I Was Cheated on by My Girlfriend but My Devilish Junior Now Yearns for Me - Chapter 20

Chapter 20   Drinking Party 1

Many clubs host drinking parties after tests. This applies to the outdoor club that Ayaka belongs to as well, and the scale of their gatherings is significant.

There aren’t many clubs that would rent out an izakaya near the station for their drinking parties.

Having attended a large gathering only once before, during my freshman year’s welcome party, I found my excitement rising as well.

After all, the basketball club I belong to, “Start,” has only about forty members in total, and even fewer—less than ten—usually attend the drinking events.

In contrast, Ayaka’s outdoor club, though it has “outdoor” in the name, is closer to what is known as a “drinking club.”

It’s a large club with a very high participation rate at drinking events. On top of that, they sometimes invite outsiders like me, so it’s only natural that the number of attendees would swell.

According to Ayaka, about sixty people were expected to join.

With so many people, just collecting the money from each participant would be a hassle.

When I spotted the curtain with the word “Kaguya” written on it, I crossed the threshold and entered. This would be the venue for tonight’s party.

Although I arrived ten minutes before the gathering time, the place was already packed, and the atmosphere was lively and noisy.

There were six tables on the tatami mats, with plates already set out.

I took off my boots, placed them on the shoe shelf, and stepped onto the tatami.

“Oh, you’re here!”

Looking toward the cheerful voice, I saw Ayaka waving at me.

“Hey!”

I raised my voice a bit louder than usual so she could hear me through the noise, and headed over to her seat.

When I sat down next to Ayaka, she extended her hand toward me.

“Hm?”

Is there some custom in this club to high-five when sitting down? I awkwardly placed my hand on hers, which made Ayaka give me a puzzled look.

“Huh? What’s up?”

“Oh, sorry. I thought it was some kind of tradition.”

After my explanation, Ayaka seemed to get it and started giggling.

“No way, there’s no such tradition. I was just going to hang up your coat since it looked like it was in the way.”

“Ah man, that’s so embarrassing for me!”

I quickly pulled my hand away and took off my coat. My palm, where our hands had touched, felt like it was suddenly burning.

As I handed her my coat, Ayaka nodded and stood up. There was a spot a little distance away where people hung their clothes, though it was hard to tell whether it was a thoughtful or inconvenient arrangement.

“Yuuta, you and Aya-chan are pretty close, huh?”

The girl sitting across from me spoke up. She had short brown hair in a mushroom bob and wore large black-rimmed glasses, through which her round eyes peeked out.

And I recognized her.

“It’s been a while!”

The girl smiled shyly as she spoke. She was one of the people I met at the Christmas mixer and the only girl I really talked to.

“Hey, yeah, it’s been a while. You remembered me, huh?”

“Of course I did. It’s only been about a month, you know? I’m not that bad at remembering people.”

“My bad.”

Her name is Natsuki Yamanashi.

When I first heard it, I thought it was a beautiful name. It’s not often I find beauty in someone’s name, so it stuck with me.

I was surprised when I learned that “Yamanashi” was read as Tsukimizato.

At the mixer, she had said, “Feel free to call me by my first name,” so I’ve been calling her Natsuki ever since.

If someone asked me to switch from calling them by their last name to their first name, it would feel like a big leap, but since I started with her first name, it’s no big deal.

We only had dinner together for about two hours, but in my mind, I already considered her a friend. Though, to be clear, it’s more like a casual acquaintance.

The term “Yotomo” refers to people you greet with just a quick “Yo” when you pass by each other on the street.

In my experience, only about 20% of the invitations from Yotomo—like “Let’s go to karaoke again sometime!”—actually happen.

Even with some Yotomo, you might forget their names. But sitting in front of me, Natsuki clearly remembered mine.

I recalled Ayaka mentioning last night, “She was happy,” and I couldn’t help but think it’s impressive how this connection from the mixer lasted.

“So, Yuuta, what club are you in? It’s not an outdoor one, right?”

“I’m in the basketball club. Though I only go when I feel like it.”

“A ghost member?”

“I’m not that bad.”

I show up about once a month, so I wouldn’t call myself a ghost member. Plus, I keep in touch with Toudou and some of the older members, so it should be fine.

If you want to enjoy playing basketball, you’ve got to manage your relationships to some extent.

“Why don’t you join our club? We’re totally fine with people joining partway through.”

By “our club,” she means this outdoor club.

I pretended to think about it, saying “Hmm,” and then shook my head.

“I’d like to, but it’s too big for me! It must be hard to manage such a large group.”

I gave my response with the usual practiced social politeness.

When friends invite me to join their clubs, it’s often not a serious offer, and I can usually tell they don’t mean it. Natsuki was no exception. She laughed lightly and handed me a pair of chopsticks.

“But next year, Ayaka’s going to be the vice president of the club. You can get in through connections!”

“Haha, I’ll think about it.”

Vice president, huh?

Knowing Ayaka, she probably got recommended by the seniors because they like her.

“What about you, Natsuki? Are you going to be president or something?”

She burst out laughing when I said that.

“Me? No, no, no way! Do I look like that kind of person?”

“I don’t know about your personality; this is only the second time we’ve met.”

