[LN] Kono Koi wa Moto Kano no Teikyou de Oukuri Shimasu - Volume 1 - Chapter 1

 

Chapter 1 - Ex-girlfriends, reunited!

College student sophomore, summer.

I am tired of the job hunting that is about to begin. I don't have enough credits at all.

I have a vague sense of frustration, but I can't bring myself to study in this heat.

The prospect of a boring life and the unfounded hope that somehow a great turnaround will happen are at odds, and they flow down together with sweat.

Whether it was high school or university entrance exams, I was able to do my best because I could imagine a bright future ahead of me.

But job hunting is just labor waiting for me, even if I get a job offer.

Reason says it is natural to live, but instinct rejects it.

But I had one idea on how to change the environment I wanted to escape from.

[Oh no, I'm at the wrong place! It might take me a few more minutes to get to the east exit ticket gate!]

After sending the message, he runs to the front of the east exit ticket gate.

Running through the crowded crowd, we proceed in the shortest distance possible.

I, Hajime Kinugasa, was impatient.

Two minutes to the appointed time.

The wrong ticket gate was the south exit, which would have taken me about five minutes if I walked normally.

But just for today, we absolutely cannot be late.

I am not sure if I can be a good friend or a bad friend, but I am not sure if I can be a good friend or a bad friend.

This is the first chat app I used and the first girl I met.

Yes, I'm going to make her now.

If you have a girlfriend, you can do whatever you want with that as encouragement.

It's been a month since I installed an app that allows me to chat with strangers.

The application originally started for completely different reasons, but there was one girl who became a very good friend.

The conversation was really exciting, and we finally decided to meet.

The appointment is at 17:00.

"Damn, why am I in the wrong place today?"

As I ran, cursing my own carelessness, the phone in my pocket shuddered.

I hurried to check and found it was from Mr. M, whom I was scheduled to meet.

[No hurry, I just got here myself!]

This kind of language is supposedly reserved for men, but it's pathetic.

Kindness is heartwarming, but don't let it spoil you.

[Kindness is heartwarming, but don't let it spoil you.]

I sent that message as we approached the east exit ticket gate.

Since we haven't exchanged mugshots, I have to ask first about the features of their clothing. I manage to catch my breath and look around.

[Black sleeveless, brown skirt!]

That... that!

Bingo.

A dark-haired woman leaning against a pillar scroll advertisement.

I can't see his face well, but I have a feeling that his silhouette is tugging at my heartstrings.

My sensors are probably not wrong, as several guys are throwing glances at me just by standing there with their phones in their hands.

It may be early to say, but this heart-thumping is real.

Chat app, glad I did.

"Here you go!"

Mr. M looked up at the sound of my voice.

Her large, absorbing eyes meet mine.

"Oh, hello...?"

Mr. M turned his back on me during the process.

I, too, turned my head up big time.

A human body, which should have been Mr. M., is at the end of his gaze.

The advice I received from a friend yesterday came to my mind.

─ ─ When you meet someone online, why don't you at least exchange a picture of your face? Because they might be old acquaintances.

...... but that's not why.

"You don't think my ex-girlfriend is coming, do you?"

"I'm talking to you."

Thus I reconnected with my ex-girlfriend on a chat app.

The chirping of cicadas, not befitting the city, seemed to be laughing at our reunion.

◇◆

"I'm too embarrassed ...... I didn't say anything weird, did I ......? No, I'm fine. All I had was healthy chit-chat. ......"

Yuzuki Manami.

It's my ex-girlfriend, whom I dated for about a year since my sophomore year of high school, and who now has her head in her hands in front of me.

Incidentally, it had been two years since I had spoken to him face to face.

"What, you say weird stuff to other people? I'm pulling."

"I'm not. There's no one else on that app that I've been messaging with at all."

After Manami excused herself, she took a straw she was holding and stuck it into my chest with a buzzard.

"I remember you trying to get me into a weird mood one time. The only time you asked me in a roundabout way how many times I'd been in a relationship, I wasn't sure whether to message you or not."

"I didn't mean it, stop it! Seriously, let's just forget about this with each other."

