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 - 3

Chapter 3: The Hungry Gyaru Is Actually a Pacifist

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Two days later, in the morning. I was fiddling with my smartphone in the classroom after that incident on the weekend. I found myself pondering what should I do with the video I had filmed in the love hotel district the other day. It was an irrefutable proof Yamachi’s infidelity. If I were to post it on social media or share it in our school group chat, there was no doubt Yamachi and Katagiri’s reputation would be ruined… Or maybe something worse would happen. But doing so, would also mean revealing to the public that Kushina had been cheated on by her boyfriend. Regardless of the infidelity, I was still an outsider. Someone like me didn’t have the right to meddle in someone else’s relationship. At the very least, I shouldn’t do anything until I knew Kushina’s stance on this. 

Right after I came to my final conclusion, Kushina entered the classroom. 

“Ah, Shizuku! Morning!~ So you’re still alive, huh?~”

Kushina returned her classmate’s joking greeting with a smile and joined her group of friend.

“Huh?~ What’s with that?~ So sudden~ I’m totally alive, you know?”

“I mean, you didn’t reply to my LINE over the weekend.”

“…Ah, sorry, sorry. My phone got drenched in water on Saturday. It’s totally broken now. I didn’t know about your message. I’m still trying to get a new phone now.”

“Whoa, seriously?! What a complete disaster!~”

“I know, right?~ I’m definitely getting a new one today. I just need to tough it out until then.”

Good. From the way she was acting, it seemed she had recovered from the incident on Saturday. I sighed in relief in secret, but then, my gaze happened to meet with Kushina’s. She immediately broke into a big smile and waved her arms enthusiastically.

“Suou-kuuuun! Morning! Thank you for the other day!~”

“…Yeah.”

I raised one hand and gave her a quick reply. The girls in her group immediately looked at Kushina. Their curiosity was palpable, probably because they never expected Kushina would try to interact with me. 

“What’s this? What’s this? Did something happen with Suou?”

“Hmm… Kinda. Errr… How do I explain it… He… He helped me out? Yeah. Something like that.”

“Wow… Suou did? That’s… Kind of surprising to be honest. I mean, I always thought he’s the type to totally ignore someone even if they fell right in front of him.”

Oi, I’m not that heartless, okay? I mean… I wouldn’t be the first person to move to help though…

“Ahahaha! I get it, I totally get it!~ I also thought he was super gruffy at first.”

Kushina… You could’ve defended me a bit at least…

I gave her a half-lidded glare, but she didn’t seem to care at all. 

But Kushina didn’t stop at that. She continued on.

“But you know, Suou-kun is actually a much better guy than we think.”

“Hooo… Oh! Then, then! Who’s the better man—Yamachi-kun or Suou?”

A genuinely curious question came from her fellow gyaru friend. For a split second, the light in Kushina’s eyes dissipated. The expression she had back then flashed through my mind. She looked like she was on the verge of tears, but Kushina quickly covered it with a fake smile. 

“Hmmm~ If I had to choose then… Maaaaybe Takashi…?”

“Maybe?? Not to mention, you hesitated a lot too!”

“You should’ve said Takashi-kun right away!”

“But still~ In the end, you’d still choose your boyfriend, huh?~”

Kushina let out a small laugh at her classmate’s teasing banter. Her reaction made it clear. She didn’t have any intention of exposing Yamachi and Katagiri’s affair, even though she was the victim here. 

“…Geez. What a selfless idiot.”

I turned my attention back to my phone and muttered to myself in a voice low enough so no one could hear me.

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“So this is where you eat your lunch.”

I was eating my lunch during break on the emergency stairs of the third building when a voice came from above me. Turning around, I saw Kushina standing there with a small lunch bag in her hand. Faced with this unexpected visitor, I found myself frozen stiff in surprise for a moment. 

“…Food tastes better when eaten outdoors. Also, it’s quiet here. I can eat in peace.”

“What’s that? You’re so funny…. But yeah. I think I kind of get it.”

Kushina said as she sat down next to me and took out her lunchbox. It was a small, round, pale pink container. Her lunchbox was quite dainty and feminine. That being said, such a small lunchbox wouldn’t have enough food for someone like her who could finish the Deluxe Giga Chashu Ramen.

I kept that thought to myself and decided to ask another question that piqued my curiosity more.

“Why are you here? I mean, shouldn’t you go see your boyfriend instead?”

“Ahaha~ Come on, Suou-kun. You already know why, right? That’s exactly why I came here. I need some life advice. I mean, you were the one who said you’d listen to me anytime I need you.”

“I did say that, but I didn’t expect you’d come to me this soon.”

In fact, I didn’t expect she’d actually come to seek me. She trusted me more than I thought. I was a bit shocked. 

“…So? What do you want to talk about?”

“Mmmh~ Lots of things? But before I get to the main topic, I need to ask you this question first. How much do you know, Suou-kun?”

“How much… As in?”

“About me and Takashi.”

Her eyes were serious. In fact, her voice had a hint of tension in it. 

Ah… I knew it. She’s here to talk about that. 

I hesitated for a moment, pondering how much I should share until I eventually said to her. 

“I probably know most of what you’re thinking right now.”

“…I see.”

Kushina’s smile was laced with a hint of grief. Her blue eyes seemed to be glistening a bit. 

“So you knew.”

“I have to say, I happened to witness it by chance. But well, I ended up seeing things you probably didn’t want anyone to witness… I actually ended up overhearing their conversation too and I have proof of it.”

“…Then, you already know who the other person is?”

“I do. It’s that girl from Class 4, right?”

By that, I meant Katagiri. At my words, Kushina nodded quietly. Despite never saying the most important part out loud, we were able to communicate somehow. As long as there wasn’t some weird misunderstanding between us, it was obvious we were both talking about Yamachi’s affair with Katagiri.

Kushina stared at the clear blue sky. Her gaze looked somewhat distant as she muttered softly.

“…Haaa… What am I supposed to do now?”

“Beats me. I don’t know.”

“Oi-?! Aren’t you being a bit too curt?! So cruel!”

“Sorry, but things like love and romance are something completely foreign to me. I never had anything to do with that for my whole life, so don’t expect I can give you any meaningful advice or anything like that.”

I said and Kushina pouted at me. She glared at me with her cheeks puffed up. 

“Your curtness is really annoying, you know.”

“From my perspective, I’m just treating you like normal, not curt at all. Anyway, if you want to get your revenge on them, I’m more than willing to help. If you’re up for it, I can help you spread the proof of their affair to everyone.”

If we were to go that far, things would get a lot more troublesome, but they would suffer most of the blame. Everyone would surely take Kushina’s side after they knew about the affair. However… Or rather, just like what I had expected, Kushina shook her head in refusal.

“No, it’s fine. Even if I retaliate, my relationship with Takashi won’t return to how it used to be and I don’t want to ruin his life either. Besides… Doing that would only make me feel even more pathetic.”

“…Hm, I see.”

Good grief. She’s really a selfless idiot. 

I couldn’t stop myself from thinking like that. She was a pacifist… Or maybe she was just too soft. She was still treating the one who hurt her with kindness. That kind of selfless side of her wasn’t a good quality to have in life, but… That kind of kindness was the exact reason why I couldn’t just leave her be. 

“I understand. In that case, I won’t do anything. I will leave the evidence I have as it is.”

“….Thanks. But… Could you lend me your ears for a bit?”

“Go ahead.”

Seeing I had no reason to refuse, I nodded to her. Then, Kushina began to speak with the same self-deprecating smile on her face.

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