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

Chapter 96 The Influence of that Day

The sound of a basketball dribbling echoed throughout the gymnasium. The faint scent of wax tickled my nose. For someone like me, who had been a member of the basketball club throughout middle and high school, this place felt like a calming refuge.

Today was the activity day for the basketball circle Start, which I had promised to attend with Reina.

The basketball shoes I was wearing were my personal favorites. I meticulously tightened the laces, stood up, and rubbed the soles against the gym floor. A satisfying squeak reached my ears.

The floor seemed to be in good condition.

“Hey, Yuu,”

“What is it?”

Toudou called out to me from the side, and I responded.

“Don’t just ‘what is it’ me,” he said, gesturing behind him with a flick of his thumb. At the entrance to the gym stood Reina.

“So, that’s her. Didn’t think you’d bring a girl who’s not one of the juniors. Wait… isn’t that your ex?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Toudou frowned at my blunt acknowledgment.

“Wait, did you guys get back together or something?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Then why’d you bring her here? She cheated on you, didn’t she? What’s going on?”

Toudou’s expression was laced with mild exasperation, as if to say, What the hell are you thinking, bringing your cheating ex here? Honestly, if the situation were reversed, I’d probably be thinking the same thing.

“Just to be sure, you haven’t told anyone about that, right?”

When I asked, Toudou immediately replied, “Of course not.”

“I’m good at drawing boundaries like that. If it were about you liking someone, sure, maybe I’d gossip, but not this.”

“Well, then your boundaries are a bit off…”

At my remark, Toudou chuckled, his shoulders shaking slightly.

Despite my lingering unease, I couldn’t afford to distrust Toudou. That would border on complete paranoia. We’ve been friends since our university days, and out of all the guys I hang out with, I spend the most time with him.

Precisely because of that, I felt like I needed to tell him about Reina.

Revealing my own pathetic side made me hesitate, but if it could help clear Reina’s name, it was a small price to pay.

“Hey, Toudou, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

I sat back down next to Toudou.

When I glanced toward the entrance, I saw Reina watching the circle members practice their shooting with keen interest.

I had asked Reina to wait until I finished explaining everything to Toudou.

There were a few friends—like Ayaka and Toudou—whom I had told, “We broke up because Reina cheated on me.” In this circle, though, only Toudou knew. Eventually, I would need to correct the misunderstanding with everyone.

Reina had told me, “You don’t have to go through all that for me.”

To her, the actions I was about to take might seem like nothing more than self-satisfaction—actions that held little meaning.

But for me, this was the bare minimum for closure.

It was a necessary step to be able to interact with Reina without any lingering doubts.

In truth, my so-called “closure” was just self-preservation disguised as doing it for Reina. Still, if it ultimately led to a fresh start between us, I could justify that self-preservation as having meaning.

Telling Toudou everything was the first step toward that closure.

With determination, I took a deep, steadying breath.

“I told you she cheated on me, didn’t I?”

Toudou gave me a perplexed look as I began to speak.

Recalling each event from last year, I carefully explained, taking my time. Part of me was using this as a form of self-reflection.

At first, Toudou listened casually, but gradually his expression turned serious.

Toudou was the kind of guy who was deeply devoted in his relationships. There was a chance he might look down on me after hearing this. Knowing his personality, he wouldn’t show it outright, but I couldn’t be sure what he’d feel deep down.

As I started talking, I realized for the first time that I might lose a trusted friend. But I couldn’t stop halfway through now.

Several minutes later, I had finally told him everything.

I avoided explicitly mentioning Ayaka’s name, but Toudou might have figured it out anyway.

In reality, the situation wasn’t Ayaka’s fault—it was simply my own lack of consideration. But I was probably the only one who truly understood that. Only Ayaka and I could fully grasp the nuances of our relationship.

Even Toudou didn’t know why Ayaka and I had built the unique bond we shared.

It was rooted in the moments we spent together as second-year high school students. Those shared experiences shaped what we have now, but explaining it in words alone would be almost impossible for anyone else to understand.

Both Ayaka and I were aware of that.

And that’s why I felt uneasy at the thought that this incident with Reina might make Ayaka rethink her connection with me.

Still, even after I told her over the phone about what happened with Reina, Ayaka continued to talk to me as she always did.

That alone gave me a sense of relief.

Others might see our relationship as warped, but to me, it was something irreplaceable.

That said, what happened between Reina and me was a completely separate matter.

I had to face the reality that my lack of consideration had caused all this.

Telling Toudou everything was my first step toward taking responsibility.

Throughout my explanation, Toudou didn’t say a single word.

—He must think less of me now.

As I spoke, the more I realized just how awful the story sounded.

Toudou was probably struggling to figure out how to respond.

After a long silence, he finally let out a heavy sigh.

“…Honestly, I’m glad I didn’t tell anyone about this.”

“…Sorry. I’ve made you worry about unnecessary things.”

Like Ayaka, Toudou had shown me some concern right after my breakup. But that was only because the breakup involved something as unusual as cheating. If it had been a straightforward breakup, Toudou likely wouldn’t have gone out of his way to show concern.

That said, Ayaka had laughed it off as her way of showing care, while Toudou teased me about it, both reacting in ways most people wouldn’t.

It seemed Toudou was thinking along the same lines as I was, as he grinned and said, “I was just messing around.”

“But still, I feel bad for Reina.”

At his words, I nodded.

“I really do feel sorry… Honestly, I wouldn’t blame you if you thought less of me for all this.”

As my tone darkened, Toudou unexpectedly let out a faint chuckle.

“Not really. Honestly, I kind of get where you’re coming from. I’ve been in a situation like that before. There was this one time when I kept telling my girlfriend about every fun thing I did, and before I knew it, she got upset with me.”

“Even you, Toudou?”

It surprised me. Toudou had always struck me as someone who was great at reading the room and managing relationships.

This circle attracted a large number of new members every year, and that was largely because Toudou was its leader. His ability to interact with everyone equally, sharing laughs without bias, had earned him high regard from both seniors and juniors, as well as from men and women alike.

Even setting aside the fact that he’s my friend, it’s rare to meet someone my age who is as genuinely respectable as Toudou.

Hearing that even he had made the same kind of mistake I had made me smile without thinking.

“…So even you make slip-ups like that?”

“Of course I do, idiot. I made plenty of mistakes early on, which is why things are going so smoothly with my current girlfriend. My last girlfriend straight-up dumped me after one of our fights caused by exactly that.”

“Really? I always thought you had a natural talent for that kind of consideration.”

When I teased him, Toudou smirked and replied, “Haha, not even close.”

“If you mess up early and get it out of the way, you’ve got a leg up when everyone else is still stumbling. That impression you’ve got of me? It’s just the result of me learning from my mistakes ahead of time. Pretty handy, right?”

There was an odd weight to his words. They weren’t borrowed wisdom but rather something he’d arrived at through his own experiences.

It felt like a universal truth, something that could apply not only to relationships but to life in general. And it made sense.

“People talk about having ‘mature confidence,’ but maybe it’s something you gain only by failing first,” I said as I stood up.

Mistakes lead to success.

If what happened between Reina and me could be called a mistake, then maybe one day I’d be able to draw on that experience.

Whether that would be six months, a year, or even longer from now, I couldn’t say.

But as long as I didn’t let myself forget what happened, that day would surely come.

“I wonder who the person will be when that time comes.”

Toudou grinned mischievously as he said that.

For a brief moment, I considered it, then decided to brush it off.

“Maybe it’ll be you.”

“Don’t even joke about that!”