I Was Cheated on by My Girlfriend but My Devilish Junior Now Yearns for Me - Chapter 30

Chapter 30   Valentines Party 1

It had been about two weeks since university exams ended, marking the beginning of spring break. Since the drinking party that Ayaka invited me to, I hadn’t had any particularly notable plans. My routine consisted of working part-time twice a week, playing basketball at my club once a week, and spending the rest of my time lazily at home. It wasn’t the most fulfilling spring break.

But today was Valentine’s Day. I had decided to go to the Valentine’s party Natsuki had invited me to, and I had plans to meet up with Ayaka at the station in the evening.

It was already 5 PM, so I should start getting ready soon. However, Shinohara was sitting right in front of me, completely absorbed in reading manga, making it difficult to focus.

Shinohara visited my place several times a week. Ever since I casually gave her a spare key, she came and went as she pleased. There wasn’t much I could do to stop it.

Still, Shinohara undeniably added some color to my otherwise dull life, and I found myself enjoying this routine. Spring break had just begun, but I wouldn’t mind if it lasted another half-year.

“Hey, Shinohara. It’s time for you to head out. I told you, I’ve got plans today,” I said.

“I’ll leave soon, don’t worry. Just let me finish this chapter, I’m at a good part,” she replied.

After introducing her to the weekly shonen magazine I had, Shinohara became hooked on the manga I had lying around in my room. Apparently, she had never read much shonen manga before, so I understood why she was so engrossed now.

Resigned to the fact that I wouldn’t be able to get her out of the room, I began preparing for my evening. Shinohara, to her credit, made an effort not to get in my way, retreating to the bed when I needed to move around.

Once I was ready, I called out to her.

“Alright, make sure you wrap things up and head home. You’ve got plans today too, right?”

“Yep. I’ll head out after I finish this volume and go shopping.”

“Alright, lock up when you leave.”

“Got it.”

As I stepped out of the front door, I let out a sigh.

—It’s Valentine’s Day.

When Shinohara said, “I’ll come by on Valentine’s Day,” I had half-expected to get some chocolate. But not only did she not give me any chocolate, she didn’t even bring any with her.

I wasn’t particularly upset about not getting anything from Shinohara, but it did leave me feeling a bit down.

I realized that, even as a university student, I still had the same feelings of excitement and disappointment tied to the number of chocolates I received on Valentine’s Day.

It was probably this feeling that made me accept the party invitation so quickly. If it hadn’t been a Valentine’s-themed event, I probably would have turned it down.

There was a small part of me that was hoping something good might come out of it.

When I arrived at the station, it was already 5:30 PM, the time we had agreed to meet. Among the bustling crowd, I quickly spotted a familiar figure.

“Ayaka.”

Hearing her name, Ayaka turned around. Her makeup looked more elaborate than usual, and her outfit—a stylish, black-based ensemble with a luxurious vibe—made her stand out. It was no wonder I spotted her so easily in the crowd.

When Ayaka saw me, she clicked her heels against the pavement and walked over.

“Hey, long time no see! We haven’t met since that drinking party,” she greeted.

“Yeah, but it doesn’t really feel like it’s been that long.”

Though we hadn’t met during spring break, we had spoken on the phone a few times, so it didn’t feel like it had been a long time since we last saw each other. However, her polished appearance today made me feel a bit nervous.

Since it was a student party, I had dressed casually, but seeing her made me regret not putting more thought into my outfit.

Sensing my unease, Ayaka teased me about it.

“Your outfit is way too plain. You look like you’re just going to a lecture,” Ayaka commented.

“I-It’s fine! We’re just going to drink and chat, right?” I muttered, looking away, embarrassed that she had hit the nail on the head.

Ayaka sighed, clearly exasperated.

“Haven’t you heard from Natsuki?”

“Heard what?”

