Chapter 1 – The Breakup at the Station Plaza

“Hey, Akira-kun? Let’s break up.”

On a certain Sunday in mid-June, at the end of our third date.

Just like that, my girlfriend, Chifuyu Hasebe, became my ex-girlfriend.

“Can I ask why?”

“Because you haven’t been paying any attention to me lately.”

“I haven’t?”

“Yeah.”

“Did I do something to upset you on our date today? I thought you were having fun.”

A genuine question.

Our date today didn’t feel like a failure.

At the arcade on Fifth Avenue, I won that kitten plushie Chifuyu wanted in just two tries. She seemed happy with the Italian place Nee-san told me about, too… I have no idea what the problem could have been.

“Today’s date was the best. The little cat plushie is adorable, and the carbonara was delicious.”

“Right? That was the real deal. That rich cheese blend of Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino Romano—”

“Would you be quiet?”

“Whoops, my bad.”

I got a little carried away.

Since Nee-san loves Italian food, I ended up learning a lot about it before I even realized.

“It’s not that I’ve come to hate you or anything, Akira-kun.”

“Then why?”

“I just feel like… the love you have for me has been fading lately…”

“That’s not true. I still think you’re cute, Chifuyu, and I love you. That hasn’t changed.”

“That’s not good enough!”

Chifuyu’s voice suddenly shot up.

We were right in front of Sasebo Station, the heart of Sasebo, the city where we live.

It was 5:00 in the evening, and groups of high schoolers waiting for friends and university students just starting to disperse were loitering around.

At the sound of Chifuyu’s shout, every human being in the vicinity turned to stare at us.

A public spectacle in the middle of a breakup.

In a small town like Sasebo, a couple’s dramatic fallout is top-tier entertainment.

“Fine. I love you. Are you satisfied if I say it like that?”

“That’s not what I mean…”

Then what is it?

“Love isn’t something you show with words. It’s something you show with actions.”

“I’m pretty sure I showed you with my actions on our date today, though?”

“Mmm, we held hands, sure. But isn’t there more we should be doing?”

“Like a kiss?”

Unfortunately, I have yet to experience my first kiss.

Chifuyu was my first-ever girlfriend, and we’ve only been going out for about two weeks.

It’s wrong to expect a beginner to suddenly act like he’s at an intermediate level.

Besides, didn’t Chifuyu say this was her first relationship, too?

“A kiss, of course, and even more intimate stuff than that. We’re high schoolers, it’s what people do, right?”

“Is that how it is?”

“That’s how it is.”

Back in middle school, the whole phenomenon of someone going out with someone else was rare.

Even in our third year, you’d be lucky if there were two couples in the entire class.

I hear that romance is a much bigger deal in the city… or then again, maybe my middle school was just full of people who were happy being single. In any case, just having a girlfriend barely two months after starting high school is a rare feat, so what’s the point in asking for more?

“I think that kind of stuff is best done at our own pace. For me, at least, it’s fun just to hang out with you or talk to you, Chifuyu.”

“Hmph.”

She’s trying to act aloof, but I bet she’s actually happy to hear that.

Blushing, she pointedly averts her gaze.

Her soft, wavy hair, just long enough to brush her shoulders, dances in the spring breeze.

“Anyway, that’s why you should just break up with me.”

“Alright. Let’s break up.”

“Huh?”

I accepted it so readily, without even trying to argue.

Even Chifuyu, my now ex-girlfriend, couldn’t help but let her round eyes go wider.

I saw it.

—I saw Chifuyu, walking shoulder-to-shoulder with some clean-cut, handsome guy.

“It was a short time, but I had fun.”

About a week ago, on my way home from buying some manga, I saw Chifuyu walking intimately with another guy.

Her excuse about me not loving her enough was probably just that—an excuse for the fact that she’d found someone new, or maybe already had a new boyfriend.

It hurt a little.

But only a little.

It’s not like I’m the type of guy who’s all about romance anyway. I’m not some high schooler trying to live out a grand, youthful love story.

I turn my back on my ex-girlfriend.

“Wait a minute!”

“Hm?”

“If you agree to move in with me, I’ll take you back. Actually, I’ll let you stay with me.”

She’ll let me stay with her, huh?

Now that I’m over it, that’s just annoying.

I take another good look at Chifuyu.

Yeah, she’s definitely cute.

Her round, small-animal-like eyes, her small and slender frame, her flat chest.

All of it makes up the girl known as Chifuyu, a first-year in high school, and it wouldn’t be right if a single piece were missing.

So I was going out with a girl this cute. For me, a guy whose motto is “life is about new experiences,” this one will probably come in handy down the line.

“I can’t move in with you.”

I said it while looking her straight in the eyes. The moment the words were out, I spun on my heel and started walking toward home.

Seriously, what is this girl talking about?

Cohabitation in high school? That’s the stuff of fiction. She must have about twelve screws loose.

“Well then, see you at school. I’ll still think of you as a friend, Chifuyu. It’d be nice if we could talk about movies and stuff again.”

“Huh? You’re kidding, right…?”

For the sake of the utterly dumbfounded Chifuyu, I turn back one last time.

“Get home safe.”

The rule on a date is to walk the girl home.

People say you don’t really have to go that far these days, but I like to be a gentleman to the very end, at least.

I live by my ideals.

Just for today, I figured she wouldn’t want the guy who just dumped her to walk her home.

Go be happy with your new boyfriend, dude.

I’m just an average-looking guy, so I don’t think I stand a chance against that clean-cut, handsome fella. And if I’m going to lose to him, then I guess it can’t be helped.

It’d be a lie to say I’m not down about it. I can’t lie to myself.

I didn’t look back again.

With a complicated expression, I moved my feet toward my apartment building, which was just across the crosswalk.

　＊＊＊

“Akiraaaaaa!”

The moment Akira was out of sight, Chifuyu collapsed to her knees on the ground.

She didn’t care about the onlookers’ stares.

She didn’t have the capacity to care.

Incidentally, there’s a police box at the station.

Depending on whether this scene was perceived as the end of a youthful romance or the beginning of an incident, the workload for the police officer on duty was about to change.

(That’s not what I meant to happen… I thought if I threatened to break up, he’d definitely agree to move in with me…)

—She was supposed to be the one doing the dumping, but she’s the one who got dumped.

From the perspective of the audience who had watched the whole thing, Chifuyu was clearly the one who’d been rejected.