Oneshot: I’m probably broken for easily cutting off my girlfriend whom I was dating.
Translator: Soafp
▷Introduction of Characters◁
Kazuyuki Okudera
Second-year high school student
Able to handle both studies and sports smoothly
He thinks of himself as being versatile but receives high evaluations from those around him
Has been dating Seira Sasai since the first year of high school
Seira Sasai
Second-year high school student
Looks good but has average grades
Her father is the founder of Sasai Products
Has been dating Kazuyuki Okudera since the first year of high school
“Hey, Oku-yan. Isn’t that…?”
I was tapped on the shoulder and pointed in a direction.
And there…
“…Seira?”
Seira, my girlfriend, was walking arm in arm with another guy.
(Oh, so that’s how it is…)
I also recognized the guy.
Rio Yagi , in the same school but different class.
“Ha? No way, is that…”
“Is this some kind of mistake?”
“Uwa, why does it have to be Yagi?”
“Wait here, I’ll go talk to her!”
The surroundings were buzzing with noise, but I couldn’t focus on that.
I was too busy trying to stop the girl who declared her charge.
(Of all times, why did I have to find out now…)
Allow me to explain the situation first.
Today is my birthday.
Of course, I had kept my schedule clear for my girlfriend, but Seira hadn’t contacted me until the day before. I had a faint hope for a surprise, but it seemed unlikely.
Today being a Sunday,
“Can we hang out today?”
I tried inviting her myself, but she replied, “Sorry, my mom’s feeling unwell, so I might not be able to make it.”
For someone like me, who has lost both parents, it’s impossible to insist on meeting up.
I lost my parents in an accident during middle school. The pain of losing lives easily and that daily life isn’t guaranteed had deeply permeated me.
So, I told her if there’s anything I can help with, let me know, and then closed my phone.
(What should I do now…)
I turned down invitations from friends.
They’re all good guys and knew about Seira and me, so they didn’t push further. Still, their reaching out was probably their way of showing kindness.
With nothing to do, I remembered that my parents’ death anniversary was approaching and began preparing to go out.
Although I say cleaning, I do it regularly, so there’s not much dirt.
I stood before the grave, offering prayers and updating them on various things.
(Dad, Mom, I’ve turned 17 today too.)
As I walked towards the station to go back home, someone suddenly called out to me.
“Huh? Okudera-kun?”
When I turned around, about ten classmates, both boys and girls, were there.
“Oh, it’s a coincidence. Karaoke today?”
While our area has many residential areas, there are few places to hang out. It’s quiet and nice, but it’s boring for restless students, so they often come to the neighboring town to have fun.
“Yeah, we were just about to… Hey, Oku-yan, where’s Sasai?”
Calling me “Oku-yan” is Yoshiki Nakai, who’s been a close friend since middle school. He openly declares me as his best friend. He looks flashy, but he’s genuinely pure-hearted and dedicated to his girlfriend, a really good guy.
After explaining the situation to him, he said, “Well, if that’s the case, can’t be helped. Let’s celebrate your birthday then!” and invited me again.
I felt bad for turning him down once already, but I decided to accept his invitation and rely on him.
I whispered to Yoshiki so only he could hear,
“Sorry for making you go out of your way.”
But he just casually replied,
“Don’t worry about it. Besides, it’s more fun to have you here without your girlfriend!”
He said with a laugh.
They were apparently planning to have a late lunch at a family restaurant near the station.
When I mentioned that I had only had a light breakfast, they suggested going to karaoke and having a party. It seemed they were planning to order various dishes there instead of going to the nearby cheap restaurant I had originally planned.
Although I told them not to worry about it, I was persuaded with, “Come on, it’s a special occasion,” and so on.
And then, as we walked a bit, we ended up in the scene from the beginning.
I managed to calm down the charging girl, who happens to be the class committee member Michi Katase.
At that moment, while everyone else seemed restless, I surprisingly remained calm.
They disappeared into a side street without noticing us.
We know what’s ahead.
The back entrance of a hotel.
There are probably other shops around, but Yoshiki confirmed it by running ahead, so there’s no doubt.
The atmosphere became chaotic.
Suddenly, Katase, who was holding both my shoulders, spoke up.
“Everyone, follow me for a moment.”
Surely we’re not going to charge into the hotel, right?
Setting aside such concerns, she, who just a moment ago seemed furious, now walked quietly ahead.
To be honest, she’s several times scarier now than before.
This is what it means to take charge without asking.
We all followed her without a word.
Within five minutes, we entered a café.
