I Thought She Was the One, but It Turned Out to Be a Fake Confession, so I Decided to Break Up With Her
My grandfather offered to drive me back to my apartment, but I turned him down right away.
I wanted to ride the train home, just the two of us, Hina and me.
When I told her that, Hina grinned.
โDaiki, youโre surprisingly possessive. If I told you I was going to get a second boyfriend, youโd probably end up in bed, wouldnโt you? Even though youโve got two girlfriends right now.โ
โUghโฆโ
I didnโt know what to say.
Even though it was Hina who suggested it, in the end, I was the one who went along with it.
As for my relationship with Kotone, Iโve come to terms with it to some extent, but I havenโt officially broken up with her yet.
I blamed my mom for her affair, but maybe Iโm not much different.
โSorry, maybe I was being a little too mean. Donโt worry about it. Iโm not the least bit interested in any man other than Daiki. When I told Grandpa earlier that Iโd show him his great-grandchild, I wasnโt joking, you know?โ
Hina ran her finger across my chest.
Even though weโd crossed that line long ago, my face flushed.
โDo you want to get married while weโre still in school?โ
โI donโt mind. Honestly, realistically speaking, thereโs absolutely no way a man better than Daiki will ever come along in my life. Youโre kind, brave, hardworking, you get results, youโre good-looking, and you come from a good family. If anything, Iโm the one whoโs getting the better end of the deal.โ
Did Hina feel the same way about me as I did about her?
I hadnโt realized she thought so highly of me.
โIt all depends on Daikiโs decision now, right?โ
If I really decide to marry Hina, my father will probably oppose it, but my grandfatherโwho still has the most say in the familyโshould support me.
My motherโs side of the family might not be overjoyed, but given what happened with my mother, they probably wonโt be able to take a hard line.
(Just as Hina said, what matters most is how I feel.)
Even with strong allies like my grandfather and my family, Iโm the one whoโll ultimately have to take responsibility.
Itโs not just a matter of money.
Itโs a matter of being prepared to take on the responsibility for Hinaโs life.
โโฆโฆIโll give it some serious thought.โ
โSo youโre seriously considering marrying me while weโre still in school! Daiki, just how much do you love me?โ
โYouโre kind of annoying right now, Hina.โ
โEhh?โ
Hina flashed that signature little devilish smile and whispered softly.
โThen, youโll give me a good spanking in bed, right?โ
Weโd planned to just go our separate ways after this today.
But, as expected, we ended up stopping at a love hotel along the way to take a break.
โฆI really do think Iโm pretty simple-minded for giving in to Hinaโs little temptations like this.
ใโ
On the way home, Hina suddenly got a phone call and bought some โTokyo Bananaโ as a souvenir.
I couldnโt hear who was on the other end, but it was probably her family.
(Come to think of it, I really need to introduce myself to Hinaโs family, too.)
Hina mustered up the courage to meet my grandfather, so it would be cowardly of me not to do the same.
โฆโฆStill, I should probably settle things properly with this โsecond girlfriendโ situation first.
If Hina were to casually announce to her family, โIโm Daikiโs second girlfriend!โ Iโd never be able to stand the awkwardness of that moment.
โWell then, Iโm going to head out now! Thanks for always walking me home, Daiki!โ
PeckโHina gave me a light kiss.
Since sheโs always so open about her feelings like this, the trouble of driving all the way to her houseโwhich is in the opposite directionโdoesnโt bother me at all.
โIโll text you later.โ
โOkay! Oh, I have volleyball practice tomorrow, but can I come straight to your place after itโs over?โ
โSure, why not.โ
I wonder if she wants to have a date at my place.
Even a single guyโs apartment lights up instantly when Hina comes over.
I didnโt have any reason to say no, either.
โSo, does that mean I can come over to your place whenever I have free time from now on? Iโll even do the housework for you!โ
โHuh? You donโt need to go out of your way to do that for me, thoughโฆโ
I havenโt been living on my own for very long, but Iโve looked things up online and honed my housekeeping skills to a reasonable level.
Even if itโs not perfect, I at least keep the visible areas clean on a regular basis.
โEhh, you donโt want a โcommuter wife,โ my husband? Donโt you want to see me in a uniform apron?โ
โโฆI guess Iโd like to see that.โ
โThatโs my husband for you! Youโre true to your desires!โ
โMaybe I should just give you a spare key?โ
โReally!? I want one! Iโll come wake you up every morning after my break ends, so please give me a spare key!โ
Just like a puppy waiting for a treat, she clasped her hands together and held them out to me.
Iโd meant it half as a joke, but with her expecting it this much, I couldnโt very well say it was just a joke anymore.
โAll right. Iโll give it to you tomorrow, then.โ
โYay! I love you!โ
Hina threw her arms around me.
Normally, since Hina was offering to do all sorts of things for me, I should be the one feeling happy.
