TPCF 09

Chapter 9

“What? Why not? It’s not even that hard.”

Lilliana clung stubbornly to Rutger’s sleeve. He frowned and shook her off with an annoyed look.

“Not that hard? And why exactly do I have to pretend to be your boyfriend?”

“Not boyfriend! Just a guy who’s hitting on me!”

“What’s the difference?!”

“So that senpai will notice me! I read that guys tend to be interested in girls who are popular with other guys.”

“Ha. Who told you that?”

“Hament Ayla.”

“Who’s that?”

“The author of The Handbook for a Perfect Romance.”

“Seriously? Just burn that book. It’s absolute trash.”

Rutger scoffed.

“Trash? But that book also predicted that you’re interested in Anita Rodel.”

“That’s…”

“I read that in the book too, you know? So? Are you starting to see the bigger picture now? You help me, and I help you. Everybody wins.”

“Let’s say I play the role of the clingy loser who won’t leave you alone. Then Anita would believe it too.”

“Nope! Duh. Just like guys like girls who are popular, it’s the same for girls. If it looks like you’re doing well with another girl, Anita Rodel will start looking at you differently.”

He kept calling it nonsense without any basis, yet his hand that had been trying to push Lilliana away was gradually weakening. Lilliana noticed—and the corners of her lips lifted subtly.

Anita Rodel, completely worn out, slightly modified her strategy. Instead of avoiding Rutger Baillan, she decided to simply pretend not to see him even if they met. It was strange how often they ran into each other on such a large campus, but they did go to the same school, and it wasn’t realistic to avoid him forever.

Besides, Rutger…

She wouldn’t let it bother her anymore. He was allowed to date someone. What did that have to do with her? It wasn’t even surprising—Rutger had dated plenty of girls in the past.

Unrequited love is, by nature, unreciprocated and unwelcome. Anita had known that from the start, so there was no one to blame now.

“Uh… hi?”

Even though she’d mentally prepared herself, seeing it in person was not a pleasant experience. The girl clinging to Rutger’s arm with a triumphant air, and Rutger himself, whose face clearly showed his discomfort.

With eyes dark and heavy, Anita stared at the two for a brief moment before looking away.

“Anita! Perfect timing. We’re about to get dinner. Want to come with us?”

At the girl’s voice, Anita lifted her gaze from the ground. Lilliana, with her cheerful tone and inviting smile, was pretty—even to another woman like Anita. Her face bore no resemblance to the girls Rutger had dated before. In fact, none of Rutger’s past girlfriends had any particular pattern.

Which made Anita wonder—maybe Rutger’s only real preference was that they had to be women.

And clearly, Anita Rodel didn’t fall into that category.

“Sorry. I’ve got an assignment due today.”

“Oh come on, you said that yesterday too. Your professor must be really strict. You should transfer to our department.”

Lilliana laughed lightly, and for the first time, Rutger looked like he might join the conversation. Until now, he’d kept his mouth shut and left all the talking to his “girlfriend,” but he finally spoke up.

“Anita’s hopeless when it comes to art. Ever since she was little, the only thing she could do was read.”

Anita had no way to deny it. As usual, she had a book tucked under her arm.

As she fumbled for a response, Rutger launched another verbal grenade.

“Let’s go. You should take a break from studying and do something different for once.”

Did he mean that “something different” should be eating with a couple on a date? Anita could easily imagine herself awkwardly third-wheeling through the meal. Just picturing it made her stomach feel like it was full of stones.

“I’m on a diet.”

Even to herself, her voice sounded cold. Rutger seemed to notice it too—his large frame flinched.

“And you—did you write to Mrs. Baillan yet? I mean, really…”

Anita trailed off mid-sentence. Bringing up Rutger’s mom in front of his girlfriend made it sound like she was bragging about her closeness with his family. Even though getting letters from Mrs. Baillan asking about her son was a bit exhausting, this wasn’t the time to bring it up.

In fact, she’d had enough experience saying the wrong thing and getting into awkward conflicts with his girlfriends over it. Anita shut her mouth tight.

Even when a man and woman insisted they were just friends, people were always suspicious. And in Anita’s case, she’d openly had feelings for him—so there was no excuse at all. That’s why she didn’t even dare to talk to him in public. The only comfort was that they lived next door.

“Mrs. Baillan? Rutger, you don’t even talk to your parents?”

Rutger said nothing, only rolled his eyes. As Lilliana scolded him and turned back toward Anita—

Anita was already gone.

“See? It worked! I think Anita’s interested in you too. Her face was all gloomy!”

“……”

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You’re really something. You seem like a total con artist. Just stop.”

“What? A con artist?! Hah! You think you can win over Anita without my help?”

Lilliana placed her hands on her hips and shouted proudly.

“You just said she looked like she was interested in me.”

“Sorry, but just because two people are interested in each other doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed to work out.”

“And when does that happen?”

Rutger squinted at her suspiciously, making Lilliana stumble over her words.

“Well, uh… when both people are really shy, or… maybe…”

“……”

When Rutger crossed his arms, Lilliana gave a big sigh, resigning herself to whatever came next.