I Was Cheated on by My Girlfriend but My Devilish Junior Now Yearns for Me V1 Chapter 9
Chapter 9
The Drinking Party
It’s a common tradition for university clubs to throw a party after exams wrap up. Ayaka’s outdoors club was no exception, though the sheer scale of their celebration was something else entirely. Not many clubs could afford to rent out an entire izakaya right in front of the station.
The last time I’d been to a party this big was during the welcome partiesback in my first year, and I couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement. My own basketball club, ‘start,’ was a modest group of about forty, and you’d be lucky if even ten people showed up for a drinking party.
Ayaka’s club, on the other hand, was an outdoors club in name only; in reality, it was what you’d call a ‘drinking club.’ On top of its already massive roster, attendance at these events was exceptionally high. They even rope in outsiders like me from time to time, so it was no wonder the numbers swelled. According to Ayaka, sixty people were expected tonight. Collecting money from that many people had to be a nightmare.
I spotted the noren curtains bearing the name ‘Kaguya’ and stepped inside. This was it—tonight’s venue. I was a good ten minutes early, but the place was already packed and buzzing with energy. The seating was horigotatsu-style, with six sunken tables already set with plates. I slipped off my boots, placed them on the shoe rack, and stepped onto the tatami floor.
“Ah, you made it!”
I turned toward the cheerful voice and saw Ayaka waving at me.
“Yo!” I called back, pitching my voice louder than usual to be heard over the din, and made my way to her table.
I sat down next to her, and she immediately held out a hand.
Hm?Was it some kind of club custom to high-five when you take your seat?
I placed my hand on hers, and she shot me a surprised look.
“Whoa, what’s this about?”
“Uh, sorry,” I stammered. “I just thought it was, like, a thing you guys do.”
Realization dawned on her face, and she let out a quiet giggle. “We don’t have a custom like that. I was just going to hang up your coat for you, figured it’d be in the way.”
“Oh. Well, now I just feel stupid.”
I pulled my hand back as a belated warmth spread across my palm and took off my coat. Ayaka gave me a nod and stood up to hang it in a designated area a short distance away. It was a thoughtful gesture, I guess, though my little blunder made it feel a bit awkward.
“Yuta-kun, you and Aya-chan seem pretty close~”
The girl sitting across from me spoke up. She was small, with a brown mushroom bob and large, round eyes peering out from behind black-rimmed glasses.
And I recognized her.
“Long time no see!” she said with a bashful smile. She was one of the girls from the Christmas mixer—in fact, she was the only one I’d really talked to.
“Hey, good to see you. I’m surprised you remember me.”
“Of course I do! It’s only been, what, a month? My memory’s not that bad, you know.”
“My bad, my bad.”
Yamanashi Natsuki.
I remembered thinking she had a beautiful name when I first heard it. It’s not often a name strikes me as beautiful, so it had stuck with me. I was also surprised to learn that her surname, written with the characters for ‘moon-viewing village,’ was pronounced ‘Yamanashi.’ She had told us to call her by her first name right from the start of the mixer, so I’d been calling her Natsuki ever since. It’s always harder to switch from a surname to a first name, but if you start with the first name, it’s no big deal.
We’d only shared a meal for a couple of hours, but in my mind, she was already a friend. A ‘yo-friend,’ to be precise—the kind of friend you just exchange a quick ‘yo’ with when you pass them on the street. In my experience, when a yo-tomo says something like, “Let’s go to karaoke again sometime!” there’s only about a twenty percent chance it’ll actually happen. You might even forget their name. But Natsuki, sitting right in front of me, clearly remembered mine. I recalled Ayaka telling me last night that Natsuki was excited I was coming. It was strange to think how that one mixer had led to this.
“So, what club are you in, Yuta-kun? Doesn’t seem like the outdoorsy type.”
“I’m in a basketball club. Not that I go unless I feel like it.”
“A ghost member?”
“Not quite that bad.”
I’d just been there a few days ago, so I should be safe from that label. I kept in touch with Todo and a few of the upperclassmen, so it was probably fine. You have to put a little effort into maintaining relationships if you want to enjoy playing basketball without drama.“You should join our club! We’re totally fine with people joining mid-year.”
Our club, meaning this one.
I pretended to think it over for a moment before shaking my head. “I’d like to, but it’s huge, right? Seems like it’d be impossible to get in! And managing it all must be a pain.”
