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 3

My apartment is a one-bedroom place with a six-tatami living room. My parents are the ones who signed the lease for me. When we were looking for a place, I told them, “A single room is fine.” But they said, “Bigger isn’t a bad thing,” and went ahead with a larger place.

Looking back now, I’m thankful. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t even be able to let Machida-san stay here.

“Thank you, Shiraki.”

After walking ten minutes from the station, we finally reached my place. In the living room, as I let her in, Machida-san thanked me. On her back was a large backpack. I’d noticed back at the mixer how big her bag was, and sure enough, it’s stuffed with clothes and such.

“That’s… all your stuff?”

“Pretty much. I’ll have to go get the rest tomorrow, but since the place I was staying had furniture and appliances, it’s not much.”

So then, I probably don’t need to go along with her tomorrow.

Still, this feels strange. Machida-san is in my room.

Back in middle school, I was her errand boy. She’s not a good memory for me. Just looking at her makes my stomach tighten a little. My younger self, who clung to her for a sense of belonging that was definitely a shameful part of my past.

Which is why this is like a kind of treatment. By letting her stay here, I want to face that past and finally shake it off.

“Hey.”

She glanced around the room.

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

“…Huh?”

“Well, there are these women’s slippers here.”

Ah… Right. Rinne’s slippers. I’d left them out. She has sharp eyes.

“If you’re living with someone, then… isn’t this bad for me?”

“No, it’s not like that… She just wears those when she comes over sometimes…”

“Which means you do have a girlfriend. Then isn’t it wrong for me to stay here?”

So it turns out Machida-san actually has a decent sense of right and wrong. Her face twisted up in worry, like one of those manga characters with a dark scribble cloud floating over their head.

“If you have a girlfriend, then I really can’t stay here. Wait, why were you even at that mixer? You already have someone, right?”

“…She betrayed me.”

There was no point in hiding it. If I kept quiet, I’d just end up looking like the bad guy.

“By betrayed… You mean she cheated on you?”

“Yeah. She said it was just a moment of weakness.”

A moment of weakness? In this very room, while sleeping with another guy? That’s not weakness, that’s betrayal. And in the end, she even snapped at me and disappeared from my life. I don’t have the patience to care about her excuses anymore.

“I see… So she cheated. Then… maybe it’s fine if I stay?”

“It is. I don’t want to limit myself just because of someone like her. You don’t have anywhere else to go, right? So just stay here without worrying.”

“…Yeah.”

Machida-san nodded and set her bag down.

“Alright then… I’ll be in your care.”

“…That’s for the best.”

And just like that, it was decided that Machida-san would officially be living with me.

◇

~side: Nene~

(It feels strange… getting to borrow his bed.)

Late at night, past midnight, Nene lay down on the bed in the private room. It was Sousuke’s bed, the one he always used, but he had taken the time to change the sheets before saying, “You can use it.” At first, she tried to refuse, but Sousuke insisted he was fine with just a futon in the living room. He set it up right away while leaving her with no choice but to accept the bed.

She had already taken a shower and felt refreshed, now dressed in a simple tracksuit for sleep. Because of the troubles with her old place being torn down, she hasn’t been able to rest properly lately. Now, she felt a sense of calm at last.

(Sousuke… he never would’ve forced his opinion on me like this back then.)

The fact that he had all but insisted she take the bed surprised her in a good way. In middle school, Sousuke had been weak and easy to push around. He was the perfect errand boy. It even seemed like he let himself be used so that other, more dangerous kids wouldn’t target him.

But now, that timid boy has grown into a pretty decent-looking college student. He could speak his mind, and he could even get himself a girlfriend. It felt strangely rewarding, like seeing a little fish you once let go return as a strong one.

(Who do I think I am, anyway.)

She let out a quiet laugh.

Just then, her phone buzzed on the pillow beside her. When she checked it, she saw a LINE message from Io Rinne, a friend from high school. They went to different colleges now, so it had been a while since they last met. It had also been a few days since they’d last talked.

[Hey, my boyfriend found out I cheated on him the other day. What do you think I should do?]

Nene stared at the message. Rinne had always been like this. She’s easily bored and always chasing after something new.

[It’s not my problem. Figure it out yourself.]

That was the reply she sent back before closing her eyes and letting sleep take her.