More Than a Married Couple, Not Lovers: If - Shiori Sakurazaka's Unrequited Love
Jirou Yakuin has one goal: earn an A Rank in the school's Marriage Training program and use his partner-swap privilege to reunite with his childhood friend, Shiori Sakurazaka—the girl he's loved for years but never confessed to. There's just one problem. His partner is Akari Watanabe, the class's flashiest gyaru, and the closer they get to A Rank, the less certain Jirou becomes that Shiori is really the one he wants.
But Shiori has a secret of her own. The quiet, gentle girl everyone adores has
More Than a Married Couple, Not Lovers: If - Shiori Sakurazaka's Unrequited Love - The despair of a B rank, and the other side of fingerprint authentication
The sky at month's end was impossibly high, and impossibly blue.
Thirty minutes had already passed since the after-school chime rang. The hallway was nearly empty, and the western sun slanting through the windows dyed the polished floor orange.
The bulletin board outside the faculty office.
Yakuin Jirou stood in front of it.
Short black hair. His bangs ran a little long, tending to hide his dark brown eyes. A hundred and seventy-two centimeters tall. His navy blazer, as always, was worn just a touch sloppily. His presence was thin. Not a single student walking the hallway noticed him—as if he weren't there at all.
Pinned to the board were the month-end evaluations for the marriage practicum.
S rank. A rank. B rank. C rank. D rank.
Pair names were listed in order from the top.
Jirou's gaze drifted slowly downward.
…B rank.
Beside the names "Yakuin Jirou / Watanabe Akari" was the letter B.
One step short of A rank.
His fingertips trembled faintly.
"...We were so close, too."
A voice came from beside him.
He turned. Watanabe Akari was standing there.
Pink long hair. Her inward-curled locks swayed above her shoulders. Big, bright brown eyes. Her flashy nails caught the sunset and glittered. Her blazer wrapped softly around her small frame.
"Five points. Just five points."
Akari pointed at the bulletin board.
Frustration bled into her voice.
"...Yeah."
Jirou answered briefly.
(Five points. ...That's on me.)
Last week's chore rotation. There'd been a day he skipped cleaning the bath. The deduction on the "cooperative housework" category was definitely from that day. Akari had done it alone while he lay on the sofa watching.
"It's not your fault, Jirou."
Akari peered into his face.
"I turned in the daily log late once too. We're even."
"...Still, though."
"It's fine! We just have to get it next time."
Akari grinned.
Her eyes curved into crescent moons.
But.
That smile was somehow different from Akari's usual one.
Her mouth was smiling, but her eyes weren't.
"Next time we're absolutely getting A rank. If it's us, we can do it, right?"
"...Yeah."
Jirou nodded.
(Next time, A rank. ...Then we get the pair-swap right.)
Sakurazaka Shiori's face surfaced in the corner of his mind.
Straight black hair worn long. A thin braid on the left side only. Lacking in confidence, shy with strangers, but with a smile that was incredibly cute—his childhood friend.
(With the pair-swap right, I could be with Shiori...)
He caught himself and shook his head.
(No—right now, that's not what matters.)
"Let's go home."
"Yeah."
Akari gave a small nod.
The two of them started walking down the hallway side by side.
The sunset cast long shadows across the floor.
The two shadows never touched.
That night.
The living room of the practicum apartment.
Jirou sat on the sofa, fiddling with his phone.
The marriage practicum evaluation app was open on the screen.
"Cooperative housework: 23/30"
"Household finances: 17/20"
"Mutual understanding: 15/20"
"Daily log: 12/15"
"Interview conduct: 13/15"
Eighty points total. B rank.
(Mutual understanding is low.)
Jirou stared at that category.
Mutual understanding. In other words, how well the pair understood each other.
(I don't know a thing about Akari.)
Not her favorite foods, not the ones she hated. Not her feelings for Minami either.
(I never even tried to know.)
He set the phone down on the sofa.
In the corner of the ceiling, the surveillance camera's red light blinked on and off.
This room was always being recorded.