The doorbell chimed as we entered, and she headed to the table farthest from the entrance.
After glancing at us standing there uncertainly.
“Sit here.”
She said.
It seems there are no other customers inside.
But where exactly are we?
“Uncle, please bring us some water for everyone first. And for drinks… Three iced teas, four iced coffees, two iced lattes, three hot coffees, and also the recommended cake for everyone, please.”
What’s impressive is that she knows everyone’s favorite drinks.
Well, there are certainly other things I want to say or ask, but I was initially surprised by that.
“Sorry for springing this on you all of a sudden. I know you’re probably curious, but this place is my uncle’s café. Also… in about five minutes, the lunch hours will end, so no more customers will come. So, you don’t have to worry about being seen.”
As she finished saying that, the master brought us water and we greeted him as Katase’s uncle.
He said that they were about to close the shop and we apologized and thanked him.
While saying it’s no problem, the master began preparing our drinks.
“Now, let me confirm something. That thing we saw earlier wasn’t a mistake, right?”
Everyone nodded in silence.
“I see… By the way, did anyone know about their relationship? Ah! Okudera-kun, keep your eyes closed!”
“Ah, no, don’t worry about me.”
“But…”
“Yeah, it’s strange even to me, but I’m surprisingly calm now. Just because someone knew about it doesn’t mean I’ll blame or hate them.”
As I said that and looked around, everyone claimed they didn’t know.
However, one girl said she had seen them talking in the hallway. She later found out they were from the same middle school.
Rio Yagi, unlike Yoshiki, looks flashy but has a despicable personality. He definitely attracts girls, but there are few good rumors about him.
All I heard were rumors about who he started dating next, or that he had a three-way or four-way relationship.
I wasn’t interested in Yagi, and I only thought about what kind of girl would fall for such a stupid guy, but I never imagined he’d be so close…
It seems everyone else is the same, as they shared various awful rumors about Yagi.
Katase had been listening quietly, but then she clapped her hands to gather attention.
“Okudera-kun, you seem to be listening quietly, but what are you going to do now?”
“What am I going to do? What do you mean?”
“I mean, are you going to pretend you didn’t see anything today and continue dating Sasai-san from tomorrow, or are you going to break up?”
“Oh, that? Well, continuing to date seems out of the question, no?”
The chaos from earlier quieted down as if it were all a lie.
Everyone’s making weird faces, but did I say something strange?
Now, as I pondered how to explain, Yoshiki interjected.
“Ah, everyone probably doesn’t know the details, but Oku-yan has a bit of a situation. He’s fundamentally a really good guy, but he’s not very attached to others, you see. He gives off a strong sense of closeness to those he’s close to, but if they betray him even once, he’ll distance himself from them… Well, the cause is entirely the fault of the other party, and I understand that Sasai is in the wrong this time too. But probably, this situation is completely different from before. I can imagine what Oku-yan might be angry about, but I don’t think anyone here has been friends with him since high school, so you might not understand. I just want you all to know that this isn’t how he is with everyone.”
As expected of Yoshiki, he understands me well.
And he’s absolutely right.
I don’t mind being around others, but I don’t expect anything from them.
If they want to leave, they can leave, and if they want to be together, they can.
Since you never know when life will suddenly end, there’s no time to waste on unnecessary people.
Anyway, Sasai is such an idiot.
If she liked someone else, she should have said so and broken up properly.
Well, thanks to her stupid actions, I can easily discard Sasai.
After that, we discussed the future relationship with Sasai rather than those two.
When Yoshiki asked if it was okay to explain the situation to classmates who weren’t here today, I nodded silently.
It seems that it’s important to prepare them beforehand.
Although I thought that it wasn’t necessary since there were already so many witnesses and I myself didn’t care anymore, it seems necessary because we don’t know how the other party will respond.
Maybe he didn’t want me to be treated like the bad guy.
He’s always been such a good guy.
By the way, the cake was really delicious.
It went perfectly with the iced coffee, and I decided to stop by here every time I visit the grave.
Once everyone finished eating and drinking, and the atmosphere of karaoke was gone, we thought about leaving, but then Katase said,
“Sorry, but could Nakai and Okudera-kun stay a bit longer?”
I don’t have anything else to do afterward, but I wonder about Yoshiki.
When I asked if he had plans or something, he said that he was accompanying a female friend who had just gone through a breakup to karaoke. When I jokingly said it’s because they’re such a caring couple, he got really embarrassed.
Ugh, stop that smug look, it’s creepy.
With three of us left, Katase started the conversation.
As expected, it was just as I expected.
