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

Chapter 46 Ayaka Mino – Past 1 Classroom on a Spring Day

──She leaned out the window, wearing a melancholic expression.

Second year of high school.
Class 2-C, after school.
In the empty classroom bathed in a reddish hue, a lone figure stood, her back slightly swaying. I didn’t know what she was looking at, but I found myself calling out to her.

“What are you looking at?”

Her small shoulders trembled slightly, and she turned around.
Her sharp gaze stopped me in my tracks.

“What?”

Just that one word, but I could sense that she didn’t want me coming any closer.
I shrugged and sat down on a nearby desk.

“We’ve been in the same class since our first year. Don’t be so cold.”

“…Being in the same class, huh? Saying that the day after a class change isn’t really convincing. Besides, I don’t remember us talking that much last year.”

Maybe it was because I hadn’t approached any closer, or perhaps she recognized my face, but her wariness seemed to lessen slightly, and she turned back to the window.

──Mino Ayaka.
A girl reputed to be the number one beauty in our school.
Seeing her up close like this, I could feel an aura around her that made it hard to approach, even from just her silhouette.

“I figured that being in the same class two years in a row would mean we’d naturally get a bit closer.”

With that, I casually pulled out the smartphone my parents had just bought me.
Technically, phones were prohibited during school hours, but after school, the teachers didn’t pay much attention.

“…Do you have some business in this classroom?”

Her tone made it clear she wanted me to leave, and I had to stifle a laugh.
Mino Ayaka was known for her beauty and popularity, but also for her sharp, somewhat harsh personality.

“I’m on class duty today. I’m the one who has to lock up the classroom. If you don’t leave, I can’t either.”

Half true, half a lie.
It was true I was on duty and responsible for locking up, but no one would really care if I left it to someone else.
The real reason I hadn’t handed her the key and left was that I wanted to talk to this well-known Mino Ayaka.

She always had people around her, so this was the first time in our school life that I had her all to myself.

“I see. I’m inconveniencing you, huh.”

“Doesn’t seem like you’re planning to leave, though.”

I chuckled lightly and pushed two desks together to lie down.
Mino Ayaka squinted her eyes, watching me.

“Don’t worry, it’s my friend’s desk.”
“…Well, that’s somewhat better.”

I didn’t respond and continued installing new apps on my newly bought smartphone.
Mino Ayaka seemed to lose interest in me and rested her elbow on the windowsill.

──Mino Ayaka has a sharp tongue.

I can’t quite remember when I first heard that rumor. It might have been a few months after people started talking about this incredibly beautiful first-year student.
Talking to her now, I could see there was indeed a bit of a mismatch between her graceful appearance and the words coming out of her mouth.
But it wasn’t unpleasant. Since she was likely speaking from her true self, I didn’t feel the need to tiptoe around her.

Though I didn’t know where the rumor came from, I realized that being beautiful doesn’t always work to someone’s advantage.

“Are you really that harsh with your words, Mino?”

Without turning to face me, she replied,
“Why don’t you decide that for yourself?”

“…Fair enough.”

With that single response, I decided to ignore all the rumors about Mino Ayaka.
What you see and feel yourself is all that matters.
I had a gut feeling that if I didn’t adopt that mindset, this might be my only chance to talk with her.

We spent the next several minutes mostly in silence, sharing the after-school time together.
I had long since missed basketball practice, but today was an outdoor practice day.
Far from feeling guilty, I was actually relieved to have found an excuse to skip the grueling running drills. I focused on my puzzle game instead.

“Your name’s Hasegawa, right?”
“Hm?”

Startled by her suddenly addressing me by my surname, I sat up.
Mino Ayaka looked at me while closing the curtains and finally spoke.

“I got confessed to today.”
“Oh yeah? Well, that’s not exactly surprising, is it?”

It was well-known around school that Mino Ayaka had recently entered a phase of being highly sought after. On the last day of her first year, she was reportedly confessed to by three male friends all at once, with whom she had been getting along well. The story of how she rejected them simultaneously became a humorous tale shared among students during the opening ceremony of the new term.

Rumors surrounding that episode were numerous, whether they were true or not.

“…You’re not teasing me about it.”

“Why would I? We’re not that close, are we?”

“Oh, don’t hold a grudge. We’ve been in the same class two years in a row now, haven’t we?”

“Look who’s talking!”

When I raised my voice to retort, Mino Ayaka paused for a moment before chuckling softly.

“Yeah, I like that. That’s a good side of you, Hasegawa.”

The sunset, streaming through the gaps in the curtains, glowed brightly behind Mino Ayaka.
She gave my shoulder a light tap and said,

“Looking forward to getting to know you better.”

It was likely just a simple, ordinary greeting.
A common phrase used when deepening a relationship.
And yet, it made me feel something quite clearly.

──It was a sad voice.

I didn’t know what had happened to her.
Given that we hadn’t had many chances to talk before, I couldn’t ask her.
Still, as I watched her leave the classroom, one thought remained in my mind.

It had nothing to do with her popularity or reputation around school. I felt it purely.
I wanted to know more about Mino Ayaka.

When it comes to wanting to understand someone as a person, there’s no need for a clear reason.
All that matters is how you feel.

At that moment, I became genuinely interested in Mino Ayaka.
That’s all there was to it.

Spurred on by the sounds of the basketball team shouting outside the window, I, too, left the classroom.