The words rolled off my tongue like a well-rehearsed social nicety. Whenever I dropped by a friend’s club, I’d get these kinds of invitations, but you could always tell they weren’t serious. Natsuki was no exception. She just laughed lightly and said, “You think so?” before handing me a pair of chopsticks.
“Besides, Aya-chan is going to be the vice president next year. You could get in through connections! It’s all about who you know!”
“Haha, well, I’ll think about it.”
Vice president, huh?Knowing Ayaka, she was probably a favorite among the upperclassmen and got recommended for the position.
“What about you, Natsuki? Not gonna be president or anything?”
She burst out laughing. “Me?! No, no, no way! Do I look like the type?”
“How should I know? This is only the second time we’ve met.”
“You’re supposed to figure it out on the first try!”
As we were joking around, Ayaka returned to her seat. Dressed in a black sweater and a necklace, she looked radiant even in the dim light of the izakaya. In one hand, she held a beer mug.
“Pardon me for interrupting your little chat.”
She placed the beer, filled to the brim, in front of me. Looking around, I saw mugs being passed down the long tables from person to person.
“Oh, so the first round is beer, huh? Just as I thought.”
As I grinned, Natsuki pouted. “I always wonder about that. Is it some kind of rule that the first drink has to be beer? I’m not even that fond of it.”
“Ah, yeah, not a lot of girls are into beer. Ayaka drinks her fair share, though.”
Natsuki pulled the heavy-looking mug closer. I was thinking it must be a pain for people who don’t like beer when Ayaka chimed in.
“Oh, that! The upperclassmen told me it’s actually supposed to be a considerate gesture.”
“Considerate? In what way?” Natsuki shot back, her expression clearly saying, I certainly don’t feel considered.Ayaka smiled. “Well, when you become a working adult, you’ll have to go out drinking with your boss, right? If everyone orders something different, it takes a long time for all the drinks to arrive. You might end up making your boss wait. So, the idea is that everyone orders the same thing for the first round so the drinks come out together and you can get started right away. That’s how it started, apparently.”
“Huh.”
Okay, that actually made a lot of sense. While I was genuinely impressed, Natsuki was still grumbling.
“Then the first drink might as well be a highball.”
Ayaka and I both nodded at the same time. “That’s true.”
I glanced at my watch. It was almost seven. The long table was now filled with other club members who had arrived later, signaling that the party was about to begin. I followed Ayaka’s gaze to a guy at the end of the table holding up his beer mug. He had to be the president. When I asked her, she nodded.
Naturally, all eyes turned to him.
“Alright, everyone, first off, congratulations on finishing your exams!”
His words were met with a chorus of “Congrats!” from around the room. Ayaka covered her mouth with one hand and called out, “Congratulations!” while holding her mug with the other.
“Now, whether you did well or not, the results won’t be out until next month! Tonight’s gathering is to celebrate the beginning of our escape from reality!”
Everyone chuckled as they listened to him speak. I liked the relaxed atmosphere, where you wouldn’t get scolded for laughing during a speech. For this club, drinking parties were probably a core activity, a world away from my basketball club, where they were just an afterthought. Everyone held their mugs, waiting for him to give the signal for the toast.
“Now, we third-years will be retiring from the club next month. As much as I’d love to lead the toast, I think it’s only right to pass the torch to our next president.”
The president looked around, but the person he’d nominated didn’t stand. Or rather, he couldn’t seem to find them.
Natsuki, sitting across from me, raised her hand. “Tatsuki-san! The next president isn’t here today!”
“What? He told me he was coming!” the president exclaimed with mock surprise, then cleared his throat to regain his composure. “In that case, we have no choice but to have the next vice president lead the toast! Aya-chan, if you would!”
Beside me, Ayaka flinched. Anyone would react that way if they were suddenly put on the spot.
“Wait, me? No, no, you should do it, President!”
As Ayaka waved her hands dismissively, other club members started chiming in with, “You got this, Aya-chin!” Apparently, ‘Aya-chin’ was her nickname in the club.
Left with no choice against the collective will of the group, Ayaka reluctantly stood up. It was obvious from her demeanor that she had completely slipped into her ‘public mode.’ I thought she could stand to relax a little in her own club, but it was probably too late for that now.
“Uhm, everyone. It is with great humility that I will be leading the toast on this occasion.”
“So formal, so formal!” the president laughed. Her phrasing was perhaps a bit stiff for a club party, but it was understandable given how many people were watching.
But it turned out to be a joke. “Sorry!” she said with a bashful smile.