“Okudera-kun, this might be a story I shouldn’t be asking about as just a classmate, but I’d like to hear it if you’re willing. Why did you start thinking like that? If you don’t want to talk about it, please decline, and it’s okay even if you only share what you’re comfortable with. Although things seemed to have settled earlier, Sasai-san is also a classmate, and I’m wondering if it’s right to blame everything on her. Of course, what Sasai-san is doing isn’t forgivable, but just in case it was a mistake…”
Certainly, Katase is the class representative and a good person.
And it seems she might have had some thoughts because I didn’t say anything.
I stopped Yoshiki from saying anything.
“I don’t think it’s a very interesting story to hear, but if you want to know, I don’t mind. Including Yoshiki, anyone from the same middle school would know.
But if you’re asking me directly without doing that, I’ll answer honestly. I lost my parents, and now I’m living with my uncle’s family.
They’ve been really good to me, and I owe them for being able to live a normal life like this. Of course, Yoshiki and my classmates have been really kind too. But not everyone was like that. There were people who approached me just out of curiosity or thought I had a lot of money for some reason.
Well, it’s true that I had insurance money and compensation, but I can’t just spend it as I please. So when I turned down such things, they’d start blaming me and sometimes even cause real harm. That’s why I started keeping my distance from others. That’s what Yoshiki was talking about.”
Yeah, I’ve already lost interest in her, Seira Sasai.
I’m not fond of her, just indifferent.
Whatever happens to Sasai from now on, I probably won’t care.
Whether she apologizes, makes excuses, or even tries to turn things around.
“Um, Okudera-kun, do you still like Sasai-san?”
“I did, until earlier.”
“And now?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing? Aren’t you angry or sad?”
“No, nothing. Do you ever think about people you don’t know who are walking down the street there?”
“Eh!? Well, I might think, ‘Oh, they’re wearing cute clothes’ or ‘That person looks cool,’ but…”
“I see. Well, I don’t think I’ll even think that about Sasai now. Even if Sasai and Yagi walk arm in arm right in front of me, I think it’d be no different from looking at a random pebble.”
“…Is it because she cheated?”
“Well, that’s part of it, but it’s a bit different.”
“Different?”
“Yeah, I think the big thing is that she lied.”
“Isn’t that lie a cheating thing?”
“Well, that’s not really important to me anymore. The problem is the content of that lie.”
Katase gasps.
She seems to have realized what I wanted to say.
“…That your mother was sick, a lie.”
“Yeah. I really think my parents raised me well. I thought it would continue like that forever. But it’s not something I can take for granted, and I learned that one day, without any warning, they could just disappear.
I think that’s when I broke. I know it’s strange. I don’t know how many times I thought about dying. But I’m alive now. It’s thanks to the people at my uncle’s house and my friends like Yoshiki. So even if Sasai had talked about breaking up, I think I would have just nodded.
I was sure I liked her, but that doesn’t mean I can forgive everything. Especially from me, who suddenly lost both parents, if someone says their parent is sick, I wouldn’t think anything about not being able to meet.
On the contrary, even if they came in that condition, I might blame them. But to use that as a shield and meet with another man, I really don’t think I can talk to her as before.”
I explain my feelings calmly.
Both Katase and Yoshiki listen silently.
“So, I was happy that everyone was angry with me. But from my current perspective, that’s enough, and I don’t think I’ll talk to Sasai after this.”
Saying that, I open my phone and send Sasai a final message.
Closing the screen, I sip on the freshly brewed coffee.
Ah, they seem to be thinking about what to say to me as I sigh.
Fufu, they don’t need to think so hard.
After that, I talked about the future from my perspective.
Probably, the members from earlier are explaining the situation to their respective friends.
My stance remains unchanged.
Whether it’s cheating or whatever, do as you please.
As long as they don’t involve me in the future, everything else is irrelevant.
About ten minutes passed after sending the message.
The vibrations from my phone didn’t stop.
Since it’s on silent mode, there’s no sound, but frankly, it’s annoying.
Both Katase and Yoshiki probably noticed it already, but they didn’t say anything in particular.
Well, I’ve already conveyed the message, and they probably know who it’s from.
Then suddenly, Katase ‘s phone started ringing.
The caller was Sasai, of course.
Katase showed us the display and asked,
“Is it okay as to pick this up?”
We nodded silently.
“Hello?”
“Ah! Katase-san? Sorry for calling out of the blue, but I couldn’t get in touch with Kazu-kun, and since Katase-san said everyone was going to hang out today, I thought maybe you guys were together…”
“…Have you thought about what you did?”
