I Was Cheated on by My Girlfriend but My Devilish Junior Now Yearns for Me - Chapter 104

Chapter 104   Let’s go in a Date 2

The silence that hung as I was being convinced to try a trial relationship.

I broke it without hesitation and said:

“Look, don’t lump this in with marriage hunting. We’re students, you know!”

“But students can get married too! I-I mean, it’s not like I want to marry you or anything!”

Shinohara blurted out something unnecessarily rude.

Wouldn’t it have been better to say something positive, even if it was a lie?
Well, even if she had said it, it’d still be awkward for me to deal with, but either way, I couldn’t help feeling unsettled.

Her argument was unexpectedly coherent, almost convincing me. But as long as we were still students, her scenario didn’t quite apply to us.

“Seriously, isn’t this trial dating thing kind of sloppy for university students?”

“Senpai, please! Just, like, hear me out a little, really!”

Shinohara clasped her hands together and glanced up at me timidly with those overly calculated puppy-dog eyes. I flicked her forehead lightly in response.

“Domestic violence…”

“What? For that?”

“If you don’t want me to report you, you’ll have to go out with me!”

“You’re just threatening me now!”

Even as I shot back, I couldn’t shake off a sense of unease.

There was something about Shinohara’s demeanor that felt different from usual. Maybe I was imagining things, or maybe she was genuinely trying to convey something important.

I couldn’t quite imagine what could only be communicated through trial dating, but it left me a little saddened that she couldn’t just come out and say it outright.

“Am I even doing anything that makes me seem like the older one here?”

The thought crossed my mind, so I asked.

Shinohara immediately gave a little smile.

“Yes, sometimes you do. Even now, there are moments when I secretly feel flustered, though I don’t show it.”

“Seriously?”

“Well… yeah, I guess it’s not entirely impossible.”

“Don’t force yourself to flatter me. It’s more painful that way.”

Half-hearted attempts at compliments only end up hurting people more.

Shinohara’s awkward response was a perfect example, and it left me feeling thoroughly drained.

“Alright, just for one day then.”

“A week would be better!”

“Not happening!”

I shook my head firmly without hesitation.

Even as things stand, Shinohara and I have never spent an entire week together.

She comes to my place two or three times a week at most, but if her visits became more frequent than that, it might become stressful.

I thought this current balance was just right for both of us, a delicate equilibrium that worked well.

“Spending a whole week together is out of the question.”

I repeated myself, and Shinohara pouted.

“You don’t have to keep saying it,” she muttered.

— There was actually another reason.

At this point, I don’t have romantic feelings for Shinohara.

It’s true that the way I feel about her is different from how I’d feel about a typical junior, but I can’t yet put it into words.

Even so, spending a whole week together might change how I feel.

For most guys, it probably wouldn’t matter if those feelings turned romantic or not. In fact, dating someone like Shinohara would undoubtedly be a point of pride for most guys.

But for me—at least for now—it’s too soon to develop romantic feelings for her.

I had just started over with Reina.

This trial relationship with Reina only happened because she herself requested it, and I knew full well that it was a scenario that shouldn’t have even been possible.

Even though everything had fallen into place so smoothly, maybe I should have refused, even if it meant being forceful about it.

Right now, I’m in an environment where my opinions are respected. But if I get too used to this, my mindset might unconsciously shift to being self-centered again.

That shift might lead to some kind of mistake, and that possibility scares me.

“If you keep saying no, no, no, then at least give me an alternative!” Shinohara protested. “Anyone can just shoot things down, you know.”

“You’re not wrong, but I’m the one being asked for a favor here. Getting scolded for it puts me in a tough spot.”

“I’m not mad. I’m just being unreasonable.”

“If you know you’re being unreasonable, then stop!”

“Hehe.”

Shinohara laughed cheerfully, and then, as if an idea had struck her, she clapped her hands together.

The crisp sound echoed through the one-room apartment.

“Alright, Senpai, how about a trial for the trial?”

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s go on a date today, just for one day. If you think it’s a good idea, then extend the trial relationship period to a week!”

“Sure.”

“Why are you agreeing so easily!?”

Shinohara shouted, clearly the most surprised she’d been all day.

The reason I agreed was simple: the choice still rested with me.

Even if today turned out to be a wonderful day, I could still turn her down for any number of reasons.

“You’ve given me your word now,” she said.

“Yeah, only in your memory.”

“Nope, I recorded it.”

Shinohara held her phone up in front of my face.

The microphone icon was displayed prominently across the screen.

“Y-you criminal!”

