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 40

~side: Nene~

“It’s so hot…”

“Machida-san, don’t say it out loud… it just makes it feel even hotter…”

While Sousuke was going around trying out all kinds of attractions, Nene was going around with Umi. But walking through a hot amusement park with someone who might be a rival in love was not what she’d call fun.

(…Sousuke looks like he’s having fun.)

When she glanced ahead, she saw Sousuke enjoying what looked like a mock date with Mia. Seeing his cheerful expression made Nene’s chest feel tight and restless.

Still, she wasn’t Sousuke’s girlfriend or anything, so she had no right to get upset over how he felt.

Besides, she couldn’t even think of tying him down because of the guilt she carried from middle school.

“Oh… looks like those two are heading for lunch.”

When Umi mutters that, Nene looks up and sees Sousuke and Mia entering a restaurant together.

Nene and Umi tried to get into the same restaurant, but—

“…Looks like we’ll have to line up if we want in?”

“It seems so…”

Since the place was too crowded to enter right away, they gave up and instead bought churros from a nearby food cart. They sat in the shade and began eating.

“Hey, Machida-san, by the way…”

“…What?”

“You and I both share the experience of being saved by Sousuke, right?”

Umi suddenly brought it up.

“That’s the same with Mia-san too, but.”

“…But?”

“He’s a good guy, isn’t he? Sousuke.”

Her words carried a quiet and thoughtful tone.

“He puts others before himself and always reaches out to help. And what’s amazing is that he never gives up halfway… Back in high school, when I was dealing with that stalker, some other boys stood up to help, too. But in the end, the only one who saw it through was Sousuke… The others just acted like they were my fan club, but in reality, they didn’t do much and dumped everything on Sousuke.”

“…That’s awful.”

“But thanks to that, I was able to see how amazing Sousuke really was.”

Umi’s face lit up as she spoke.

She looked happy.

It was almost like she was boasting.

Even though it wasn’t about herself.

“…Tokitou-san, do you like Sousuke?”

That’s why Nene finally asked,

“Eh!? T-that’s not true at all…!”

Umi’s eyes darted left and right in a panic.

“You’re way too obvious…”

Nene let out a sigh.

“S-so what if I am? What’s wrong if I do like him!?”

“So you admit it…”

Her sudden honesty caught Nene off guard, but still,

“…I never said it was bad.”

She spoke calmly.

“I mean, if I think about your past with Sousuke, it’s only natural you’d feel that way.”

“Th-that’s right, of course it is… Anyway, what about you?”

“Me…?”

“…Do you like him?”

“Maybe… yeah…”

Nene gave a small nod.

There was no way she couldn’t.

Sousuke had let her stay at his house.

He had even dealt with Iijima’s obsessive stalking of her.

Of course, Nene liked him.

“But… I think I’ll keep these feelings sealed away.”

“…Why?”

“Well, it’s because I’ve got guilt to carry…”

Back in middle school, Nene used Sousuke as an errand boy.

Sousuke didn’t want to become the target of bullying, so he needed a place to belong.

Nene let him into her group as their gopher and gave him cover.

She could even call it a win-win relationship. After all, being a gopher just meant running small errands inside the school. Sousuke himself had said he didn’t mind anymore.

But whether or not Sousuke had let it go was one thing; Nene’s own feelings were another.

She was still trapped by that guilt.

Maybe it would haunt her for the rest of her life.

The truth was, she had treated Sousuke badly.

That’s why she believed someone like her had no right to confess these growing feelings to him.

“You’re just tying yourself down for no reason.”

“!”

Umi’s words cut her deeply.

Tying herself down for no reason.

A trap of her own making.

It was true, maybe that’s exactly what she was doing.

“If Sousuke has already moved on, then there’s no point in you dragging it out.”

“…”

“But still, if you keep moping around like this, that actually works out in my favor.”

Of course, Nene knew what those words meant.

Not knowing how to reply, she sat in silence while Umi finished her churro and went off to the restroom.

“Haa…”

Left alone, Nene was left with her thoughts.

Even so, she couldn’t bring herself to decide.

If she stepped forward and ruined what they had now, and things could never go back, then maybe it was better to stay stuck where they were.

That’s how she felt.

“…I’m such a coward…”

The self-mocking words she muttered carried none of her usual energy.

◇

~side: Sousuke~

“There’s no way we can finish everything in just one day.”

“True.”

Time passed, and before long, night had fallen.

There were still rides we hadn’t gotten on yet, but with the trip home in mind, it was about time to wake up from the dream.

Mishiro-san didn’t seem to object, so we all left the land of dreams together.

“Thank you for today.”

While waiting for the train home at the nearest station, Mishiro-san said this with a gentle smile.

“The pretend date was really fun.”

“You think it’ll make for good material?”

“Yes. I learned what it’s like to spend time with a boy, and also… things like how hard it is to wait in line.”

“…If you got to learn both the good and the bad, then that’s fine.”

After all, the worst thing is to learn nothing at all.

“But, um…”

With a shift in tone, Mishiro-san suddenly grew serious.

“What is it?”

“W-well… T-there’s just one last request I have for this pretend date…”

“Oh? And that is?”

Since we’d already gone this far, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to at least hear her out.

“I-I want to go to a hotel with you!”

“Huh?”

“O-on the way back, could you come with me into a hotel!”

“H-hote…l?”

“Y-yes, a love one!”

“!?”

Wh-why is it that girls who want to be manga artists like Mishiro-san and Umi always end up inviting me to a love hotel…!?

“W-would it be a problem? I mean, of course I’ve never been to a love hotel before, so I’d really like to check one out as reference…”

“N-no… I mean…”

It was one thing with Umi since we’d known each other for so long, but going to that kind of place with Mishiro-san felt like it might cause a lot of problems…

“—Hold it right there!”

Just then,

“I couldn’t ignore what I just heard, so I’m barging in!”

“Exactly! What’s this about a love hotel, Mia-san? You’re bolder than I thought!”

“N-Nene-san and Umi…!?”

That’s right. All of a sudden, I heard two accusing voices behind me, and when I turned around. There stood Nene-san and Umi together.

“W-why are you two here…? Don’t tell me you followed us…!?”

“N-no, it’s not like we were following you… right? Tokitou-san.”

“R-right… It was just a coincidence! We just happened to run into you, that’s all. Ohoho.”

…That’s way too suspicious.

“B-but more importantly, Sousuke! If you’re going to a love hotel with Mishiro-san, then I’m coming too!”

“Same here! I can’t just let Mia-san be the only one doing something indecent with you!”

The two of them started blurting out ridiculous things.

While Mishiro-san panicked with an “awawawa…” I suddenly thought of a good idea.

“In that case… why don’t the three of you girls go together?”

Some love hotels have girls’ night out plans anyway. If the three of them went in together, that would settle everything. And often those plans don’t even allow men, so I’d be out of the picture.

“Eh… b-but I wanted to know, um… what it feels like to go in with a man…”

Mishiro-san mumbled her true reason.

Ah… right. That was the same reason Umi had before…

—And so, in the end.

“…W-we really came here…”

On the way back, we found a place that allowed mixed groups with an extra fee, and I ended up walking into a single love hotel room. Together with Nene-san, Umi, and Mishiro-san for an overnight stay…