“You should have figured it out the first time!”

As we were joking around, Ayaka returned to her seat. Even in an izakaya, she looked stylish, wearing a black sweater with a necklace. She was holding a large mug of beer in one hand.

“Sorry to interrupt your cozy conversation!”

She set the beer in front of me, filled to the brim.

Looking around, I noticed that beer mugs were being passed down the long table from person to person.

“Oh, looks like the first drink is beer as expected,” I said with a laugh, which made Natsuki pout.

“I always wonder—why does everyone start with beer? I don’t even like beer that much.”

“Yeah, not many girls are into beer, huh? Though Ayaka seems to drink it a lot.”

Natsuki pulled the heavy mug closer to herself, looking a bit burdened. I was starting to think that it must be annoying for people who don’t like beer when Ayaka spoke up.

“Oh, that! I heard from one of the seniors that it’s actually a kind of consideration.”

“Consideration? For what?” Natsuki asked, her face showing that she didn’t feel particularly cared for.

Ayaka smiled at her.

“Well, when you start working, you’ll drink with your boss, right? If everyone orders different drinks, it takes time for them to arrive. That could make your boss wait longer. So the idea is that everyone orders the same drink first so you can start drinking together as soon as possible. That’s where the tradition comes from.”

“Oh, I see.”

Hearing that explanation, I found myself agreeing—it made sense. While I was genuinely impressed, Natsuki complained.

“Then why not make the first drink a highball?”

At that, both Ayaka and I nodded in agreement, saying, “You’ve got a point.”

Glancing at my watch, I saw it was just before 7 PM. Looking around, I noticed that many of the other club members had taken their seats at the long table, signaling that the party was about to begin.

Following Ayaka’s gaze, I saw someone, likely the club president, raising a beer mug.

When I asked if that was the president, Ayaka nodded. Naturally, everyone’s attention shifted to the president.

“Alright, first of all, great job on your tests, everyone!”

As the president spoke, people shouted back, “Good job!”

Ayaka cupped her hand around her mouth and called out, “Good job, everyone!” while holding her mug in the other hand.

“Well, regardless of how we did, the results will be announced next month! Tonight’s drinking party is a celebration to kick off our period of escaping reality!”

Everyone laughed along with the president’s speech. I appreciated the laid-back atmosphere, where even quiet chuckling wasn’t frowned upon. In this club, it seemed like drinking parties were a key part of their activities. It was a different vibe from my basketball club, where the focus was on the sport, and drinking was just an occasional side activity.

The president was about to give the toast, and everyone eagerly held their beer mugs, ready for the moment.

“So, we third-years will retire from the club next month. Though I’d love to lead the toast, I’ll pass the honor to the next president.”

The president scanned the room, but the person who was supposed to take over wasn’t standing up—or rather, they didn’t seem to be there at all. Natsuki, sitting in front of me, raised her hand.

“Kii-san! Looks like the next president couldn’t make it today!”

“What? He said he was coming!” the president responded in exaggerated surprise, clearing their throat before quickly recovering.

“Well, in that case, we’ll have to ask the next vice president to lead the toast! Ayaka, please!”

Ayaka, sitting next to me, visibly flinched. Anyone would react that way when suddenly called out.

“Wait, me?! No, no, no, please, President, you do it!”

She tried to wave off the request, but the other club members were already calling out, “We’re counting on you, Ayachin!”

Apparently, “Ayachin” was her nickname in this club. Unable to resist the collective will of the group, Ayaka reluctantly stood up. From her careful demeanor, it was clear she was putting on her “public face.” I thought she should relax a little, at least in her own club, but it was probably too late to change that now.

“Well then, everyone! I’ll humbly take on the honor of leading the toast,” Ayaka said formally.

The president laughed, “So stiff!”

True, her language did seem a bit too formal for a club drinking party, but given how many people were watching, it was understandable. Realizing this, Ayaka quickly corrected herself with a sheepish smile, “Sorry about that!”

As I watched Ayaka, I couldn’t help but admire how comfortable she seemed in these situations. But from my angle, sitting right next to her, my eyes naturally drifted to her chest. Even through her black sweater, the curves were noticeable, and I quickly looked away, feeling a mix of fascination and guilt.

“Alright, everyone, raise your mugs!” Ayaka called out.

Shaking off any inappropriate thoughts, I raised my mug enthusiastically along with everyone else.

“Great job on the exams! Cheers!”

The word “cheers” echoed throughout the izakaya. Beer mugs clinked together, moving back and forth across the tables with a series of satisfying clinks. I extended my mug first toward Natsuki in front of me, then to the unfamiliar girl sitting next to me, and finally to the guy sitting diagonally across.

Lastly, I turned to my right to toast with Ayaka, who had just finished her opening remarks. There was still a crowd of mugs in front of her, with people even moving over from neighboring tables just to clink glasses with her. Ayaka smiled warmly at each person, gracefully handling the attention. Eventually, she noticed me.

“Sorry, everyone,” she said, lowering her mug for a moment.

“Alright, cheers.”

She extended her mug toward me with a gentle smile on her face, waiting for me. I gave her a grin in return and clinked my mug with hers.

“Cheers!”

And so, the party began.