The Reason Why I was Cheated on By My Girlfriend - Chapter 22

Healing Time with Kaguya-nyan

Haru’s POV

It’s autumn on a Sunday afternoon.

Today is a bit chilly, and many of the people passing by are wearing long-sleeved clothes.

The destination is the train station closest to the school.

As I walk, I feel a strange sense of nervousness.

Spending time with a girl on a day off—usually, that person was Yua.

But this time is different.

Though there are reasons why I can’t fully enjoy it, this is my first time going out with someone as a couple.

I arrive at the station.

I walk up the stairs, remembering the last messages we exchanged.

I spot her right away.

She is standing upright by the wall next to the ticket gate.

(…wow.)

For a moment, I’m captivated.

She isn’t dressed in anything particularly eye-catching. She is just wearing a simple white sweater over a regular dress. Yet, she has such a presence that naturally draw my eyes towards her.

Suddenly, my heart starts pounding.

What should I say? How should I stand in front of her, who naturally draws the gaze of everyone around her? As I’m thinking about such thoughts, she begins to look around as if searching for someone.

Our eyes meet.

In that instant, a smile blossoms on her dignified face.

“Haruki-san!”

She waves her hand excitedly and runs towards me like an affectionate child.

I hold my breath, somehow managing to put on a smile as I wait for her.

“Sorry, did you wait long?”

“No, no, you’re still ten minutes early. But more importantly…”

Kaguya takes a step back and then spins around on the spot. Her long black hair and skirt flutters gracefully. As my heart race from this suddenness, she looks a little embarrassed and asks,

“What do you think?”

She’s probably asking for my opinion on her outfit.

“It feels new. This is the first time I’ve seen you in casual clothes.”

“…that’s not what I’m asking.”

“You look great. I’m so captivated I can’t take my eyes off you.”

“……”

She didn’t say anything and stays silent.

Wait, did I say something wrong?

“…I know I’m the one who made you say it, but I’m blushing really hard right now.”

As I start to worry, Kaguya said so, looking embarrassed.

Seeing Kaguya blushing like that makes me want to blush too.

I quickly speak up, trying to cover it up.

“What about me? How do I look?”

“Just as I imagined you to be.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Is that a compliment?”

“Of course it is. I mean, you look just like the person I love.”

“……”

“See, you’re blushing too, Haruki-san.”

“…Kaguya, are you maybe a bit competitive?”

“No, I just want to share my feelings with the person I love.”

She has a look of triumph on her face when she said so.

“You sure are competitive, aren’t you?”

When I made that sour remark, Kaguya laughs with genuine joy.

Seeing her like that makes my back itch for some reason.

To be honest, I feel a little guilty. The circumstances that led to us dating, the situation with Yua, and everything else.

That’s why I have a goal to enjoy today’s date with my pure feelings.

“…shall we go now?”

“Yes. Please take care a good care of me.”

But it seems that goal is easier to achieve than I thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kaguya is the one who decided where we’re going for the day.

It seems there’s a place she really wants to visit.

And so, the place where we’re going is—

“A cat café that my mother runs as a hobby.”

So right now, I’m watching Kaguya surrounded by cats.

“Fufufu, most of these little ones are quite clingy.”

Sitting with perfect posture in a graceful, formal kneeling position, Kaguya gently strokes the cats that has gathered around her.

We are shown to a private room about six tatami mats in size.

There are four cats with us in the room.

All the cats are surrounding Kaguya.

But I don’t feel lonely at all.

Watching Kaguya play with the cats is really enjoyable for me.

“Ah, one of them is heading your way, Haruki-san.”

I follow her gaze.

I don’t know much about cat breeds, but a black one is approaching me.

Let’s just call it Kuro for now.

Kuro stops right in front of me and looks up with its round, bright eyes.

“Go ahead and pet it.”

“…alright.”

…petting it. How do I even do that?

A moment of confusion. As I slowly extend my hand towards Kuro, it nuzzles against my fingers.