"Well, let's just get it over with."

Manami exhales and takes a seat.

Originally, we had planned to have dinner together today, but now we are settled in a café that was right in front of us.

I am not excited enough to go out for a drink as soon as we meet again.

"......, I mean, you blocked my line."

"Oh, did I?"

"I did, when I was a senior in high school. I noticed it because he never returned the line I sent him after the graduation ceremony."

"When did you bring this up, little man?"

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no."

"Yes."

Manami interrupts me by saying so.

When I pressed on, Manami drank her café latte and raised her hand toward the waitress.

There's still a little coffee left in my cup.

In other words, that's what it would mean.

Unless by some crazy coincidence we met on a chat app, there was no way that we could have ever met again, just the two of us.

Neither of us came here today with that intention.

If so, it would be quite natural for them to break up at this point.

"I'll pay for this place."

At the very least, I took my wallet out of my bag.

It's a brand new wallet I bought with the money from my part-time job.

The cost of the café may not be much, but it will make a better impression than splitting the bill.

But Manami blandly frowned.

"What are you talking about?"

I blinked my eyes.

Perhaps during this period of not seeing each other, she has developed negative thoughts about being bought a drink by a man?

However, the words that followed were unexpected.

"You're coming too. I was going to eat something delicious today, but I've been holding back all week. And this is the price? A latte? I can't believe it. I can't, I can't, I'm coming."

"...... diet will help you lose weight, even your brain, boo!"

Before he can finish, he is hit by Manami's bag.

It's my fault for trying to say something I didn't want, but it's more than double payback.

While I was holding my zinging, aching cheek, the waitress came over.

"I'll just put it all on my credit card."

The #1 coolest thing a guy can say on a date, the line you've always wanted to say.

But ironically, it wasn't me who uttered those words.

I look up and see Manami looking down at me and opening his mouth.

"Now it's your turn to buy me a drink."

"I'm pretty sure it costs more that way, that's what I thought!"

I ranted in protest at his tone of voice, but Manami sat up with a look of unconcern on his face.

"It's annoying. You're bothering people."

Leaving such a doozy at the end, Manami leaves the restaurant first.

I thought grudgingly as I hurriedly bowed my head to those around me.

I couldn't say no even though he forced me to... maybe somewhere in my heart, I knew that this reunion...

No, no.

He sniffs and follows Manami.

The sound of the chime signaling the exit of the restaurant followed my back.

"Hey, are you at the restaurant you want yet? How long do you want me to walk?"

Not even trying to hide her sullen tone of voice, Manami complained to me.

It had been about thirty minutes since we left the cafe.

For the first ten minutes or so we walked around making small talk while taking in the sights of the city, but we are no longer conversing.

"I told you it would be soon."

I said so, but I was also impatient inside.

Manami, aka Mr. M, said in his message, 'I might want to go to a restaurant where I can eat meat dishes.

I was so elated that I checked the Internet in advance and was certain that the corresponding store was in this area. However, I could not find it at all.

Not only that, but the number of restaurants is clearly decreasing as we walk along.

"Are you sure it's around here?"

"He said yes."

He lightly brushes off Manami's questioning.

The next time I found a restaurant with a stylish exterior, I decided to enter it.

True, I would have preferred to eat at a place I had researched beforehand, but it's better than being thought to be unable to find the restaurant I was looking for.

As a man and as an ex ...... fake ex-lover.

I want to look a little better to my ex-girlfriend whom I haven't seen in a long time.

As I was thinking about this, Manami suddenly pointed to a billboard a few dozen meters away.

"Hey, what about over there? Doesn't that look good?"

"Hmm?"

As I approached, I found a signboard with a variety of menu items handwritten in pop letters. Drinks seem to start at 400 yen per drink, which is a good price range.

The exterior of the restaurant is plain, but it is not an important issue since the restaurant is apparently located in the basement.

Above all, it was fortuitous that it was Manami's own choice.

Now I won't have to make an unnecessary show of it either.

"Great. Let's go in."

When I replied, Manami blinked her eyes.

"I was surprised at how easy it was for you. Didn't you do a lot of research beforehand?"

