I'll Take Nanase-san, Who Is Small And Adorable, Away From Her Cheating And Clueless Ex And Make Her Happy. - Chapter 8: I hope Hiyori's in a better mood now… Kouma’s POV

I hope Hiyori’s in a better mood now…
Kouma’s POV

The morning after my infidelity was exposed, I found myself waiting near Hiyori’s classroom.

A whole night had passed since then, and I was curious about how she was doing.

The same Hiyori who had thrown juice on me before storming off might have calmed down by now. I thought that maybe, just maybe, time had allowed her to regain her composure, and we could have a proper conversation. As I spotted Hiyori arriving at school, a smile crept onto my face.

“Hiyori, good morning!”

It was as if fate had aligned perfectly—there was no one else in the hallway but the two of us. It was an ideal moment to talk. So, just like always, I called out to her.

But… she walked right past me, wordlessly, heading straight into the classroom.

“H-Hiyori…?”

“…”

She didn’t even look at me. No response at all. Completely ignored. I was a little shocked by her coldness, but then again, maybe one day wasn’t enough for her to calm down. As I began to think it wouldn’t be that easy to talk things through, I decided to peek into her classroom before heading to my own, curious to see how she was acting.

I expected to see her chatting with friends or maybe sulking at her desk, but what I saw was something I couldn’t have imagined.

“What the…? Why is she all over him like that?!”

From where I stood, I saw Hiyori clinging to one of her male classmates from behind. She was pressing her body tightly against his, even bringing her face close to his, whispering something in his ear.

The guy seemed just as surprised, turning around in a panic. And when I saw his face, it felt like a sledgehammer had struck me.

“Ogami… Y-Yuusuke…!? H-Him, with Hiyori…?!”

That lifeless face, that massive build—I could never forget it. He was the guy who ended my middle school basketball career… Ogami Yuusuke.

During middle school, I led my team as the ace, and in our final summer tournament, we faced off against the basketball team Ogami belonged to… and we were utterly crushed.

He was a head taller than me, effortlessly blocking my shots, while I couldn’t stop any of his. No matter how hard I tried to get past Ogami, his teammates covered him perfectly, shutting down our offense. By the end of the first quarter, the game was practically decided.

Now, that very Ogami, the one who left me in tears with a crushing sense of defeat, was all cozy, talking with Hiyori. The sight of them together, clinging to each other, wounded my pride to its core. My fists clenched tightly, and my whole body shook with rage… until a sudden realization hit me like a bolt of lightning.

(Th-That’s it…!! Hiyori’s trying to make me jealous!!)

Ogami and Hiyori may be classmates, but there’s no deeper connection between them. For Hiyori to cling to him like that is completely out of character.

But she did cling to him. So why did she do it?

The answer is simple. She knows I see Ogami as a rival, so she’s deliberately being all over him in front of me to make me jealous.

She may have ignored me earlier, but deep down, she’s definitely thinking about me. Showing off like that with my rival just to get my attention—she’s not just thinking about me, she’s practically overflowing with lingering feelings.

(Seriously, Hiyori’s still such a kid! Did she really think something like that would make me panic?)

Now that I’ve figured out her game, there’s no need to be anxious. In fact, I’m relieved—knowing she still cares about me. All I have to do now is stay calm and wait. Eventually, she’ll realize how empty it is to hang on to someone she doesn’t care about.

Then, I’ll approach her, tell her that I’m over it, and ask her to come back. Hiyori will act a little stubborn, but deep down, she’ll be happy and eventually decide to get back together with me… perfect.

No one understands Hiyori better than I do, so I already know exactly how this is going to play out.

That’s why the best move right now is to give her space. Instead of showing her I care, I’ll deliberately create some distance—because that’s the quickest way to reconciliation. With my new plan in mind, I returned to my classroom in high spirits.

(Come to think of it, I have Ogami to thank for getting together with Hiyori in the first place. I might as well use him again this time!)

In a way, Ogami was our cupid. When I lost that game and was crying from the frustration, Hiyori came to comfort me, and that’s when she confessed her feelings. I’ll take advantage of him again, and he can play a role in helping Hiyori and me reconcile.

Sure, Ogami might be crushed when he realizes the girl he thought was interested in him is suddenly cold and goes back to me, but he’ll get over it. Let him enjoy the illusion while it lasts.

There’s just one thing I can’t forgive—him getting to feel Hiyori’s chest. Even if it was all for show, that went too far. There was no need for her to go that far, even if she wanted to make me jealous.

I’ll just have to make up for it when we’re back together, by making sure I thoroughly enjoy her boobs myself. With those thoughts running through my mind, I headed back to class, imagining the day when it would all become a reality, eagerly awaiting that moment.