The Boy Who Gave Up on Romantic Feelings ~I’m Done Because I Was Betrayed by The Girlfriends I Used to Date~ - Chapter 47-48

Chapter 47

Night time.

“Sayaka-san, thank you so much!”

“Really, Hanamoto-san, thank you.”

“No, no, since you’re letting me stay over, let me at least do this much!”

Surprisingly, Sayaka made dinner for all of us. I’ve eaten her homemade cooking a few times before, but it’s even more delicious this time. Seriously, it’s really delicious.

“Sayaka-san, you’re really good at cooking! It’s so delicious!”

“Thank you, Maho-chan.”

Sayaka looks really happy to receive compliments too.

By the way, what we’re eating now is rice, miso soup, rolled omelette, hamburger steak, and salad—five dishes in total. It’s a good balance, the seasoning isn’t too strong or too weak, it’s just perfect.

“Your cooking is as delicious as always, Sayaka.”

“Ah, Shintani-kun…”

She blushes when I praise her, she’s really cute.

“Oh, that’s right, Shintani, Maho.”

“What is it, Dad?”

“I’ll be on a business trip from tomorrow until next week, so I’m counting on you to take care of the house.”

“Again?”

“Seems like it’s been happening a lot lately.”

“It’s because of the company’s policy, you know. We’re expanding our business. Tomorrow’s trip is related to that.”

“I see.”

Which means Dad will be busy from now on. I hope he takes care of his health.

“Ah, also…”

“Is there something else, Dad?”

Maho asked dad wearily.

“Shintani, I heard she came here.”

“…!?”

“Eh!? Onii-chan, is that true!?”

“…yeah.”

Maho turns towards me with a surprised expression on her face.

She was the reason why we moved here in the first place.

Both Maho and Dad look at me with concerned expressions on their faces.

Meanwhile, Sayaka stops eating when she heard so. It seems like it’s making her feel uneasy.

“But I sent her away immediately. She was as persistent as ever, though.”

“I see. Be careful, okay?”

“Yeah, Onii-chan, seriously, you should really watch out for her, okay?”

“Yeah, I get it.”

“…Shintani, how about—”

“I’m not moving again.”

“I see…”

I absolutely don’t want to distance myself from Sayaka now…there is no way I can do that.

For me, Sayaka’s presence has become indispensable, and I believe the same is true for her.

We might look that we are too dependent with each other, but I can assert that we are definitely not. It’s just that we genuinely love each other very much.

“If you run into any trouble, make sure to call me, okay? Especially regarding Yamashiro.”

“Yeah, got it, Dad.”

“Maybe I should be cautious too?”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. She’ll probably try to approach you as well.”

“…I really can’t stand that person. She always starts a conversation but only talk about herself and never listen to what I have to say.”

“You might as well just accept that’s how she is. If she tries to talk to you, it’s best to end the conversation quickly and get away.”

“…yeah, you’re right. Ugh, what a hassle.”

Feeling gloomy, we decided to change the subject.

After finishing our meal, Sayaka and I relax in my room.

“Well then, would you mind telling me about that ‘Yamashiro-san’?”

“…ah, it’s not a pleasant story.”

It’s truly the worst.

Perhaps, I have unconsciously forgotten about it, but meeting her again brought the memories flooding back.

Before, it was impossible, but now I can remember vividly.

Those middle school days from hell.

Chapter 48

“I want to go out with you!!”

Back in high school, When Sayaka confessed her feelings to me, I said that it was the first time received a confession from a girl, but that was a lie. The truth is, I have received another confession before once back when I was in middle school. To be precise, it was during my second year of middle school.

Back then, I was, how should I put it, my life was pretty normal. I had friends, my grades were average, and my athletic abilities were nothing special. I was just a boy who put in a bit more effort than others in club activities.

And yet, I got a confession. What’s even more surprising is the person who confessed to me was Yamashiro.

I wasn’t that close to Yamashiro. We had been in the same class since the first year of grade school, but we never talked or anything like that. Yamashiro was just a stranger to me.

Our grade school was a bit unique; changes of class didn’t happen every year but every two years. So, I had the same classmates for two years. Moreover, the numbers of students in each grade were fewer compared to other schools, so even when we change classes, it was common for students to meet their old classmates again. That was exactly what happened to me and Yamashiro.

I never talked to Yamashiro. Well, being close friends with someone of the opposite sex was quite rare itself at that time. There was never a reason for Yamashiro to talk to me, nor did I have any reason to talk to her. We were just in the same class, and that was it. Because of that kind of relationship, I had forgotten about Yamashiro by the time I entered middle school. On top of that, I got into a different class than Yamashiro.

Middle school means we were in our adolescence phase. It’s not uncommon to receive confessions during this time. In fact, there were girls at our school who had received over twenty confessions in just one year after enrolling. They were said to be the goddesses of the school, but I wasn’t interested in that kind of thing then.

I was more focused on my club activities than anything else. It was more enjoyable for me. Perhaps because of that, I couldn’t keep up with romantic discussions with my friends at all. I remember my friends being exasperated with me.

Whenever they talked about someone who was said to be cute or popular, I tried to recall their face, but couldn’t remember at all. I even went to see them with my friends, but they all seemed the same to me, though I felt rude for thinking so.

Unlike me, Yamashiro was popular. ‘Apparently’ because, as I mentioned earlier, I had no interest in such matters, so I knew nothing about it. Even now, I can hardly remember about it.

Yamashiro seemed to be aware of her popularity. She probably believed that I would always accept her confession because of that.

She once said that she liked me because I was so passionate and dedicated to my club activities, but even now, I doubt whether that’s true or not.

Because when she confessed to me, her eyes clearly had a certain intention behind them.

“I’m sorry.”

“—Eh?”

I bowed my head and rejected her confession. I couldn’t afford to be distracted by romance because I was too busy with my club activities and wanted to focus on them.

I explained my reasons clearly before turning her down.

Her confident expression crumbled fragilely.

As I bowed my head again and tried to leave, I heard her voice.

“There’s no way…that’s right…there’s no way I’d be rejected…right? There is no way this is happening, right…? Shintani-kun?”

Tears started to stream down her face, but more than that, I was more concerned about the change in her demeanour.

“That’s right…there’s no way my confession would be rejected…I have Shintani-kun now…that’s right, hehehe, I did it…I have a boyfriend now…”

I definitely turned her down. I remember saying ‘I’m sorry’ out loud. However, she seemed to have twisted the truth in her mind.

I became afraid of her gradually becoming mad.

“Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe, yayyy, I did it…”

I got scared and ran away.