"I guess so, but the most important thing is whether they enjoy it. But the most important thing is that they enjoy themselves."

I can't say that I was saved because I was just lost, so I give a plausible reply.

However, Manami's reaction seems to be positive.

"I'll make it up to you. That's a good point. I'll let you off the hook for all the walking you've done."

"That's a no-no."

I replied, and I went down to the basement.

When the heavy door was opened, the cozy private rooms with a sense of closure were visible at the end of the corridor.

The atmosphere is somewhat different from that of the pop-up signage.

"Welcome."

The master, who must have been in his mid-thirties, raised the corners of his mouth in a small gesture before bowing. His condescending bow made my spine straighten involuntarily.

"Oh, two adults."

I held up two fingers, and Manami muttered in a dazed voice, "Do you need the phrase 'adult'?" I held up two fingers.

We're not used to this, I think, and pretend not to hear.

I felt like I would dig my grave no matter what I said.

"Yes, sir."

The master again modestly bows his head and leads us both to a private room at the far end.

At that time, several private rooms came into view from the hallway, but none of them seemed to have any guests in them yet.

Two sofas are set across a relatively small table.

I had the impression that it was a very unusual form, but I had to keep that to myself because if I said so, it would reveal that I had not done my research beforehand.

When the master was gone and they were alone, Manami finally opened her mouth.

"Not a lot of customers."

"It's not even eighteen o'clock yet. Few working people drink at this hour."

"...... that's true too."

Manami seems satisfied and opens the menu list that was beside him.

"The food looks delicious and the price is reasonable. The price is reasonable."

"Oh, let me see."

Manami hears my words and spreads out the menu list in the middle of the table.

Apparently, the restaurant specializes in roast beef, etc., and although there are no photos, the lineup is exciting, even if only from the text.

"That's good."

Manami calls the master, clearly in a better mood than before.

Then, after ordering from the food menu, he called out to me as if he had noticed me.

"What would you like to drink?"

"Raw for now."

"Well, I'm Shandigaf."

Orders seem to be placed directly with the master, and they have to be called in every step of the way.

I am not accustomed to such fashionable restaurants, so it may seem inconvenient, but I will try to remain calm and deal with the situation.

The drink arrives quickly, and Manami tilts the glass slightly toward us.

"Here, cheers."

"Male."

The glass clinked and I slurped down a draft beer.

When I first started drinking beer, all I could tolerate was bitterness, but recently I have become somewhat accustomed to it.

My senior said to drink it by the throat, and I think I'm beginning to understand what that means. Still, I still can't drink it well.

"You can drink beer."

"Well, yeah."

When I nodded, Manami giggled and then let out a big sigh.

"I'm too busy to have a drink with you. I never thought you and I would be drinking alone."

"That's my line. Give me back my Mr. M, seriously."

"I'm the one who gave him back to you. You give me back my K-kun."

"K-kun..."

"I don't want it. I'm getting dizzy thinking it's you inside."

"Damn you, you're rude!"

When I bite, Manami cries out in a helpless manner.

When we were dating, he stood up for me a little more.

He is the center of the class and a celebrity at school.

Early in our dating period, I repeatedly heard whispers that we were clearly not balanced.

I gradually stopped hearing such stories because Manami was telling people about me in a positive way.

Yuzuki Manami seems to like this part of Kinugasa.

I see, it's true, there may be a side to this, if you ask me... Even though I had done nothing myself, my reputation only grew over time.

I had a desire for self-expression as much as anyone else, but I had never been able to stand out, and it is deeply etched in my memory that I suddenly found myself in the brightest spotlight in the school.

The reason I didn't make the painful mistake of being a young sophomore in high school was because I was aware that it was only a fake relationship.

But the line was also blocked, so our relationship was not all good at the end of the day.

We were young at the time, though, so some parts of us had no choice.

"I'm not sure if it's you inside or not. When I think of you inside, there is something really harsh in your words. Well, maybe I am too."

"Yes, and you're also talking about your views on love, which I didn't even ask you about..."

"It's better than asking me in a roundabout way how many people I've had!"

"I didn't ask you! How many guys have you been with, that's all I asked!"

