I Was Cheated on by My Girlfriend but My Devilish Junior Now Yearns for Me - Chapter 6

Chapter 6   Christmas Party 2

“Good evening, Hasegawa-senpai!”

Shinohara approached with sparkling eyes. Her striking appearance drew attention, making her stand out even among the cute girls at this group date. Ayaka, too, would have held her own if she weren’t standing there with her mouth agape, clearly surprised by the sudden visitor.

Sitting at the edge of the table near the aisle, I stood up, wondering why she’d show up at a time like this.

“Oh, uh, hey… what a coincidence.”

“Senpai, we just met yesterday!”

Shinohara, speaking in a sweet, playful tone, seemed a bit different from yesterday. I had no memory of her ever talking to me like that, and she certainly wasn’t the type to act clingy in front of people. Besides, I hadn’t even told her where I’d be tonight—how on earth had she found me?

While I was puzzling over this, an unexpected person spoke up.

“Hey, what are you doing here, Mayu?”

It was Motosaka. The same Motosaka who hadn’t budged when Ayaka or I had called him out for his behavior, now looked pale the moment he saw Shinohara. His casual use of her first name and his panicked reaction made things clear—they had a connection.

“Oh, so you were here.”

The moment Shinohara spotted Motosaka, her voice turned cold, a far cry from the sweet tone she’d used with me.

“Well, yeah… but, Mayu, what are you doing here?”

“Does it matter why I’m here? It’s just a coincidence, Yuudou-senpai.”

Her piercing gaze was all the more intimidating, especially given how cute her usual expression was. After glancing at the girls’ side of the table, Shinohara let out a sigh.

“Looks like you’re having a great time.”

“No, no, you’ve got it all wrong. We’re just, you know, having a little Christmas party—”

“A party, huh? Sure doesn’t look like one.”

“I’m telling you, after what happened last time, I’ve learned my lesson.”

“It’s a group date,” I interjected.

If Motosaka had been a friend or at least a decent guy, I would have kept quiet. But tonight, I felt like speaking my mind, and I didn’t care if it was out in the open.

“You were the one who said it yourself. This is just like every other group date where you throw dirty jokes at the girls. Why are you lying?”

“Y-you…”

Motosaka glared at me with a furious expression. I pretended not to notice, staring back at him calmly. Hearing my words, Shinohara shook her head with a look of exasperation.

“Of course, I figured as much. I’m supposed to be your girlfriend, Yuudou-senpai, so don’t embarrass me, okay?”

“N-no, that’s not true! This guy’s just making a lame joke!”

Motosaka clicked his tongue and turned toward Shinohara.

“And what about you, Mayu? You said you didn’t have many guy friends, so what’s going on with this guy?”

“Seriously? You’re going to criticize me while ignoring your own actions… and lower your voice, you’re causing a scene.”

Shinohara raised a finger to her lips, gesturing for him to quiet down. Oddly enough, Motosaka, who hadn’t listened to any of our earlier attempts to calm him down, immediately complied. Looks like what Shinohara said yesterday—that “even if he cheats, he’s still obsessed with me”—was true.

“As for my relationship with Hasegawa-senpai, we’re just two people who spent Christmas Eve together. That’s all.”

I couldn’t help but choke out a laugh. As I was about to clarify, Shinohara shot me a sharp look that clearly said, “Just play along.”

…Guess I’ll have her treat me to something later.

Motosaka, upon hearing about Christmas Eve, turned even paler.

“N-no way… that’s cheating… girls aren’t supposed to cheat.”

“And guys are?”

“Well, girls definitely shouldn’t.”

He mumbled his response in a defiant tone.

At that moment, Ayaka clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention.

“Okay, I think it’s time we wrap things up here. Let’s meet up again when we can all find some time.”

The girls sitting nearby immediately brightened up. It seemed Ayaka decided it was better to end things now than try to smooth things over with Motosaka.

“Man… I only came because Ayaka invited me, but this group… well, call me next time when you’ve got a better crowd.”

Motosaka muttered loudly enough for everyone to hear as he stomped over to the register and paid his bill. I was surprised that he still thought Ayaka would invite him again.

After paying, Motosaka called out to Shinohara, and surprisingly, she followed him out of the store without any hesitation.

“Sorry, everyone… for ruining Christmas,” Ayaka said, visibly downcast, a rare sight for her.

Both the guys and girls hurried to console her. As they did, I quietly made my way to the door, opening it ahead of the others.

The soft jingle of bells, perfectly suited for Christmas, sounded particularly lonely that night.

◇◆◇◆

“Ahhh, seriously! This was the worst!”

On our way home, I was walking with Ayaka through the quiet night. We had parted ways with the rest of the group at the station, and everyone went their separate directions.

“Well, at least it was a learning experience. Sometimes, when you bring people you haven’t drunk with before, you get someone like Motosaka.”

“Why did it have to be Christmas, though… I don’t even know how to apologize to everyone.”

“Everyone was backing you up, Ayaka. They were having fun until things went sideways.”

I had been having a good time too, so it was a shame Motosaka ruined it.

“If they were really having fun, they would’ve suggested an afterparty once Motosaka left. This time was a total flop.”

“Really? I could still hear people talking and enjoying themselves.”

“I couldn’t really engage with everyone because Motosaka kept coming at me, so I unintentionally created this one-on-one atmosphere. The people sitting on either side of me were struggling to keep the conversations going… but that’s just an excuse.”

Ayaka let out a big sigh and brushed her hair back.

“Well, it seems like you had fun at least. Someone asked me to get your contact info.”

“Oh, really? Maybe it’s because we shared a common interest in manga.”

Ayaka nodded in agreement.

“Since she invited you knowing you’d be spending Christmas Eve with someone else, she probably just wants to be friends. You should at least message her back.”

After saying that, Ayaka suddenly stopped, as if something had just occurred to her.

“Wait a second. You knew Shinohara? The Santa you spent Christmas Eve with—was that her?”

“Yeah, that was Shinohara.”

“Wow, what a coincidence. She’s actually one of my juniors.”

That cleared up a question that had been lingering in my mind.

“So that’s how Shinohara knew where to find us—you told her the location.”

“Yeah, she asked about the place for the group date. But… did I ever mention to her that we’re friends?”

“I dunno. Maybe you just forgot.”

It wasn’t uncommon for me to be introduced to people without realizing it, thanks to Ayaka. She seemed satisfied with that explanation and nodded.

We arrived at the point where we usually part ways. Since it was a busy street, there was no need for me to walk her any further.

“Sorry about today. I’ll make it up to you,” Ayaka said.

“I don’t need that. Don’t worry about it.”

“I dragged you out, and this is how it turned out. I can’t just leave it at that. How about I take you out on a date to make it up?”

Ayaka suggested, twirling her black hair with her fingers. The streetlight’s white glow made her glossy black hair stand out beautifully.

Swallowing that thought, I replied, “If that’s your idea of making it up, you’re really full of yourself.”

“Huh, any normal guy would be happy to hear that,” she said, giving me a playful smirk.

But to me, it seemed like she was forcing it. Ayaka teased me often, so I could easily tell when her expression was different from usual.

“…Well, you know, if I were the kind of guy who’d fall for something that simple, we wouldn’t have gotten this close. Just talking like this is fun.”

Hearing that, Ayaka blinked her big eyes in surprise.

“…You’re right,” she said.

Under the streetlight, she looked up at the night sky. Her face softened into a gentle smile—one she only showed when it was just the two of us, not the usual fixed smile she wore.

“Thanks,” she whispered, looking more beautiful than ever.