I Was Cheated on by My Girlfriend but My Devilish Junior Now Yearns for Me - Chapter 52

Chapter 52   Hot Spring Trip End

When I woke up, there was a container of tea right in front of me.

The steam that had been rising earlier had completely disappeared.

The tea stalk was stuck to the edge of the small container; it wasn’t even a question of whether it was standing or not.

In my hazy consciousness, I sluggishly drank the tea to help myself wake up.

I didn’t know when I had fallen asleep, but I felt like I had been dreaming for a long time.

Maybe because I had been reminiscing about my high school days right before, the dream was unusually vivid.

—That’s right.

That person and I are friends, best friends.

If I had to draw a line somewhere in our relationship, I’d say we’re keeping a pretty balanced distance.

Whether our relationship as best friends is still developing or has already reached its final form, I don’t know.

Our relationship hasn’t changed for a long time.

“…And that’s okay.”

Some things are good because they don’t change.

I think my relationship with that person is a perfect example of that.

There were many guys who tried to force a change, and that’s why… well, things turned out the way they did.

I now know all too well how hard it is to repair a dam once it’s broken.

I sighed and took another sip of tea.

The tea had completely cooled, and the sensation of the tea stalk sticking to the inside of my mouth made me frown.

“What’s so good about that?”

“Pffft!”

The tea stalk flew onto the desk.

The voice that had whispered in my ear spoke again, now with a tone of surprise.

“Hey, don’t spit it out!”

“Th-that’s your fault, Mino! Talking to me right when I wake up!”

Anyone would be startled if someone approached them when they weren’t aware of it.

Especially when they’ve just woken up and hear a voice right next to their ear.

No wonder I spat out the tea stalk.

“What’s up with you?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

I asked, not understanding what she was talking about.

“It’s just… it’s been a while since you called me by my last name.”

“Oh… yeah, it was just a habit.”

Ayaka tilted her head at my explanation, which even I didn’t fully understand.

“When did you pick up that habit?”

She softened her expression and chuckled.

That gentle look she sometimes showed hadn’t changed since high school.

The dream about high school was strangely vivid in my memory.

The Mino Ayaka from back then and the Mino Ayaka now—if you asked any of her old high school friends, they’d probably say she’s changed since her second year.

I hadn’t really thought much about how Ayaka had changed until now.

Even if something had changed, her behavior towards me hadn’t, so I never felt the need to think about it.

But now that those old memories are clearer, the answer seems obvious.

I once asked her, “Why do you get along with everyone like that?”

I asked because I found it odd how friendly she was with people she didn’t even seem to like.

It was the kind of question I would never have asked the Ayaka from sophomore year.

So, the fact that I asked it at all meant the change in her was clear.

—She had become more aware of others and how to navigate through life smoothly.

That was the one way Ayaka had changed.

At the “post-test celebration” hosted by her university club, it was clear she had made an effort.

All of it, to change.

Her strong will from back then shaped the Ayaka I see today.

“…Actually, there’s one more thing that’s changed.”

“What’s with the suddenness?”

Ayaka furrowed her brows into a slight frown but kept the corners of her mouth upturned.

“You’ve gotten more beautiful.”

“—What!?”

Compared to her high school days, Ayaka’s appearance had definitely leveled up. She was always beautiful, but now she had surpassed even her past self.

Whether it was due to her more mature air, her softer expressions, or her refined figure, I couldn’t say.

But in my eyes, the Ayaka of today shone brilliantly.

“W-what’s up with you? Are you trying to hit on me?”

I quickly shook my head at her words.

“Idiot, no way. That’s not what I meant.”

There’s an invisible boundary that exists between people, even with one’s parents.

Being able to sense where that boundary lies is essential in building relationships.

The boundary between Ayaka and me hasn’t changed since high school—and it shouldn’t.

But still…

“What’s with you? Denying it that quickly kinda pisses me off, you know.”

Every time I catch her in those moments where she drops her guard and shows a bit of her real self, I think to myself:

It’s almost a miracle that I never caught feelings for her until now.