Episode 20: Let’s Try Asking Her on an After-School Date
“Sorry, for dragging you into my mess…”
“It’s okay. More importantly, what on earth happened?”
After pulling Hiyori-san away from Ema, I left him standing there dumbfounded and, as we entered our classroom, I asked her what had transpired.
With a dark expression, she began, “Actually…” and started to explain the sequence of events from last night up to what had just occurred.
Apparently, last night, while Hiyori-san was exchanging messages with me, Ema had also contacted her.
Things had gotten rather troublesome, so Hiyori-san had tried to block his account, but in doing so, she’d accidentally sent a sticker due to a misoperation.
“It would’ve been a pain to contact him just to say it was sent by mistake, and I didn’t want him to find out I was in the bath… so I just blocked him, but maybe that was a mistake in many ways.”
Just as Hiyori-san said, explaining the accidental message to a guy who, despite his cheating being exposed, shamelessly asks her to let him grope her breasts, and then having him find out she was in the bath, would surely lead to more trouble.
Besides, there was no way anyone would want to go out of their way to exchange words with a man who committed the worst kind of betrayal. I think it was only natural for Hiyori-san to block Ema right then and there.
However, she regretted that because of this, she no longer knew what Ema had been trying to say to her after she blocked him, or what he was thinking, and felt it was a mistake. To Hiyori-san, who lamented that she should have clearly expressed her rejection before blocking him, I offered words of comfort.
“That’s not true. The moment his cheating was exposed, your relationship was already over. There was no need for you, Hiyori-san, to go through an unpleasant experience just to talk to Ema.”
“…Yeah. Thank you. Hearing you say that, Yusuke-kun, made me feel a little better.”
Even though she said that, Hiyori-san’s expression remained dark.
Had she recalled the events of that day again, or perhaps Ema had said something terrible to her again before I called out? Thinking about it made my chest ache.
(Still… that Ema guy, he’s unbelievable. Does he even understand how much his actions hurt Hiyori-san?)
I only heard the very end of their conversation, but… even just that was enough to understand Ema’s lack of delicacy, or rather, his shallowness.
Towards Hiyori-san, who was deeply hurt after finding out he’d been cheating on her for a year, saying things like “I’ll treat you to a meal, so cheer up” was just too awful.
If he had apologized with all sincerity and begged Hiyori-san to listen to him, I could have understood his actions.
However… that casual attitude of his made it seem like he had no awareness that he had deeply hurt Hiyori-san, and it looked like he thought it was just a simple quarrel.
(It’s more than likely that attitude is the biggest reason he’s hurting Hiyori-san…)
Even though she was hurt this much, the other person didn’t understand at all.
On the contrary, he acted so casually, completely unconcerned about her pain. From Hiyori-san’s perspective, it must have been unbearable.
As expected, it’s not easy to forget a guy who was her boyfriend. One way or another, I feel like Hiyori-san is still somewhat hung up on Ema.
That’s precisely why she’s so deeply hurt by his words and actions… I thought, feeling a sharp pang in my chest. But seeing Hiyori-san looking down sadly, that pain of mine became insignificant.
(Pathetic. Hiyori-san is much more hurt than I am. Right now, what I should be doing is cheering her up, isn’t it?)
It had only been about a week since she broke up with Ema in the worst possible way. There’s no way she could get over everything in such a short time.
Even so, Hiyori-san was trying to break away from her memories with him, like by blocking Ema on LINE.
What I should be doing is supporting Hiyori-san like this, and encouraging her when she seems to be suffering.
I want to see her smile. So, telling myself that I shouldn’t be hurt by such foolish jealousy and that I should act, I spoke to Hiyori-san in a cheerful voice.
“Hiyori-san. Today, after school, want to go hang out somewhere?”
“Eh…!?”
A smile unintentionally escaped me at Hiyori-san’s dumbfounded expression as she looked up in surprise.
As gently as possible, and in a light tone that wouldn’t make her feel like I was being overly considerate, I said the same thing to her a second time.
“Let’s go hang out somewhere today. If something bad happened, the best thing to do is to have a blast and forget all about it! I’ll go anywhere with you, so let’s go wherever you like, Hiyori-san!”
“Yusuke-kun…!”
A hint of joy spread across Hiyori-san’s surprised expression.
Though it was still small, as I rejoiced that a smile had returned to Hiyori-san, she spoke to me hesitantly.
“Is that… an invitation for a date?”
“Eh…?”
At the words that came out of Hiyori-san’s mouth, it was my turn to be surprised.
Now that she mentioned it, this was nothing other than an invitation for a date… I hadn’t realized it, but I gave a wry smile, thinking I’d done something quite bold for myself, and replied.
“That’s right. Yes… it’s an invitation for a date. If you’re okay with it, Hiyori-san, will you accept?”
“Ahaha…! I’d be delighted to accept!”
I was a little anxious, but when I honestly affirmed her words and invited her on a date again, Hiyori-san happily laughed and said yes.
It was embarrassing, but if it meant seeing this smile, it was more than worth it… As I was thinking that, Hiyori-san, grinning slyly, said.
“My, my, Yusuke-kun, you’ve become quite bold! Just when I thought you asked for my contact info, next thing I know, you’re asking me out on a date!?”
“Don’t laugh. I was pretty embarrassed and nervous too, you know.”
“Sorry, sorry! …I’m happy. I’m really happy you invited me, Yusuke-kun.”
After laughing heartily, Hiyori-san, with a gentle smile, said in a heartfelt tone.
Her voice, filled with genuine feeling, made my heart skip a beat. I desperately tried to cool my face, which felt like it was about to turn red, and asked her a question.
“S-So, where should we go? Is there any place you want to go?”
“Mfufu~…! Actually, there’s a place I’ve wanted to go to for a while now~! It might be a liiittle bit expensive, but is that okay?”
To Hiyori-san who asked that, I nodded firmly in reply.
My pay from my part-time job the other day just came in, and even after setting aside the amount I give to my family, I have plenty of spending money. Masato is on chore duty today, so I don’t need to hurry home, and there are no problems at all.
“So, where is this place you want to go, Hiyori-san?”
Just before homeroom started, when I asked Hiyori-san to confirm, she showed a broad grin.
After that, laughing very joyfully, she stated her answer.
“It’sā!!”
With today’s update, we’ve reached the halfway point.
The remaining half will increase in sweetness and moments of comeuppance, so I hope you’ll continue to enjoy the story from here on out.
Also, I noticed that I’ve been followed by 1000 people, and I’m very happy to receive comments almost every day.
I’ll continue updating, hoping that everyone will enjoy it until the end of the first chapter!