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

If I had to sum up my feelings in one word right now—

—It was uneasy.

That’s all there is to it.

“This is my first time in a love hotel, so this is what it’s like…”

“Really? You look like the type who plays around, but it’s Machida-san’s first time?”

“H-honestly, knowing it’s Machida-san’s first time too gives me some courage…”

Nene-san, Umi, and Mishiro-san were sitting around on the bed and sofa, chatting like that.

Meanwhile, I leaned against the wall, pretending to be busy with my phone just to calm down.

Stay cool… keep it together.

We didn’t come here for anything dirty.

This was just for Mishiro-san’s research.

So I need to act like a gentleman.

I’ll do nothing tonight. I’ll let nothing happen to me tonight. Just stay calm…

At least, that’s what I thought until—

“For the record, I’ve been to a love hotel before. With that guy right over there.”

Umi suddenly pointed straight at me and dropped a bomb.

“―Whaaaat!?”

“―Eeeeh!?”

Nene-san and Mishiro-san both overreacted, making the whole room erupt in chaos.

“H-hey, Umi…!”

“Hehehe, that’s right. Sousuke and I showed each other our naked bodies in a love hotel once. Though that’s all it was to be clear. It was only for reference photos.”

Show-off!? Is she bragging just to feed her ego!?

But more importantly, Nene-san just heard that. And now…

“Sousuke…”

―There it is. Nene-san was giving me that cold, half-lidded glare.

“I-It’s not what you think…! Just like Umi said, it was only for research photos, that’s it…!”

“Hmph… you don’t need to explain yourself to me… It’s not like I’m anyone special to you…”

She’s right… Why am I even explaining myself?

Deep down, I already know the answer.

..I don’t explain myself to someone I don’t care about.

If I’m desperate to explain, maybe that means I do.

“…Anyway, should we order room service?”

Just like that, Nene-san cut through the tension.

“Tokitou-san’s bragging doesn’t matter. If nothing really happened, then saying all that just makes you look pathetic!?”

“Grr…”

Umi growled in frustration, but Nene-san calmly picked up the menu.

When she asked Mishiro-san what she wanted, Mishiro-san froze up with an “U-um…”

And just like that, the noise and tension of the moment faded away.

Phew… a little relief.

After that, room service brought us fries and pizza, and we dug in to fill our stomachs.

But once I was full, all the exhaustion from the theme park came crashing down on me. I didn’t even have the energy to take a bath. I just stretched out on the sofa and rested.

When I next opened my eyes, the room was silent.

It was one in the morning.

I looked around and saw the three of them sleeping together on the bed, lined up in a neat row.

It was a picture-perfect sight.

They must’ve been just as tired as I was.

I still felt sleepy, but my body was sticky with sweat, and since I never got to bathe earlier, I decided to take a quick shower.

I went to the dressing room, took off my clothes, and stepped into the bathroom.

I turned the faucet and let the water flow over me.

Then, rustle, rustle.

I suddenly heard movement behind me, coming from the dressing room.

…What?

I turned around and, through the frosted glass door, I could make out a shadow moving.

The figure was undressing.

My heart jumped.

…H-hold on. Someone’s coming in to take a shower…?

But they should know I’m already here…?

The light’s on, the water’s running. They have to know….

And yet, someone put their hand on the door.

I was panicking as I tried to press against it…

“―Hey…”

But I was too late. The door opened.

The face that peeked in belonged to none other than Nene-san.

She had nothing on but a towel, her cheeks flushed red.

“N-Nene-san, what are you…”

There’s no doubt about it. She knew I was in here.

“You see… I was so sleepy earlier, I never got around to taking a bath…”

“B-but why now, of all times…”

“…B-because you already came here with… Tokitou-san once, right? So…”

Her answer didn’t really match what she said, but the sulky look on her face said it all… This was jealousy.

Back in the room, she’d kept things calm on the surface. But deep down, she must’ve been feeling this way the whole time…

If that’s true, then maybe Nene-san really does… like me…

“I’m sorry… I’ll just leave.”