She’s good at this, I thought, impressed, as I looked up at her standing beside me.
From my position almost directly beneath her, my eyes were inevitably drawn to her chest. Even through her black sweater, the swell was undeniable, and I hastily averted my gaze. Part of me wanted to keep looking, but another part felt a pang of guilt, as if I were betraying someone.
“Alright everyone, please get your mugs ready!”
At Ayaka’s call, I raised my mug with a little too much force, as if to shake off my impure thoughts.
“Congratulations on finishing your exams! Cheers!”
The word “Cheers” echoed throughout the izakaya. Mugs crisscrossed the tables, clinking together with a series of cheerful sounds. I toasted with Natsuki across from me, the unfamiliar girl to my other side, and the guy sitting diagonally from me.
Finally, I turned to my right to toast with Ayaka, who had finished her speech. A crowd of people still surrounded her, their mugs extended. Some had even come over from other tables just to toast with her. She handled them all one by one with a gentle smile, but she eventually seemed to notice me.
“Excuse me for a second, everyone.”
With that, she lowered the mugs she had been clinking above the table.
“Here you go. Cheers.”
She held her mug out to me. A soft smile played on her lips as she waited.
I grinned back at her and clinked my mug against hers.
“──Cheers!”
The party had begun.
◇◆
Most of the food had been served, and people were now freely moving between tables, glasses in hand. Ayaka, who had been sitting next to me at first, had been called over to another group and switched seats.
It was only natural for people to want a pretty girl to sit with them, but the calls of “Aya-chin!” and “Ayaka-san!” coming from every direction suggested a level of popularity that far exceeded my imagination.
She really is something.Considering people used to say she had a difficult personality, Ayaka hadn’t always been this good at navigating social situations. The scene unfolding before me was the result of the relationships she had painstakingly built. She probably wouldn’t see it as effort, but from my perspective, that’s exactly what it was. And seeing her laughing and having fun with other groups made me happy, too.
“Hey, Yuta-kun, aren’t you staring at Aya-chan a little too much?”
A hand waved in front of my face, and I blinked. Natsuki was looking at me with a pout.
“Was I staring that hard?”
“You were practically gawking. I came back to my seat, and you didn’t even react. I was kind of surprised.”
Her words jogged my memory. Right, she’d gone to the restroom. When you’re drinking, the time it takes for someone to come back from the restroom always feels strangely short.
“Well, Aya-chan really is gorgeous. I get why you’d be captivated,” Natsuki said, swirling the highball in her glass. “She’s beautiful, has a small face, and her skin is flawless. God really is unfair, creating such a gap from birth.”
“Tell me about it. She’s got a massive advantage.”
“There aren’t many girls at that level, even at our university. Our club supposedly screens for looks, so we have a lot of cute girls, but I think Aya-chan is number one. That’s just my totally subjective opinion, though.”
There was no doubt that Ayaka stood out, even among a crowd of cute girls. Natsuki’s subjective opinion probably wasn’t far from the truth. I was reminded that Shinohara was the same, always drawing attention in a group. I considered myself incredibly lucky to be on good terms with girls like them.
But something else Natsuki said had caught my attention.
“Your club seriously screens for looks? That’s kind of scary.”
She laughed at my slightly repulsed reaction. Perhaps because she was a little drunk, her smile was exceptionally friendly. She was probably quite popular with guys. Looking around, I had to admit that, true to her word, the level of attractiveness among the girls was high.
“Our club is really popular, you see. We get a lot of girls from the nearby women’s university who want to join, too.”
“Huh.”
At my short reply, Natsuki tilted her head. “You don’t like that kind of thing, Yuta-kun?”
Do I?It wasn’t something I felt strongly enough about to be openly disgusted by, but I guess I wasn’t a fan. I wasn’t entirely sure myself. Unwilling to give a half-baked answer, I deflected. “You can just call me Yuta.”
Natsuki nodded. “Okay, Yuta. Well, I think Aya-chan feels the same way you do.”
“Why’s that?”
Ayaka was the vice president of this club. That was precisely why I had avoided saying anything negative about it before I’d sorted out my own feelings.
“Because most people who try to join don’t know the reality of it. Apparently, Aya-chan found out later, and when she did, she looked openly disgusted.”
“Huh, that’s rare.”
“It is?” Natsuki looked puzzled.
It wasn’t rare when she was with me, not at all. But for her to show that kind of attitude around other people, it must have really bothered her.
