I Was Heartbroken After Discovering My Girlfriend’s Infidelity, but Suddenly I Became Popular With Girls - 16

Chapter 16: It’s Unfair That Only Shinogi-senpai Gets Special Treatment

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Ever since then, Nanami and I had been in contact every day.

“About the conversation we had the other day…. It’s really speak of the devil and he doth appear. Apparently, my mom is going to live with that older man. She said they’ll live together for about half a year and then think about whether to actually get married. She told me she won’t need me to send money starting next month.”

“I see. That’s good. I’m happy for your mom too.”

“They aren’t going to have a ceremony, but they’re doing a small celebration with just family. Ryosuke-san, please come too.”

“No, Riona will be there so I think I’ll pass on that.”

“Sigh, you’re right. It’s still too soon, isn’t it? Speaking of which, I saw my big sister just a little while ago.”

“I heard Riona is going to work properly. How did she look?”

“She was acting very downcast. But it looks like she’s going to keep working at the company without quitting. I decided not to tell her about us for now.”

Actually, I had been contacted by Shinogi-san from N Securities in the evening. Riona received no formal punishment, but she was apparently being treated like a pariah at the office. After three days of suspension, Arai was slated to receive orders next month for a transfer to a regional branch. Hearing that, I withdrew the request to close my account.

“Tawara-san, I’m reporting back because the stories I heard from both Kanou-san and Arai-kun were consistent. It seems Arai-kun fell for Kanou-san and thought he’d steal her away from her boyfriend. Kanou-san apparently kept saying she wanted to break up, but Arai-kun was quite forceful in pressuring her into a relationship. We settled on the fact that Kanou-san was a victim.”

I see. Riona wasn’t lying. Even so, even if she was drunk, Riona was the one who took him back to her apartment.

“Actually, I’m thinking of claiming damages from him.”

“Ah, a certified letter arrived at the company today. Since Arai is on suspension, the department head accepted it in his place. I saw the contents. It was quite a modest amount. Well, even so, a new hire like Arai-kun will have no choice but to rely on his parents. Or perhaps he’ll borrow from a financial institution through the department head’s introduction.”

After consulting with an administrative scrivener friend, we set the damages at 1,000,000 yen. He said that was probably the limit.

“It’s not a matter of the amount. I just wanted him to reflect on what he did.”

“He’s being demoted, and any chance of promotion is gone. It turned out to be a very expensive lesson. I’m sure he’s learned his lesson and won’t do the same thing again. Oh, also, the department head would like to visit you later to apologize.”

I politely declined that. I told him it was something I wanted to forget.

“The department head seems to be telling Kanou-san that she should pay the same amount in damages. In exchange, he’s offering to introduce her to a financial institution or something.”

“That would be a huge expense for her. By the way, is this story becoming quite a rumor?”

“Of course it is. All the female employees are looking at Kanou-san with pity. Arai-kun will be sitting on a bed of needles when he comes in to work. Well, he’ll be transferring out soon anyway.”

That was the situation.

“By the way, Tawara-san, you did break up with Kanou-san, right?”

“We are no longer in a romantic relationship. We are just friends now.”

“Oh, is that so? So you haven’t completely cut ties.”

“I think you could say we’ve mostly broken up. It’s just that I’m a bit worried about her mental state, so I settled on being friends.”

“Tawara-san, you really are a kind person. I’d like to nominate myself to be your girlfriend.”

Thinking it was a joke, I replied with a joke.

“Hahaha, well, if you’re serious I’d be happy, but… Anyway, see you later.”

I gave a light, social reply, but that was a mistake.

“Wait a second, Tawara-san, I’m not joking. I’m serious, I mean it! Ah, feelings don’t come across over the phone, do they? I’ll come over tonight.”

“No, well… I’m not really in the mood to date a woman right now.”

“Anyway, I’m coming to your room tonight. Can you wait for me? Oh, why is everyone gathering… ah, excuse me. I’ll have to go now. Talk to you later.”

(If you talk that loudly, of course people will hear. But she is quite excited. What should I do? She’s been helpful, so I can’t exactly be cold to her. For now, should I meet her and hear her out? Even if she’s serious, I have Nanami and Yuna, so I have no choice but to turn her down.)

Thanks to Yuna’s daily etiquette lessons, I gained confidence for tomorrow’s date with Nanami. After all, I was even given practical training in “bedroom etiquette.” I had sex with Yuna twice every day.

“I’ve decided not to wear panties anymore when I’m with Ryosuke. Because they just get soaking wet and dirty immediately.”

So she said. Yuna still attended jazz dance lessons twice a week and high-end beauty spas twice a month. She said there was no worry about her figure losing its shape even slightly. Come to think of it, it seemed Shinogi-san was coming tonight.

“Yuna, I’m heading back because I have a guest today.”

“Ehh, who’s coming?”

“Well, Shinogi-san from N Securities.”

“Is it about work?”

“No, it’s not that. She said since I broke up with Riona, she’s nominating herself to be my girlfriend.”

“What is that?! You’d better turn her down.”

