My Girlfriend Wanted an Open Relationship, So I Broke Up with Her and Found a Sweet Yandere - Chapter 26

[Yuuta’s POV]

Someone knocked from outside.

…I had fallen asleep by the door.

“Ugh.” I groaned as I pushed myself up. What time is it?

My hand went to the knob—and I froze.

A thought flashed through my mind.

What if it’s Yuuri? What if it’s Haruka? What if it’s… my mother?

How long had it been since I’d been afraid of this? A year? Afraid of the possibility of someone from the past just waltzing back into my life.

It did happen… right?

Yuuri came back for God knows what reason—or was I dreaming? Maybe she never came back at all. But then why would I dream about something so despicable?

Another knock sounded from the other side of the door.

I crouched slightly to look through the peephole. My heartbeat eased immediately as I let out the breath I’d been holding unconsciously.

It was Sensei.

Why is she here?

I opened the door.

Hayami-sensei stood there.

For a moment, I just stared. The fading light caught in her auburn hair, softening its color, and she looked… composed. Too composed for someone standing outside my apartment. Her coat was neat, her posture relaxed, like this was exactly where she was meant to be.

“Good evening,” she said, inclining her head slightly.

“S-Sensei…?” The word slipped out before I could stop it.

Behind her, a group of children ran past the building, their voices loud and carefree. Their laughter echoed briefly before fading as they disappeared down the street. The sky had settled into that muted orange-blue that came just before night.

It was late.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Hayami-sensei said. “You left the café rather suddenly, and I realized I don’t have your number.” She paused, watching my expression. “So I thought I’d come by. I figured you might still be busy with Iroha-san, and I didn’t want to rush you.”

I blinked at her.

The words reached me one by one, but they didn’t connect.

Busy…?

Rush…?

“I—sorry,” I said slowly. “I don’t really…”

She tilted her head slightly, a faint crease forming between her brows. “You don’t remember?”

And then it clicked.

“Oh,” I said, heat creeping into my face. “Of course I do. Your PC.”

The memory surfaced all at once—her mentioning it in passing, my casual offer to help, the way she’d accepted without making it a big deal.

Her expression brightened immediately. “I’m glad,” she said, clearly pleased. “So… can we go now?”

“Yes,” I answered without thinking. “Of course.”

Her gaze shifted past me, toward the floor near the doorway. A few envelopes lay there, half-hidden by my bag.

“Are you all right leaving those papers out?” she asked gently.

My chest tightened.

“Ah—no,” I said quickly.

I bent down and gathered the letters at once, sliding them back into their envelope with more care than necessary. I slipped it into my bag, glanced around the apartment to make sure nothing else was out of place, then moved through the motions automatically—lights off, door checked, keys in hand.

“I’m ready,” I said, stepping outside.

We walked down together, our footsteps overlapping softly in the narrow stairwell. Outside, a car was parked by the curb.

It was old. The paint had dulled with age, the body slightly dented in places. It still looked sturdy enough, but it didn’t match her at all. Standing beside it, Hayami-sensei looked far too put-together for something so worn.

I didn’t comment.

We got in.

The door closed with a quiet thud, sealing the space around us.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

The engine hummed softly as dusk settled in, and the car pulled away from the curb, carrying the silence with it.

I glanced around the car absently, then caught my reflection in the rearview mirror.

…Yeah. Bad.

My hair was sticking out at odd angles, flattened in some places and wild in others from sleeping against the door. My shirt was creased too, the fabric wrinkled where I’d been slumped for who knows how long. I straightened instinctively, running a hand through my hair in a half-hearted attempt to fix it.

Hayami-sensei noticed.

“What is it?” she asked, glancing at me briefly before turning her eyes back to the road.

“Ah—nothing,” I said, then let out a small laugh. “I was just thinking I look a bit shabby. Compared to you, anyway.” I gestured vaguely at myself. “People might think I’m tagging along by mistake.”

She reacted so suddenly that it startled me.

Her head snapped toward the window, so fast I thought she might actually strain something. She stared outside for a second too long, then faced forward again, posture stiff. She cleared her throat.

“D-do I?” she asked, suddenly awkward. “Look overdressed, I mean. Does it seem strange?”

There was the faintest blush on her cheeks—barely noticeable, but real. It softened her expression, made her look less like Hayami-sensei and more like… Someone only a few years older than me, which she is actually.

I realized, distantly, that I often forgot that. The title, the way she carried herself—it made the difference feel larger than it actually was.

“No,” I said quickly. “Not at all. You look beautiful- I mean great. Really.”

She blinked, then let out a quiet breath she’d clearly been holding. “I’m glad,” she murmured, a small smile tugging at her lips as her shoulders relaxed.

I watched her from the corner of my eye.

The tension I’d been carrying—without realizing it—eased. The tightness in my chest loosened, replaced by something calmer, lighter. It felt strange, how easily the weight of earlier moments faded, like they belonged to a different version of me entirely.

And we reached our destination.

[A/N: Hello, I hope you enjoy and if you do then think to donate on KoFi(Optional ….absolutely your choice and the link to it in the description/synopsis of the novel~) if you want to.]