I Thought She Was the One, but It Turned Out to Be a Fake Confession, so I Decided to Break Up With Her
Even if sheโs an older woman of the same gender, itโs one thing to call her by her first name without even introducing herself on their first meeting.
Far from being dressed properly, she was wearing a casual tank top and denim shorts.
Kotone felt uncomfortable inside, but for the sake of her goal, she had no choice but to put up with it for now.
(Since sheโs my mother, Iโm sure this person graduated from the University of Tokyo, butโฆ)
No matter how prestigious her university credentials are, would she really hire someone who seems so frivolous as my daughterโs tutor?
Kotone once again questioned Asamiโs judgment.
The new tutor leaned her face close to Kotoneโs, scrutinizing her from head to toe, then rested her hand on her chin.
โWow, Kotone-chan, youโre popular at school, arenโt you? You probably get confessed to at least once a day, right? Even as a girl, I have to say youโre seriously cute.โ
โNo, itโs not quite that muchโฆโ
โOh, so youโre not denying that youโre popular?โ
The new tutor chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand while keeping one corner of her lips turned up.
Kotone clenched her jaw, fighting the urge to let her lips twitch with irritation.
โExcuse me, but may I ask your name, please?โ
โOh, I completely forgot! I didnโt introduce myself. I fell in love with Kotone-chan at first sight, you see~โ
Ahem!
The new tutor cleared her throat dramatically and placed both hands on her hips.
โMy name is Nanami Koda. Itโs โkodaโโthe โdaโ character from โrice paddyโ (็ฐ) so nice to meet you~โ
โAh, yes, Koda san. As you probably already know, Iโm Kotone Shimazaki.โ
Would this tutor really be any good?โKotone began the lesson with a tinge of unease.
However, contrary to her initial worries, Nanamiโs lessons were easy to follow.
She even sprinkled in jokes here and there to keep things from getting boring.
However, for Kotone, the lesson itself wasnโt the priority right now.
She kept glancing at her watch, trying to time the perfect moment to bring up the subject.
(How should I bring this upโฆ?)
Even though sheโd spent days running through mental simulations in her head before Nanami arrived, all for this very moment.
When it actually came down to it, the words wouldnโt come out.
Kotone keenly realized just how much of a wimp she really was.
โWow, Kotone-chan, youโre seriously smart. Itโs a world of difference from me~ When I was your age, I was more worried about whether Iโd put a 3-hel on my head than what I was cramming into it.โ
Nanami laughed it off with an โAhaha,โ using terminology Kotone couldnโt understand.
Despite saying that, she was actually a graduate of the University of Tokyo.
Could this be what they call โsophisticated deceptionโ?โSuch a suspicion even began to surface in Kotoneโs mind.
โBy the way, Kotone-chan, havenโt you been looking like you want to say something to me for a while now?โ
โ-โฆโ
Caught off guard, Kotone couldnโt answer right away.
She seemed lighthearted at first glance, but perhaps she was actually a keen observer of people.
Maybe it was all an actโthe moment that thought crossed her mind, her throat went dry.
Kotone swallowed involuntarily.
โWant me to take a guess? Itโs about a guy, isnโt it!โ
โ-โฆ How did you know that?โ
โHuh, really? I was just guessing.โ
โโฆโฆโ
Sheโd been completely taken inโthatโs what Kotone thought.
But now was the perfect moment.
Kotone carefully broached the subject.
โKoda san, no, Koda sensei. I have a favor to ask.โ
โA favor? What is it?โ
โPlease help me get out of this house.โ
Kotone stood up and sat down in seiza on the tatami mats.
Then she bowed her head deeply.
At Kotoneโs sudden action, Nanami jumped to her feet in a panic.
โW-wait, what are you doing?! You donโt have to do this!โ
โPlease, Sensei. I have a reason why I absolutely must go out today, no matter what.โ
โI get it, so letโs just stop this for now, okay? Come on.โ
Stopped by Nanami, Kotone sat back down.
An awkward silence hung between them.
Nanami propped her chin in her hand and muttered, โHmmโฆโ
โToday, you were planning to go on a date to the summer festival with your boyfriend or a guy you like, but your parents are adamantly against it. So youโre trying to use me to come up with some excuse related to studying so you can go on that summer festival date. Is that right?โ
โThatโs mostly correct.โ
โMostly?โ
โโฆThereโs a girl Iโve known since childhood whoโs close friends with me, and she also has a crush on my boyfriend. She said she was going to ask him out on a date.โ
She couldnโt tell her everything.
