I Got Cheated On, so I Thought I’d Cheat Back and Went to a Group Date, I Ran Into a Classmate Who Used to Boss Me Around and Now We’re Living Together - Chapter 2

“It’s been a while, Shiraki.”

On the train ride home, the one sitting beside me was a pretty girl with black wolf-cut hair and giving off a bit of a band-girl vibe. It was Machida Nene. The piercings she now had caught my eye. It’s something she didn’t have back in middle school. I lowered my voice as I answered.

“You… actually remembered me.”

“Of course. I spoiled you plenty. There’s no way I’d forget.”

…Yeah, she did spoil me. As her errand boy. Back in middle school, I was pathetic. I let Machida-san use me however she wanted. It wasn’t quite bullying. If anything, there were scarier groups around, so I thought staying close to someone like her at the top of the social ladder would keep me safe. I sucked up to her. That’s the truth.

And that weak version of myself still haunts me. Being around Machida-san makes me remember the old me, and I hate it.

“You’ve really changed, Shiraki.”

She suddenly said something I never expected.

“Yeah, three years can do that to a person. But I think you’ve gotten pretty good-looking. You even show up to group dates now. Back in middle school, that would’ve been unthinkable.”

“Well… I worked hard for that.”

In high school, I fought tooth and nail to hang with the outgoing crowd. Thanks to that, I managed to put on a fake brightness. But it was just fake. It’s not the real thing. Even now, the sharpness isn’t there. The moment I slip up, the old me surfaces, just like tonight.

“What about me? Do I look different?”

“…You’re different enough that I recognized you right away. But overall, you haven’t changed much.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“I meant it that way…”

Machida-san was always cute. Now she just seemed more polished.

“I see. Then I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“More importantly… why’d you chase me down after I left the group date?”

“Obviously because you left.”

She said it like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“We finally ran into each other again, and you just disappeared like you were running away… Were you?”

“…I won’t deny it.”

I didn’t want to remember the weak, gloomy me from middle school. That’s why I ran. Not because I hated Machida-san. She made me uneasy, but it wasn’t about that. Looking at her just drags up the past I don’t want to face. And I hate that side of myself.

“So… why did you chase after me, Machida-san?”

“Hm… actually, I’ve got a favor to ask.”

“…A favor?”

“Can I come over to your place after this?”

“Huh?”

“You live alone, right? You’re here in the city now, and if you’re going on group dates, that means you don’t have a girlfriend. So… is it okay if I come by?”

…Well, I do live alone. And I technically still have a girlfriend named Rinne, but she cheated on me, so I don’t feel any reason to care about her anymore. That’s not a problem.

The real issue is Machida-san. I’ve always had a hard time around her, so I wasn’t exactly eager to invite her over. Unless she had a real reason.

“Why… Do you want to come to my place?”

“Well, it’s kind of…”

She looked a little embarrassed,

“…I don’t really have anywhere to live right now.”

She said.

“You don’t have… anywhere to live?”

“Yeah… The share house I was staying at turned out to be on some really messy property. You know, when they clear the land to build something new? They suddenly told us all to get out. Just like that.”

“That sounds… rough.”

“Yeah. And the management company just up and vanished, so there’s nothing I can do but leave. But I can’t just suddenly find a new place overnight, right? So when I came to the group date today… I honestly was hoping to find some guy I could stay with for a while. Most of my friends still live with their parents, so I couldn’t really ask them.”

“That’s something else…”

…She was being so blunt that I didn’t even know how to react.

“But staying with some random guy would be scary… I wasn’t sure I’d go through with it. But then I ran into Shiraki, and I thought maybe…”

I see. At least with me, someone she knows that she’d feel safer with.

While I was thinking that, the train pulled into my stop. I got up, and Machida-san followed me out onto the platform.

“So is it impossible for me to stay with you…?”

Her voice sounded almost desperate. While the crowd moved toward the ticket gates, I stopped in my tracks, her words holding me in place. Was it impossible or not…?

“If it is, I’ll accept that. I mean, I did treat you pretty badly back then. I don’t really deserve your help…”

So, Machida-san actually felt bad about how she treated me back then. That made me happy. But at the same time, I didn’t think she was completely right. I had been using her too. Like I said before, I stayed close to her because she was high up in the social ladder, and I didn’t want to get targeted by the scarier groups.

The truth is, I hated that weak version of myself. And being with Machida-san reminded me of it, which is why my stomach always twisted in pain.

But still… would turning her away really be the right thing to do?

Maybe facing Machida-san now was my chance to erase that weakness, to take a step forward. A part of me couldn’t help but think so.

“…Alright.”

Before I knew it, I was saying yes.

“Huh…?”

“You can stay at my place.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah… Honestly, I could use some female company anyway.”

I didn’t say the real reason, which was that I wanted to overcome the weak part of myself from back then. That was too embarrassing. So instead, I gave her another reason. But it wasn’t a lie.

After all, I only went to that group date to get back at Rinne for cheating on me. I wasn’t planning on making Machida-san my girlfriend or anything, but having her around might bring a new color into my life. Something to help me forget Rinne. And I welcomed that.