I Thought She Was the One, but It Turned Out to Be a Fake Confession, so I Decided to Break Up With Her
โHey, โCommuting Wife.โโ
Behind the gym, Misaki quietly approached Hina, who was sitting with her knees hugged to her chest.
Even without Hina saying a word, Misaki had long since figured out that she was constantly visiting Daikiโs house, day and night.
Normally, as a teacher, she should have insisted on some restraint, but right now, her role as a cousin took precedence.
โWhy do you look like youโre about to die?โ
During the volleyball practice a little while ago, Hina had clearly been out of sorts.
Assuming something had undoubtedly happened involving Daiki, Misaki asked probingly.
โAre things not going well with your husband?โ
โโฆNo, things are actually going better than I expected.โ
โThen, is there something else bothering you?โ
โItโs not really a worry, thoughโฆ Maybe Iโm just confused by this version of myself I donโt recognize. It feels like the person I am right now isnโt really meโฆโ
Feelings that arise precisely because everything is new.
Whether itโs messy or whatever, maybe thatโs just another form of youth.
Misaki put a cigarette in her mouth and smiled faintly.
โGo ahead and pour your heart out to your big sister.โ
Hina turned her face toward Misaki and studied her profile.
After a moment, she lowered her gaze to the ground again and replied.
โAt first, Iโฆ I thought I could accept itโeven if Kotone woke up and Daiki went back to her. I figured that, after all, Kotone was the one Daiki really loved.โ
Bringing the two people she loved together and suppressing her own feelings.
Although it took the unexpected form of a fake confession, the result was that Daiki and Kotone became a couple.
However, Daiki ended up spending his days being deeply hurt by Kotone.
Hina believed her own selfishness had led to that outcome, and she had resolved to take full responsibility for it.
โBut with every date we go on, every time I spend more time with Daiki, and as he kisses me and holds me over and over again, Iโm gradually getting more and more scared.โ
The time she spent as his second girlfriend was just the summer vacationโwhich felt both long and short.
But by then, Daiki had already become an indispensable part of Hinaโs daily life.
Misaki exhaled a wisp of smoke and said in a low voice.
โSo youโve fallen even more in love with him?โ
โYeahโฆ For a moment, I even hated Kotone so much.โ
โWellโฆ thatโs a serious case.โ
Before her parentsโ divorce, Kotone was a girl loved by everyone in this town.
Cheerful, warm-hearted, and always ready to lend a hand to those in needโshe was a hero to everyone.
She drew people in not just because she was the daughter of a local dignitary, but because of her own charm.
And Hina, too, was one of those who had been greatly helped by Kotone, her hero, when she was young.
Thatโs why Hina sometimes viewed Kotone as a rival and felt inferior, but her admiration for her was even stronger.
โThe moment I found Daikiโs umbrella at Kotoneโs house was when I feltโฆ the most helpless.โ
It was proof that Kotone still occupied a corner of Daikiโs heart.
Of course, since heโd had a one-sided crush on Kotone for nearly a year, it would be difficult for him to simply let go of those feelings all at once now.
Hina, who had also had a one-sided crush on Daiki for over half a year, understood that fact rationally.
Itโs just that the mind and the heart are two different things.
โPart of the reason I fell for Daiki is that heโs kindโheโs the kind of person who reaches out to help those in needโฆโ
โSo when that person turned out to be Kotone, your jealousy just swelled even more, is that it?โ
At Misakiโs words, Hina nodded slightly.
โEven though I say I donโt mind being second best, and that itโs fine if he dates Kotone forever, deep down, I guess I still want to be Daikiโs number one.โ
โWellโฆ thatโs only natural.โ
The deeper you sink into it, the more the sin of greed rears its ugly head.
The harder you try, the greater the reward you end up seeking.
โWhatever else happens, I absolutely donโt want to let Daiki go.โ
To cling to him so desperately it makes her feel pathetic, just to stay by his side forever.
Or to give up completely and pray for his happiness with the other woman he chose.
Someday, the time might come when she has to choose between those two options.
If so, what would she choose?
When Hina imagined what would happen after making that choice, the answer became crystal clear.
โEven if it means hurting Kotone in a way that can never be undone.โ
She made her choice.
She would stay by Daikiโs side, even if it meant clinging to him so desperately it made her feel pathetic.
Because that would make her far happier than sending him off to be with another woman.
โIโm just too selfish, arenโt I?โ
โHonestly, even though Iโm an adult, Iโm just someone whoโs gotten older. Iโve never had the experience of fighting over a single man like that, so I canโt fully empathize. But stillโฆโ
Misaki said, gazing up at the sky with a listless expression.
โNo matter how rational a person is, if theyโre hungry enough, theyโll try to survive even if it means eating someone else. Itโs justโโ
Misaki gently exhaled a wisp of purple smoke, tracing a hollow, empty circle in the air.
โOnce youโve eaten like that and your stomachโs full, youโll never be able to forget the fact that you ate a personโnot for the rest of your life.โ
So think it over carefully, weigh your options, and make a decision you wonโt regret.
Misaki gave Hina a light pat on the shoulder.
ใโโ
A quiet, empty house, all by herself.
Even the manga and videos I used to be so absorbed in now just slide past my retinas without stirring my heart.
(So this is what it really means to feel lonely.)
I remember feeling something similar back at my parentsโ house in Tokyo.
My dad was always so busy that it was hard to even see him, and my mom just found it annoying when I, as a young child, threw tantrums or acted clingy.
I used to cling to Chihiro-sanโthe only adult who would play with me, who occasionally visited my parentsโ house with my grandfatherโbegging her to play with me.
Once, while holding back tears, I asked Chihiro-san if I was the only one who loved my parents, and if they actually hated me.
โItโll be okay, Young Master. You take after the Chairman so much, so Iโm sure someone will come along who loves you with all their heart.โ
At the time, I only half understood the words Chihiro spoke to me.
โDoes that mean my parents donโt love me?โ I wondered.
In fact, when both my parents abandoned me during the divorce drama in my third year of junior high, the vague premonition Iโd been harboring was cruelly confirmed.
When I decided to live on my own, Chihiro said to me:
โI believe that Young Master will return to Tokyo someday.โ
I thought it was just her way of saying goodbye.
Why on earth would I ever go back to my family home in Tokyo, a place filled mostly with bad memories?
I was on edge because of my parentsโ divorce, so I didnโt listen to what she said.
(โฆโฆFor some reason, Iโm remembering that now.)
A summer vacation that was short, if you will, but long, if you will.
Iโm sure Iโve changed, too, ever since I started dating Hina.
Last summer vacation wasnโt nearly this sentimental.
The words of that other person raced through my mind.
[โItโs me, Kotone. Not Shimazaki.]
Maigetsu