“Hehe, Senpai, look closer at the screen.”

At her urging, I looked more carefully and noticed there wasn’t any recorded data saved with today’s date.

I sighed in relief.

Even if there was no risk of the recording being spread around, I still felt uncomfortable with my offhand remarks being stored as data.

“Seriously, don’t scare me like that. So all that about recording was just a joke?”

“Nope, I was serious. I just didn’t make it in time.”

“Then say it was a joke!”

I let out a deep sigh, realizing she had intended to record me regardless.

Even if it’s just for a single day, I’m already starting to worry about how things will go.

“Senpai, what do you think is the most important thing at the start of a relationship?”

“Where’d that come from all of a sudden? Is this another nugget of wisdom you picked up from some romance show?”

“N-no, it’s not! Come on, just answer already!”

…I probably hit the mark.

That’s what I thought, judging from Shinohara’s demeanor, but I kept the thought to myself.

Instead, I tried to guess her answer, though the first thing that came to mind was a pretty harsh one.

“Looks?”

“Yes, and money too, I guess. What I mean to say is that, at our age, most relationships are tied up with various ‘statuses.'”

“Ah, how depressing.”

I’d thought about it many times before, but university relationships were a little different from those in high school.

And the gap between relationships as a university student and those as a working adult felt even wider.

“But ultimately, personality is just as important, maybe even more so. It’s just that figuring out if personalities match gets pushed down the list. If you don’t get along, you can’t have a relationship.”

“So… maybe you and Motosaka weren’t as bad a match as I thought? At least at first.”

“Status is easy to judge, even for someone inexperienced with romance, as long as they have a little common sense. But judging personality? That’s harder. That’s where experience comes in. This trial relationship is like gaining experience points for you and me to use in the future.”

“Oi.”

“Shut up!!”

“Why the sudden outburst!?”

Startled, I raised my voice, surprised at her abrupt change in tone.

It was probably another opinion she’d pieced together from a dating show or some survey results. But romance is as unique as the people involved, so it didn’t really spark much interest for me.

At the very least, if this trial dating idea was just about verifying public opinions, I wasn’t interested.

I didn’t want to waste my time on something like that.

My time might not be worth much to others, but to me, it’s my most valuable resource.

That said, if it was about understanding Shinohara’s own thoughts, I’d be willing to help. This was her request, after all.

I didn’t do much to act like the older one most of the time, so I wanted to make up for it when I could.

And besides, like Shinohara had said earlier, maybe this could end up being a learning experience for me too.

“So, what about you? What do you think is most important in a relationship?”

“Huh? Me?”

Shinohara sounded surprised, as if she hadn’t expected the question to be directed at her.

“That earlier spiel was just the summary from some dating show, right? I only care about your opinion. If it’s for you, I’m fine with this trial dating thing.”

Shinohara gaped at me, her mouth hanging open, then quickly stood up from my bed.

“W-why would you say something so embarrassing like it’s nothing!? You pervert!”

“I’m not a pervert. So, what’s your answer?”

When I pressed her again, Shinohara looked down for a few seconds before lifting her head to answer.

“…That’s exactly why I’m relying on you, Senpai.”

“Oh, is that so?”

When I replied so casually, Shinohara blinked in surprise.

“You’re not annoyed?”

“Not really. I mean, you’ve been like this from the start.”

I already knew Shinohara wasn’t very experienced with relationships. I’d figured that out on the day we first met.

Her first boyfriend was someone she started dating just because she “wanted to do couple-like things.” But the relationship ended quickly after he cheated on her. Stories like that don’t come around often.

Still, that episode also revealed how clumsy and naive she was, which I found oddly endearing. Of course, it probably didn’t feel that way from her perspective.

“If that’s the case, I guess I can tag along for one day. We did agree to this, after all.”

“Wow, Senpai, your moral compass is wild!”

“Yeah, okay, go home.”

“I’m sorry, it was a joke! A joke to cover up how flustered I am! I even showed you a cute side of me, so forgive me! You’re so cruel, Senpai!”

“You flipped the script in five seconds! Why am I the bad guy now!?”

It felt like I’d been scammed. For a moment, I’d almost apologized to her.

“It was j-just a joke! Sorry. But it’s true that I was flustered!”

“Yeah, sure.”

Even if she said that now, it wasn’t exactly convincing. But bringing it up would only stall the conversation.

I exhaled lightly and scratched the back of my head.

“Alright, well… let’s just go on this date now.”

When I said that, Shinohara blinked in surprise and froze for a moment.