"...I don't have a girlfriend, though"

Do you have a girlfriend?

I wasn't asking for any deep reason; I was just curious about high school dating these days.

Akira-kun was staring at me intently, his eyebrows slanting in a worried shape.

"...I don't have a girlfriend, though"

After a brief pause, the expression on his face as he said it seemed a little troubled.

"...I was asked the same thing by someone in my class today, too"

He's not the kind of kid who would lie, so it must be true. Maybe he's just exasperated at being asked the same thing.