Oneshot: My Cheating Lover Returned, but… It's Too Late Now.

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Translator: Soafp

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Cheating.

I used to think that such a phenomenon only existed in stories like manga and novels, until just the other day…

That day, my part-time job ended earlier than expected, so I returned home right away. As I was about to open the door… I faintly heard a voice. The voice was coming from inside our house. I wondered if it was my imagination, so I pressed my ear against the door and closed my eyes to concentrate…

Ah, a voice similar to a gasp.

Hmm? Hmmm? Hmmmm?

Did I watch an adult video before going out? Did I leave it playing at a high volume and then leave?

No, that’s not possible.

Face reality.

But, I can’t bear to face it.

Let’s consider other possibilities. For example, burglars, disappointed by the lack of valuable items in our house, decide to have illicit sex in someone else’s bed…

No, that’s absurd. Such thoughts are nonsense.

I felt like a police officer raiding a drug dealer’s den as I quietly turned the doorknob, took a deep breath, and opened it. There was no time to take off my shoes. With sneakers on, I leaped through the corridor in two steps and opened the door separating the room from the corridor.

“What are you doing!?”

It was obvious what they were doing, but I raised my voice formally to confirm. On the bed, despite it being evening, a man and a woman were wrestling naked. The man was a stranger, but the woman was, of course, someone I knew. My girlfriend, Kaori.

“Takuma!? Why…? But your part-time job was until 8 o’clock today…”

“The manager said, ‘The store is empty, so you can go home early today.’ That’s why I came back to this. Oi oi what is going on here?”

“I-It’s not what you think…”

“What do you mean it’s not what I think?”

“W-Well… It’s what you think, but…”

“It’s cheating, right? Hey, it’s cheating, isn’t it?”

“I’m sorry…”

At that moment, the smooth-looking man glanced at us and paled. He had a somewhat muscular but not overly bulky build, and his hair was light brown. He was moderately handsome and seemed like a halfway playboy.

“Hey, you.”

As I pointed at him and spoke, the man hurriedly started dressing.

“Take Kaori and get out of here.”

“I’m sorry, Takuma. Please forgive me.”

Tears welled up in Kaori’s eyes.

“I won’t do this again.”

“You can cheat as much as you want from now on. But I can’t be with you anymore.”

“What?!” Kaori protested. “Just because of one mistake…”

“Just one mistake?”

I sighed theatrically. Yare yare. (Good grief)

“I’ve never cheated even once.”

And with that, I continued.

“You, on the other hand, have several offenses.”

Upon receiving my accusation, Kaori’s face contorted. She’s quite easy to read. Honestly, I didn’t have any solid evidence; it was just a shot in the dark, but it seemed to hit the mark perfectly. I had hoped for a strong denial, but…

“We can’t go anywhere by staying in this relationship. It’s better if you get along with that guy over there.”

“Uh…”

Kaori glanced at the man and quickly started dressing.

Pushing both of them out from behind, I ushered them away. Kaori—and the man—were speaking in a strange, incomprehensible language that didn’t sound like Japanese, making excuses or complaints, but eventually, they walked away holding hands, seemingly getting along well(?).

“Yare yare…”

I shook my head and glared at the lukewarm and vividly stained bed. It was dirty with sweat and other things. What should I do with this… I don’t want to use it like this.

Sighing heavily, I muttered to myself.

---

“…And that’s why we broke up.”

During my break at work, I told Yuika about what had happened the other day.

Yuika is two years younger than me and a freshman at the same university I attend. Apparently, she’s in the literature department. When you think of the literature department, you might imagine quiet, bookish girls, but that’s just a stereotype. She’s actually tan and very active, giving off more of a sports department vibe. Well, I guess I’m somewhat similar.

“Hoehe. Senpai, Your girlfriend cheated on you? That must have been tough.”

“It was incredibly tough. I’m mentally exhausted.”

“That’s why you haven’t been yourself lately.”

“Really? Do I seem that way?”

“You do.”

“I guess I’m even more down than I thought.”

Yuika munched on her convenience store rice ball.

“So, senpai, you’re single now, right?”

“Single? You mean, I don’t have a girlfriend anymore?”

“Yes.”

“Well, yeah.”

“Hmm. So you’re single.”

Yuika mumbled and continued eating her rice ball.

Apparently, Yuika went to an all-girls school until high school. The thought of an all-girls environment is terrifying. It seems like it would be full of drama (or is that just a prejudice?). But then again, all-boys schools are probably chaotic in their own ways too (or is that just a prejudice?). For the record, I went to a co-ed school.

“Speaking of which, do you have a boyfriend or anything?”

“Ah, are you interested?”

Yuika smirked suggestively.

“Do you really care if I have a boyfriend?”

“Not really. If you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to.”

“I’ll tell you, I will tell you.”

Yuika straightened up and held her words in her mouth for a moment.

“Guess what… I don’t have one!”

“Hmm…”

“I don’t.”

“Got it.”

“I’ve never had one.”

“Really? That’s surprising.”

“Is it?”

“You’re pretty, and there must be plenty of guys interested in you, right?”