“The irony is that Aya-chan is the one who benefited most from it,” Natsuki said, her ears flushed a telling shade of red. She was clearly quite drunk. The words seemed to slip out, and her expression immediately shifted to one of regret.
“Sorry, that was—”
“It’s fine,” I cut her off. “I’m sure people think that sometimes.”
Ayaka herself seemed to think it was inevitable that people would say things like that about her. Though hearing it from a club friend she’d shared a meal with might be a different story. But getting angry in the middle of a drinking party wouldn’t solve anything, so I let Natsuki’s slip-up slide.
Perhaps sensing my unease, however, she quickly added, “Aya-chan is a really good person, though!”
She was probably afraid I would tell Ayaka what she’d said. Girls have it tough, I thought for a second, but a guy would probably do the same thing in this situation.
“I won’t tell her. We’re at a party, after all.”
As I said it, I wondered how Ayaka would have handled this. If someone had said something bad about me behind my back, would she get angry for my sake?
“So, by the way,” Natsuki began, clearly trying to change the subject.
I didn’t press the issue and simply nodded.
“Are you and Aya-chan dating?”
Ayaka again?!But Natsuki’s interest seemed genuine, so I decided to answer her honestly.
“No. People ask sometimes, but we’ve never been like that.”
“Oh, really? That could totally be misunderstood, especially if you had a girlfriend or something.”
“I don’t, so it’s not a problem.”
“So, maybe it was misunderstood back when you did.”
She was really prying. The last time we talked, it was all about lighthearted stuff like manga. This was a surprise.
“The cartilage here is delicious~” Natsuki said, apparently done with that topic. She took some cartilage and grilled fish and placed them on my empty plate.
“Thanks,” I said, pulling my beer closer and taking another sip.
“You still have your own portion, you know.”
“It’s fine, I’ll have both.”
I can hold my liquor, so it wasn’t an issue. Unlike the guy passed out next to me, I was confident I wouldn’t be down for the count after just an hour.
“You drink a lot,” she commented, her tone laced with surprise.
If I told her I smoked, too, I’d be the picture of an unpopular guy. I wasn’t sure what the girls in this club valued, but I decided it was best to hold off on the cigarettes for now. Who am I even trying to impress? I inwardly sighed at myself.
A vibration in my pants pocket prompted me to pull out my phone. The screen showed a notification from Shinohara.
Senpai, what time are you coming home today? I’m nearby.I glanced at my watch. It was 8. The party was supposed to last four hours, so I still had two to go.
Looks like I’ll be out until the last train. Go home.A reply came back instantly.
“Go home”? What’s that supposed to mean?! What is that supposed to MEEEAN!A smile tugged at my lips, and Natsuki’s sharp eyes caught it immediately.
“It’s a girl, isn’t it?”
“You think so?”
“Definitely. I don’t know, I can just tell!”
I wanted to retort, but she was right, which was frustrating. Besides, it was rude to be on my phone when I had someone to talk to right in front of me.
“Sorry for playing with my phone.”
“Hm? It’s fine, I don’t mind that kind of thing!”
“So broad-minded! You’re the best!”
“Haha, praise me, praise me!” Natsuki puffed out her chest playfully.
Just then, my phone buzzed again. I thought it might be Shinohara, but it was different. The screen lit up with an incoming call.
“Whoa, sorry, it’s a call. I’m gonna take it outside.”
“Ooh, Mr. Popular! Okay, it’s almost time for a seat change anyway, but I’ll wait here for you.”
“Oh, really? Thanks.”
There’s a seat change? In a club this big, I guess it was necessary to encourage mingling. The fact that Natsuki said she wasn’t moving meant it wasn’t mandatory. A pretty well-balanced party.
With that thought, I stood up from my seat.
Once outside the izakaya, I checked my still-vibrating phone. The number wasn’t saved in my contacts, but it looked vaguely familiar.
A sense of unease creeping into my chest, I answered the call.
“Hello, Hasegawa speaking.”
“Hello, Yuta-kun.”I knew that crystal-clear voice. I knew it all too well. The dregs of memory stirred, prodding at my mind.
“…Reina.”
The caller was Aisaka Reina, the ex-girlfriend I’d broken up with a few months ago.
◇◆
“What do you want?”
A cold, sharp voice that felt utterly alien to the cheerful atmosphere of the party came out of my own mouth. There was nothing left for us to talk about. The last time we’d run into each other, when I was out shopping with Ayaka, we had barely exchanged a word before parting ways.