It had been a while since I saw Yuna’s angry face.

“Of course I will, don’t worry. There’s no way I’d accept a proposal like that. Not when I have Yuna.”

“And Nanami-san too. I won’t allow you to add any more women than that. Although a ‘friend with benefits’ would be okay.”

“Eh? A ‘friend with benefits’ is okay? Why?”

“A ‘friend with benefits’ is just for the body, right? The relationship can be cut off immediately. So it’s not a problem. But you can’t give your heart. The only ones Ryosuke loves from his heart are me and Nanami-san, right?”

The words “a ‘friend with benefits’ was just for the body” echoed strangely in my head. Then what about Riona… Riona didn’t like that Arai person even one bit. She was the same as the “friend with benefits” Yuna was talking about. Riona was trying to break up with Arai. She had simply been swept away. Even so, I… couldn’t forgive her. Riona’s heart hadn’t been defiled. And yet I… Why couldn’t I forgive Riona? Why couldn’t we start over?

Throb!!! 

(Ugh, my head…)

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Apparently, I had slept for a little while. When I came to, I had been asleep for about 20 minutes. Somehow, my head felt clear.

“I feel pretty refreshed. I only slept for a bit, though.”

“Taking a nap for about 20 minutes is good for you. It clears your head. More importantly, isn’t your guest coming?”

Thirty minutes after I returned to my room, the intercom rang.

“It’s Shinogi.”

I immediately unlocked the entrance door, but looking closely at the monitor, there seemed to be several other people. I thought it was strange, but it was too late. When I opened the door to the room, there were four women including Shinogi-san. Since they were each in private clothes rather than company uniforms, even Shinogi-san gave off a fresh impression. To my absolute surprise, Riona was among them.

“Riona!”

“I’m sorry, Ryo-kun, I just couldn’t stand it.”

Riona was teary-eyed.

“What is the meaning of this, Shinogi-san? I…”

I didn’t want to let Riona into this room, but it would probably be impossible to tell her to go home right then and there.

“I’m sorry, Tawara-san, these people wouldn’t listen when they said they were coming along. They heard me talking to you on the phone and it turned into an uproar… I told Kanou-san no, but…”

“Riona, you should know how I feel about meeting you…”

“I’m sorry, but… I’ll prepare everything properly.”

Since Riona looked like she was about to cry at any moment, I had no choice but to let everyone into the room.

“Sigh, fine, everyone please come in.”

The four of them filed in one after another. Shinogi-san gave me three bottles of wine as a “souvenir,” so I put them in the wine cooler to chill. Meanwhile, I prepared cheese and crackers and placed them on the table along with glasses.

“I understand Shinogi-san and Riona, but why did you two come here?”

“Ah, excuse me. I am Narumi Sakurai from the General Affairs Department.”

“I am Aya Sawaguchi from Sales Division Two, Section Two. We came to represent everyone.”

“Hah, representing everyone? What?”

As expected of people who joined N Securities, both were beauties. Their sense of clothing was also good.

“Yes, when we heard that Tawara-san had broken up with Kanou-san, we wanted to find some kind of connection with you, but when we heard Shinogi-senpai’s phone call today, it became a huge commotion. To put it simply, it’s a case of ‘it’s unfair if only Shinogi-senpai gets special treatment.’”

So this was it. It seems that to them, I was an excellent candidate for marriage. Everyone was eyeing me like hawks now that I had broken up with Riona. Seeing nothing but calculation made me sick.

“Ah, I don’t intend to date any women for a while. I told Shinogi-san that too.”

“Yes, but we want to know exactly how long ‘for a while’ is.”

“That is…”

“When I questioned Kanou-san, I heard there is a woman targeting Tawara-san.”

Ah, this must be about Nanami.

“Ryo-kun, anyone but Nanami. I won’t allow that.”

(What should I do? Should I just say here and now that I’m already dating Nanami?)

While I was thinking, Riona seemed to lose her patience.

“Everyone, listen. It’s not like Ryo-kun and I have completely broken up. So everyone, give up.”

“We know that. You’re seeing each other as friends, right? We heard it from Tawara-san.”

Perhaps she didn’t like that Shinogi-san said it with a smirk, but Riona blurted out something outrageous.

“Yes, that’s right. However, we are friends with an ‘F’ in front.”

After a momentary silence, they all cried out at once.

“””What?!”””

Apparently, they understood Riona’s words in an instant. The three women froze with shocked expressions.

“Idiot! Riona, if you say something like that, think about what will happen to your position at the company!”

“It’s fine, Ryo-kun. We haven’t added the ‘F’ yet, but I’m definitely going to make it happen. And someday, I’ll definitely be recognized as your girlfriend.”

“T-Tawara-san, is what Kanou-san saying true? Are you ‘friends with benefits’ with her?”

Shinogi-san seemed shaken and was chugging her wine.

“No, it’s not like that. Riona is just mentally unstable…”

“It is true! Ryo-kun promised that if I sent him lewd selfies, he would have sex with me!”