“Well, there are guys who are interested or not interested…”

After I said she was “pretty,” Yuika’s lips relaxed.

“Do you not want to have a boyfriend?”

When I asked, she made a face like she’d eaten a sour grape. Then her expression changed several times until she finally looked like she’d bitten into a bitter bug.

“I have someone I like.”

“Oh? Who is it?”

But Yuika didn’t answer my question.

“But… that person already has a girlfriend…”

She didn’t say anything else after that.

After finishing our meal, our break was over. I had to work until 8 p.m. today. It was pretty busy with lots of customers.

“Senpai, you’re working until 8 p.m. today, right?”

“Yeah, what about you?”

“Yes. Can we go home together after work? I have something I want to talk to you about.”

“Sure, but… What do you want to talk about?”

“Well…”

Yuika hesitated. She covered her mouth with her hand.

“It’s a secret.”

---

After work.

We walked together along the nighttime streets. I wondered what she wanted to talk about. I waited for Yuika to bring up the topic, but she remained silent as we walked side by side. Her face seemed a bit tense or stiff with nervousness. Eventually, we reached a bridge spanning across a wide river.

About halfway across the bridge, she suddenly stopped. Leaning against the railing, she spoke up.

“Senpai, about what we were talking about earlier…”

“The earlier conversation…?”

“Yes. About me liking someone, but that person already having a partner… that conversation.”

“Oh, is something wrong with that conversation?”

“Senpai, you’re quite dense.”

Yuika chuckled softly and then said,

“The person I like is you.”

…

…………

Well, it’s not like I hadn’t noticed at all. I had a feeling she had feelings for me for a while now. But I didn’t think it was romantic. No, I should say I tried not to think of it that way.

I had a girlfriend, Kaori, so even if Yuika confessed to me, I couldn’t be with her… couldn’t.

But now things were different.

My girlfriend, Kaori, had been stolen by some random guy. There was a hole in my heart. But I couldn’t fill that hole by being in a relationship… that wasn’t the reason.

“Senpai, please go out with me.”

Yuika stared into my eyes as she said that.

And in response, I…

…

I couldn’t find the words.

“You’re sad because your girlfriend was taken from you, right? I will never betray you. Even if I’m just a substitute for your girlfriend…”

“You’re Yuika. You’re not a replacement for anyone, and there’s no one else like you.”

I said firmly.

After a moment of silence, I continued.

“Alright. Let’s go out. Please take care of me from now on.”

“Like wise, Takuma!”

Yuika hugged me tightly.

---

Half a year had passed since I started dating Yuika.

One day, while playing games at my house with Yuika, the intercom rang. When I answered it, Kaori was standing there.

“Kaori…”

“Takuma…”

Kaori looked thin and had a distressed expression.

“What is it?”

“Can’t we get back together?”

“No.”

I shook my head.

“I’ve got a new girlfriend.”

I felt a presence and turned to see Yuika standing there. Her eyes were fixed not on me, but on Kaori. She is forcibly suppressing her anger and other negative emotions, maintaining a masked nonchalance.

“You’re Takuma’s ex-girlfriend?”

“Yes…”

“Right now, Takuma is dating me. You hurt Takuma by betraying him. Please never show up in front of us again.”

With that, Yuika forcefully shut the front door and locked it.

We could hear knocking on the door from outside, along with sobbing.

“I’m sorry. It’s my fault. Please, forgive me…”

Yuika grabbed my hand and pulled me away.

“Shall we continue the game?”

“Yeah.”

I decided to forget about Kaori. Our relationship had ended six months ago. Now, and in the future, I would continue my relationship with Yuika.

---

After that, Kaori never appeared in front of me again.

My friend provided me with information about Kaori. He collects various information about people’s relationships as a hobby.

According to his information…

After Kaori and I broke up, she started dating that womanizing guy. However, he wasn’t just a womanizer; he had relationships with over a dozen other women besides Kaori. Not only that, he had a violent temper and tendencies to abuse, and Kaori suffered a lot because of it.

He was recently arrested for assaulting several of his girlfriends.

Kaori felt discomfort in her body and decided to get examined. She wondered if she might be pregnant.

The result confirmed her pregnancy.

However, the father of the child had been arrested. So, she plotted to get back together with me, her ex-boyfriend, and marry me. Since she got pregnant around the time we broke up, she thought she could deceive me by saying it was my child.

But before she could reveal her pregnancy, she was shut out by Yuika. She tried to meet me several times afterward, but Yuika always intervened, and eventually, Yuika warned her, saying, “If you show up in front of us again, I’ll call the police next time.”

Even if the police were called, Kaori wouldn’t be arrested. However, it seems Kaori got scared and never showed up again.

“So, what happened to Kaori after that?”

“She gave birth to the child… and I don’t know what happened after that.”

Kaori disappeared somewhere. I don’t think she’s dead.

My relationship with Yuika has been going well, and we’re planning to get married soon. Unlike Kaori, Yuika never cheated on me. Of course, I haven’t cheated on her either.

Being cheated on by my lover was shocking, but now I think it was necessary for me to go through that experience to reach where I am now.

I’m very happy now.

I hope this happiness continues until the end of my life.