(…cute.)

I feel a sense of comfort from the adorable behaviour of the small animal.

After a while, Kuro flips over and shows me its belly as if trying to get my attention.

I cautiously reach out with my fingertips and touch it.

Kuro narrows its eyes happily and purrs softly.

(…cute.)

I want to keep petting it.

However, I remember the explanation we got just before entering this room—it’s not good to overdo it.

Even though I don’t want to, I pull my hand back.

Kuro looks at me with a puzzled expression and gets up.

Then, Kuro leaps onto my lap.

I’m surprised and froze. Kuro remains still in my lap.

I feel a faint warmth from it.

As I’m about to instinctively start petting Kuro, I suddenly notice her gaze.

“…what?”

Kaguya is staring at me intently.

She doesn’t say anything.

A few seconds later, she takes a pose and mimics the cat.

“Kaguya-nyan also wants attention…nyan.”

“……”

“…I will never do it again.”

Kaguya turns her face away, looking sulky.

Her gesture was so cute that a mischievous desire begins to grow within me.

“Kaguya-nyan.”

“Ah, please stop!”

Her voice sounds a little high-pitched.

She spoke in a rare, panicked voice.

It’s so cute that I can’t hold back my laughter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After leaving the cat café, Kaguya and I head to a nearby park.

We don’t have a particular destination in mind. We walk, chatting about trivial matters.

Eventually, Kaguya suggests sitting on a bench.

After we both take a light breath, Kaguya says,

“Thank you for spending the day with me.”

“Likewise. I had a great time. I even saw a surprising side of you.”

“I also learned that you can be unexpectedly mean, Haruki-san.”

We exchanged light-hearted remarks and laughed.

It feels like we have grown closer.

Suddenly, I wonder, when was the last time I laughed like this?

Well actually, it hasn’t been that long.

But emotionally, it feels like it’s been a really long time…how should I put it?

Words can’t quite express it.

“Haruki-san.”

I turn my face towards Kaguya,

“Here!”

Suddenly, I feel a light tap on my cheek. No, it might be more accurate to say she is touching it.

“…what’s that for?”

I ask for a reason.

Kaguya keeps her hand on my cheek, and with a smile on her face, she says,

“Physical contact with someone you’re close with promotes the release of happiness hormones.”

A knowledgeable explanation begins.

“Happiness hormones have a stabilizing effect on the mind. They can reduce stress, improve sleep quality, and bring many benefits. So, it’s not just that I want to touch you.”

With a clever excuse, she continued so.

“…how about it?”

It takes just a few seconds for me to understand.

She has seen through me. She knows how I feel being here today, or perhaps how I have been feeling over the past few days.

“Kaguya, you seem to understand everything.”

“That’s not true. I only understand things I’m interested in.”

A different line from before.

Kaguya lets go of my hand, looks up at the sky and says,

“I will respect your choices.”

She’s surely talking about to my decision not to abandon Yua.

“If you ever get tired, I’ll be here to heal you.”

It’s a short phrase.

But that’s why it’s stuck in my mind so easily.

“Feel free to rely on me anytime.”

Seeing her smile, I feel pain deep within my heart.

I feel pathetic for making her worry, but I also feel genuinely happy at the same time.

These conflicting emotions arise simultaneously.

I feel like I’m going to be on the verge of tears if I let my guard down even for a moment.

“…thank you.”

As I express my gratitude, silence falls over us.

The sound of trees swaying in the wind, the noise of passing cars nearby, and the unusually loud beating of my own heart.

I glance at her. Our eyes met.

Kaguya quickly looks down, and then, with what seems like a resolved expression, she lifts her face.

“Can I hold your hand…?”

Her voice can barely be heard.

I give a gentle smile and, instead of responding with words, I take her hand in mine.

“……”

Kaguya didn’t say anything.

Instead, she squeezes my hand tightly in return.

Her hand feels soft and warm.

I let go of all unnecessary thoughts. Just for this moment, I feel like I can forget about everything else.