I Was Cheated on by My Girlfriend but My Devilish Junior Now Yearns for Me - Chapter 53

Chapter 53   The Little Devil and Tapioca

Two weeks had passed since we returned from the hot spring trip.

That night had been meaningful, and it wouldn’t have been surprising if the distance between Ayaka and me had changed.

After all, we stayed up late under the same roof, just the two of us.

Of course, the beds were quite far apart.

Yet, despite that, I still got scolded with a “Your snoring is so loud!” Just how much noise was I making?

“Hey.”

“Hm?”

When I called out, the little devil lifted her upper body from the bed.

My bed had been completely taken over by Shinohara.

I was starting to get used to it, which was a bit concerning.

“Do I snore loudly?”

Since we sometimes ended up napping together, I asked her.

But Shinohara shook her head.

“I think it’s normal?”

Shinohara let out a small yawn and lay back down.

She was dressed more lightly than usual today, with more skin showing.

As mid-March approached, spring was on its way again.

Her fashion always reflected the season, completely different from the winter attire she had been wearing.

“Maybe I should change out my wardrobe, too.”

“Then let’s go shopping!”

Shinohara sat up energetically again, her expression shining.

In the past two weeks, she had visited my place several times, but the two of us hadn’t gone out even once, which probably explained her excitement.

“Sounds like a hassle.”

“Come on! I want to get out of here!”

Shinohara flailed her arms and legs on the bed in protest.

“You’re like an animal trapped in a cage.”

“That’s so mean! But seriously, senpai, you never go outside! And when you do, it’s just to the convenience store! How do you even survive like that?”

“If I don’t have any plans, this is just how it is.”

Well, even I felt like it was a bit of a waste to spend the last days of spring break this way.

Next year’s spring break would be taken up by job hunting.

I probably wouldn’t be job hunting every day, but there’d be networking events, parties, and my time at home would definitely decrease.

Thinking about how this was the last spring break I’d get to relax like this, I figured this kind of time wasn’t so bad either.

“But yeah, two weeks might have been a bit too long.”

With that, I stood up.

As I twirled the key around my finger, Shinohara, who had been waiting for the cue, grabbed her outerwear and headed towards the front door.

“Shopping, shopping!”

“Are you a dog…?”

“Woof, woof!”

“Wait.”

I told Shinohara to wait, who looked like she’d be wagging her tail if she had one, and slung my bag over my shoulder.

As we stepped outside, we were greeted by the warmth of the sun.

◇◆

“Wow, senpai, we’re outside!”

“Yeah, we’re really outside.”

At the rooftop of a shopping mall, I was holding shopping bags in one hand and a bubble tea in the other.

The rooftop had been converted into an open terrace café, and thanks to a limited-time bubble tea menu, it was filled mostly with young people.

“This is happiness.”

“Don’t talk like being indoors is misery. That place is heaven, too.”

I found a convenient bench and sat down.

From the glass fence in front of us, we had a nice view from the rooftop.

Even though it was only the eighth floor, the scenery was surprisingly nice.

“What are you talking about? It’s me making that place heaven.”

“Oh, like, ‘Wherever you are is heaven’—is that where this is going?”

“Nope. I mean, since I do the housework, your place stays comfortable.”

“Thank you so much for everything!”

“Hehe, since you treated me to bubble tea, it’s all good!”

Shinohara made a circle with her fingers and pressed it against her cheek.

That gesture, along with a wink, would probably make most guys fall head over heels.

If I hadn’t been trained by Ayaka, I might’ve been reduced to a lifeless shell by now too.

“Be-bi-tappi!”

With that phrase, Shinohara enthusiastically stabbed a thick straw into the bubble tea container.

“What’s that?”

“Apparently, it’s a thing people say while putting in the straw. I don’t really get it, but it seems to have spread from some bubble tea shop.”

Now that I think about it, I feel like I’ve seen that hashtag on social media too.

Whether it was intentional or not, it’s impressive that it became a trend—definitely good marketing.

As I thought about that, I silently inserted the extra-thick bubble tea straw into my cup and slurped. The tapioca pearls shot into my mouth so fast it felt more like eating than drinking.

“You know, the liquid is way better than the tapioca itself.”

“Eh? I think the tapioca’s pretty good too! Come on, senpai, don’t be so picky without trying things!”

“I’m literally eating it right now.”

Looking closely, I noticed that the tapioca in Shinohara’s cup was different from mine.

Noticing my gaze, Shinohara offered her cup, which she was about to sip from.

“How about this?”

“No thanks.”

“Wait, weren’t we totally about to trade just now?”

I guess normally when you realize the types are different, people just swap.

But I’m the type who prefers to finish my own drink.

“I just happened to notice it, that’s all.”

“Well then, I’ll drink yours, so lend me your cup.”

“No.”

“Why not!?”

Shinohara stomped her feet in frustration, expressing her displeasure.

“Come on, just let me have some! I want to try it!”

With her cheeks puffed out in protest, Shinohara seemed to realize that simply asking wouldn’t work, so she sat back down on the bench and sighed.

“Senpai.”

“Yeah?”

Shinohara pressed the tapioca cup to her cheek and stuck out her tongue.

“If you don’t trade with me, I’m going to start barging into your house every day once spring break is over.”

“Fine, I’ll trade with you.”

“It’s humiliating that this threat actually worked…”

Reluctantly, I traded drinks with Shinohara as she slumped her shoulders.

With lectures, club activities, and work starting soon, having her barge in every day would mean no more time to myself.

I enjoyed hanging out with Shinohara, but that was a completely separate issue.

“Yum, this is delicious!”

Shinohara’s eyes sparkled as she looked at her bubble tea. Mine had a slightly darker color than hers. When I took a sip from her straw, a sweeter flavor filled my mouth compared to before.

“This is really good.”

It was sweeter than mine, but I clearly preferred this one.

“Should we just trade permanently?”

“Seriously? Are you sure? Mine has less left.”

Even though I had hesitated earlier, I shamelessly asked. But Shinohara, without seeming to care, smiled lightly and replied.

“That’s fine. I figured this one suits your taste better.”

“What? You can tell that much?”

“Who do you think always makes your café au lait for you?”

With that, Shinohara pinched my stomach and raised an eyebrow.

“Make sure you get some exercise, okay?”

Since our hot spring trip, I hadn’t been exercising, and I’d definitely lost some muscle. Realizing Shinohara had started managing my health too, I resolved to start going back to my basketball club.