I Was Cheated on by My Girlfriend but My Devilish Junior Now Yearns for Me - Chapter 68

Chapter 68   Drive with Ayaka

Private Time of a College Student and a High School Student

Comparing the private lives of college students and high school students, college life generally seems to cost more money.

If someone invites you out for dinner at night, in high school, a family restaurant would suffice. But in college, the gathering spot often shifts to an izakaya.

When spending an entire day out, it’s not unusual for the expenses to hit around 10,000 yen.

However, there’s a special joy in spending money you earned yourself — something high school never quite offered.

That said, high school did have its own unique pleasures, ones that can’t be directly compared to college life.

Yet, there’s one area where I’m confident that college is more enjoyable.

Transportation. Specifically, driving.

You can get a driver’s license at eighteen, but for third-year high school students deep in exam preparation, there’s usually no time for it.

As a result, most students wait until college to get their licenses.

That said, it’s fair to say that hardly any students actually own their own cars.

This is where rental cars come into play.

For around 5,000 yen, you can rent a car for about six hours, and splitting the cost with passengers makes it budget-friendly for students.

I got my license over a year ago.

Every time I returned home, I borrowed my parents’ car to practice and went on drives with friends in rented cars. Bit by bit, I’ve gotten more comfortable with it.

And now, here I am, currently on a drive with Ayaka.

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Hmm?”

Ayaka, sitting beside me, sounded a little hesitant.

“You’re the one who invited me on this drive, right?”

“Yeah. I figured it’d be nice to do something like this for a change.”

“Yeah, I guess. It’s not bad, really…”

The light turned red, and the car came to a stop at a safe distance from the vehicle ahead.

Ayaka narrowed her eyes and looked at me.

“Then why am I the one driving?”

“It’s to test your driving skills, obviously.”

“You should come up with a better excuse…”

She let out a sigh.

Inviting her out right after class and then having her drive was maybe a bit rude on my part.

“I’ll handle the drive back!”

“That’s what I’m planning on. But, honestly, since you’re a bit newer at driving than I am, I’m a little worried.”

“Hey, hey, it’s not like there’s that much of a difference.”

The light turns green. As the car ahead pulls forward, we start moving and gradually pick up speed.

“When did you get your license again?”

Ayaka takes a moment, as if recalling, while I wait, feeling a bit guilty for making her think while she’s driving.

“Fall of my first year. I went to a training camp with some friends and got it all done at once.”

“Oh yeah, those camps seem pretty convenient since it’s done in such a short time.”

Plus, spending two weeks under the same roof with friends sounds fun. I like my alone time, but those kinds of group events do spark my interest. Honestly, I’m a bit envious of the camp option.

“Didn’t you go to a camp too?”

“Nah, I spent six months at a driving school. Looking back, I should’ve done it all at once like you.”

Driving school had a set term, and I could schedule theory and practical sessions at my own pace. But, since I slacked off in the beginning, I almost couldn’t finish. The course cost around 200,000 yen, so in the final month, I scrambled, waiting for last-minute cancellations to secure spots and finally get my license.

“If you’re not good at planning, a camp would’ve suited you better.”

“Yeah, well, it just wasn’t an option for me back then.”

“Something going on?”

“Something like that.”

Ayaka pauses at a crosswalk to let a pedestrian pass.

“So, I’ve just been driving randomly. Do you even have a destination in mind?”

“I could come up with one now.”

“Right, I thought so. My place, then?”

“Wait, sorry—”

I nervously glance at Ayaka, who seems unusually curt. She notices my look and briefly glances my way.

“No, I’m not mad or anything. I’m just asking if you want to come over.”

“Oh, okay, good.”

For a moment, I thought she was hinting that she’d just take me home if I kept joking around. But thinking it over, Ayaka isn’t the type for subtle hints. If she meant that, she’d say it directly. Relieved, I look out the window.

The view feels different from what I’d see walking on the sidewalk, and I’m still struck by it.

When I first started driving—

“—Wait, your place?”

I couldn’t help but do a double-take at Ayaka.

◇◆

Back in high school, I’d been to Ayaka’s house before.

But that was her family’s home, and visiting her place now that she lives alone feels completely different.

So, stepping through her doorway made me a bit nervous—though what actually escaped my mouth was something closer to shock.

“This…this is unfair!!”

