I Was Cheated on by My Girlfriend but My Devilish Junior Now Yearns for Me - Chapter 23

Chapter 23   Staying Over 1

“You know, it was weird that you’d always kick me out even after the last train.”

Shinohara complained while rummaging through my dresser. I had asked her to find some clothes she could wear, but watching the pile of clothes grow unsettled me. Noticing this, she smirked.

“Don’t worry, I’ll fold and put them back. They were all crammed in, so I figured I’d take them out and tidy them up for you.”

“Ah, I see.”

Relieved, I rolled over. In that case, she could scatter them around as much as she liked. Actually, I’d be happy if she could fully reorganize the dresser for me. I felt guilty thinking that, but my alcohol-heavy body wasn’t cooperating.

“Senpai, can I borrow this?”

Just as I turned over, Shinohara spoke, forcing me to roll back reluctantly. She was holding up the jersey I used for my basketball club. Since it would work as pajamas, I gave her my approval.

“Sure. Sorry, though, I don’t have any women’s clothes.”

“I’d be horrified if you did!”

Her response made me mentally check again that all of Reina’s stuff was truly gone. I wasn’t sure if I had completely organized the dresser after the breakup, but judging by Shinohara’s reaction, everything seemed fine. While I regularly checked the closet, I barely looked into the dresser, so my memory was foggy.

“Senpai, how long were you and your ex-girlfriend together?”

Shinohara asked casually while folding clothes, as if it was just an aside.

“About a year.”

“Oh, really?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Earlier, I had blurted out stuff about my ex-girlfriend while drunk, but come to think of it, I hadn’t even mentioned that I had a girlfriend until fairly recently. Despite letting Shinohara into my home often, I hadn’t really opened up to her about my past. Sure, I’d shared my views on relationships, but I had never talked about my experiences with Reina.

“No, I just thought that’s pretty long. A year is quite a bit, isn’t it?”

“It’s normal, isn’t it?”

In high school, a lot of couples would break up in three months, or even just a month, but in university, a breakup that fast seemed a bit premature. A year felt like a pretty standard length of time. However, Shinohara puffed her cheeks after hearing my response.

“I only lasted three months.”

“Oh, right, you.”

“Ah! You’re looking down on me!”

“No, that’s not it at all.”

I rolled over again, trying to distance myself from her voice. I liked Shinohara’s clear voice, but I couldn’t fight the drowsiness. Shinohara seemed to continue saying something, but I lost consciousness before I could hear it.

◇◆◇◆

The sound of the bathroom door closing slowly woke me. My heavy eyelids lifted gradually. Though the alcohol-induced grogginess had eased somewhat, I still didn’t feel like getting up.

I pulled out my phone to check the time. It was 2 a.m., meaning I had been asleep for about two hours.

“Did I wake you?”

I shifted toward the voice coming from the hallway. There stood Shinohara, wearing my jersey and looking apologetic. The scent of her freshly washed hair wafted through the hallway. Though it was the same shampoo I used, it somehow smelled much better on her.

“Senpai?”

“I was asleep.”

“I know. Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

As I sat up, the fatigue only worsened. Despite the short nap, it felt like I had dreamed for hours. People say you dream just before waking, so the length of sleep might not matter.

“Are you okay? You should drink some water.”

“I don’t need any.”

I moved to the bed and collapsed onto it. For most guys, seeing Shinohara in her clothes would be enough to get their heart racing. Here she was, in front of me, wearing my jersey as pajamas, completely unaware of how defenseless she looked in front of a guy who had been drinking.

But even the excitement of such a situation couldn’t win over the exhaustion I knew would still be there tomorrow. Shinohara seemed slightly dissatisfied by my lack of reaction to her outfit.

“Senpai, no comment at all?”

“What do you want?”

“Well, I mean, even I think this is pretty rare, you know…”

“Yeah, I get it. A cute girl is wearing a guy’s clothes, it’s such a special situation. Alright, thank you, goodnight.”

I covered my face with the blanket to block out the light, but Shinohara quickly pulled it off.

“It’s too bright. I’m melting. I’m actually a vampire, you know—”

“If you were a vampire, you’d be full of energy at this time. Don’t say such nonsense.”

Shinohara snorted and placed something cold against my forehead.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a drink for hangovers. I went to the convenience store and got it.”

“It’s dangerous for a girl to be out at this hour.”

“And yet, you never let me stay over until now. What are you even saying?”

Shinohara laughed and set the drink down next to me. I chugged it quickly, hoping to stave off a hangover, then tossed the empty container into the trash.

“That’s bitter as hell.”

“Good medicine tastes bitter, you know.”

“True. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

For the first time, I really looked at Shinohara’s face. I’d been too focused on the fact that she was wearing my jersey to notice, but she wasn’t wearing any makeup—what you’d call a “bare face.”

The reason I hadn’t noticed sooner was partly because of the jersey, but there was another reason too.

“You’re cute even without makeup.”

“That’s a perfect 100 points, Senpai! Girls love to hear that compliment.”

She gave me a big thumbs-up, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“So what would be a 0-point response?”

“That would be, ‘You look cuter without makeup.’”

“And why’s that?”

