When I Go Back in Time, My Ex-wife Is Making a Passionate Approach to Me, and Iām Having Trouble With It
Haruka’s novels are a sight to behold for the foreshadowing that is meticulously laid out, and it feels great when it is collected. What attracted me to Tachibana’s novels was the writing. The roughness of her writing was astonishing.
“Do you have a lot of experience in love, senpai?”
Tachibana looked at my computer and asked me that.
“Why did you think that?”
“That’s because you want to write about an ex-girlfriend. I thought it would be difficult to write something like that unless you have a lot of romantic experience.”
Indeed. You certainly can’t write about episodes of dating an ex-girlfriend unless you’ve been in a relationship.
But right now I’m a sophomore in high school and I don’t have any romantic experience. I don’t know if I can honestly say here that I have had romantic experience.
After some deliberation, I answered that I had experienced love.
“Eh?”
Haruka was surprised by this.
“Shinohara-kun, have you ever been in love?”
“Yeah, just once.”
“Really?”
ć
Haruka is upset. You thought I didn’t have a girlfriend? How rude.
No, it’s true.
“Then are you still going out with that person?”
“No, we’re not together now.”
“Then you’re still hung up on that ex-girlfriend, aren’t you?”
“Eh?”
“Because ex-girlfriend stories are about getting back together with an ex-girlfriend, aren’t they? If you write that, it means that deep down you want to get back together with your ex-girlfriend, doesn’t it?”
Does that mean I want to get back together with Haruka? No, that’s not true. I have decided from the bottom of my heart that it is impossible to get back together with Haruka. No matter how many times I try, the result will be the same.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
“But you’re going to write a story about getting back together with your ex-girlfriend, right?”
“That’s true, though”
“Then somewhere in the back of your mind, I think you still have feelings for your ex-girlfriend.”
Do I still love Haruka? In the eight years we’ve lived together, my feelings of love have vanished, and only indifference remains. Towards the end, I couldn’t speak to her, and I even seemed to avoid her gaze.
But yes. I originally loved Haruka. I liked her so much, I couldn’t help but like her. I remember how happy I was when she finally fell in love with me after many, many attempts.
Maybe it’s because my body is still in high school, but the passion of those days is boiling over. When I looked at Haruka next to me, my heart fluttered for a moment.
I wonder if I still have these feelings left in me.
“Shinohara-kun, do you still love that ex-girlfriend?”
“I don’t know. I thought I had grown to dislike her. But maybe I still like her.”
“Is that so?”
Her shoulders drooped a little.
“Well, either way, me and my ex-girlfriend won’t get back together.”
“I see. It’s a shame.”
Thinking back, maybe I was at fault as well. I was so busy that I neglected to show affection.
“I’ve written a rough plot for now, what do you think?”
“Let me see”
Tachibana looked at the screen. The sweet fragrance of Tachibana’s hair was coming from her as she approached.
“The story is well-written. The development of the story is also well written and easy to understand.”
“Then is it all right if I start working on the manuscript as it is?”
“Yes, I don’t think there will be any problem.”
With Tachibana’s permission, I immediately began writing. I opened Word and thought about the first line.
“You seem worried.”
ć
Haruka stands next to me and says to me as I ponder.
“The opening is the most important part of a novel. Think hard about it.”
“The first sentence is definitely important. I’ll think about it carefully.”
I cross my arms and think. After thinking about it for a while, Haruka completes the plot first.
“Can I look at Kurosaki-san’s plot?”
“I don’t mind.”
Haruka’s permission was granted, so I looked into her computer.
“It’s really easy to read. It’s a world of difference from mine.”
“I’ve been writing for a long time. I can handle a plot.”
Haruka’s plot carefully outlined the locations of foreshadowing and where they would be resolved, which was an eye-opener for me.
“You don’t have a plot?”
“I’m the type of person who spends a lot of time on plotting.”
“I see. You’re the type who wants to make a thorough blueprint.”
I check their progress and then sit down in my chair again to resume writing. Having had a breather, the writing comes down. I write the first line.
Then I work on writing for an hour or so. Time melts like ice cream when I’m writing. Before I knew it, it was almost time to leave school.
“It’s almost time to leave school.”
Tachibana’s words made us stop our work.
“I can’t write at all”
“That’s how it is at first. If you build up your writing stamina, you will be able to write naturally.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Haruka had progressed three times faster than me. I was envious of her speed.
“Well then, let’s lock the door and go home. Oh, that’s right, senpai. Input is also important.”
“Indeed, I haven’t been able to read much lately.”
Before the time leap, I was too busy with work to even read light novels. Since coming here, I haven’t read a single one yet.
“I have a book I recommend that you can borrow.”
When she said that, Tachibana handed me a book.
“Please read it.”
“Thank you. I will read it gratefully.”
I put the book in my bag and left the clubroom.