“…Eh? What? What are you trying to say?”
“Have you thought about what you did?”
“Eh? Katase-san, wait, what’s going on?”
“Have you thought about what you did?”
The same exchange was repeated afterward.
As we discussed earlier, Katase would give the same response no matter what Sasai said.
In other words, “Think about what you did.”
No ignoring or resorting to violence.
Just consistently repeating that.
Of course, this would apply to Yagi as well, apparently.
Well, it might be impossible for the entire school, but at least many students dislike Yagi, so they plan to spread the word outside our class too.
Sasai, frustrated, eventually spat out, “Fine!” and hung up.
Afterward, my phone received numerous calls from her, all of which I ignored.
It was too much trouble to block her number, but after the missed calls exceeded 50, I set it up.
Also, one of the others created a chat group and started exchanging information there.
Katase immediately reported that Sasai had called her and the response she gave.
Shortly after, messages inviting various people started coming in.
The chat remained lively until late at night, and when I checked before going to bed, the number of participants exceeded the class size by a large margin.
I don’t know if everyone is just bored, if people really resent those two, or if they just enjoy gossiping.
On Monday, on my way to school, I met Yoshiki.
Well, “met” might not be accurate; he was probably waiting for me.
Some people greeted me along the way, and I could tell from their eyes that they knew the situation.
Their eyes showed a mixture of interest and sympathy.
(Seems like a mix of curiosity and sympathy)
Well, I don’t really mind.
As Yoshiki and I walked together, although Yoshiki usually attracts attention, today, I could see some gazes directed at me as well.
“Hey, don’t you feel like something’s different today, Oku-yan?”
“Yoshiki always attracts attention, doesn’t he?”
“No, it’s more like lukewarm or tepid…”
We were chatting aimlessly when I saw someone standing at the entrance.
Ah, that’s probably Sasai.
I don’t know if she’s enduring the gazes from the people around her or if she’s unaware, but she seems desperate about something.
“Hey! Why won’t you pick up the phone, Kazu-kun!”
Even though I tried to ignore her and walk past, being approached is annoying.
Well, it’s troublesome, so I’ll just ignore it.
“Hey, Yoshiki, let’s go. We’re going to be late, right?”
“Yeah, let’s.”
“Hey! Don’t ignore me! What’s with suddenly leaving like that? I don’t get it at all?”
“Oh? Another love letter, Yoshiki? You’re always making girls cry with your antics.”
“Don’t tease me. And it’s not easy to respond to a rejection, you know?”
“Kazu-kun, please listen! I’m apologizing for not being able to play, but is it really fair to break up over that?”
“Hey, Yoshiki, did you do the math homework? There are parts I don’t understand, so can you help me?”
“Kazu-kun! Are you listening!? Hey, wait!”
Despite trying to avoid her, she tries to grab my arm.
Unconsciously, I shake off her hand and say, “Do you understand what you did?”
Surprisingly, my voice comes out much colder than I anticipated.
The bustling hallway quietens down.
It seems like the news has spread further than I thought.
Whispers of “Is that it?” and “Those two” can be heard around.
“… So, do you remember what yesterday was?”
“Uh, yesterday was just an ordinary day…”
Finally, she seems to remember.
In a hurry, she tries to come up with an excuse, but Yoshiki interrupts her.
Wait, when did a few others from yesterday join us?
“So, we saw it, you know? You and someone else arm in arm at the station.”
“I can’t believe it…”
“Seriously, how could you?”
“Yeah, going to a place like that so openly on your boyfriend’s birthday…”
“That’s just unbelievable.”
At times like this, the girls’ collective pressure is overwhelming.
Well, considering that Katase is the class representative and has great popularity, even the gal-type girls and the quiet ones gather around, and the boys can’t do anything.
Then, the teachers who caught wind of the commotion arrive, directing each group to their respective classrooms.
Katase, Seira, and I are called to the faculty room.
After explaining the situation, tearful Seira is taken to the infirmary.
While we receive warnings from the teachers, when Katase starts mentioning inappropriate relationships and encouraging cheating, etc., they fall silent.
Katase’s father is apparently a member of the PTA at our school, so the teachers can’t say much, considering the situation.
Then, suddenly, another teacher says,
“Excuse me, but there’s a call from Seira Sawai’s guardian. May I transfer it to you?”
Seeing the tension on the homeroom teacher’s face, it’s understandable.
If it’s Seira’s parent, then it’s the head of quite a famous company in the prefecture, and he’s known for being extremely indulgent with his daughter.