Although her final words—“See you again”—had stuck with me.
“Sorry for calling out of the blue.”“It’s fine. It’s been a while since you’ve called.”
“Yeah, I figured you might have blocked me on LINE.”“Well…”
I had considered it right after the breakup. But I figured we wouldn’t be contacting each other anyway, and blocking her seemed childish, so I’d held back. Now, though, I was starting to think that kind of ‘clean break’ might have been necessary to really move on.
“Are you busy right now?” Reina asked, likely hearing the noise from the izakaya.
“I’m at a club party. If you have something to say, make it quick.”
A brief silence followed. I listened blankly to the muffled sounds of the party through the door.
“Okay. Like I said when we ran into each other, I was hoping we could meet again.”So it wasn’t just a polite formality.I swallowed the words that had risen to my throat. I didn’t want to fight. I just wanted to end this call as peacefully and as quickly as possible.
“No, I’ll pass.”
“Why?”Why. For what reason.I hadn’t expected that question. I found myself staring at my phone’s screen.
Does she really need me to spell it out for her?“Yuta-kun?”Honestly, I was tempted to just hang up.
As I hesitated, the door behind me opened. It was Ayaka, apparently coming to check on me.
“Ah, there you are—oh, you’re on the phone. Sorry.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Is that your girlfriend?”Her question gave me a clue. Reina had probably already put the fact that she’d cheated on me in the past. Her question wasn’t loaded with any other meaning; it was probably just simple curiosity. It was all just speculation, but that’s what I felt.
When I didn’t answer, Reina continued. “Have you been busy lately?”“Not really. Just going to my club sometimes.”
“I see. You haven’t changed.”You haven’t changed.
We had been together long enough for her to say something like that.
I felt that if I didn’t cut things off here, I’d never be able to move forward. But just talking to her like this still made my chest tighten with a familiar unease. I furrowed my brow. Just thinking about Reina was against my will, so why was I still on the phone? Did I have something to say? Something to ask? Or was it just—
“──It’s none of your business anymore. Don’t contact me again.”
I forced the words from my throat. The noise from the izakaya seemed to grow louder, resonating with the voice I’d laced with every emotion I was trying to suppress. I heard Reina’s quick, suppressed breath.“…I see.”For such a long pause, her reply was short.
There was nothing more to say.
I moved my finger over the ‘end call’ button, trying to smother the flicker of emotion that crossed my mind.
Just as I was about to press it, I heard her voice.
“I didn’t cheat on you.”By the time my eyes widened, the call was over.
What did she just say at the end?It sounded like, “I didn’t cheat on you.”But she was holding hands with another guy right in front of my house. If that wasn’t cheating, what was? What was she going to say, that she was working a job as a stand-in girlfriend?
“What’s wrong?” Ayaka asked, her voice tinged with confusion. “Was that—”
“Don’t ask.”
The last thing I wanted was for her to worry about me just because she’d overheard my call with Reina. She couldn’t have known it was my ex-girlfriend, but it must have been obvious to anyone watching that I’d just had a tense conversation. I was aware of that much.
“Right… Okay, I won’t ask, but…”
Feeling a surge of irritation at myself for making her worry, I bit my lip.
Ayaka patted my shoulder. “You can either go home and get some rest, or stay and drink to forget about it. If you want to go home, I’ll cover your share.”
I couldn’t help but look at her. The expression on her face wasn’t her public one; it was genuinely gentle.
“──I’ll drink.”
Honestly, I didn’t think alcohol could wash away everything I was feeling. But right now, the desire not to let Reina ruin the time Ayaka had set up for me was stronger.
A corner of Ayaka’s mouth lifted into a smile at my reply.
We passed through the noren curtains and back into the izakaya, where the chatter of the club members seemed even louder than before. A few of them were just in the process of moving to different seats.
“Alright, then I think I’ll move to the seat next to you. You were lonely, weren’t you?”
“Don’t be stupid. I was having a great time.”
“I wonder~”Grinning teasingly, Ayaka walked over to the table she’d been sitting at. As she picked up her glass, cries of disappointment rose from the people at her table. “You’re leaving already?!”
With a small, apologetic laugh, Ayaka began to make her way over to the now-empty seat. She sat down, then turned back with Natsuki to wave at me.
“I’m coming!”
With so many people, the laughter in the restaurant never seemed to stop. And for me, right now, that lively noise was incredibly comforting.
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