As part of the marriage practicum, cameras were installed in the living room and kitchen. The bedrooms were separate. So were the bath and the toilet. Everywhere else was stored on the school's servers.
"...Hey."
Akari came back from the kitchen.
Two plastic bottles in her hands.
She held one out to Jirou.
"Thanks."
Jirou took it.
It was cold. The condensation wet his hand.
Akari sat down beside him.
The sofa sank a little.
The distance between them was about half a meter.
A sweet shampoo scent drifted from her hair.
"...Hey, Jirou."
Still gripping her bottle with both hands, Akari spoke.
"I want the pair-swap right."
Jirou's hand stopped halfway to the bottle cap.
"...Huh?"
He thought he'd misheard.
"I said, the pair-swap right. I want it."
Still facing forward, Akari said it again.
Her profile. Her long lashes cast shadows on her cheek.
"If we get A rank, we can swap pairs, right? ...I think I'd have a better shot at A rank paired with Minami-kun."
Her voice was bright.
Her usual, strong-willed voice.
But.
The bottle in her grip made a faint sound.
Plastic creaking under pressure.
"...Are you serious?"
Jirou looked at her face.
"Serious. I mean, I've always admired Minami-kun. ...I still like him."
Akari smiled.
Only her mouth.
Her eyes weren't smiling.
(She likes Minami.)
The words sank deep into his chest, heavy and dull.
(...Of course. Akari likes Minami.)
He'd known. He should have known.
From the very start, Akari had admired Minami. She'd paired with him in the first place so she could get A rank and become Minami's partner.
(I'm just a stepping stone for that.)
"...Do whatever you want."
That was what Jirou said.
His own voice sounded shockingly cold.
"If you want to pair with Minami, go ahead. I don't mind."
Akari's shoulders twitched.
"...What?"
She turned slowly toward him.
Her big brown eyes were wide open.
"...What did you just say?"
"I said do whatever you want. If you want to pair with Minami, I won't stop you."
Jirou looked away from her.
(No. That's not it.)
(I don't want her to go.)
(But I have no right to hold her back.)
(I like Shiori. Akari likes Minami. ...That's all there is to it.)
"...So that's how you feel."
Akari's voice was shaking.
"You'd be fine with me pairing up with Minami-kun?"
"...That's your decision to make."
Jirou opened his bottle.
A soft hiss.
"I'll respect your wishes. ...That's all."
"...I see."
Akari murmured quietly.
"I see. ...Yeah. I get it."
She stood up.
"Good night."
With that, Akari headed for her bedroom.
The fingerprint-locked door.
She stopped in front of it and pressed her finger to the panel.
Beep.
An electronic tone.
The door opened.
Akari went inside.
And then—
Slam!!
The door was shut violently.
The heavy sound echoed through the living room.
Jirou sat on the sofa, unable to move.
The bottle in his hand.
A drop of condensation ran down his finger and fell to the floor.
(...What am I even saying?)
Akari's shaking voice repeated in his head.
'So that's how you feel.'
(No. That's not it.)
(I don't want her to go.)
(But I don't have the right to say that.)
Jirou set the bottle on the table.
His palm was wet.
Cold.
The surveillance camera's red light blinked on in silence.
The next day.
After school.
The sky had been overcast since morning.
Gray clouds hung low, the air heavy with the promise of rain.
Watanabe Akari was on the rooftop.
The roof of Seishun Academy High School was technically off-limits. But the locks were poorly managed, and it had become a student hangout.
Beyond the fence stretched the cityscape of Hakata.
Far off, Hakata Bay.
The sea was the same gray as the sky.
"Watanabe."
She heard a voice and turned.
Tenjin Minami stood at the rooftop entrance.
Light brown mushroom cut. Clear gray eyes. Tall—a hundred and seventy-eight centimeters. A small piercing in his left ear. Even under the cloudy sky, his well-formed features stood out sharply.
"...Minami-kun."
Akari's voice cracked slightly.
Minami walked slowly toward her.
"Sorry for calling you out. ...I saw yesterday's results."
He stood beside her.
He rested a hand on the fence and looked down at the city.
"You got B rank, huh. So close."
"...Yeah."
