I Was Cheated on by My Girlfriend but My Devilish Junior Now Yearns for Me - Chapter 12

Chapter 12   Santa and Ayaka

Ayaka’s gaze made me instinctively look away.

Now that I think about it, I never told Ayaka that Shinohara had been hanging out at my place. Not that there were any impure motives behind letting her stay so late, but if the roles were reversed, how would I feel about this situation? It’s obvious.

“…Wait, are you two… dating?”

As expected, Ayaka’s voice was filled with surprise.

Looking at her face, it wasn’t her usual teasing expression—it was genuine shock. Ayaka had always been the first person I told whenever I got a girlfriend. From her perspective, it must’ve been a double surprise: not only did I supposedly start dating someone without telling her, but that person was someone she knew—Shinohara.

Seeing Ayaka uncharacteristically at a loss for words, I walked toward the entrance and waved my hand.

“Nope. If something were going on, I’d probably tell you.”

Even so, Ayaka remained silent for a few seconds before shaking her head.

“…Okay, maybe you would, but anyone would think the same thing if they saw this situation.”

“Yeah, fair enough. I’d struggle to clear up the misunderstanding if it were anyone else but you.”

“Don’t think you can rely on me to understand everything. I’m just as confused as anyone else.”

Ayaka added, “I was really surprised,” and then shut the front door. The cold wind that had been creeping in was blocked, and the room warmed up slightly.

“But you get it more than anyone else.”

“Well, maybe.”

In university, relationships between guys and girls are often vague, but I wasn’t the type to frequently invite girls over, especially not alone. The fact that Shinohara was here with me at 11:30 p.m. would understandably lead to Ayaka’s confusion.

But I was pretty sure I had cleared up the misunderstanding. As I felt relieved, thinking I’d apologize to Shinohara too, she suddenly said something unexpected.

“So Ayaka-senpai’s the type of person who shows up at someone’s house at this hour without any warning, huh?”

There was a brief pause before Ayaka tilted her head slightly in response.

“…And I wouldn’t want to hear that from an underage girl who’s been lounging at a guy’s place this late when she’s not even dating him.”

—Wait, why are they already picking a fight?

I quickly stepped in to mediate.

“Shinohara, Ayaka’s your senpai.”

“Oh, right. Sorry about that.”

Shinohara apologized immediately, but she kept her eyes locked on Ayaka.

She hadn’t shown any attitude like this back at the group gathering…

—That’s not right.

Back then, the two of them hadn’t exchanged a single word. Something was going on.

The tense atmosphere made me instinctively feel it.

I glanced at Ayaka, and she was looking at Shinohara without breaking her calm expression. After a brief pause, Ayaka spoke.

“…Don’t worry about her. She’s been my junior for a long time.”

“For a long time?”

I knew Shinohara was her junior, but it seemed their connection went back further than university. However, I couldn’t tell if that had anything to do with the subtle tension between them.

…And honestly, I didn’t need to know right now. This was their issue.

After thinking it over, I decided to say something to Shinohara.

“Shinohara, let’s drop it here.”

At my words, Shinohara glanced at me briefly and then bowed her head obediently.

“Sorry. I guess I did come off a bit harsh.”

Ayaka, not seeming particularly bothered by Shinohara’s apology, shook her head.

“It’s fine. I’m sorry, too. I kind of provoked you in return. And judging by the situation, it really doesn’t seem like you two are dating.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Shinohara nodded earnestly, at least on that point. Just moments ago, she’d been venting about how she’s never really been in a serious relationship. Ayaka seemed satisfied with that and lightly placed her slender fingers on the doorknob.

“Well then, I’ll get going. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Yeah, see you at university.”

Ayaka gave me a smile as she turned to leave. But as she turned, something Shinohara was holding caught her eye.

“This?” Shinohara noticed the glance and showed what she was holding to Ayaka.

“This wallet—I just got it from senpai.”

My heart skipped a beat at those words.

Ayaka’s eyes lingered on the wallet Shinohara held up, and she frowned slightly. Of course—she would. After all, Ayaka was the one who had picked that wallet.

“…I see. It’s a nice wallet.”

Ayaka gave a short response, then lightly tapped my shoulder before leaving.

“Not bad, your sense has improved.”

“Uh…”

I gave her a look that said, Is this really okay?, but Ayaka didn’t seem to care.

“Sorry for the interruption.”

With those parting words, Ayaka stepped out of the entrance. I could only watch as she disappeared into the night.

◇◆

“Shinohara, come here for a sec.”

“…Um.”

As I sat on the sofa and crossed my legs, Shinohara sat on the floor in front of me in a formal seiza position. It was the kind of situation that might seem questionable from the outside, but luckily, this was my apartment. No one was around to see.

“Senpai.”

“What is it?”

“The floor is cold.”

“There’s no floor heating in a one-person apartment. Deal with it. Besides, you were the one who sat there.”

I glanced at Shinohara, who was dressed pretty casually, and shifted in my seat. There was really only one thing I wanted to say to her.

“Your attitude earlier—Ayaka is still your senior, you know?”

“…Yeah. I’m sorry.”

Looking down, Shinohara seemed less spirited than when she had just broken up with Motosaka. From the way she was apologizing, I could tell she was reflecting on it—at least about how she acted in front of me.

So, I decided to change the direction of the conversation a bit.

“…I want to get mad at you, but just act normal when you’re around me, okay?”

Hearing my words, Shinohara’s face lit up immediately. Almost too quickly.

“Got it! I’ll act normal!”

“Do people even declare stuff like that? …Well, anyway, head home for tonight. It’s getting late.”

It was the first time Shinohara had stayed until almost midnight. Usually, I’d make sure she left by 11 PM, so while the time difference wasn’t much, it still felt significant.

“These days, it’s pretty rare for someone to send a girl home so close to the last train. You should worry about me a bit, you know.”

Shinohara said this as she headed toward the entrance. The entryway wasn’t spacious to begin with, and my three or four pairs of boots cluttered the space even more. But Shinohara, accustomed to the layout, easily reached for her heels.

“Aren’t you curious? Like why I acted so rudely earlier?”

“Not really. It’s none of my business.”

“Oh, come on! Don’t say it’s none of your business. That’s a little hurtful.”

After slipping into her heels, Shinohara turned to face me.

“But, I actually kind of like that dry attitude of yours, senpai.”

“Is that so? Hurry up and close the door. It’s cold.”

“…You’re so hard to get a reaction out of! Give me something at least!”

Shinohara stuck her tongue out playfully before closing the door.

“…Don’t go saying you kind of like me so lightly.”

I knew Shinohara didn’t mean it seriously, but if this were back in high school, I’d have definitely gotten carried away by it.

And if I’d misunderstood, I’d end up being the bad guy.

It might be the same for girls, but being a guy isn’t so easy either.