Maybe it was because I couldn’t give a clear answer, but Nene-san suddenly turned her back to me and said she would leave.

Somehow, I knew I couldn’t just let her go like that—

“…Wait.”

I grabbed Nene-san’s hand to stop her.

“Eh…”

“It’s fine… You can stay.”

Lately, I’ve been wondering about something… If Nene-san keeps dropping hints like this, is it really okay for me to keep brushing her off?

I feel the same about Umi, too, and I still don’t know what the right choice is.

But if there’s one thing I do know, it’s that Nene-san has already become part of my everyday life.

And if I said I didn’t want her by my side, that would be a lie.

Honestly… maybe I’ve been drawn to her since middle school. If I hadn’t, then no matter the circumstances, I never would’ve willingly let myself be her errand boy.

“…So… Can I stay here with you?”

Nene-san turned back to me, her eyes searching mine.

I nodded.

I didn’t say anything too direct… Not yet.

Because before that… I know I need to face Umi properly.

Even so, Nene-san gave me a small and happy smile.

And then she added,

“Then… I’ll give you a little service…”

◇

~side: Mia~

(…Huh?)

It was 1:15 in the morning.

Mia suddenly woke up in the middle of the night and noticed the sound of the shower coming from the bathroom.

(…Maybe it’s Machida-san? She went to sleep without bathing, so maybe she finally got up to shower… Hm? But Shiraki-kun isn’t here either…)

That’s right. Not only was Nene missing, but Sousuke’s figure was gone from the room as well.

Even with her half-asleep mind, Mia quickly connected the dots, and her eyes shot wide open.

(―C-could it be that the two of them are doing something naughty in the bathroom…!?)

Her natural curiosity kicked in. Snapping fully awake, Mia slipped quietly out of bed and tiptoed toward the bathroom.

(Th-this is… for the sake of learning! I need to find out what’s happening…!)

If she were lucky, maybe it could even be useful material for her manga.

With that noble excuse in her heart, she crept into the dressing room.

Peeking through the frosted glass of the bathroom door—

―Slurp, slch, slrrrp…

She clearly heard sounds of something being sucked or slurped, mixed in with the noise of running water.

(T-this sound…!)

Through the frosted glass, she could see a silhouette. Someone crouching in front of someone else.

“(…Does it hurt?)”

“(I-I’m fine… but honestly, I might lose it soon…)”

Their hushed voices reached her ears, making Mia panic even more.

(T-this has to be it! Someone’s definitely stuffing their mouth! They’re yummy-ing a sausage…!?)

Realizing what was going on, Mia’s face turned hot with embarrassment. She quickly spun around and decided to return to the room. Peeking and eavesdropping on something like this just felt wrong.

She had just made up her mind to slip away when—

“I see…”

(!?)

Umi had sat up on the bed.

Her eyes were fixed on the bathroom, as if she already knew what was happening in there. Her face was serious, and Mia shivered as she felt a chill like she was in a horror story.

“Well… I guess it’s fine.”

But right after that, Umi’s expression softened, and she spoke in a relaxed tone.

“…Huh?”

“When you live together, their feelings are bound to grow deeper… In the end, I’ve been with him since high school, but I was always too passive… While I hesitated, a cheating woman took everything from Sousuke. And just when I thought that curse was finally gone, suddenly Machida-san appeared as his new housemate… Why is it that I’m always one step behind?”

She lowered her head slightly and let out a sigh.

“Maybe I took things too lightly… I thought I was the only one who would ever go after Sousuke.”

“Tokitou-san…”

Mia didn’t know the full history between Sousuke and Umi.

But right now, Umi looked like she was wrapped in regret.

“…I think, it might be better if you told him how you really feel…”

Mia spoke up,

“I don’t know much about everything, so maybe it’s not my place… but if you don’t, I think you’ll only end up feeling worse later…”

“You’re right…”

Umi gave a bitter smile and nodded.

“…If I leave things like this, I really will regret it. So, yeah… I suppose…”

She didn’t finish her thought, but Mia could tell that Umi had made up her mind about something.