I Broke Up With My Girlfriend Who Was Cheating On Me, But She Was So Deeply Sorry That I Couldn't Help But Forgive Her. - Chapter 6: Tuesday Of Parting.

Tuesday Of Parting.

Tuesday.

I woke up an hour before the time I usually woke up.

Apparently I fell asleep like that, partly because I haven’t been sleeping well lately.

My head feels light.

I think I might have caught a cold.

When I went to the living room, my mom and Marin were having breakfast.

“Good morning…”

Marin felt something strange.

“Here, measure your temperature.”

Mom immediately held out the thermometer.

I thought to myself, I’m no match for my mother.

37.1C.

Just barely within the normal temperature range, I realized.

But I didn’t feel like going to school, so I decided to take the day off.

I ate some food and took some medicine, put on a cold towel, and went back to my room to send a message to Ayaka.

Umi: I’m not feeling well, so I’ll take the day off today.

Ayaka: What? If it’s not too much trouble, can I come to visit you now?

Umi: No, I’m sure I’ll feel better after a little sleep, so go to school.

Ayaka: But… I’m worried about you.

Umi: More importantly, do you have any plans after school today?

Ayaka: No, I don’t. Do you want me to visit you after school?

Umi: No, I just wanted to meet with you and talk about something. I’ll call you if I wake up and feel okay.

Ayaka: You want to talk? Okay, I’ll wait for your call.

The medicine seemed to be working and I started to feel sleepy.

I fell asleep with mixed feelings about wanting my cold to get better or worse.

*

I woke up.

The clock said it was just past noon.

It seems to have been a mild cold, and I’m feeling much better.

I sent a message to Ayaka.

She’s probably in class right now, so she won’t reply.

Umi: I’m feeling better. I’ll be waiting for you on a bench by the pond in the nature park near your house.

Umi: No need to rush though.

Well…

I guess I should go say my goodbye to her…

*

Looking at the sky on a bench in the nature park.

Cloudy sky.

The gray color filling my entire field of view seems to express my current feelings, and I wonder if I can say that the sky is just right for the moment.

I watched the sky for a while.

“Umi-kun! Thank you for waiting! Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

Ayaka, out of breath, came running up to me.

I told her there was no need to hurry though.

“Yeah, I’m fine now. Thank you for your concern.”

Ayaka sat down next to me.

“No, I couldn’t come to visit you, so all I could do was worry about you. Um, so what did you want to say?”

“Before that, let’s have a little small talk.”

“Ehh? Sure.”

I looked up at the gray sky again.

“Well, what did you do last Saturday?”

“Well… I was at my cousin’s house…”

“I see… Did you have fun?”

“Yes… we are the same age, so we talk about each other’s boyfriends and so on, you know?”

“I see… I see– … I…”

“?”

‘I know what you really did on Saturday, Ayaka.”

“…..Ehh.”

“That’s why… let’s break up.”

There was no response, so I looked back at Ayaka from the gray sky and saw that she was stunned with her eyes shaking.

Can I… Even talk to her properly anymore?

There were things I wanted to tell her, but if my voice couldn’t reach her, there was no point.

“That’s all I’m going to talk about. See you.”

When I tried to stand up, she grabbed my arm.

“Wait… please wait!”

I sat down.

“Yes, I’ll listen to you if you want to talk… at least for the last time.”

Ayaka turned her face down and slowly opened her mouth.

Many small drops of tears fell on the ground.

“I’m… so… rry, I’m sorry… I’m sorry, I cheated… on you… but! But please…! Don’t say it’s the last time… I don’t… want to leave you…”

“I’m sorry I’m such a jerk boyfriend to you.”

“You’re wrong…! Umi-kun, it’s not your fault…! You’re not at the wrong! It’s all my fault… I’m sorry…!”

“How are things between you and the other guy going?”

“I’m already done with him.”

“Well… next time, find a boyfriend so nice that you can’t even think about cheating on him.”

“No… I can’t find a better guy than you… so… so don’t leave me…”

Ayaka puts her head on my chest and clings to me while crying.

“Don’t abandon me…”

It was you who abandoned me first, Ayaka…

I swallowed those words down hard.

Even though I know the reality, but…

I didn’t hold his hand, he just grabbed me.

And then he forcibly… kissed me…

I’m not cheating on you…

Maybe that’s what I wanted her to say.

Pictures of them laughing and holding hands.

The pictures of her accepting the kiss.

I know that’s what I saw.

But… but…

I still wanted to believe Ayaka.

But…

If Ayaka herself admitted that she cheated on me, there’s nothing I can do now…

When the strength of her arms loosened a little…

“Ayaka…”

I put my hand on her shoulder and slowly pull away so that she doesn’t feel my strength.

I couldn’t hold hands or hug her, but…

But seeing Ayaka’s sad crying face for the first time was unbearable.

She’s so beautiful… Is what I thought.

The Girl I Love.

The girl I loved.

The girl who loved me.

I became the boyfriend of that girl.

I’m so happy

So the last thing I’m going to tell her as a lover is…

I don’t have anything against you.

“Thank you for dating me all this time. I’ve been soooo happy.”

I think I managed to make a soft laugh, not with a smile I made up.

Ayaka just broke down crying.

I am no longer in a position to reach out to her.

I pulled back my hand and slowly walked away from Ayaka.

I looked up, trying not to burst into tears.

The sky was indeed gray.