucas responded.
The carousel began turning slowly, bit by bit.
Lucas smiled and turned to look at Gotoh Hitori.
"See? I told you not to be afraid."
"But… but, Amaki-san, why is it… getting faster?"
"Huh?"
Lucas noticed it too—the carousel was speeding up, almost reaching the pace of a bicycle.
"What's going on with this carousel?"
The increasing speed made Gotoh Hitori feel more and more uneasy.
She'd never done anything like this before.
To her, it was just like when Kitahara Iori said she wanted to "go crazy."
She nervously hugged Lucas from behind.
Right now, only he could give her a sense of safety.
Lucas felt her arms wrap around him. He wasn't surprised—he just smiled faintly.
Even if someone has social anxiety, they deserve to be treated sincerely.
You can't use their anxiety as an excuse to be half-hearted.
Time passed quickly. The ride ended and the carousel gradually stopped.
Lucas smiled warmly.
"Gotoh-san, you can let go now."
"S-sorry, Amaki-san. I hugged you without permission."
Gotoh Hitori apologized quickly, afraid she'd upset him.
But why would he be mad at her?
"It's no big deal. If anyone ever bullies you, I'll protect you."
"W-why?"
"Because we're a (fake) couple.
Even if it's fake, I'll still protect you."
Gotoh Hitori didn't know how to respond. She just nodded shyly.
"Well, let's go to the next attraction."
"O-okay."
——
And so, their quiet, ordinary date came to an end.
Late at night, Gotoh Hitori wrote about it in her diary.
"Today was the first time I went out with a classmate.
Even though Amaki-san and I are in a relationship… it's not a real one.
Amaki-san is a very special person.
When I didn't know what to do, he helped me.
He's a really special person."
"September 3rd."
Gotoh Hitori put down her pen and looked at what she'd written.
Her face slowly turned red.
She didn't know why she'd written that.
But… Amaki-san really is nice.
***
At that moment, Lucas Amaki's phone vibrated. He nearly dropped his toothbrush.
He rinsed his mouth, put the toothbrush in its cup, grabbed a towel, and wiped his face.
Then he checked his phone.
He thought it was a message from Gotoh Hitori—
But it was from the drummer.
He lost interest and tossed the phone aside.
Since he hadn't opened it, it wouldn't show as "read" anyway.
A moment later, Ijichi Nijika sent several more messages:
"You said you'd make a group chat. Where is it?"
Lucas picked up the phone again and immediately remembered.
He unlocked it and replied:
"Sorry, I got a bit busy today and forgot."
"No worries."
"Wait a sec, I'll make it now."
Lucas exited that conversation and opened Gotoh Hitori's chat.
"Gotoh-san, I'm going to add you to a group chat. You remember Ijichi Nijika from this morning, right?"
At that moment, Gotoh Hitori was just opening her laptop to check feedback on her music post on Bluebird.
She saw Lucas's message and nervously opened LINE.
Gotoh Hitori, what are you scared of?
It's just an online chat—not real life.
You can do this!
She clicked the message.
[Read]
[I… I remember.]
Ahh, Gotoh Hitori, why are you even nervous chatting online?
[Good, I'll make the group now.]
Lucas created a group chat and invited Gotoh Hitori and Nijika.
[You invited "(Fake Girlfriend) Gotoh Hitori" to the group chat]
[You invited "Ijichi Nijika" to the group chat]
"Huh? Why does this look like a QQ invite?"
"Whatever."
[@Ijichi Nijika Okay, you guys can talk now.]
[Thanks!]
Nijika excitedly waved her phone.
Her band was almost complete—only a lead singer was missing now.
Her older sister, Ijichi Seika, looked at her indifferently, not getting what she was so excited about.
But she didn't ask. If Nijika was happy, that was enough.
Big sister's pride~
[@Gotoh Hitori Gotoh-chan, have you really decided to join my band?]
Gotoh Hitori didn't know how to respond.
She froze.
[U-uhm… yes!]
It was the only answer she could give.
Just then, Lucas messaged again:
[Gotoh Hitori can join, but only if you let me come too. I'll be the band's manager—though I'll probably only look after Gotoh Hitori.]
[Sure!]
Then Nijika quickly pulled Yamanaka Ryo into the group chat.
[@Yamanaka Ryo Ryo-chan, we found our third band member!]
Ryo stared at her phone, confused.
What just happened?
[Nijika, maybe you could explain?]
[No need, I'll tell you tomorrow.]