"I said that's far-fetched, and at my age that's what you meant by that question!"

Manami was about to lean over to us, but managed to lift his chin as if he had stopped.

"But that's good, isn't it? You must be relieved to know that I haven't changed since high school."

"Now that I know you're Mr. M, I don't care how many times I've been through it."

"See, I knew you were going to ask."

When I tried to argue with Manami, who laughed with a loose-lipped smile, the door of the private room rattled open.

The master arranges the platters of roast beef, potato salad, sea bream carpaccio, and Caesar salad one after another.

It's fine to hate each other, but it's not something you can continue to do until you have this food in front of you.

Manami seemed to share my opinion and offered me a glass, saying, "Let's end this barren argument now".

I gladly respond by clinking glasses in toast.

"I heard you're not supposed to make too much noise with these things."

"I hear that. Well, it's a private room."

"Oh yeah, as long as it tastes good. Hah~ I'm glad I worked so hard on my diet! I can eat without a care in the world!"

Manami's big eyes sparkle as she says this.

She has fresh white skin, a stringy nose, and absorbing light-colored eyes that are accentuated by her long, curved eyelashes.

The thin clothing makes the lines of the body visible, even if one does not want to see them, but it is clear that they are more polished than they were in high school.

With an exquisite appearance that combined elegance and glamour, it was no wonder that the boys around her were turning to her.

Looking at it again, it seemed natural that the fact that they were together was ridiculed as a miracle.

Well, it's not a good story to think about.

I scratch the back of my head and then bring the roast beef to my mouth.

As I was tasting the not-too-rare, just-right tenderness, Manami asked me about it.

"How's it going?"

"I can go to ....... It's delicious."

"Hmmm, yes. Fun."

Manami placed the Caesar salad on his own small plate and handed me a pair of tongs.

"That will be 40,000 yen."

"Huh?"

I couldn't help but make a bare-bones noise.

It has been about two hours since I entered the restaurant.

In the corner of the private room after a few cocktails, my body froze.

"The bill is 40,000 yen."

The master taps the slipboard with a strangely gentle expression on his face.

I asked back at the amount of the bill, which he told me again.

"What?Yes, really. ...... No, no, seriously?"

Puzzled, he looks at Manami.

We drank four or five drinks at most. The menu clearly stated that the total cost of all food items on the menu was about 5,000 yen.

So the remaining 35,000 yen was for drinks, but I had no intention of drinking 7,000 yen per drink.

"I'm sorry, are you sure you got the right price? We didn't drink that much. ...... I think your bill is wrong."

Manami asks the master.

"The drink charge is the market price, so that's correct. Are you sure it's not enough?"

"Drinks are market price ......? If that's the case, they should at least clearly state the market price on the menu. I mean, the sign says drinks start at 400 yen..."

At Manami's words, the master's gentle expression suddenly changed. A dangerous scent wafted from each wrinkle.

"So, are you going to pay? Can't you pay?"

Oh, I've been hit.

I realized the moment I witnessed that attitude.

The recent problem of rip-offs has become a hot topic. We had just walked into the very place that was being talked about.

A pop-up signboard that appeared just as the streets were getting less crowded. We were caught in the net.

"What happens if I say I won't pay?"

When I asked, the master lifted the corner of his mouth.

"That being said, I'll have you pay."

"Uh, ......."

There is only one staircase to escape from here, and it is dark and narrow.

It would not be possible to escape with Manami.

Glancing over to check on Manami, she is glaring at the master.

They seemed to have guessed that this was a rip-off restaurant, but they had no intention of abandoning their stance of protest.

At some point, two men were sitting across from each other at a seat near the entrance, clearly keeping an eye on us.

When I saw that, I contemplated.

Unfortunately, I don't like pain.

And just the thought of dealing with two large men in such a closed place is terrifying.

It is obvious what is needed to leave with Manami.

Fortunately, I have 40,000 yen and some more in my wallet.

"I'll pay you."

He took 40,000 yen out of his wallet and placed it vigorously on the table.

"No complaints?"

"Yes, thank you."

The Master again put on a kindly face and stepped back from the passage to the exit.

