My Ex-Girlfriend Who Dumped Me, the Top Student, Is at Risk of Failing and Repeating a Year—but I’m Too Busy Tutoring a Former Shut-in Beauty To Get Back Together With Her - 19

Chapter 19: My Ex-Girlfriend and Her Boyfriend Appeared!

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“I knew it! What a coincidence! Who would’ve thought we’d meet in a place like this!”

A misplaced, high-pitched voice sliced through the silence of the bookstore. My spine froze in an instant. I didn’t want to look back. But then, I couldn’t exactly run away either.

Standing there was Rina Aikawa in a flashy miniskirt and heavy makeup, and behind her was Hasegawa from the soccer club, who was being made to carry her bags with a listless expression.

“……Aikawa. What a coincidence.”

I replied in a businesslike tone, striving to remain calm. A smile was plastered onto Rina’s face, but her eyes weren’t laughing. Seeing Kotone Kisaragi clinging to my arm, her brow twitched with a visible jerk.

“What are you doing? Is this a date?”

“We’re shopping for reference books. It’s for my second-semester prep.”

“Hmm. You’re as devoted to your studies as ever. You should play a little, seeing as it’s summer vacation.”

Rina let out a scoff and glanced at Kisaragi beside me. In that gaze, hostility she couldn’t quite hide was mixed with impatience.

“……Hello there, Kisaragi-san. You’re wearing quite the enthusiastic outfit. Just to buy reference books?”

“……Hello.”

Kisaragi gave only a short greeting and pulled back as if to hide behind my back. However, the strength with which she gripped my arm was as powerful as a vice. She wasn’t frightened. It was an intimidation tactic that said, “Don’t get close to my Sensei.”

At that moment, Hasegawa, who had been standing behind her, spoke up half-heartedly.

“Hey Rina, who’s this? Someone you know? Let’s go already, I’m starving.”

“Just wait a second, Hasegawa-kun! Look, it’s my ex-boyfriend, Kashiwagi. And that’s Kisaragi-san, the one who was a truant.”

As Rina introduced us, Hasegawa’s gaze turned toward us. His eyes, which had looked uninterested at first, flew wide open the moment they caught sight of Kisaragi.

“Wait……?”

Hasegawa’s gaze traveled back and forth from Kisaragi’s face to her toes as if licking her with his eyes. The pale light-blue dress. The translucent white skin. Her lovely and neat bearing. Today’s Kisaragi was, to anyone’s eyes, an “unreachable flower.” Both the vector and the quality of her beauty were different from Rina, who was flashy and wore revealing clothes.

“Whoa, are you serious…… This girl is that truant?”

“Wait, Hasegawa-kun?”

“She’s a total knockout. I thought she was a celebrity.”

Indiscreet praise leaked from Hasegawa’s mouth. Rina’s complexion changed instantly. Her boyfriend was being captivated right in front of her by the woman she viewed as an enemy. There could be no greater humiliation.

“W-what are you talking about! She’s just all dressed up in those clothes!”

“No way, her natural ‘raw materials’ are just on another level. ……Hey Kashiwagi, you were hiding a prize like this? Not bad, man.”

Hasegawa stepped forward with a smirk. His attitude of looking down on me as a “grind” took a complete turn, and he didn’t even try to hide his interest as a man.

“Hey, it was Kisaragi-chan, right? I’m Hasegawa from the soccer club. Do you know me?”

“…………”

“Isn’t it boring being with a serious guy like Kashiwagi? Rather than buying reference books, why don’t you go to karaoke with us? Rina’s here too, so you’ll be safe, right?”

It was a frivolous pick-up attempt. He didn’t care at all about Rina’s presence next to him. Rina was shrieking, “Huh!? What are you inviting her for!?” but Hasegawa ignored her. Us as a couple(?) and them as a couple. The “disparity” in those relationships was carved out in a cruelly clear form.

I stepped forward and shielded Kisaragi behind me.

“Sorry, but Kisaragi is busy with her ‘lessons’ with me. We don’t have time to indulge in your playing around.”

“Ah? What’s your problem? Don’t be so stingy. It’s not like it’ll cost you anything.”

“It does, actually. It costs time. Summer vacation before becoming an exam student is especially precious. …Let’s go, Kisaragi.”

