62.新入生歓迎会④〜邂逅〜 - I Was Cheated on by My Girlfriend but My Devilish Junior Now Yearns for Me

When I raised my voice to ask, Shinohara opened her mouth with a deeply shocked expression. "W-why do I get intimidated just by being here..." "Oh, no. ...I'm sorry." I apologized, but Shinohara pouted and flailed her arms. "I feel like I haven't gotten any closer to you, Senpai, lately!" "Don't bring that up now; it'll just cause misunderstandings!" As I turned to offer some kind of explanation to Natsuki, I realized she wasn't looking at me, but at Shinohara. Her eyes, behind her black-framed glasses, seemed to narrow slightly, making me instinctively straighten my back. Just as I tried to step between them to prevent Shinohara from saying anything more, Natsuki spoke up. "──Mayu, you're late. I was getting tired of waiting." "Oh, sorry for the wait, Natsuki!" "......Huh?" A voice escaped me before I could stop it. Natsuki brushed past me and adjusted the hairpin in Shinohara's hair. "Your hairpin is a bit out of place. Did you rush here?" "I was in a hurry, but I didn't run—would've tired me out." "That reminds me of when you were late for your part-time job." "H-hey, I did run that time and just barely made it! Don't twist my memories!" "Did you now?" Natsuki teased with a smile at her lips. Then, suddenly, she looked up at me. "By the way, how do you two know each other?" I hesitated, unsure how to respond, but Shinohara spoke first. "I should be the one asking! If I knew Senpai was here, I'd have run properly." "What do you mean by that~?" Natsuki furrowed her brows and pinched Shinohara's cheek. It seemed their relationship was deeper than I had thought. But I soon realized the reason. "Senpai, Natsuki is someone from the part-time job you mentioned before. The one you went on a hot spring trip with." "......So she was the one with Natsuki!" There was someone who quit their job, and without their contact information, meeting again seemed impossible. Before the hot spring trip with Ayaka, Shinohara had muttered gloomily about it. During that trip with Ayaka, when we briefly met Shinohara, she'd mentioned being there with that very person. All those stories had been about Natsuki. ...It wasn't exactly a positive revelation for me. Various reasons contributed to this, but most prominently was a certain suspicion that had been on my mind all morning. Yet, I didn't want to dwell on that suspicion too deeply. It felt wiser to just get through this situation peacefully. "So, what's the relationship between you two?" That’s why I wanted to answer Natsuki’s question carefully. I fell silent, pondering my response. "We're both victims of cheating ex-lovers!" ...Well, that’s done it. Natsuki knew who my ex-girlfriend was, so she struggled to hold back a smile at Shinohara's words, twitching her lips. Shinohara, too, likely never expected that Natsuki might be acquainted with my ex-girlfriend. More than acquaintances, considering the Valentine’s party incident, Reina and Natsuki were likely close friends. "Oh, I see. Mayu was cheated on too, huh? That's surprising." In response to Natsuki's words, Shinohara nodded vigorously. "Yeah, but I'm over it now, so it's fine. