I Was Cheated on by My Girlfriend but My Devilish Junior Now Yearns for Me V1 Epilogue

Epilogue

“Hey, we’re having another drinking party tomorrow. You in?”

The voice on the other end of the line belonged to Ayaka. It was late, a week after our post-exam party, and her call had come out of the blue.

The invitation was so sudden I could only manage a hesitant, “Hmm…”

“This is pretty sudden,” I said, my hand freezing halfway to the pack of cigarettes on my desk. Come to think of it, Ayaka was always telling me to quit. “What’s the occasion?”

“Natsuki’s been bugging me to invite you,” she explained. “All the girls from the Christmas mixer are coming, so I figured it was the perfect chance.”

A wave of nostalgia washed over me. I never imagined that one mixer would lead to so many new connections.

“What’s wrong? You’ve gone quiet.”

“No, it’s just… I was thinking that thisChristmas season wasn’t so bad after all.”

I could hear the amusement in Ayaka’s voice. “As the organizer, that mixer was a total failure, so it’s not exactly a fond memory for me. But hearing a guy who met four cute girls complain about the holidays? That’s just asking for trouble, you know?”

“Four?”

Excluding Ayaka, there were only three other girls at that mixer, weren’t there?As I wracked my brain, Ayaka’s exasperated voice cut through my thoughts. “Have you already forgotten? You bumped into Santa, didn’t you?”

“Oh, right.” I never expected Ayaka to bring up Shinohara, so her name had completely slipped my mind. It was true, though. I had met Shinohara during the Christmas season.

Back then, I’d spent the holidays walking in the shadows of the festive lights, nursing the emptiness of being single after my breakup with Reina. But looking back on it now, I realized I’d made a lot of new connections—friendships I probably wouldn’t have formed if I still had a girlfriend. It was precisely because I was alone that I have the relationships I do now. Thinking about it that way, a strange warmth spread through my chest.

“I kinda wish it were Christmas again,” I murmured.

Ayaka chuckled at my unexpected sentiment. “Well, I’m just glad you seem to be over it.”

Could it be that she invited me to that mixer out of concern for me?

The thought crossed my mind, but I decided not to ask. Whether she was aware of it or not, I was grateful. Maybe I should get her a gift to say thanks. I’d never given her one before, but she did get me that key case. I’m sure she’d be happy to accept a return gift.

Just then, Ayaka’s voice turned cheerful. “Look outside!”

I did as she said and glanced out my window. Soft, powdery snow was fluttering down from the night sky. The snow we never got on Christmas was finally blanketing the city. It had been a long time since I’d last seen it snow.

When I opened the window, a dry, cold wind blew in, carrying delicate snowflakes with it.

“Some Christmas lights would be perfect right about now.”

“I know, right?!”

From the second floor of my studio apartment, I watched the snow glitter under the streetlights. Through the phone, I could hear the sound of Ayaka opening her window, too.

“So cooold~!”

I couldn’t help but smile at her childlike excitement.

“Freezing,” I agreed. A puff of white escaped my lips, dissipating into the night air.

I hope Christmas comes again soon.That was my honest thought as the biting wind chilled my skin.

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