"Let's go!."

He calls out to Manami and leaves the rip-off store.

As I climbed the stairs, I vowed not to drink for the time being.

"What the hell are you paying me for?"

"What? I'm going to be pissed off?"

I was astonished, as I had expected him to be grateful.

We left the rip-off restaurant and headed toward the station in a busy alley.

Walking next to me, Manami took one look at me with a furrowed brow.

"I didn't want to pay a penny to that kind of place. Why would I spend my precious money in a place like that?"

"Even so, the only way to get out of there unscathed was to pay the bill," he said. And you followed me like an adult after I paid the bill."

"So thank you!"

"It doesn't look like much to me!"

Grumpiness radiates from every knot in his expression.

Combined with his well-defined face, a man who is not immune to Manami would be atwitter, which would surely make him even angrier.

"Anyway, I'm sorry. It's my fault."

"Fine, I'm still a conscientious rip-off and saved the day."

I feel like "conscientious rip-off" is a contradiction in terms, but I won't even think about that right now.

The reason was to quiet Manami, who seemed to be unable to control his anger beside him, as much as possible.

If I had been able to get to the restaurant I had researched beforehand without getting lost, I would not have had to enter the rip-off store in the first place.

Under such circumstances, I am not inclined to blame her for my lighter wallet.

"Aah! I'm so angry!"

Manami stopped and shouted angrily at the sky. Then, without seeming to mind the stares of the people on the street, he pulled out his wallet from his bag.

The vermilion purse looks great with Manami's outfit.

As I was escaping reality with such impressions, Manami's movements froze.

"What's up?"

"............"

"What?"

"...... is not enough. I think we need to split the bill, 20,000 yen. No, it was my choice to go to that restaurant, and I should have..."

"Then I'll take what I have."

Manami showed a bit of a bite in my words.

It's probably because they feel it's their fault that they were overpaid.

I let out a small breath and made up my mind.

"I went into that store because I was convinced, and to be ...... frankly, I was lost. If I had been able to lead you properly, I wouldn't have been ripped off. So, well, it's my fault."

I wasn't sure if I should come out about this, but I couldn't turn my back on it if it would make Manami feel less guilty.

A man's vanity is important to me, but not enough to carry through in a situation like this.

I am sure I will be chastised, and I feel heavy-hearted.

If she had known that I was lost, she would have stopped early to choose a restaurant on her smartphone. But I was the one who made her follow me by repeatedly lying when I made her walk around a lot.

Contrary to my expectations, however, Manami's eyes fluttered and then she put on a soft expression.

"...... doesn't change a thing."

─ ─ An unexpected smile.

The look on his face stimulates my fond memories.

I was surprised, but the next thing I knew, I was told in a gruff voice.

"I'll transfer the money to your account for today. Give me your account number."

"Account number. Got it."

If you're friends, next time you see them.

She would have turned it down in a glorified way.

But the two of us are neither of those things. We are ex-lovers who have broken up in the past. We never went back to being friends, and two years have passed since we stopped talking, and we are estranged from each other.

If so, then a wire transfer to the account is a reasonable means of payment.

I give him my account number verbally and then we walk to the station together.

The faint aroma of sake wafting from the mouth is very pleasant now.

"It may have been a rip-off, but it tasted pretty good."

"That's what I thought, too."

With a final laugh, Manami raised her hand lightly toward me.

"I'm glad to see you're doing well. Glad to see you're doing well."

"You, too. Don't tell each other about today."

I won't say "see you later".

In the two years since our breakup, the circumstances surrounding us have each changed drastically.

We're not even connected on social media, so the next time we see each other will be at a reunion.

Alumni reunions held after they enter the workforce.

Next time, I want to meet him again, not looking good, but as a really big person.

I waved my hand once while secretly thinking so and parted from Manami.

"Oh, I'm going to start saving money tomorrow."

I muttered to myself after buying the ticket.

The account number is total bullshit.

I also gave one more digit, so it would not be transferred to someone else by mistake.

...... I'd like to make this my last look.

With this in mind, I walk to the station premises.

The usually annoying crowd felt strangely comfortable now.

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