I Was Cheated on by My Girlfriend but My Devilish Junior Now Yearns for Me - Chapter 54

Chapter 54   Red Flower in the Gym

The gym where the basketball club “Start” holds its activities was quieter than usual. Some clubs get more active during spring break, while others become deserted. Unfortunately, “Start” seemed to fall into the latter category.

“Hey, you’re here.”

It was Toudou. He noticed me and jogged over. He seemed to have finished warming up already, as beads of sweat dotted his forehead.

“Where’s that girl?”

Toudou asked, casting a deliberate glance toward the entrance. He was most likely referring to Shinohara.

“She’s changing.”

“Of course you know everything about her.”

“It’s not like that.”

Shinohara had tagged along with me again today, announcing, “I’ll be the manager!” before heading to the changing room. She had come with me a few times already, so she seemed quite comfortable with the routine.

“Not many people here today.”

When I mentioned it, Toudou threw the ball toward the hoop before responding.

“Well, spring break is almost over. I guess a lot of people are off traveling.”

“Or maybe they’re just lazing around at home like me.”

“Could be. I did wonder why you hadn’t replied to my messages. Were you hibernating again?”

Toudou asked with a smirk. During long breaks, I sometimes stopped replying to messages altogether. There wasn’t any particular reason for it—it just became a hassle. I’d block out the outside world for a while to refresh. Toudou understood my need for this occasional isolation, and I appreciated how comfortable that made our relationship.

“Sorry about that.”

“Heh, at first I thought, ‘What’s up with this guy?’ but I’ve gotten used to it, so don’t worry.”

“I’m just not cut out for social media.”

“Yet you still post to your story every now and then.”

“Yeah, I do that sometimes. Not sure why.”

Once I post something, I have to go through and deal with all the messages that have piled up on LINE. It’s my way of avoiding the inevitable “If you can post, you can reply” sentiments. Though, I doubt it works all that well.

“Is it like an allergic reaction from being too disconnected from the world? But hey, when you went on that trip with Ayaka, you didn’t post anything. Good job.”

At Toudou’s words, I accidentally fumbled the ball that had bounced off the rim. A dull pain shot through my fingers, but that was the least of my concerns.

“Wait, how did you know?”

For a moment, I wondered if Ayaka had posted about our trip, but I quickly realized that wasn’t the case. Seeing Toudou shaking with laughter, I caught on.

“Damn, you were fishing for information, weren’t you?”

“Relax, I won’t say anything. I’m probably the only one who’s figured it out.”

Toudou said this as he walked toward where his belongings were. I tossed the ball aside and followed him, and he showed me his phone screen. It was a post from Ayaka.

“Ayaka: I wore a yukata for the first time in a while, and it got me all excited. I had so much fun~”

The photo only showed a neatly folded women’s yukata. There was no mention of a hot spring inn, nor was there any hint of a man’s presence. It was a perfectly harmless post.

“Look here.”

“Huh?”

I looked where he pointed, and sure enough, there was a small keychain near the sleeve of the yukata. It was the keychain attached to my house keys. It must have accidentally slipped into the picture.

“That’s yours, right?”

“Ugh, seriously?”

Yeah, I could see why Toudou might have figured it out. The only person who followed Ayaka on social media and also knew about the keychain on my keys was probably Toudou.

“Good thing I’m not a gossip-loving loudmouth, huh?”

“You’re right, lucky me. You haven’t told anyone, right?”

“Of course not. It’d be a waste to spill.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

I stood there dumbfounded, and Toudou, scratching his ash-gray hair, spoke up.

“I mean, I just found the perfect excuse to get you to treat me to a meal. Might as well make good use of it, right?”

He grinned mischievously and stood up.

“Well, I’m heading back to shoot around.”

“You’ve got a real personality—ouch!”

A sharp pain shot up from my finger, and I grimaced without thinking. Looking down, I saw my finger had swollen slightly. It must have happened when I fumbled the ball earlier.

“Uh… is that my fault?”

“How about we call it even with the meal?”

Reluctantly, Toudou nodded in agreement. In exchange for a jammed finger, my wallet was spared.

◇◆

“Excuse me~”

As I entered the locker room, a few girls glanced my way. It was supposed to be a room anyone could use, but for some reason, there were no other guys around. The awkwardness hit me like I’d accidentally stepped into a women-only train car.

Then a voice called out, “Oh, Senpai!” and Shinohara, now in a red tracksuit, popped up with a bounce. Her ponytail swayed as she hurried over, leading me out of the room.

“Couldn’t you wait?”

“Huh? For what?”

“For me.”

For a second, I had no idea what she was talking about, but then I realized she was just teasing me, as usual.

“I couldn’t wait!”

“Wow, that’s the most monotone response ever. Thanks for that. So, why are you really here?”

Shinohara tilted her head, curious.

“I hurt my finger.”

“What? That was fast! You’ve only been in the gym for, like, ten minutes.”

“Injuries strike unexpectedly.”

“Why are you acting all smug about it…? Anyway, come on, Senpai.”

Shinohara said this while grabbing my hand—the one that wasn’t injured. Her movement was so natural that I was taken aback by how easily we ended up holding hands.

“You’re acting pretty cool right now,” she teased.

“You’re welcome to feel your heart race,” I replied playfully.

“But my jammed finger hurts.”

“I-I lost to a jammed finger… Well, whatever. Just sit here for now.”

I sat down on the bench near the vending machine as Shinohara hurried back to the locker room. She returned quickly, carrying a first aid kit in her arms. It turned out that her trip back was to grab this, and I was genuinely grateful.

“Thanks. How’d you know where the first aid kit was?”

I reached out to open the kit, but she stopped me.

“What do you think you’re doing? Just sit still, Senpai.”

“Huh?”

“I can handle taping it up.”

With that, she knelt in front of me, taking out the tape from the first aid kit. She gently touched my finger and skillfully began wrapping the tape around it.

“Getting treated even before stepping into the gym—didn’t see that coming.”

“Y-yeah, sorry about that.”

…I suddenly remembered that Shinohara had been in the basketball club herself.

“All done!” she said, giving my hand a light tap, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. So, what do you want to do after this?”

Still kneeling, she looked up at me, waiting for my answer. Normally, after injuring myself before practice even started, I’d call it a day and head home.

“Well, you went through the trouble of taping me up, so I might as well stick around.”

I stood up as I spoke.

“Yay! Show me your moves again, Senpai!”

“Don’t raise the bar so high!”

Shinohara beamed happily, and I couldn’t help but smile back at her.