I Was Unreasonably Dumped By My Girlfriend And Had My Heart Broken. When I Rescued A Beautiful Girl Who Was My Former Classmate And Idol In My Class From A Group Of Yarisa, My Gray College Life Started To Shine - Chapter 48

Episode 48: Shall We Go Home Together?

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“Today went by so quickly!”

After exiting Ueno Station, Aoba said that as she was waiting at a traffic light at a pedestrian crossing just in front of her, she stretched out as wide as she could while holding her shopping bag.

Indeed, when it was all said and done, the day had flown by in the blink of an eye.

It seemed like just moments ago that I had encountered Asuka in the morning, but now the sun had completely set.

The streets of Ueno were now dressed for the evening. Under the lights of the nearby shopping street, the figures of drinkers were beginning to stand out.

Glancing at them, I responded.

“Wasn’t it quite exhausting?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I mean pretending to be a couple. You were obviously pushing yourself.”

Aoba’s somewhat reckless behavior hadn’t subsided even after the planetarium.

She would act as if we were a couple under the pretext of, “we might encounter Asuka”.

We held hands the whole time we were in Ikebukuro.

As a result, the palms of my hands were still warm, and my heart still hadn’t settled down.

No matter how much I told myself that we were just friends or that it’s all an act, Aoba Hikari was just too charming.

“Well, originally, it was because I said, ‘I’m your real girlfriend!’ So, including that, it was fun. …Though I was a bit nervous.”

Aoba averted her gaze from me and spoke softly, trailing off at the end.

At that moment, the traffic light turned green. Aoba took a step ahead of me and began walking a bit ahead.
Watching her retreating figure, I couldn’t help but wonder again.

Normally, it wasn’t something you’d go this far for.

Even though it was the same station, unlike the local shopping mall, Ikebukuro’s streets were vast.

The chances of encountering Asuka were extremely low, and even if we did, just walking beside each other should have been enough.

“Was it really necessary to pretend to be a couple to that extent?”

As we crossed the pedestrian crossing, I caught up to Aoba and asked straightforwardly.

She then flashed me a grin.

“Well, it’s fine, isn’t it? It was fun.”

“…Is that so?”

“It is! What about you, Keito-kun? Did you have fun?”

There is no need to ask, and the answer is yes.

Sure, it was tiring, but the fun outweighed it.

However, it was still embarrassing, so while avoiding eye contact, I replied, “I guess so,” and Aoba said, “Well, that’s good,” seemingly brushing it off.

I felt like she was dodging the topic, but I accepted it with a sense of understanding.

Then, I suddenly realized.

“Oh, you’re still calling me Keito, huh?”

“Huh, of course. After all, we talked about changing it, right? I’ve gotten quite used to it. Keito-kun. Hey, try saying it?”

“…Hikari.”

“Yeah, that’s nice. It’s becoming less like a Shinkansen now, isn’t it?”

I still didn’t quite understand the difference.

As I was thinking that, Aoba changed the subject.

“When are you planning to return to Kansai? Golden Week is coming up next weekend, isn’t it?”

“Oh, is it that time already? It’s early. I remember all the weekdays in between are holidays too.”

“Right! University students have a lot of free time. We even have a two-month summer vacation. So, have you decided?”

“Yeah, I have. I’ve already bought Shinkansen tickets. On Saturday the 28th, the Nozomi train.”

As I recalled that far, I was suddenly overcome by a sensation of blood draining from my face.

I had purchased those tickets when I came from Kansai.

Since I bought them with Asuka, I thought we could sit in designated seats, but that would mean we’d have to face each other again.

“I haven’t bought mine yet. I was thinking of going home with you, but you already bought a ticket.”

Aoba sighed, looking genuinely disappointed.

Seeing that, the words just slipped out of my mouth.

“…If you’re okay with the unreserved seats, do you want to go home together?”

“Huh, is that okay?”

“Yeah, I’d actually prefer it.”

If it were Asuka and Aoba, there was no need to deliberate.

Besides, having good company would make the journey back less boring.

“Okay then, it’s decided! I’ll go back on that day too! Suddenly, I’m looking forward to going back home.”

Aoba’s face brightened up instantly. Her happiness was palpable.

She eagerly took out her wallet and nodded vigorously.

“Hey, about the tickets. Can we go buy them now?”

“Do you mean we’re going back?”

“No, there’s another station if we go down, right? Okachimachi, isn’t it?”

Come to think of it, that’s right.

The correct sentence would be:

The distance between stations in Tokyo is really short. There may be that many people, but it’s unthinkable in a rural area.

Nevertheless, there didn’t seem to be a need to rush like this.

“It doesn’t have to be today, you know.”

“I prefer today. You know how it goes when you get the urge to do something. Besides—”

“What?”

“I might have a lot of money in my wallet now, but it might not last. You saw it today, right? When I was buying clothes. I almost spent ten thousand yen. I tend to spend money if I have it.”

Come to think of it, that’s true.

Yeah, in that case, it might be better to go buy them.