I Was Cheated on by My Girlfriend but My Devilish Junior Now Yearns for Me - Chapter 21

Chapter 21   Drinking Party 2

Once the food was mostly laid out on the table, people began moving freely from seat to seat, drinks in hand. Ayaka, who had originally been sitting next to me, was soon called over by another group and switched seats. It was natural for people to want to have someone as attractive as Ayaka close by, but the chorus of “Ayachiin!” and “Ayaka-san!” calling for her from all sides showed just how much she was liked—far more than I had imagined.

She’s impressive.

Ayaka wasn’t always great at navigating social situations, as her personality was once said to be difficult. The scene unfolding before me now was likely the result of all the relationships she had carefully cultivated. She probably didn’t see it as “effort,” but from my perspective, it was undeniable. Seeing her chat happily with other groups filled me with a sense of pride as if I, too, had a stake in her success.

“Hey, Yuuta-kun, aren’t you staring at Ayaka-chan a little too much?”

A hand waved in front of my face, snapping me out of my thoughts. Natsuki was sitting there, looking slightly annoyed.

“Was I really staring?”

“You were totally staring. When I got back to the table, you didn’t even notice. I was shocked.”

Her words reminded me that she’d gone to the restroom earlier. Alcohol tends to make people feel like others disappear and return faster than they actually do.

“Well, I can’t blame you for staring—Ayaka-chan’s got such a pretty face.”

Natsuki said this while swirling her highball.

“She’s not just pretty, though—her face is small, her skin is flawless. It’s so unfair that some people are born with such advantages.”

“No kidding. She’s got a huge advantage.”

“There aren’t many girls at our university on her level. Our circle has a lot of cute girls because appearance is a selection factor, but Ayaka-chan is definitely the prettiest—just my opinion, though.”

Even among the many attractive girls, Ayaka does stand out. Natsuki’s assessment wasn’t far off the mark. It reminded me of how Shinohara also stood out in any group. Looking at the relationships I’ve been able to build with girls like them, I couldn’t help but feel incredibly lucky.

But there was something more concerning that Natsuki had just let slip.

“Wait, you’re telling me your circle actually chooses members based on looks? That’s kind of terrifying.”

I feigned a reaction of mild shock, and Natsuki laughed. Despite her earlier compliments to Ayaka, her smile, perhaps loosened by the alcohol, was friendly and inviting—likely making her quite popular with guys as well. Glancing around, I had to admit that the girls in her circle were indeed on another level.

“Our circle’s really popular. A lot of girls from nearby women’s university want to join too.”

“Is that so?”

When I gave a short reply, Natsuki tilted her head.

“Yuua-kun, do you dislike that sort of thing?”

I wasn’t sure. It wasn’t something I found so unpleasant that it stirred strong emotions, but if I had to choose, I might say I didn’t care for it much. Not fully understanding my own feelings, I hesitated to respond lightly, so I diverted the conversation instead, saying, “Just call me Yuuta.” Natsuki nodded.

“Alright then, Yuuta. I think Ayaka probably feels the same way you do.”

“Why’s that?”

Ayaka holds the position of vice president in this circle. That’s why I refrained from openly criticizing the group before fully understanding my own thoughts.

“Most of the people who joined this circle had no idea how it really worked. Ayaka didn’t know at first either. Apparently, when she found out, she made a pretty clear face of disgust.”

“Huh, that’s rare.”

“Rare?”

Natsuki looked puzzled. It wasn’t unusual for her to express her feelings when we were together, but for her to show that kind of attitude around others—she must have been genuinely bothered.

“The ironic thing is that Ayaka probably benefited from it the most.”

Natsuki’s ears had turned red, a sign that she was fairly intoxicated. She realized she’d said too much and looked a little guilty.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“It’s fine. People are bound to think that sometimes.”

Even Ayaka herself seems to accept that being labeled in such a way is inevitable. Although, if it came from friends in the circle, it might hit differently. Since it was just casual talk over drinks, I didn’t let Natsuki’s slip bother me. Still, sensing unease in my response, Natsuki quickly added, “Ayaka’s genuinely a good person, though,” as if to patch things up.

She was probably worried I might relay this conversation to Ayaka. I almost thought to myself how tough it is being a girl in these situations, but then again, guys might face the same challenges in this kind of setting.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to say anything. It’s just alcohol talking, and everyone has their likes and dislikes.”

As I said this, I wondered how Ayaka would react in a situation like this. If she found out someone had said something behind my back, would she get angry for my sake? I thought I’d be happy if she did, but considering how easily I let things slide, it felt selfish.

“By the way—”

Natsuki tried to change the subject, sensing the conversation had drifted into awkward territory. Her silence on the earlier topic was as good as admitting she agreed, but I didn’t press her further and simply nodded in response.

“Are you dating Ayaka?”

“No. I get asked that sometimes, but we’ve never had that kind of relationship.”

“Is that so? People might get the wrong idea if you had a girlfriend.”

“I don’t have one, so there’s no problem.”

“Then maybe if you did, they’d have misunderstood.”

Fueled by the alcohol, Natsuki was diving into quite a personal conversation. I was surprised since the last time we talked, it was mostly about light stuff like manga and other hobbies. I silently pulled my beer closer and took another sip.

“You still have your drink left.”

“I’ll drink both, so it’s fine.”

I’m pretty strong when it comes to alcohol, so it wasn’t an issue. The guy passed out next to me was clearly worse off than I was—he’d already knocked out after just an hour, but I had more confidence in myself.

“You drink quite a bit, huh?”

Natsuki’s voice sounded slightly surprised. If I smoked too, I’d clearly be the kind of guy who doesn’t appeal to everyone. I’m not sure if the girls in this circle have those kinds of values, but for now, I decided to hold off on smoking. Who am I trying to impress? I wondered, feeling slightly ridiculous.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, so I pulled it out. I knew it was bad manners to check my phone mid-conversation, not just during drinking, but I wasn’t in the mood to care about those finer details right now. The notification showed that it was from Shinohara.

“Senpai, what time are you coming back today? I’m nearby.”

I glanced at my watch. It was 8 p.m. We were supposed to be able to stay for about four hours, so I still had two hours to go.

“I’m probably staying until the last train, so just head home,” I replied.

A response came back almost instantly.

“What’s with ‘just head home’! Come on!”

I couldn’t help but smile, which Natsuki immediately noticed.

“It’s a girl, isn’t it?”

“Think so?”

“Definitely. I don’t know why, but I can just tell.”

It felt odd to hear that from someone I’d barely interacted with before. I wanted to ask, “What do you think you know?” but since she hit the mark, I couldn’t say anything, which left me feeling frustrated.

“Just like Reina said.”

My hand froze as I reached for some snacks. It took me a moment to process the name Natsuki had just mentioned—Reina, my ex-girlfriend.