“Because if someone says you look better without makeup, it makes you feel like all the effort you put into makeup is pointless! We use it to look as cute as possible.”

She spoke with such passion that I guessed she must have heard that comment a few times before. I hadn’t realized it, but my compliment had been the right one.

“There are always people, especially at training camps, who say stuff like, ‘You look better without makeup!’ They just don’t get it!”

“Whoa, whoa, calm down, Shinohara. Take it easy.”

“Do you know how much we spend on makeup?! We buy tons of products, all to—”

I put my hand over her mouth. She mumbled for a bit, but when I pointed to the clock, she realized the time and quieted down. I let go of her.

“Sorry. I lost it a little in the middle of the night.”

“Are you emotionally unstable or something?”

“It’s just that it’s such a frustrating comment.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Let’s go to sleep.”

Since I’d given the right answer, the rest didn’t really matter. Plus, I’d already heard this rant once before. I suddenly remembered that Ayaka had said the exact same thing about a year ago. To the one giving the compliment, it probably seemed like the highest praise, but as Shinohara’s reaction showed, the wrong words can turn even the best intention into a disaster. This was a perfect example of how choosing the right words can make all the difference.

“If the guy just wanted to compliment you, cut him some slack.”

When I unintentionally defended the guy, Shinohara laughed.

“I’m not mad, you know. I just got a little heated.”

“Is that so? Well, don’t let it bother you.”

“It depends on the person. If it’s you, Senpai, I don’t mind.”

“Oh really? I’m honored.”

“Wow, you’re really phoning that one in. If you keep that attitude, I won’t cook for you tomorrow.”

That would be a problem. Considering I’d probably still feel sluggish in the morning, I’d need her to cook. Even though I’d drunk a hangover prevention drink, the idea of getting up and moving around in the morning seemed like a hassle.

“Sorry. I apologize.”

“You’re so simple. It’s annoying,” Shinohara snorted and flopped down on the couch.

“Aren’t you going to take care of your skin?”

“I did the bare minimum, but all you had in the bathroom were men’s products. Have you really had a girlfriend before?”

“It’d be weird if I still had my ex’s stuff around. I made sure she took all her personal belongings.”

I had some basic skincare items, but no face packs or anything like that. Maybe a guy with high grooming standards would have that kind of stuff, but unfortunately, I wasn’t that into it. I washed my face, but when it came to lotion, I just slapped some on carelessly.

Yawning, Shinohara reached from the couch to grab a towel blanket and wrapped herself up in it.

“Hey, what about the hair dryer?”

“I’ll just let it air dry tonight. The sound is too loud.”

She was probably trying to be considerate of the neighbors. It was surprising, considering how loud she had been earlier, but I had to give her credit for being thoughtful.

“Well, you’re in luck. My hair dryer is a high-spec model that’s practically silent.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

Shinohara sprang up and went back to the bathroom. Hair is often said to be a woman’s crowning glory, so it made sense that she’d be reluctant to let it air dry and risk damaging it. The walls of the apartment were fairly thick, so she didn’t need to worry too much about the noise.

I could hear the soft hum of the dryer from the bathroom, and I was glad I had invested in a good one.

“By the way,” I remembered.

A notification from Ayaka had come in earlier. I opened my phone to check, and I saw that I also had a message from someone else—Yamanashi Natsuki, from the drinking party.

“Thanks for tonight! It’s a shame we didn’t get to talk much later on!”

It didn’t seem like she was eager to continue the conversation, so it was probably just a polite gesture. I sent a quick stamp and switched over to Ayaka’s chat.

“Can you talk right now?”

The message had been sent an hour ago. She was probably asleep by now, but since I had already opened it, I figured I should reply.

“No.”

The moment I sent the message, it was marked as read. “Seriously?” I muttered aloud in surprise.

“You’re awake, aren’t you? I’m calling you.”

The screen instantly switched to show an incoming call, and the alarm I had set for calls rang out. I put my phone on silent and stared at the now-muted incoming call screen. After a few moments, the call ended and the screen went back to normal.

“Why didn’t you pick up?” “I feel like watching videos.” “It’s important.”

The screen changed to show an incoming call again. I figured the “important” part was probably a lie, but it didn’t seem like she was going to stop. I decided to check with Shinohara.

“Shinohara, there’s lotion in the top cabinet. You didn’t use it, right?”

“Oh, thanks! I didn’t know where it was earlier.”

Shinohara had her phone propped up on the bathroom counter, playing a video while she dried her hair. Her hair was still far from fully dry, so it looked like she wouldn’t be coming out for a while.

“What are you doing here? …Wait, don’t tell me, Senpai!”

“Yeah, yeah. See you,” I said, brushing off her teasing.

“Geez!” she puffed her cheeks in mock frustration, but I ignored it and closed the bathroom door.

In my one-room apartment, like many others, the bathroom, sink, and toilet were all in the same space. As long as Shinohara was using the sink area, I couldn’t use the toilet.

But for now, that worked out in my favor. With the door shut, she wouldn’t be able to hear anything.

I went back to the living room, picked up my phone, and saw the call was still ringing. I finally hit the answer button and held the phone up to my ear.