I cut off the conversation and tried to leave the spot. Staying here any longer would only be unpleasant. However, Rina circled around as if to block my path.

“Wait, Kashiwagi!”

Rina tried to grab my sleeve, as if attempting to reclaim the pride wounded by Hasegawa’s attitude.

“Listen, have you forgotten about me? I was in a terrible spot with this last test, you know? I even have supplementary lessons!”

“……I know. You were 268th, right?”

“Ugh…… T-that may be true! But that’s why you have to take responsibility!”

“Responsibility?”

“That’s right! Didn’t my rhythm get all messed up because you suddenly dumped me?! So, help me with the assignments for my summer supplementary lessons. Think of it as an atonement to your ex-girlfriend!”

I was so exasperated by her selfish logic that I couldn’t even find the words. Besides, weren’t you the one who dumped me? Not being paid attention to by Hasegawa, unable to study—was this the result of being cornered? The old me might have given a wry smile and said, “I guess it can’t be helped.” But now, she looked nothing but “pitiful.”

“I refuse.”

I replied instantly.

“Right now, I am Kisaragi’s exclusive private tutor. I don’t have the leeway to look at other students.”

“Wh-……! It’s just a little bit, isn’t it?! You used to devote yourself to me that much until just a while ago!”

“That was because you were my girlfriend. Now you’re just a classmate.”

“Nng……!”

Rina was at a loss for words. Tears were welling in her eyes. Was it frustration or misery? Even so, just as Rina tried to persist—a slender white arm was thrust out.

It was Kisaragi. She pushed her way between Rina and me, standing as if to protect my body. Her expression was something entirely different from the sweet smile she had shown me earlier. It was an icy smile of absolute zero.

“……Did you not hear? Sensei is ‘busy’.”

It was a voice like a ringing bell, but there were blades mixed in.

“We cannot waste even a single second of Sensei’s time. We have no time to indulge in your lazy supplementary lessons.”

“Wh-what are you?! You’re just an outsider……!”

“You are the outsider.”

Kisaragi did not back down an inch. Those eyes pierced through Rina.

“Sensei chose me. I know the value of the Sensei you threw away better than anyone. …It’s too late to regret it now.”

“Nng……”

“Let’s go, Sensei. The air here is bad.”

Once she had completely silenced Rina, Kisaragi turned back toward me and returned to her usual melting smile.

“Let’s hurry and buy the reference books, okay? I want to become even smarter.”

I felt a slight shiver at the speed of her transition. However, I was honestly happy that she had gotten angry for my sake.

“……Yeah, you’re right. Let’s go.”

Leaving behind a stunned Rina and a smirking Hasegawa, we walked toward the back of the reference book corner. From behind us, I heard the sounds of an argument—”Hey! Don’t ignore me!” “Shut up, Rina, let’s just go already. My mood is totally ruined now”—but we didn’t look back even once.

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Upon stepping out of the bookstore, the midsummer sun was pouring down mercilessly. However, the unpleasant air I had felt inside the store had vanished, and I felt refreshed.

“……I’m sorry, Kisaragi. Even though it was a special shopping trip, I made you feel bad.”

“No. If anything, I might feel refreshed.”

Kisaragi laughed mischievously while holding the brim of her straw hat.

“Because Sensei clearly refused her. That boyfriend of hers over there was stealing glances at me, but Sensei was looking only at me the whole time.”

She rubbed her cheek against my arm.

“Sensei. I won, didn’t I?”

“It’s not about winning or losing though… But well, you’re a student who is a hundred times more excellent.”

“Hehe, only as a student?”

When I was at a loss for an answer to her meaningful question, she giggled and brushed it off.

“Now then! Since the intruders are gone, shall we take a break at that cafe over there? Sensei, will you treat me to a parfait?”

“……My wallet got a lot lighter from the reference book costs, though.”

“Eeeh, stingy. Then shall we split one? I’ll give you an ‘aaahn’.”

“Rejected. We’re ordering two normally.”

We headed toward the cafe in front of the station while exchanging banter. Our joined hands were sweaty, but I didn’t think about letting go. Running into Rina and the others was an unpleasant occurrence, but as a result, I feel it made our bond—and my sense of “who I should treasure”—even more solid.

This summer vacation is surely going to be a hot one.

While I was staring at the side profile of the beautiful girl walking beside me, my heart raced with that premonition.

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