Chapter 6

This is the sixth and final chapter of the first volume and the sixth chapter overall of the More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers manga series written by Yūki Kanamaru.

## Summary

Akari seduces Jirō and asks him how often he thinks of doing "that" with her. Jirō gets flustered and half-heartedly asks her to stop. Akari grabs his hand and guides it to the sleeve of her shirt. Jirō wonders if this is how he'll lose his virginity, but he grabs Akari by the shoulders and stops her. He tells her that she should only do these things with the person she likes.

While Jirō wonders why he's turning Akari's advances down, Akari asks him if he dislikes it. He doesn't say no, but answers that Akari already has Minami. Akari concludes that Jirō also has Shiro, so they should just stop acting like a couple.

A few days pass, and at school, Sadaharu hurries to Jirō. In a panic, he informs Jirō that their end-of-month practical evaluation was just posted. Shiori and Minami are now at 8th place, while Jirō and Akari are at dead last, with zero points. Sadaharu asks him what happened, but Jirō is unable to answer, only replaying the events of that day in his head. He wonders what he should have done. He thought that Akari was just teasing him, but he remembers how Akari's hands were cold and shaking, and how she looked confused and nervous.

The two friends run into Shiori who asks to speak with Jirō. They go to the school rooftop so they could speak privately. Shiori asks him if there was something wrong between he and Akari. Jirō admits that he and Akari had a quarrel because he had a misunderstanding about her. He had assumed that Akari was an easy girl, but remembering how Akari looked that day, made him think that she might not be how he assumed her to be. He tells Shiori that it might be too late to apologize now. Shiori tells him that Akari might be understanding of him so he should try. Jirō thanks her for noticing that he was in a bind and leaves ahead. As Shiori looks on, she says that she could tell that Jirō was troubled and that she was jealous.

Jirō is now home and announces his arrival. He sees his dinner in clingwrap and their practical score of zero. He is now determined to make things right with Akari and knocks at her door. She lets him in, but she keeps on ignoring him. He starts to apologize, but Akari interrupts his apology, saying it's not really his fault because she also chose to idle around. She starts fuming when Jirō insists that it's his fault.

Jirō asks her to listen to him without getting angry. He explains that he was being a delusional guy and proceeds to thank her for the experience that day. She gets angry once more at his insensitivity, being that he's in a room alone with her so he shouldn't talk about those things. Jirō starts getting serious, saying that he doesn't know why he stopped her that day, but that they should treat doing "that" more seriously. He hates how awkward their situation has gotten, but he hopes that they get back to how they used to be. He wants to talk to her normally and eat with her again, so he hopes that she'll give him another chance.

Jirō realizes that he sounds like someone who is proposing to her, so he gets flustered, explaining that he merely meant that in the context of the practical. Akari laughs at how he's fumbling with his words and starts teasing him. She them tells him that she might actually be enjoying their couple life together. She grabs him and pulls him towards her. She tells him that she kind of likes him. Jirō looks into her eyes and brushes the hair off her face. He braces for a kiss but ends up kissing his own hands. Akari smiles at him mischievously, saying that the mood and timing weren't right. She then welcomes him back. They now have to start from the beginning to build up their points for the practical.

After Jirō leaves, Akari nervously blushes, knowing that she had let it slip that she likes him.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

Jirō Yakuin
Akari Watanabe
Unnamed Classmate
Shiori Sakurazaka
Minami Tenjin
## Chapter Notes

* Akari attempts to seduce Jirō, but he turns down her advances. He tells her that he can't do it because she likes Minami.
* Akari tells Jirō that they should stop being a couple and in the next days, she becomes cold towards him.
* Shiori and Minami improved to A-Rank on the practical but Jirō and Akari fell to E-Rank.
* Shiori figures that Jirō and Akari aren't in good terms, so she encourages him to make up with her.
* Jirō takes the first step by proposing to Akari that they start over and be each other's partner. Akari accepts and they start with a score of zero once again.
* Akari calls Jirō by his given name for the first time.