Actually, the Hungry Gyaru Who Eats a Lot Was Being Cheated On, so I Decided to Win Her Heart (And Stomach) From Her Jerk Boyfriend - 13

Chapter 13: Blame Everything on the Rain

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

My bad hunch turned out to be right. I gritted my teeth as I pulled Kushina away from Yamachi.

“I didn’t think things would progress in this way, but… It’s a good thing I decided to follow you two.”

“You…! The one at the café earlier…!”

Yamachi stared at me, his mouth agape in shock. Right. I was seated close to them, so it was only natural for him to remember seeing me at the café. However, judging from his reaction, it seemed he didn’t know who I was. 

“Who cares about me. More importantly, let her go already.”

“What? Why the hell should I listen to you? You’re the one who needs to back off from Shizuku. This is our problem, not yours.”

“Our problem, huh…”

He’s right about that. 

That was precisely why I had been careful not to do anything directly regarding Kushina and Yamachi’s relationship, even back at the café earlier. But now, their problem had reached a point where I could no longer ignore. If I continued to stand by and watch, Kushina would be hurt. 

And…

“How shameless. Didn’t you two just break up?”

“We haven’t broken up yet. Listen, if you don’t want to get hurt, you’d better disappear from my sight.”

Yamachi grabbed my collar. His voice was low and menacing. From his intimidating aura alone, I could tell he was ready to hit me if provoked. 

“…If that can make you feel better, go ahead. But in exchange, I’ll make sure everyone at school knows you tried to force her into a hotel.”

I said firmly and Yamachi’s eyes widened in shock.

“What the hell are you talking about…!?”

I pulled Kushina to stay behind me and then, I pulled up my phone and showed the screen to Yamachi. The video of him grabbing Kushina’s wrist and trying to drag her into the hotel was being played. Although the video was taken from some distance, but anyone could tell the person dragging Kushina was Yamachi. There was no way he could feign innocence. 

“You…! You’re recording us in secret! Not to mention, you’re stalking us too! You disgust me, you criminal!”

“Say whatever you want. If I’m a criminal, then so are you. So? What’s it going to be? Will you escalate this even further and sink together with me? Or will you swear you will never approach her again and walk away from here quietly? You have two options. Choose wisely.”

“Tch…! Don’t get cocky, you shithead!”

“…Who’s the one getting cocky here? Don’t you get it? I have the upper hand with this evidence, Yamachi.”

I put extra emphasis on his name and Yamachi’s expression twisted in shock. He opened and closed his mouth several times before glaring at me and Kushina with clear hostility. 

“Oi! Shizuku! So you really have another guy behind my back, huh? You’ve been cheating on me, huh? You liar!”

He spat the words out, shouting angrily. The force of his outburst made Kushina’s body tremble, noticeable enough for me to know even though she was hiding behind my back. In that instant, a searing rage, almost on the level of hatred, boiled up deep within me. 

You… You of all people have no right to…!

“Hey! Say something, Shizuku—mngh?!”

“Shut up already.”

Driven by a fury I had never felt before, I grabbed Yamachi’s cheeks, silencing him. His grip on my collar weakened and in turn, I became the one restraining his movement instead.

“You, of all people, have no right to say that…!!”

You’re the one who cheated on Kushina first and yet, you’re the one feigning ignorance. Acting like you are righteous, ignoring your own sins! And then…You betrayed her hope on you. You hurt her over and over again. 

Recalling the night when Kushina cried, rage and disgust began bubbling inside of me. My body felt hot, even my fingertips felt hot. I glanced briefly at the hotel building and a sudden realization hit me. I leaned closer to whisper into Yamachi’s ear. I lowered my voice so Kushina wouldn’t hear. 

“By the way… You came to this same hotel last week, didn’t you? With that girl from Class 4.”

“Wha—!? Y-You…!”

“Bullseye, huh? Consider this as my final mercy to you. I will keep this fact from Kushina, so you better get lost. Don’t ever go near her again unless… You want me to expose everything.”

