I Thought She Was the One, but It Turned Out to Be a Fake Confession, so I Decided to Break Up With Her
Right in front of me, the two of them were pointing fingers at each other and shouting.
Every time that scene flashes back into my mind, I canโt catch my breath.
โThis kid is the son of the Fujimori family, isnโt he?! Then you should take responsibility! Donโt just dump it on me!!โ
โโWeโve poured so much money into him, and yet heโs turned out to be such a good-for-nothingโitโs all because of your lousy parenting! The real problem is that he inherited bad genes from you in the first place. You take responsibility!!โ
A father who was always working and never paid any attention to his family.
A mother who, exhausted by raising a child with a husband who showed her no love, had an affair with another man.
Both of those parents wanted to abandon me.
โThey told me to choose which one of them to follow. It was as if they were telling me to decide who should take the punishment.โ
โThatโs so cruelโฆโ
Hina began to sob quietly, as if it were her own story.
Those tears made me unbearably happy.
I must have been looking for someone who would cry with me.
So I clung desperately to Kotone.
(In the end, itโs almost as if Kotone abandoned me again, thoughโฆ)
What matters is that Hina is here by my side right now.
I gently hugged herโthe girl who was shedding tears for me.
I continued talking while gently stroking the back of Hinaโs head.
โSo I didnโt choose either one. I told them Iโd live on my own, so just give me child support.โ
โDid your parents agree to that?โ
โThey did, in the end, but it was basically because I half-threatened them.โ
At first, they both looked bewildered by what I said.
But I clenched my fists so tightly that blood seeped into my palms, and I shouted at them both.
โI donโt want anything to do with you people!ใIf you donโt listen to me, Iโll give interviews to the media or whatever and spill everything about our family situation right now!!
My father was afraid it would damage the companyโs image, and my mother was afraid that causing trouble for the parents of a politician would get her cut off from her family.
Neither of them was actually worried about me, screaming my head off.
โThreatening my own parentsโthatโs pretty low of me, isnโt it?โ
โNot at all! At least I think it was a perfectly reasonable demand.โ
Hina shook her head as she buried her face in my chest.
I could feel the warmth of her face pressed against me.
โIโll never, ever abandon you, Daiki.โ
โHinaโฆโ
As if to say sheโd never let me go, she tightened her arms around my back even more.
Enough that it hurt a little.
But this pain wasnโt painful.
If anything, it felt precious.
To lighten the heavy atmosphere, I spoke with a small laugh.
โBut itโs ironic, isnโt it? Itโs precisely because of what happened that I was able to meet you, Hina.โ
If I hadnโt started living alone as if I were running away, and hadnโt left Tokyo, Iโd probably still be a pathetic mess at that elite school.
The old me would never even have thought to help Hina when she was isolated on the volleyball team.
Even if it didnโt reach Kotone, the effort I put in to reach her wasnโt wasted.
Because it allowed me to grow close to Hina.
โIโll never abandon Hina either.โ
โReally?โ
โOf course.โ
Will I ever meet anyone in my life whoโs better than Hina?
Itโs not just a matter of looks.
Apart from Hina, thereโs surely no one else who would devote herselfโbody and soulโto me purely for who I am, without any regard for my parentsโ status.
Hina suddenly held out her pinky finger.
โThen letโs make a pinky promise!โ
โAre you in elementary school or something?โ
โWhen it comes to making a promise, who cares if weโre elementary schoolers or not!โ
โYouโve got a point.โ
I extended my pinky too and intertwined it with hers.
Staring at our intertwined pinkies, we both smiled without a word.
ใโโ
Holding hands, Hina Honjo and Daiki Fujimori left the park behind and began walking toward the station to head home.
It wasnโt exactly what youโd call a typical coupleโs trip, but for Hina, it was deeply meaningful simply because sheโd heard about Daikiโs past directly from him.
Hina was well aware of it.
Objectively speaking, she was nothing more than a โhomewreckerโ whoโd stolen her best friendโs boyfriend.
It wasnโt that she didnโt feel guilty, but more than that, she was happy to see Daikiโs expression growing brighter day by day.
(โฆโฆEven if Kotone really does wake up and Daiki ends up going back to her, this will still be a good memory.)
Hina wasnโt doubting the promise theyโd made earlier, either.
But peopleโs hearts are always subject to change.
The very fact that Daikiโwho had once been devoted solely to Kotoneโwas now directing that love toward her was proof enough.
(Even so, I have to do my best to make him choose me.)
Up until now, no matter what she did, she could never beat Kotone.
Even in volleyball, if Kotone were to start playing, sheโd likely surpass Hinaโs standing on the team in the blink of an eye.
But the human heart isnโt determined by a test with scores, nor is it a sport with clear winners and losers.
Even if youโre exceptionally talented, you canโt control the heart of the person you love at will.
(โฆโฆPersonally, it would be best if Kotone just stayed asleep like this.)
Or maybe sheโd just lose all patience with Daiki for cheating, regardless of the circumstances.
But Hina is Kotoneโs childhood friendโtheyโve known each other for a long time.
She knows Kotone better than even her mother, Asami, does.
Hina was certain that Kotone wouldnโt just stay silent about this.
(Kotone is surprisingly competitive.)
So, while she still has the upper hand during summer break, she has to earn as many points as possible with Daiki.
Before the second semester starts and the competition really begins.
Hina gripped Daikiโs hand even tighter.
โHey, Daiki.โ
โHm?โ
โAbout what you said earlierโฆ Have you ever done that to Kotone, too?โ
He had come to this same travel destination with Kotone before.
Daikiโs purpose back then probably hadnโt changed much from what it was now.
To share his past with her and share his pain.
But Daiki shook his head immediately.
โNoโฆ Youโre the first, Hina.โ
โReally? Is it okay that Iโm the first?โ
โYeah. Actually, Iโd rather it be you. I trust you, so I knew youโd be okay.โ
Hina couldnโt help but let the corners of her mouth turn up.
(Iโm glad he trusts me.)
Daikiโs warm gaze assured her that he wasnโt lying.
But just thenโ
โโฆItโs been a while, Young Master.โ
A young woman in a pantsuit suddenly addressed Daiki.
Maigetsu