“Oh, come on… it’s a Valentine’s event. You pair up with a random person of the opposite sex, chat, and if they like you, you get chocolate. I had to make a ton of chocolates for it!”

“What!?”

—What kind of hellish event was this?

I mean, if I don’t hit it off with a stranger, I won’t get any chocolate. Fine, whatever. But the sting of rejection still sucks. If I end up with nothing, I’ll definitely be crying to Ayaka later.

“There’s no chance I can just go back home now, is there?” I asked, just to confirm.

Ayaka waved a paper bag in front of my face, clearly irritated.

“Of course not! I made these chocolates specifically for today. Besides, you can’t even enter the venue unless you’ve got a partner.”

“Well, I guess I could find some other guy in the same situation—”

“No way, that sounds like a hassle. Don’t worry, I’ll give you chocolate, so you won’t end up with zero.”

Hearing that reassured me a little. Even though Ayaka and I had known each other for a long time, she had never given me chocolates before. Even if they were just obligatory chocolates, the fact that they were handmade still made it special.

…I’d have to use that as motivation to endure the party.

“What’s with that face? Not happy about getting my chocolate?” Ayaka looked up at me, a bit miffed.

I quickly waved my hands, trying to deny it.

“No, no! I’m happy! If it weren’t for that, I would’ve run away already.”

“Good. Just so you know, I don’t normally give chocolate to people. If it wasn’t for this event, I wouldn’t have made any.”

“Why’s that?”

“A lesson from the past. I didn’t want to get caught up in the bloody battles between girls. I ended up getting called ‘stuck-up’ anyway, though.”

I couldn’t tell if she was talking about her time at university or from her school days, but I could sense that Ayaka had her own share of struggles.

Even us guys knew that pretty girls often got dragged into those kinds of conflicts.

“Well, someone like you is going to get talked about no matter what you do. Just accept it.”

“Hey, this is the part where you’re supposed to comfort me! Why are you rubbing it in?”

“You hate it when I comfort you about stuff like this anyway. And I don’t really feel like comforting you either.”

“…Well, now that you mention it, maybe that’s true. But anyway, that’s why I made all these chocolates today,” Ayaka said, lifting her bag as if to say, How about that?

Before I could take a peek inside, something she said caught my attention, making me tilt my head in confusion.

“Why do you have so many chocolates? Shouldn’t it just be one per person?”

“Hello? If everyone only brought one chocolate, a bunch of poor, pathetic guys like you would end up getting nothing. It was clearly stated that we had to make multiple.”

“I see, so everyone made extra… Must be tough for the girls too.”

If that’s the case, the value of Ayaka’s chocolate drops a bit. I’m still happy, but there’s a twinge of disappointment. Glancing at her paper bag, it looked like there were at least ten chocolates inside.

“But isn’t that way too many? Why did you make so many?”

“I’m trying to find boyfriend candidates. You can never have too much ammunition.”

“That’s exactly why guys like Motosaka keep coming after you.”

“Shut up! Even a bad shot can hit the target sometimes!”

“So you do know you’re a bad shot. …Well, I get it. You’ve put in some effort for today. Guess I have no choice but to do my best too.”

Considering what Ayaka said, it seems like the organizers aren’t just making things tough for the guys. The girls are also being forced to go through the trouble of making all those chocolates. If that’s the case, I guess I have no choice but to buckle down and try my best today.

Just as I was getting into that mindset, Ayaka dropped an unnecessary bombshell.

“By the way, girls only have to pay 500 yen to get in.”

“Wait a minute! I paid 4,300 yen! Are you kidding me!?”

“That’s normal for these matchmaking-type parties. If anything, it’s cheap. You should be grateful you’re at least getting chocolates.”

“I don’t want to go anymore! Let me at least change my clothes!”

“Don’t start yelling, you’re so loud!”

She smacked me on the back of the head with a loud thud. The sound was flashy, but the pain I imagined in my chest from what lay ahead was far more severe than the sting on my head.