Well, she already knew about your infidelity a long time ago though. 

However, threatening him like this would make him more compliant. If he truly believed his affair hadn’t been exposed yet, that would trigger the instinct to keep it hidden at all costs. I was well aware that I was being lenient to him. I could expose all of his misdeeds without giving him a chance. In fact, I’d love to do that right now, but… 

That’s not what Kushina wants. 

Keeping Yamachi’s misdeeds a secret wouldn’t benefit her in any way, but still. I wanted to respect her wishes. 

I pulled my hand from Yamachi’s cheeks and shoved him away and then, I grabbed Kushina’s arm and quickly left the scene. Yamachi, who lost his balance, fell to the ground pathetically. He reached his hand out to Kushina, but in the end, he could only sit there, stunned in silence. He couldn’t even stand up on his own. 

After leaving the love hotel district, the heavy rain finally began to dissipate. The gray sky regained just a hint of its brightness.

The sky should clear up by evening. 

I thought to myself as I turned my attention to my back. 

Yamachi is not following us…

Relieved by that, I bowed deeply to Kushina. 

“I’m sorry.”

“…Huh?”

Her eyes widened in surprise. It seemed she didn’t expect I would apologize to her. 

“I didn’t step in right away and because of that, you ended up feeling scared. I’m truly sorry for that.”

I could’ve intervened much earlier. I had also predicted that Yamachi was trying to drag Kushina into the hotel based on the direction they were going. I knew that and yet… I let Yamachi do as he pleased. And this was the result of my action. Even though I did all that so Yamachi wouldn’t have a chance to turn his blade on Kushina, but still. My action caused Kushina to experience that dreadful fear. I had no one else to blame but myself. 

Silence ensued between us. Only the soft patter of the rain could be heard. It was a few seconds… Or maybe several seconds until Kushina finally spoke. 

“…Why are you apologizing, Suou-kun?”

She was looking down, her voice trembling as she forced the words out.

“None of this is Suou-kun’s fault. In fact, you actually saved me. The one at fault is Takashi and… Me, for following him blindly without doubting him.”

“…No, that’s not true—”

“It’s true! If I had been more cautious, none of this would have happened. You wouldn’t have had to intervene either!”

Kushina stared at me as she shouted. Her eyes were welling up with tears. It was clear to see she was trying her hardest not to cry. Seeing her crying so miserably like that made my heart ache, as if I was being pierced by a sharp blade. 

“I’m really stupid… I’m sorry. I’m really sorry…”

And maybe… This pain was the reason why…

I took off the hat I was wearing on Kushina’s head and pulled it down low so her face could stay hidden. Confused by my sudden action, Kushina tilted her head to the side. 

“I told you, didn’t I? You don’t need to worry about me. After all, I’m just tagging along on my own accord.”

“…Suou-kun.”

Once again, Kushina looked up at me. Though her expression was hidden by the brim of the hat, I could tell she was pursing her lips together tightly. She was trying her hardest to hold back, so she wouldn’t cross that final line. However, she obviously couldn’t hold everything in. The more she bottled it up, the harder it would become. 

“If you’re going to cry, then cry as much as you want. Besides, the rain is not going to stop anytime soon.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that…?”

“I mean… No one’s going to notice that you’ve been crying. You can hide your tears in this rain. I’m not seeing anything and I’m not hearing anything either. You can blame everything on the rain.”

Deep down in my heart, I didn’t want to see Kushina crying again. But right now, it was more important for her to release all the pent-up pain that she had bottled up inside. I looked up at the sky. The rain was becoming stronger again. 

The sudden downpour hammered down on us, blurring our surroundings into a white mist. All sounds were drowned out by the sound of the heavy downpour. 

It was as if the rain was covering her tears and washing away her suffering. 

Kushina crouched down and then, she wailed. She cried loudly and the heavy rain never ceased no matter how long she cried.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー