Chapter 11 | What Happens Twice Will Happen Thrice

I arrive at the courtyard without getting tangled up with anyone.

I’m lucky today. I’m so lucky I’m scared.

I thought I was, but that’s not true at all.

The reason why I thought that is because I was going to regret coming to the courtyard.

I was looking for a place to eat alone when I happened to spot a couple.

I had to hurry and hide behind a tree before they saw me, or what’s more, I did so reflexively.

I didn’t know the guy, but I recognized the woman.

Yeah, it’s not like I’m mistaking them for someone else.

She was definitely that girl.

“…Youka… had a boyfriend?”

Sitting on a bench and having a meal alone with a male student is impossible unless you are in a dating relationship.

There are some special cases like me and Airi, but they are rare cases that are almost impossible, so I guess I can see them as boyfriend and girlfriend.

I didn’t know that was the case…Youka…

I’m so sorry I put her through that, not realizing that she had a boyfriend.

She probably didn’t want to play the role of my girlfriend when she had a boyfriend, but she’s a kind girl, so I think she was just trying to help me out when I was feeling down.

—The “boyfriend role” was originally nothing more than a setup.

Therefore, even if Youka had a boyfriend, Yuuji would not be upset about it. On the contrary, he felt sorry for her and her boyfriend.

Yuuji thought it was wrong to disturb them and tried to sneak away from the scene.

In the midst of all this, he saw three girls approaching their side.

Yuuji decided to hide a little longer, since leaving now would have revealed his hiding place.

“Wait, Nakagawa-san! What are you doing?”

The first of the three, a blonde woman, called out to Youka.

Or perhaps it would be more correct to say that she shouted at them rather than called out to them.

The blonde woman was snapping at Youka with such a voice that even Yuuji, who had been hiding behind a tree, looked grim.

Yuuji guessed that the blonde woman was a first-year student based on the color of her tie.

Her long hair was tied back and curled where it hung.

Seeing that, Yuuji felt tense, thinking that her appearance, which is unbecoming of modern Japan, was like a young lady who appears in a story.

And I was very curious about the total assets of her house.

However, she’s not finished snapping at Youka.

“… Kinjo-san… what is it all of a sudden…”

Youka reacts in a bothered manner.

But the woman called Kaneshiro does not stop there.

“What the hell is this?! What do you mean, you’re dating this Tanaka-kun, but you’re also dating another guy?”

(This is bad.)

Yuuji, who had been watching the situation in the shadows, began to show impatience when he heard the blonde woman’s words.

He had thought about helping her if she seemed to be being abused, but his perspective was still a third party.

But now it was different. Clearly, he is directly involved in the situation.

When he realized that the man the woman called Kaneshiro was referring to was himself, Yuuji stopped looking at her.

And in order to protect his junior, he decided to explain himself immediately.

“Um, Kaneshiro-san!”

“What is it, Tanaka-kun… why don’t you say it yourself?”

“My name is Machida.”

“I don’t care about that kind of thing! I don’t need to know the names of men other than that person! Or rather, why are you so relaxed!? She’s cheating on you, you know!?”

“…Oh, about that, we were just talking about it–it seems she’s been in love with him for a long time, and when she realizes she doesn’t have feelings for me, we break up.”

“…? What do you mean?”

“It’s not like that, is there? — And Kinjo-san, it’s because you said something cruel, right?”

“That’s…”

“It was a good thing that I turned out to be a good guy, but if you were dealing with a bad guy, Nakagawa-san would have been in danger. What is your purpose in doing that?”

“Because… this woman and that person…”

“Who is this person you’ve been talking about?”

“I can’t tell you that, but…”

……

……

……

Naturally, Yuuji listened to the entire conversation.

It’s only natural that he approached to help. The reason they didn’t notice Yuuji was that everyone was so absorbed in the conversation.

And Yuuji, who was listening to the story─

-He was sweating profusely from his forehead.

It was a flashback to the events of the past.

………

………

…I witnessed my mother’s betrayal and vowed to myself that I would never be that kind of person.

At the same time, I was disgusted by the man on the other side. Perhaps my resentment toward him was greater than my anger toward my mother… I vowed to myself that I would not be a person who would try to take away a man’s wife or lover, even if it kills me.

And the injustice of Airi.

I can fully understand the feelings of those who are cut down by it.

Machida, who is protecting Youka, must have been quite shocked… and looking at the situation, his feelings for Yohka are undeniably real.

And yet, I had never imagined that I could cause someone else to feel that way because of me.

What Youka did to Machida-kun was too much.

And I watched the whole thing and felt sick to the point of vomiting…

I’m really sick, but there’s something I really need to check right now.

It’s not confirmed yet… I have to hear Youka’s side of the story properly…

Yes, they should be different!

Only Youka is different from them! But if Youka is like that, then I’m already…

That’s why I approached Youka…

And then, I desperately tried to speak out.

“…Youka”

“?…Se, senpai? No way! Oh no, why are you here…? No, no, no, no…!”

When approached by Yuuji, Youka looked hopeless. She looked like a corpse. That’s how much despair had hit Youka.

Luckily, Machida is a man who knows how to talk.

If Yuuji had not shown up here by chance, there is a very good chance that the story would have been neatly wrapped up.

And after officially breaking up with Machida, Youka would have confessed her feelings to Yuuji today and they would have become real lovers.

Yuuji’s impression of Youka was quite high. If they could just get through this, everything was going to be fine.

And yet…

Was it a trick of God or the devil?

Just like with his mother, Yuuji was once again confronted with the worst possible situation.

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