Akari lowered her eyes.
"So, what did you want to talk about?"
"Yeah. ...I'll get straight to it."
Minami turned to face her.
His gray eyes looked straight at her.
"Why not pair up with me?"
Akari's breath stopped.
"...What?"
"I'm saying, if you get the pair-swap right, pair with me."
His voice was calm.
His usual gentle voice.
"Why... someone like me?"
Akari forced the words out.
"I'm not perfect at housework, and I've turned in the daily log late before. I'd just drag you down, Minami-kun."
"That's not true."
Minami smiled.
"I just thought pairing with you would be a plus for both of us. ...Besides."
He paused for a moment.
"...No, never mind."
He turned back toward the city.
His profile looked somehow lonely.
"You don't have to answer right away. The deadline's tomorrow, so think it over by then."
"...Let me think about it."
That was all Akari could manage.
"Got it. ...See you."
Minami gave a light wave and left the rooftop.
Akari was left alone.
The wind blew.
Her pink hair scattered.
(Pair with Minami-kun.)
(The person I've always admired.)
(The person I've always liked.)
(...And yet.)
Something stirred uneasily in her chest.
(Why doesn't it make me happy?)
Akari gripped the fence.
The cold feel of the iron.
(I'll talk to Jirou.)
Jirou's face rose in her mind.
(What would Jirou do? ...What would Jirou say?)
She left the rooftop.
Hurrying down the stairs.
Heading for the practicum apartment.
(I'll tell Jirou.)
(And then, surely, something...)
She repeated it to herself over and over.
The practicum apartment.
Living room.
Jirou sat on the sofa and turned off the TV.
The screen went black.
It was quiet.
Not a sound came from Akari's room.
(...We haven't really talked since yesterday.)
Even in the morning, Akari had left early.
They hadn't even seen each other's faces.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang.
Jirou rose sluggishly.
He opened the door.
"...I'm home."
Akari was standing there.
Pink hair. Bright brown eyes.
But her face wasn't the usual energetic Akari.
"...Welcome back."
Jirou said it and closed the door.
Akari came into the living room and sat on the sofa.
Jirou sat down too, a little distance away.
Silence.
A heavy silence.
"...So, um."
Akari spoke.
"Today, Minami-kun said something to me. ...He asked if I'd pair with him."
Jirou's chest tightened.
(Minami asked Akari.)
"...And?"
Jirou spoke, forcing down his emotions.
"What are you going to do?"
"...I don't know. That's why I thought I'd talk to you."
Akari looked at him.
"What do you think, Jirou? Should I pair with Minami-kun?"
Her eyes wavered.
A look that begged for help, anxious and uncertain.
(Stop.)
(Don't look at me like that.)
(You like Minami, don't you?)
(Then don't come to me about it.)
(I don't want to hear about your feelings.)
"...Just decide already."
Jirou's words came out cold.
"If Minami says he's fine with it, then go ahead. You don't need to consult me."
Akari's expression froze.
"...Why would you say that?"
Her voice began to tremble.
"I'm seriously struggling here. I wanted you to listen. ...So why are you being so cold?"
"Cold? I just said the obvious thing."
Jirou looked away from her.
"Who you pair with is none of my business. ...Right?"
"...It's not none of your business."
Akari stood up.
"It's not none of your business. We're marriage practicum partners. We've done everything together up till now. ...So don't say it's none of your business."
Her voice was wet with tears.
"...Akari."
Jirou said her name.
But the next words wouldn't come.
"You—"
Akari clenched her fists.
"I hate you!"
She shouted.
And then she bolted from the living room.
The fingerprint-locked door.
Beep.
Slam!!
The door was shut even more violently than the day before.
Jirou sat on the sofa, unable to move.
(...I have to go after her.)
He knew that, in his head.
(I have to apologize. ...I have to tell her that's not what I meant.)
But.
His legs wouldn't move.
Heavy, as if filled with lead.
"...Damn it."
Jirou slammed his fist against his own thigh.
It hurt.
But the pain pulled him back to reality.
(I did it again.)
(I hurt Akari.)
'Do w
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