I Was Cheated on by My Girlfriend but My Devilish Junior Now Yearns for Me - Chapter 91

Chapter 91   Time for Two

“…Reina, are you just going along with me?”

I returned Reina’s earlier words back to her.

When we were dating, she often came along with me to ramen shops. But I knew she actually preferred stylish, Instagram-worthy places. Her earlier comment, starting with “something stylish—,” only added to how unnatural her enthusiasm for ramen seemed.

Despite my suspicions, Reina was already walking toward the closest ramen shop near campus.

“Yuuta-kun, you still like soy sauce ramen, right?”

“Yeah, pretty much. I always end up eating the same flavor.”

“Fufu. Lately, I’ve been eating soy sauce ramen a lot too.”

“Really? I always thought you were more into miso ramen. Or rather, ramen shops in general weren’t really your—”

—I was about to say, something you only went to with me.

I caught myself and swallowed the words.

It’s been six months since we broke up. Plenty of time for tastes to change. Besides, bringing up our relationship was probably a bad idea.

Still, staying silent now would seem awkward, so I tried to come up with something else to say.

But Reina spoke first.

“That’s true, but you’re the one who took me to so many ramen places. Now I’m too scared to step on the scale because of it!”

I almost did a double take.

It was as if Reina knew exactly what I had been about to say and responded naturally. She didn’t seem uncomfortable at all, and now she was looking at me, waiting for my reply with a curious expression.

“…I don’t gain weight easily, so I can’t really relate.”

Reina chuckled at my comment.

“Ah, now you’ve made all the girls your enemies. Don’t blame me when I tell Natsuki.”

“Hey, stop! She’s scary, you know!”

“Girls want to eat ramen too, okay? They just hold back most of the time. It’s hard to go alone, but if we’re with a guy, we can justify it to ourselves.”

She had said something similar before.

It was true—now that I thought about it, you didn’t often see women eating alone at ramen shops.

“I don’t feel anything when I see a girl eating ramen alone, though.”

“Even if most people don’t care, just the thought that there might be one person giving you a weird look is enough to make your legs freeze. Well, I don’t care anymore, though.”

“Really? You got used to it?”

“Yeah, I did.”

Reina gave a small nod.

Now that she mentioned it, I remembered that it wasn’t until I became a university student that I got comfortable eating ramen alone. It took a while for me to stop worrying about what others thought. Reina must have gone through the same gradual process.

As I was thinking about this, we arrived at the ramen shop.

The yellow curtain swayed in the breeze, and a signboard by the entrance read, “20% off with a student coupon.”

Because of this, the place was always full at lunchtime, with customers lining up outside. But today, for some reason, there were empty counter seats.

“It’s rare to be able to get in right away,” Reina said.

“Yeah. First time for me.”

I sat on a round stool and slid my bag into the storage box.

The last time I’d been here was during winter of my sophomore year. Seeing the unchanged menu brought a sense of comfort, and I quickly told the server, “One soy sauce ramen, please.”

“I’ll have soy sauce too,” Reina added, smiling at the server.

The young server, who looked about our age, stared blankly at Reina for a moment before snapping out of it and hurrying back to the kitchen.

“He must’ve been surprised.”

I chuckled, and Reina puffed out her cheeks.

“There are other girls here too. It’s not that unusual.”

“Yeah, I guess not. Not unusual at all.”

“Then why are you laughing?”

It wasn’t because the server was surprised that a girl was in the shop—it was more likely because he was stunned by Reina’s presence.

Looking around, I did spot a few other women, but they didn’t have the same aura Reina carried.

If anything, Reina’s aura had become even more dazzling compared to when we first met. The soft blue lace on her outfit and her pink-gold accessories accentuated that elegance.

…Soft blue lace?

“Excuse me, server.”

I realized something and called out to another staff member.

“Could I get a paper napkin, please?”

The server seemed to catch on quickly and said, “Just a moment!” before heading to the back of the kitchen.

A few seconds later, he returned and handed me a napkin.

“Thank you very much,” I said, expressing my gratitude before unfolding the neatly folded paper napkin and handing it to Reina.

Reina, looking surprised, asked, “For me?”

“The soup might splash. It’d be a shame to ruin something so nice.”

It was only then that she seemed to realize the possibility.

Blinking in surprise, Reina opened her mouth to speak.

“Y-Yuuta, you’ve grown up so much…”

“I’ve always been mature,” I replied.

The imagined voice of Natsuki saying, “Sure you have,” popped into my head, but I decided to ignore it. Starting now, I’d act like an adult.

“Thanks… I’m a little touched,” Reina said, gracefully placing the napkin over her lap and exhaling lightly.

“You know, seeing you with that napkin makes this place feel like a fancy French restaurant.”

“Fufu, is that supposed to be a compliment?”

“Well… yeah, I guess it is.”

“Geez, why do you sound so uncertain?”

I was about to explain that it was just an honest thought, but I held my tongue.

After all, I had told her we couldn’t go back to being in a relationship. Overdoing it with compliments might send mixed signals.

To me, there was a clear line between offering praise and not wanting to rekindle a romantic relationship, and I didn’t see them as contradictory.

But that was just my perspective. What really mattered was how Reina felt about it.

“Yuuta?”

Reina’s question hung in the air as I shook my head.

“No, it’s nothing after all.”

“Oh… okay,” she replied, looking slightly puzzled.

At that moment, the ramen arrived, cutting through any tension that might have lingered. Relieved that the awkwardness didn’t linger, I clasped my hands together in thanks.

—Is it really right to hesitate when it comes to making someone happy?

That thought suddenly crossed my mind, and my arm, stretched out to grab my chopsticks, stopped midway.

Sure, a lot had happened between Reina and me.

Being more considerate than usual was natural, given our history.

But choosing to hold back from saying something I knew would bring her joy—or worse, leaving her with a lonely expression—was that really the right thing to do?

“It’s not just a compliment; it’s my honest opinion,” I said.

“Huh?”

“I just wanted to say that you look really good in that elegant outfit.”

For a moment, silence fell between us, a stillness that felt unique in the bustling, student-filled restaurant.

The steam from the ramen danced at the edge of my vision.

“…If you say things like that, I might end up liking you even more, you know.”

Reina’s words slipped out, but she quickly shook her head as if to retract them.

“No, never mind. Forget I said anything.”

“R-right.”

“I mean it. I don’t want you to overthink things like this. I’m telling you it’s fine, so just take my word for it.”

With that, Reina hurriedly picked up her chopsticks, following my lead as she brought her hands together in a gesture of thanks.

“Itadakimasu.”

The familiar ritual began: a bowl of ramen and the comforting presence of someone beside me.

It was my first bowl of ramen in a while—and my first meal with Reina in just as long.

The soy sauce ramen, a taste I thought I knew so well, felt deeper, richer today.

“I know it’s not great for you, but…”

She was there, sitting next to me.

Our relationship wasn’t what it once was, yet in this fleeting moment of sharing a meal, it felt as though nothing had changed.

“It’s just that good,” she said with a soft smile.

Her words connected memories, stitching them together, sparking something deep inside me.

That smile—it hadn’t changed at all.

It was the same one that used to convince me, in fleeting instants, that I was at my happiest.

I allowed myself to linger in that feeling, just a little, before finally taking a bite of ramen.

As I expected, the flavor was bolder than usual today.