โOh, thatโs rightโฆ Tomorrowโor by the end of this week at the latestโIโll officially break up with Kotone.โ
Iโd been saying I wouldnโt drag it out, but Iโd been putting it off using our โoverwrite dateโ as an excuse.
I figured I should set a firm deadline and actually follow through.
Thanks to Hinaโs connections, Iโd figured out who the guy from another schoolโthe one Kotone had once said was her type and who looked like an actorโwas, and Iโd even gotten his contact info.
However, Hinaโs reaction was unexpected.
โHmmโฆ If you really want to do it during summer break, Daiki, I wonโt stop you, but couldnโt we wait until the second semester starts?โ
โThe second semester?โ
โYeah. I have two reasons. First, I want to let the rumors spread slowly around schoolโthat our โpenalty gameโ relationship with Kotone is over, and that Daiki and I officially started dating over summer break. Daiki, youโd rather be open about our relationship than hide it, and you want to be together as much as possible at school, right?โ
โWell, I guess youโre right.โ
Kotone didnโt really want to make a big deal out of the fact that she was dating me.
Looking back now, thatโs only natural from her perspective.
After all, it was just a relationship where we were dating out of obligation for a penalty gameโit would be embarrassing for her if a guy who wasnโt even her real boyfriend went around telling everyone she was his girlfriend.
โIt gets a little tricky if weird rumors start spreading. If, by any chance, people started saying our relationship began as a โsecond girlfriendโ situation, thatโd be a problem for both Daiki and me, right? Thatโs why, in situations like this, I think itโs better if weโre the ones to start the rumors first.โ
โYouโre right. Got it. Itโll be a bit of a hassle, but Iโll leave that part to you, Hina. Youโre better suited for that kind of thing than I am.โ
โDonโt say itโs a hassleโnot at all! If anything, Iโll get to brag about all the things Iโve done with Daiki!โ
โโฆJust donโt go into too much detail.โ
I know girls talk about their relationships with their boyfriends in much greater detail than guys do.
I canโt stop them from doing that, and since this is a community of girls anyway, itโs only right to respect that for the sake of Hinaโs happy school life.
But honestly, Iโd rather it didnโt reach my ears.
โWhatโs the other reason?โ
โItโs because Iโd still get jealous if Daiki were alone with his first girlfriend.โ
โBut thatโs still going to be necessary even in the second semester, right? I canโt exactly say, โLetโs break upโ in front of everyone.โ
โSo, could you leave that part to me, too?โ
โHuh?โ
When I looked confused, Hina added.
โHonestly, since you were only dating as part of a penalty game anyway, I donโt think Daiki needs to go out of his way to break up with her directly. If we officially start dating, the relationship from the penalty game will just naturally fade away, right?โ
โIs that how it worksโฆ?โ
โThatโs how it works.โ
โBut wonโt that be a burden for you, Hina?โ
โFor me, Iโd rather not have Daiki and Kotone be alone together. Besides, Kotone and I are childhood friends, right? I can talk to her smoothly without causing any hard feelings.โ
โWell, if thatโs the case, then itโs fineโฆโ
My words probably wonโt mean much to Kotone.
As far as I know, Hina is the only person Kotone truly trusts and takes seriously.
โIโm really sorry for everything. No, thank you.โ
โNo, Iโm the one whoโs grateful that you put up with my selfishness! Itโs not exactly a thank-you, but could you grant me one favor?โ
โOf course. What is it?โ
โUntil the second semester, even if you happen to run into Kotone, I want you to keep the fact that weโre dating a secret. As much as possible, donโt even let Kotone sense that anythingโs going on.โ
โGot it. I told you Iโd leave all that up to you, so Iโll go along with it.โ
โThank you, Daiki.โ
Once again, Hina gave me a gentle kiss.
ใโโ
(Ah, finallyโ!)
Daiki came into Kotoneโs field of vision.
But he wasnโt coming out of the apartment building; he was walking toward her from the direction of the station.
Heโd just been out running an errand.
Feeling relieved, Kotone found herself quickening her pace to catch up to Daiki.
โWhat a coincidence, Fujimori-kun.โ
โOh, yeah. What a coincidence, Shimazaki-san. What are you doing here?โ
โThereโs a bakery nearbyโโ
Just as she was about to say the name of the bakery sheโd prepared, Kotone froze.
(Huhโฆ Shimazaki-sanโฆ?)
The very first thing Daiki had done after they started dating this year was to call her by her first name.
So why had he changed the way he addressed her?
Kotone couldnโt understand Daikiโs change in behavior.
โUh, Fujimori-kun.โ
โHm?โ
โWhere have you beenโฆ?โ
โOh, just to Tokyo for a bit.โ
The phone call sheโd just had with Hina flashed back into Kotoneโs mind.
โSorry! Iโm in Tokyo right now.
Maigetsu