Lucas left the group chat and returned to messaging Gotoh Hitori.
[Gotoh-san, do you want me to bring you some fried chicken to school tomorrow?]
[I-I'd like that.]
[Okay, it's getting late. Get some sleep.]
[Good night.]
[Good night, Amaki-san.]
But Gotoh Hitori couldn't sleep.
It was the first time she had ever told someone good night.
It felt… wonderful.
Just as Lucas was about to go to bed, his phone rang again.
It was his mom.
"Hey, Mom. What's up?"
"What else? I'm calling to ask how your date went."
"It was fine. Gotoh-san was really cute today."
"Of course she was. I'm the one who chose her to be my daughter-in-law!"
"Okay, okay, I'm going to sleep now. I need to wake up early to make fried chicken for Gotoh-san."
"Alright, kid. Sleep tight."
"Good night, Mom."
Lucas put his phone down and whispered to himself—
"Good night, Gotoh-san."
And far away, Gotoh Hitori murmured—
"Good night, Amaki-san…
See you tomorrow, Amaki…-san."
***
Early in the morning, a ray of sunlight streamed through the window.
Lucas Amaki reached over and turned off the ringing alarm clock.
He got dressed and went to wash up.
In the kitchen, he opened the fridge and pulled out a pack of chicken nuggets.
"This should be enough for her."
He poured oil into the pot and slowly heated it, gauging the temperature with care.
On the counter, he laid out starch, eggs, and breadcrumbs in order.
Then he went through the familiar steps one by one—
Coating, frying, draining—until at last, nearly an hour later, golden nuggets were resting neatly in a lunchbox.
He opened his school bag and tucked the box inside.
"All done."
After double-checking everything, Lucas headed out.
Since the school wasn't far, he didn't need to rush.
After a leisurely walk, he arrived on campus.
Soon he stepped into the classroom.
Many students were already seated, and Gotoh Hitori had arrived early as well.
Lucas greeted everyone who called out to him, then walked to his seat and sat down.
He noticed Gotoh Hitori slumped over her desk, looking as soft and lazy as a kitten basking in the sun.
If he hadn't known about her social anxiety, he might've thought she really was just that relaxed.
Lucas poked her gently.
"Gotoh-san."
Hearing his voice, Gotoh Hitori jolted upright in surprise.
"A-Amaki-san! O-ohayo…"
"Ohayo," Lucas replied with a smile.
He shrugged off his backpack, unzipped it, and pulled out the lunchbox.
"Have you eaten yet?" he asked, setting it on her desk.
"N-no… not yet."
Gotoh Hitori rarely ate breakfast—she lived far from school and didn't have the habit.
"Perfect. Here, it's for you."
Lucas nudged the lunchbox closer.
"Ah… Actually, you don't have to, Amaki-san—"
She tried to push it back.
"Hm? You can't skip breakfast. If your mom found out, she'd definitely disapprove."
Lucas spoke with mock seriousness, even invoking her mother.
"I-I'll eat, Amaki-san. Don't be mad…"
Gotoh Hitori quietly accepted the box.
As she opened it, the warm, savory smell of fried chicken drifted out.
Inside were neatly packed, golden-brown nuggets.
Her stomach grumbled softly.
"I remembered when we went out—you said you liked fried chicken nuggets.
I asked if I should make some, and you said yes.
So here they are."
Lucas sat beside her, speaking gently.
"Eat up. You'll need energy for class."
"Th-thank you, Amaki-san…"
Gotoh Hitori murmured with a small smile.
Their quiet exchange didn't go unnoticed.
The entire class had been watching them.
To the onlookers, it looked like a newlywed couple having a sweet morning moment.
Gradually, whispers spread through the room.
"See? I told you—someone in this class was bound to start dating. I just didn't think the top student would be first."
"Right? I felt it when we started school. Can't believe it's actually happening!"
"Hey, stop gawking. At least be subtle when you spy on someone's love life."
"Even if she's shy, Goto-san is super cute. And Amaki-san's good-looking and kind. They're totally made for each other."
"I 100% agree with that!"
Hearing her classmates gossip, Gotoh Hitori started to feel overwhelmed.
She shrank in her seat, her appetite fading.
"A-Amaki-san… I'm sorry… I dragged you into this."
She spoke timidly, barely above a whisper.
Lucas looked at her and chuckled softly.
"Don't worry. This won't be the last time people talk."
He gently reached out and patted her head.
Gotoh Hitori blinked up at him, surprised, but didn't pull away.
Her face turned a soft shade of pink.