Chapter 4

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

## Summary

Jirō is sick in bed when he receives a message from Akari telling him to open the door when she arrives because she forgot her keys. He groans at how bossy she is even though he's ill.

He lies awake, thinking about how, in just three weeks of Akari and him being a fake couple, they have already earned enough points to get them a B rank. He recalls how Akari left him to hang out with her friends despite knowing that he had a fever. He thinks that if it were Shiori, she would have probably been kind enough to nurse him back to health. He then starts to daydream of how Shiori would be spoon-feeding him some porridge. He tries to snap out of it and then goes back to thinking that even though he and Akari were a fake couple, she should still be with him since he's sick in bed.

The doorbell rings and Jirō is suddenly getting happy at the thought of Akari coming back earlier than expected. When he opens the door, however, instead of Akari, he sees Shiori.

At a cafe, Akari is hanging out with two of her friends. She is lost in thought when her friend calls her attention for not listening. She apologizes for daydreaming. Natsumi wonders if something happened or if something was troubling her because even though Akari was the one who invited them, her head is in the clouds. They tell her how worried they have been since she has been going home earlier than usual. As an excuse, Akari tells them that her dog at home caught a cold and that she's worried.

Back at home, Jirō tells Shiori how surprised he is that she's there. She tells him that Akari had messaged her to take care of him. Jirō silently thanks Akari for sending Shiori to nurse him back to health. Jirō blushes and thinks that being taken care of by a cute girl like Shiori will surely make any guy like him misunderstand.

He recalls a time back in middle school when he and Shiori had such a misunderstanding. In a flashback, Shiori told Jirō that she would be transferring to a private school due to her parents' work. He had planned on confessing to her. He thought that they probably wouldn't meet again, so even if he got rejected, he'd be able to move on from his unrequited love. As he was about to confess, Shiori interrupted him and asked if he would still be her friend. He answered with a promise that nothing would change between them. At that moment, he became afraid and changed his mind about confessing, although in the end, he was glad that he didn't.

Shiori interrupts his thoughts and asks Jirō if he was well enough to eat the porridge that she made for him. He thanks the heavens for having been given the opportunity to fulfill his daydream of being fed by Shiori. However, instead of being spoon-fed, Shiori asks Jirō if he can eat the food himself. He curses himself for getting his hopes up.

As Shiori is washing Jirō's bowl, Jirō tells Shiori how luck Minami must be to be able to eat her homemade food every day. She tells him that they take turns in cooking their meals. He says that Akari would be thrilled to know that. He states that since he's a terrible cook, Akari does all the cooking by herself, but he does help around the house doing other chores.

Shiori quietly remarks that it's great how Jirō and Akari are getting along fine. Jirō tells Shiori that he saw her and Minami in last place. He offers to help her with anything she needs to increase their rank, although in his mind he knows that he's only offering to help her for selfish reasons—because he wants to be her roommate.

Shiori admits that she isn't good with acting like a couple. Even thinking about it makes her nervous and she ends up distancing herself from Minami. Hearing her say this makes Jirō feel guilty that he's relieved. Shiori suddenly says that it would be nice if Jirō was her husband. She feels flustered and tries to change the subject. Jirō grabs her hand and declares that that is possible, especially if it's her. He tells Shiori that he believes in her and guarantees that she'll succeed. He realizes that he grabbed Shiori's hand and lets go immediately. He curses himself once more for being overconfident but thinks that this is his only chance to have Shiori's attention. A little while later, Shiori finds that Jirō has fallen asleep. She kneels down and leans in to take a closer look.

Back at the cafe, Akari's friends are talking about Natsumi's boyfriend. Akari pretends to be listening, but they notice that she's still distracted. They think that it's not just about her dog and that she should share with them, but Akari brushes it off. They suggest that she's distracted because of Minami's placing for the practical. Her two friends start to talk about Minami and Shiori, as well as Akari and Jirō's relationship. All Akari could do was give them a one-word answer, which surprises her friends.

Back at home, Shiori is still leaning over Jirō. She also remembers the time back in middle school when Jirō promised her that nothing would change between them. She tried to invite Jirō over to her new place and made plans to hang out with him. However, Jirō suddenly apologized and left, saying that he had to do something. She viewed that moment as their farewell and she thought that they would never see each other again. She wonders if Jirō would actually listen to her until the end if she gives it her all this time around.

Later that evening, Akari is taking a shower. She practices what she is going to say to Jirō about Shiori visiting him earlier. Before she could say anything, Jirō calls her and says thank you for calling Shiori to take care of him. He tells Akari that they should work hard as a couple and that he will be helping her get closer to Minami. He further adds that Akari made him experience a blissful dream and thanks her once again. Akari congratulates him, although she wonders to herself why she feels so irritated.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

Shiori Sakurazaka
Akari Watanabe
Jirō Yakuin
Natsumi Ōhashidebut
Unnamed Frienddebut
Ryō Natsumi's boyfriend / mentioned

Minami Tenjinmentioned
## Chapter Notes

* Jirō has fallen sick and Shiori arrives unexpectedly to take care of him.
* Akari's friends are introduced. One of them is named Natsumi.
* Shiori reveals that the reason for why she earned a low score on the practical was because of her inability to interact with male acquaintances.
* After hinting to Jirō that she would want to be partnered with him, he encourages Shiori to try harder by telling her that he will be supporting her.
* A flashback of Jirō and Shiori's past is shown.
	+ The flashback was at the moment that Jirō learned that Shiori was moving away.
	+ Jirō intended to confess to her that day but stopped when Shiori asked if they could still be friends even if they were apart from each other.
* Jirō deduced that Akari was the one who contacted Shiori to take care of him and Akari confirms.
* Jirō thanks her and tells her that he will be working hard so that she and Minami can be together but Akari feels irritated over his words.