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

Chapter 83 Reina Aisaka – Past 3 Boring –

In November, as our one-year anniversary approached, Yuuta-kun seemed a bit down. He looked like he was carrying a burden, and I wondered if there was anything I could do to support him. But everyone has issues they don’t want to share, at least one or two things they’d rather keep to themselves. Yuuta-kun isn’t the type to look upset just to get someone to notice; if he hasn’t shared it with me, then it’s probably something he prefers to keep private.

As his girlfriend, it made me feel a little lonely, but sometimes people need space to work things out on their own. If that’s what he needs to feel better, then I have no complaints.

—I’ll just cheer him on from behind the scenes.

If he ever wants to share his troubles, I’ll be there to listen right away. With that in mind, I decided not to ask him anything and just gave him some time.

During that period, I was invited to participate in a beauty pageant at the women’s university. It’s a well-known event, and winning comes with various perks, including a chance to work with sponsors. I thought it could be a good experience, so I entered just to see how it would go. Since I had some extra time on days without dates or work, it felt like the perfect opportunity to try something new.

I was only on the official website for a few days before I realized the scale of the contest was far larger than I’d expected, and I decided to withdraw. Each contestant had tons of followers on social media, and winning meant a lot of online attention and articles. I realized that this wasn’t something I should’ve entered without consulting Yuuta-kun, so I stepped down.

I ended up helping with the event organization instead, but it turned out to be more time-consuming than I’d anticipated, so I had to decline a few of Yuuta-kun’s invitations for dates. Several weeks went by like that, and finally, we had a chance to go on a date again. Yuuta-kun seemed back to his usual self, which warmed my heart.

As we were talking, a notification sounded from his phone. Yuuta-kun glanced at it and smiled a little—a genuine, happy smile, which wasn’t typical. I glanced at the lock screen and briefly saw the message in his notifications.

“So, it’s resolved then. Let me know if anything else comes up.”

I probably wouldn’t have paid attention to a casual message notification like that under normal circumstances. But that day, I found myself unable to look away, as if my gaze was fixed on it. I knew Yuuta-kun had been troubled about something. And today, I could tell right away he was back to his usual self.

As his girlfriend, I hadn’t been able to listen to his worries or help him through them. It made me feel a little lonely and frustrated. But if he was feeling better, I thought, those fleeting feelings didn’t matter.

Yet, it was Ayaka-san who had made him feel better.

I told myself that I would be the one to make Yuuta-kun happy. But to him, Ayaka-san’s presence was…

I felt a dark emotion brewing inside my chest. I’d always tried not to notice it. If I admitted it, I had a feeling I wouldn’t be able to remain the “good girlfriend” I wanted to be for Yuuta-kun.

I tried not to think about it: what if Ayaka-san was a more important presence in Yuuta-kun’s life than I was? What if, as his girlfriend, I didn’t understand him as deeply as Ayaka-san did?

That day, Yuuta-kun was more cheerful than he had been in a while. He kept making jokes and clearly enjoyed our date. It was the side of him I loved seeing. I should have felt happy, but… knowing that it was another woman, someone I hadn’t even met, who had brought him back to himself filled me with a dull ache. Before I realized it, I muttered softly to myself:

“This isn’t fun.”

When I looked up, Yuuta-kun was staring at me in surprise. I hadn’t meant to say it out loud, and I fumbled to cover it up, but he spoke first. He looked annoyed, which was only natural from his perspective.

I wanted to say “I’m sorry,” but the words were caught in my throat, blocked by that dark feeling. I couldn’t help thinking, With Ayaka-san, he wouldn’t have a silly fight like this.

I barely managed to swallow the bitter words before they slipped out. In the end, we parted ways for the day, and after that, I intentionally cut back on our communication. I turned down his date invitations too.

I just needed more time alone. I wanted to be by myself and reflect on our relationship. Breaking up wasn’t an option; I wanted to continue being with Yuuta-kun. I simply needed to sort out my feelings, to recharge, so I could enjoy our next date without hesitation.

During that break, I finally allowed myself to think about Ayaka-san. I felt inadequate compared to Mino Ayaka-san.

From what I’d heard from Yuuta-kun, I could more or less imagine Ayaka-san’s personality. She was completely different from me, with a top-tier appearance to boot. It felt… unfair.

If only I had somehow gotten closer to her from the beginning, maybe I wouldn’t feel this way. I regretted for the first time that I hadn’t stayed in that outdoor club where I would have had a chance to know her. I’d pulled out after being disgusted with the seniors, who selected female members solely based on looks.

But still, jealousy over a friend would’ve been easier to handle than jealousy over someone I’d never met. If we had been friends, maybe I could have subtly expressed how I felt.

During that self-centered break, that’s when I met Toyoda-kun.