“Whoa, you scared me! What’s with the yelling?”

Ayaka gave me a smack on the back and motioned for me to hurry inside.

The sting of that slap quickly faded as I entered the living room. Yes, the living room.

“A one-bedroom apartment with a living room and kitchen? I’m jealous… And it’s, like, twice the size of my place.”

“It’s not such a big deal. It did take extra work to buy all this furniture, so I was really pushing myself with part-time jobs for a while.”

“Even so, I’m still jealous. I’d love to move here!”

White flooring, light blue curtains and a matching carpet, a potted plant in the corner that complements the curtain’s color, and a glass table with an hourglass on top. Despite the mix of items and styles, there’s a strangely cohesive, stylish atmosphere about it all.

“I want my place to look this nice, too…”

I’d never cared much about my apartment, as long as it was functional. But seeing her place, and how much more sophisticated it is, I suddenly feel unsettled.

“You? No way.”

“That’s harsh!”

“Just sit down, already—try the sofa.”

With that, Ayaka headed toward the kitchen.

She put on an apron, a familiar sight from her time at home, but today, the setting and the company are different. It’s the first time I’ve seen her in an apron since our high school home economics class.

“What? Really?”

Though I can guess what’s coming, I still can’t help but ask.

Ayaka turns to look at me, holding a hair tie between her teeth. When our eyes meet, she smirks mischievously.

“Heh.”

—Dangerous.

There’s a hint of allure in her cute expression, and I find myself looking away.

“Just sit there and wait.”

With her hair tied up, Ayaka starts rummaging through the fridge, pulling out ingredients and placing them on the counter with swift movements. I can’t quite figure out why she’s doing this all of a sudden.

“Did I do something nice for you recently?”

“Nope. Just felt like it.”

With a straightforward answer, Ayaka adds a pat of butter to the pan. Just like with Shinohara before, it seems I’m about to witness a culinary feat beyond my comprehension.

“You like gratin, right? I’ll make that.”

“Oh, wow. Am I dying? Is this my last supper?”

“Well, I guess it’s lucky enough to die for.”

She responds casually, continuing to work on the dish with practiced ease.

The times Ayaka has cooked for me are few—just enough to count on one hand. Each one was back in high school: once, she made a bento for Sports Day; another time, it was in home ec class. But all of it was within the confines of school.

Being treated to a home-cooked meal in her own place is a first. For her fans back in school, my situation right now is probably enviable beyond words.

“I’ve been wanting to cook for you for a while, but we could never find the right time, right? It just kept getting put off. So, I thought in the car earlier—today’s the day.”

“Thank you, I’m beyond grateful.”

“Couldn’t you thank me normally?”

She says this, but I can sense her smiling with satisfaction.

Feeling unexpectedly happy about it all, I lean back into the cushion. I catch a faint hint of Ayaka’s scent and, feeling oddly guilty, pull away a bit.

“It’s fine; don’t worry about it.”

Ayaka spoke without turning around. Did she have eyes on the back of her head?

“Just relax and make yourself comfortable.”

The time we’d spent together had led her to say something like that.

“…Yeah.”

I gave a short reply and buried my face back into the cushion, listening to the sounds of Ayaka cooking in the background. Surrounded by the cushion’s faint scent, I began to think. Even after our hot springs trip, our relationship hadn’t changed much. I’d decided I wanted to keep things as they are.

Maybe it seems like a strange relationship to others, but if we’re both happy, that’s all that matters. This is the path I chose, and Ayaka accepted it.

But here I am, in Ayaka’s home—a first for us. For a moment, a new thought I hadn’t considered before surfaced in my mind. It’s something I wouldn’t even dare say aloud.

—Maybe Ayaka has been wanting to change our relationship.

Her words at the inn, “I was fine with whichever way it went,” might have been more genuine than I’d realized.

If that’s the case… I know this comfortable space we’re in won’t last forever. Once we enter the working world, our free time will shrink, we’ll meet up far less, and we’ll both lose the mental freedom we have now.

And that’s why I want to hold onto this moment, this space we’re in, while we can.

—Maybe I’d like to see the world beyond being “just friends.”

To my high school self, right now probably would have felt like that very world. So, as a college student now, I ask myself:

I’ve become Mino Ayaka’s close friend. But if there’s a new world beyond that—

Would I like to see it?