I Was Cheated on by My Girlfriend but My Devilish Junior Now Yearns for Me - Chapter 33

Chapter 33   Valentines Party 4

“What a coincidence…” Reina said softly.

Though it had only been a few months since we broke up, she looked a bit different. Of course, her change in fashion started even before we parted ways.

“A coincidence? Hardly.”

I responded coldly, shifting my gaze to Natsuki. She looked guilty, avoiding eye contact. It was almost certain that Natsuki had called Reina here. After all, it was Natsuki who originally invited me to this party. Reuniting us probably didn’t take much effort on her part.

“Actually, I planned to meet you after the party,” Reina explained, with Natsuki nodding in agreement. I silently sipped my cocktail, and Reina asked Natsuki to give us a moment alone.

Without looking back, Natsuki walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

“I asked Natsuki to help. Don’t blame her.”

“Blame her? I’m not angry, really.”

More than anger, it felt like the excitement I had from the party was quickly deflating. But I didn’t want to explain my emotions in detail.

“You’ve got a lot of chocolates. That’s impressive,” Reina remarked, noticing the bag filled with chocolates.

“They’re not mine. They belong to a friend I came with.”

I brushed off her comment lightly. Since I was only holding onto the bag for Ayaka, she would be back soon. Whatever Reina’s reason for wanting to meet with me, I didn’t want to stay here any longer.

“I think we’re done here. My friend will be back soon.”

“Can’t you just say we met at the party?” Reina suggested.

“That won’t work.”

If it were any other friend, that excuse might be fine. But Ayaka not only knew Reina’s face, she was also aware of the circumstances of our breakup. In fact, the last time the two of them met, Ayaka had interrupted the conversation just to criticize Reina, albeit indirectly.

It would be best to avoid another encounter between them. I was about to explain this to Reina, but I was a little too late.

Reina glanced behind me and, as if understanding everything, muttered, “Ah… I see what’s going on.”

“What, am I being treated like some sort of nuisance?” Ayaka said as she took the paper bag from my hand. A piece of chocolate fell out, but Ayaka kept her gaze fixed on Reina.

“You’re Reina, right? What do you want with him?” Ayaka’s voice was sharp, but Reina’s expression didn’t falter.

Before, Reina would have left the scene to avoid confrontation, but today was different. She wasn’t accompanied by friends who didn’t know the situation.

“Do I really have to explain? Is it so strange to meet with my ex?” Reina replied.

“That’s up to the person, I guess. But you’re different, aren’t you?” Ayaka shot back.

“Different how?”

“You cheated, didn’t you? Have you ever thought about how that feels for the other person? Or did you come here fully aware of what you’re doing?” Ayaka pressed, her voice growing harsher.

Reina fixed her eyes on Ayaka, as if analyzing her. Ayaka, provoked by the look, continued her tirade.

“What are you thinking? Did things not work out with the person you cheated with, and now you’re trying to get back with him? He’s not good at being direct about things, so I’ll say it for him.”

Ayaka glanced at me briefly before turning back to Reina.

“Don’t meet with him again. It’s a bother.”

“Ayaka, that’s enough,” I interjected.

Ayaka shot me a glare.

“If you wanted to stop me, you had plenty of chances. The fact that you didn’t means you must agree with me, right?”

“I wouldn’t go that far—” I started but trailed off. I had always wanted to resolve things peacefully, but Ayaka’s words reflected my true feelings. I just hadn’t had the courage to say them myself.

Maybe there was no need to stop Ayaka after all. Still, the urge to intervene kept bubbling up—was it because I didn’t want a confrontation, because I lacked the resolve, or because I still had lingering feelings for Reina?

Just as my thoughts froze, Reina’s words snapped me out of it.

“I didn’t cheat.”

It was the same thing she’d said over the phone.

Ayaka’s face contorted in confusion for a moment before she smirked.

“That’s strange. Then why didn’t you say that when you broke up with him? The reason you gave for ending things was because he found out you cheated, wasn’t it?”

“I came here to talk to Yuuta-kun about that.”

Reina’s calm expression remained unchanged, while Ayaka furrowed her brow.

“He doesn’t want to hear anything from you,” Ayaka asserted.

“I don’t know why you’re so sure about that,” Reina replied, her tone steady. “I want to talk to Yuuta-kun alone. To clear up a misunderstanding.”

A misunderstanding? What misunderstanding could there possibly be from what seemed like such a decisive moment? And yet, Reina’s firm tone made me question my own memory. Of course, even if I asked, it was hard to imagine her explanation would provide any real proof to deny the affair. It would likely only deepen my resentment towards her. Yet, my feelings wavered.

A few months ago, when we broke up, Reina said nothing. She just nodded mechanically to everything I said. Deep down, I had wanted to hear her side, her explanation.

Those forgotten emotions began to smolder once again because of her words. Perhaps, somewhere in my mind, I had known that if we talked, I’d feel like this. Maybe that’s why I had tried to keep my distance from Reina all along.

Looking back on it now, I realize that without this belief, I would have seen myself as pathetically weak.

“I’ll hear you out,” I finally said.

Ayaka turned to me in surprise.

“I’m just going to listen. I don’t think it will change anything about what happened, but if she says there’s a misunderstanding, I at least want to hear it. I had been trying to forget all about it, but if she claims she didn’t cheat, it’s hard not to be curious.”

Reina remained silent, listening intently. Ayaka, on the other hand, shot back, calling me naive, but I kept talking.

“I just don’t want this lingering in my mind forever. I want to hear it all, clear my head, and move on.”

“You can’t completely erase the memory of a girlfriend you were with for a year. But over time, you can forget the feelings you had for her. Why throw yourself back into that pain?” Ayaka argued.

She was right; this might only stir up old memories. But it was too late for that now. Just being in her presence brought back a flood of memories. A year was too long to simply forget in a short period of time.

Reina was the only girlfriend I’d ever been with for more than a year.

“Yuuta-kun, let’s go,” Reina said, taking my hand.

I pulled my hand away and coldly retorted, “Don’t get the wrong idea.”

It wasn’t directed solely at Reina—it was also meant as a reassurance to Ayaka. Since I was ignoring her advice, the least I could do was make a conscious effort not to get any closer to Reina than necessary. It felt like the only way to make amends to Ayaka.

I wanted to add, “I’m only listening, not for her sake,” but Reina’s next words cut me off.

“The one who’s misunderstanding things is you.”

With that, Reina shot one final glance at Ayaka before heading towards the exit. Feeling Ayaka’s gaze on the back of my neck, I followed after her.

Ayaka said nothing.