I Was Cheated on by My Girlfriend but My Devilish Junior Now Yearns for Me - Chapter 63

Chapter 63   New Student Welcome Party 5 – The Party is in Full Swing

“…Ayaka-senpai.”

Shinohara stared intently at Ayaka, looking displeased.

The atmosphere between them hadn’t changed at all since their previous encounter.

However, the current situation was significantly different from back then. This wasn’t my house, and there were many people around us now.

Both seemed to be aware of this, as they simply stared at each other without speaking.

“Aya-chan, I’m going to step out for a bit,” Natsuki said apologetically from the side.

Ayaka smiled and replied, “Got it!”

Then, Ayaka briefly glanced at me, but Shinohara quickly cut her off.

“Senpai, let’s go!”
“No, I—”

I was about to refuse, but Ayaka shook her head from behind, as if telling me to go along.

“—Go where?”
“Um… ramen?”

It seemed like Shinohara hadn’t actually thought about the destination, as she hesitantly suggested it.

“I’m already full, though.”
“Didn’t you recommend soy sauce ramen to me last time?”

Shinohara placed her hand lightly on my chest and winked at me.

She was standing a little closer than usual.

Natsuki muttered, “Wow, you two are pretty close, huh?”

It was an understandable reaction. From an outsider’s perspective, it must be hard to believe that nothing special was going on between Shinohara and me, especially with how close we were standing.

“So, Ayaka-senpai, can I borrow Senpai for a bit?”

At Shinohara’s question, Ayaka nodded without hesitation.

“Sure, go ahead. I’m done with him anyway.”

Ayaka likely meant that I was only involved in preparing for the welcome event, nothing more.

However, her words clearly upset Shinohara, as it was the first time I saw a frown form between her brows.

“…What was that supposed to mean? Apologize to Senpai.”
“It’s fine, Shinohara, I—”

Just as I began to speak, Shinohara shot me a sharp look.

“It’s not fine. I finally understand what Natsuki-san was talking about. You can’t go against Ayaka-senpai, can you?”

Natsuki gave Shinohara a look that seemed to say, “Don’t drag me into this.” But Shinohara, oblivious, continued speaking.

“At first glance, Senpai seems friendly, but in reality, you’re not that interested in others. Yet, once you get close to someone, you care deeply about them.”

“What are you talking about? Alright, I get it, let’s just go get ramen.”

I grabbed Shinohara’s arm and began to pull her along. Though she obediently followed, she suddenly stopped, as if she had one last thing to say.

“Ayaka-senpai, don’t take advantage of Senpai’s kindness—”

“Shinohara-san, are you misunderstanding something?”

Ayaka’s calm, firm voice silenced Shinohara.

Ayaka bent down and started collecting the empty cans we had left. She didn’t even glance in our direction. Natsuki hurriedly followed Ayaka’s lead, opening the nearby trash bag. Since I was about to leave, I also let go of Shinohara and began picking up the cans.

“Misunderstanding?”

Shinohara asked, perplexed.

Ayaka took the cans from me and gently placed them into the trash bag that Natsuki was holding open.

“I think I understand this idiot’s personality pretty well from experience. Shinohara-san, you’re free to interpret his personality however you want. But, let me tell you one thing—”

Ayaka stepped closer, grabbed my ear, and smirked.

“I’ve known him longer than you.”

Ayaka casually said that and let go of my ear. It was still throbbing with pain, but I didn’t feel the least bit annoyed—probably because of the relationship we had built over time.

I wasn’t sure if it was necessary for her to bring up how long we’ve known each other, but it certainly worked in making me realize that I hadn’t felt offended when she said I was “done.”

Shinohara remained silent for a while after Ayaka’s remark, but finally responded with a brief, “I see,” before grabbing my arm.

“Let’s go get ramen, Senpai!”

“R-ramen! Fine, fine, I’m coming!”

I gestured an apology to Ayaka as I was dragged away by Shinohara. Ayaka seemed to be talking to Natsuki, her expression as calm as ever.

◇◆

“So, was Aya-chan trying to say she knows Yuuta better?”

We were at our regular ramen place. While Shinohara had gone to the restroom, Natsuki glanced at the menu and asked.

“Well, considering the flow of the conversation, that was probably the nuance. …I’ll have the soy sauce ramen. Shinohara will have the same.”

“Oh? Mayu’s fine with the same order?”

“Yeah, she just said she wanted to try my recommended ramen.”

“Huh, so the soy sauce ramen here is your recommendation?”

Natsuki called the passing waiter. “Excuse me, can we place our order?”

“Sure. What would you like?”

“Three soy sauce ramen, please.”

“Understood. How would you like the noodles?”

Natsuki looked at me for a decision.

“Two firm, and—”

“Oh, I’ll have mine firm too. Three firm, please.”

The waiter quickly noted it down and called out to the kitchen, “Three firm soy sauce!” A lively response came back from the kitchen, reminding me of the last time I came here. Back then, I was with—

“…Like I said earlier today, Yuuta, you’re really spoiled.”

Natsuki poured herself a glass of water and filled another for me. It wasn’t meant as a jab, but her straightforward words left me unsure how to respond.

Just then, a familiar voice spoke up from beside me.

“Senpai, I want the soy sauce ramen!”

“I already ordered it. The one I recommended, of course.”

“Yay! As expected of you!”

Shinohara didn’t seem any different than usual. I felt relieved by her typical behavior. Just like before, once the other person left, she returned to her normal self. Watching her laughing with Natsuki, I realized this.

“Hey, weren’t you two originally planning to have dinner together? Are you sure it’s okay that I’m here?”

“Of course it’s fine! We’re just eating, after all,” Natsuki answered my question.

Shinohara glanced at me and gave a mischievous smile.

“I wanted to talk about old work stories, but since you’re here, why don’t we talk about ‘Senpai stories’ instead?”

“Don’t go making me the topic of your fun!”

Dinner plans. They hadn’t even decided where to go, so it must have been a flexible arrangement. It made sense now why Natsuki had barely eaten anything at the welcome party and drank mostly alcohol.

“Haha, why would we get excited talking about Yuuta?” Natsuki said, just as the three bowls of soy sauce ramen were placed on the table.

As the steam rose and the enticing aroma filled the air, a thought crossed my mind.

—Natsuki probably doesn’t like me much.

Negative hunches like that tend to be accurate when it comes to relationships.

Before I knew it, my buzz had faded.

The ramen, which should have been the perfect way to close the night, tasted much blander than usual.