Kotone gave a brief, superficial explanation.
How, out of pride, sheโd made a false confession as a punishment game.
And how, even after they started dating, her relationship with Daiki had rapidly cooled off because of her overbearing attitude.
That Hinaโwho had originally supported their relationshipโwas now trying to take advantage of that opening.
As if making a confession, Kotone spoke while clenching her trembling hands tightly.
However, Nanamiโs eyes widened, and she grabbed Kotoneโs hands firmly.
โThatโs so interestingโฆ no, wait, itโs such a heartbreaking story! Iโll definitely help you out too!!โ
โDid you just say โinterestingโ?โ
โLetโs not get hung up on the details! Wow, so a love triangle between two women over one guy really does exist! Itโs not just something that happens in manga and TV dramas!โ
Nanamiโs eyes sparkled.
Kotone was utterly dumbfounded, but decided to just go with it since the end result was fine.
(Still, a love triangle, huhโฆ)
Itโs a classic trope in run-of-the-mill romance stories.
Kotone had occasionally found them entertaining when watching movies or TV dramas.
But when she was actually involved, it really gave her a stomachache.
It wouldโve been better if Hina were a complete strangerโKotone bit her lip.
โBy the way, did you say that boyโs name was Fujimori-kun? How do you write it in kanji?โ
โItโs the โfujiโ from the wisteria flower, and โmoriโ from the forest in Aomori.โ
Why bring up Daikiโs name now?
Kotone didnโt understand the intent behind Nanamiโs question, but she answered anyway.
โYou donโt meanโฆ his first name is Daiki?โ
โYes, thatโs rightโฆ but how did you know?โ
Kotone blinked in surprise.
After all, the name โDaikiโ hadnโt come up even once in their conversation so far.
โHow should I put itโฆ Itโs a small world, isnโt it?โ
โDo you know him?โ
โI guess you could say I know him, but he doesnโt know me. I doubt that rich kid has any idea who I am.โ
Nanami gazed off into the distance.
There wasnโt a trace of mischief in her eyes; she seemed to be staring at a place far away.
Wary of Nanamiโs demeanor, Kotone asked,
โโฆYouโre not saying that you, too, have a crush on Fujimori-kun, are you?โ
โNo, no! My family and the Fujimori family are kind of connected. Anyway, that rich kidโs doing pretty well for himself, isnโt he? Heโs even got a cute girlfriend just like you, Kotone-chan.โ
Nanami patted Kotoneโs shoulder a couple of times to brush it off.
Kotone was still curious, but since she wasnโt in a position to press the issue right now, she kept her mouth shut.
โBy the way, Kotone-chanโs parents are really weird, arenโt they? Heโs that rich kid from the Fujimori family, right? What exactly are they unhappy about that makes them oppose it?โ
โI think they probably feel our social standing isnโt a good matchโฆโ
Nanami burst out laughing.
โSocial standing isnโt a good match? Which two families?โ
โIt seems they think Fujimori-kun isnโt a good match for our Shimazaki familyโฆโ
โYouโre kidding, right? Kotone, do you not know anything about the Fujimori family? Even though youโre his girlfriend?โ
โHuh?โ
Kotone thought it over carefully.
It was trueโother than the fact that his parents had divorced and heโd been living on his own, Daiki had never told her anything about his family.
He had once taken her to the part of Tokyo where he used to live, but that was all.
(โฆโฆCould it be that he was trying to tell me something back then?)
At the time, Kotone had thrown a tantrum, overwhelmed by the embarrassment of being pressed up against Daiki in a crowded train and the anxiety that her early-summer sweat might make her smell bad.
Now, Kotone could understand his intention for deliberately taking her to that neighborhood.
She even realizes now that she had thrown away a golden opportunity to get to know Daiki better.
โAnyway, Kotone-chan. Youโd better remember that that boy is definitely not an ordinary guy. It seems like heโs hiding his true identity, but if I say anything more than I should, my own neck might be on the line~โ
Ever since she first met Daiki during the first semester of her freshman year, Kotone has known that heโs no ordinary person.
At the very least, it was certain that he was someone mysterious in some way.
Yet, even though she was his girlfriend, she knew less about Daiki than Nanami, who was standing right in front of her.
That fact pierced Kotoneโs heart with a sense of frustration.
(This time, Iโm going to become his real girlfriend.)
Iโm going to stop lying to myself about my feelings.
Iโm going to be honest and tell him, just like Hina did.
Kotone made up her mind.
Maigetsu