This finally shut everyone up, but because of this shocking statement, all the women were blushing deeply. I couldn’t tell if they were drunk from the wine or if they were embarrassed, but my credibility as a human being must have hit rock bottom. Since it was the truth, I struggled to decide whether I should offer an excuse. 

The second bottle of wine was already empty. Even if five people were drinking, wasn’t the pace a bit too fast? When the third bottle was finally opened, the women were practically fighting over it. They were all silent, but each was likely thinking about what to do in their own mind. Eventually, Shinogi-san muttered quietly.

“In that case, if I send lewd selfies, will Tawara-san take me as a partner too?”

“Eh, that’s…”

Shinogi-san couldn’t lift her face. I didn’t know how to answer. I should clearly refuse, but I wonder if I’d hurt her after she plucked up the courage to say it. But Riona spoke up in my place.

“Of course not! That right belongs only to me!”

“Nobody recognizes such a right. Not after you cheated and hurt Tawara-san.”

“That’s right, there’s a limit to how brazen you can be.”

That was exactly right, but I also had the responsibility for having said it, so I was at a loss. Everyone except me seemed quite drunk.

“Ryo-kun made that promise only to me! It has nothing to do with you all!”

“Tawara-san, is it true? About the lewd selfies?”

Being asked again, I was able to tell the truth here.

“No, I only said that thinking Riona would give up if I did. I didn’t think she would actually be able to take lewd selfies.”

Riona immediately retorted.

“I don’t care! If it’s for Ryo-kun, I can send any kind of photo. I’m confident in my body, and I’m definitely going to become your friend with benefits!”

At this point, Sawaguchi-san joined in. Her face was red, perhaps from the alcohol.

“In that case, I’m confident in my body too, and I wouldn’t mind having Tawara-san look at it. But you must absolutely not show anyone else, okay?”

“There’s no way Ryo-kun would show those photos to anyone else. More importantly, Aya, cut it out!”

“Oh, whatever I do is my business. I don’t need to tell Riona every single thing, and I shouldn’t need your permission.”

The four women’s tone was gradually becoming more informal. They were starting to argue with each other aggressively.

“Hah! That meager body of yours is certainly padded out; I wonder how many pads you’ve put in. No matter how much you push them together to make a cleavage, it’s just pathetic. It’s totally obvious. Ryu-chan wouldn’t want to see that. So stop it.”

“Wha—Riona! There are things you can say and things you can’t! Besides, I’m not wearing any pads!”

This was bad! Sawaguchi-san was unbuttoning her blouse and showing her underwear.

“Oh my, do you really think Tawara-san would be happy with that childish body? Hey, Tawara-san, it’s obviously better to have a mature, feminine body, right?”

“No, well, I think everyone has a great figure.”

I knew I was being indecisive, but I decided to try to keep the mood positive at least. 

“Well, Tawara-san is an honest person. It’s obvious that men prefer younger women. I’m also confident in my body. I’m fine with sending lewd selfies.”

“Even Sakurai-san?! What are you saying? Please stop. Don’t lay a hand on Ryo-chan.”

“Kanou-san, you have a lot of nerve saying that when you’re just a friend.”

“That’s right, a traitor shouldn’t act like a lover.”

At this remark, Riona went silent. She looked frustrated.

“Senpai, you sure have a lot to say about a ‘childish body.’ I suppose my young body is an object of envy for an ‘expired’ auntie body, but there’s a limit to how much you can arm yourself with shapewear. Like the way those hips are sagging.”

“Who are you calling ‘expired’?! I’m only 26. I’m just getting started. Tawara-san thinks so too, don’t you?”

“Eh, yes, I think so. Of course.”

(I wish they wouldn’t toss the conversation to me every single time. Ah, I wish they would just go home already. Dealing with drunk women is tough. I’m sure they’ll change their minds about the lewd selfies once they sober up. Speaking of which, it wouldn’t be strange if I got a call from Nanami soon. It’s around the time her part-time job ends.)

Just then, there was a “ping” sound from a LINE notification. It was probably a message from Nanami, but this wasn’t a situation where I could talk over LINE. 

(Anyway, I’ll have Shinogi-san and the others leave.)

“Um, I’m sorry, but I have some things to take care of, so why don’t we wrap it up for today?”

“What are you saying? The conversation is just getting started.”

“No, but it’s already past 8:00, and I have things to do.”

“Ryo-kun, who was that LINE from just now?”

“It doesn’t matter who it was. It has nothing to do with you, Riona.”

“Was it Nanami?”

“…”

“…In that case, is it okay if I call Nanami right now?”

“Don’t.”

However, Riona took out her phone and called Nanami.

“Nanami, I’m in Ryo-kun’s room right now. So, Nanami, did you just send a message to Ryo-kun a moment ago?”

Something was strange about the atmosphere in the room. Naturally, I was tense, but the other women also seemed tense for some reason.

“…Yeah, I did, but why is big sister in Ryosuke-san’s room?”

It seemed she had it on speakerphone, as Nanami’s voice was clearly audible.

“Nanami, you know where Ryo-kun’s apartment is, right? Come over right now. I’ll be waiting too.”

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