I’ve met him a few times, and he seemed like a perfectly normal parent.
“Excuse me, this is Seira Sasai’s homeroom teacher, Tanahara-san.”
“Yes, I’ll arrange that. Yes, huh? This phone? Understood, please wait a moment.”
So saying, he puts the call on hold and leaves the room.
When he returns, he’s brought the head of year and the principal with him.
He takes the receiver and switches it to speaker mode.
[I’m sorry to trouble you. This is Seira’s father. It seems my daughter has done something regrettable.]
The principal and head of year are surprised.
They probably thought he would blindly defend his daughter.
[My daughter called me came out of the blue, and she was yelling, so I was at a loss.
But I understand the situation now.
I’ve asked Tanahara-san to send my daughter home, so I’d like the principal’s permission.
Oh, is Okudera-kun there?]
“Yes, it’s Okudera.”
[Ah, so you’re there. Well, apologizing won’t be enough, but I’m truly sorry for what my daughter has done.
I deeply regret causing you such distress due to our inadequate education.
I’ll also talk to her, but Seira will probably have to transfer schools.]
“I see. That’s up to you, so I won’t say anything.”
[…You’re still the same.
But that’s okay.
By the way, did you hear anything from your uncles?]
“My uncles? No, nothing.”
[Then that’s fine.
Even if you’re told something, you can ignore it.]
“Um, about Okudera’s guardian…”
The homeroom teacher interjects.
I can guess what it’s about, but I might as well hear it.
[Well, please listen to it as the idle talk of children.
Riyoshi Okudera, who is Okudera’s guardian, works for our company and is entrusted with very important tasks.
My daughter suggested that he should be fired.
The company is not my daughter’s plaything, and the employees are not something I can dispose of as I please.
I couldn’t believe she didn’t understand that.
No, it’s not for me to say, having raised her wrong.
So, in the future, you don’t need to take whatever she says seriously.
And it would be personally painful for me if Okudera were to give up on her.]
Probably no one around knows, but I’m the largest individual shareholder outside of Sasai Trading.
Of course, I inherited it from my late father, and I haven’t done anything myself.
But apparently, this ownership is a problem, and it would be troublesome if it fell into the hands of a rival company.
I don’t know the details, but I remember being asked to continue holding the shares after they were explained to me.
Well, it doesn’t matter now.
After that, I was informed about the future by Seira’s father.
It seems Seira will be moving to relatives in another prefecture.
However, the procedures will take a few months, so it will be a needle bed until then.
Since her father said he would absolutely not let her rest, it seems she’ll have no place at home or at school.
Regarding Yagi, it seems that Sasai’s father will put pressure on him.
It seems both fathers know each other, and they will allow him to continue attending without transferring.
However, if he causes another problem, he will be forced to enter a temple or somewhere else.
Well, it doesn’t matter.
The school couldn’t avoid taking disciplinary action, so it settled on a one-week suspension.
Although the school was hesitant to disclose the details, strong requests from both families led to it being posted within the school.
Now, no one willingly associates with those two.
At first, they were glaring at me every time we met, but now they look at me as if they’re clinging to me.
It’s so annoying.
Yagi’s treatment was still severe.
He openly glares at me every time we pass each other.
Well, I left him alone because he doesn’t pose any harm, but he once tried to grab me.
Well, I threw him off and put him in a joint lock.
There were people around, and it was self-defense, so I wasn’t reprimanded, but he started running away every time he saw me after that.
Thanks to my uncle’s recommendation, I took martial arts seriously.
Girlfriend? Well, I reluctantly got one.
Initially, I was completely fed up, but before I knew it, she had closed the gap.
…Girls are scary, huh.
From the party? No it’s not the class representative.
She’s Yoshiki’s girlfriend’s friend.
Yes, the girl who was rejected and went to karaoke.
It’s annoying how Yoshiki watches over me so warmly, though.
Jorge
April 19, 2024 at 2:30 amgood story. I like when the protagonists are simple and concise in their decisions and even more so when they remain firm! I would have liked a little more visibility for the unfaithful girlfriend, maybe a point of view or some additional drama, but overall a good one shot.
J Caio Crane
April 19, 2024 at 7:25 amThat’s a good one
Hawhaw
April 19, 2024 at 10:16 amOh, nodrama! Thats rare!
Tegual
April 19, 2024 at 4:16 pmMan, the “not worth my time” treatment was great. Obviuously would have been nice to get a little more but having a protag who accepted it and moved on without a huge fuss was nice.
Skarkio
April 22, 2024 at 3:54 am8.7/10 the last line made it for me.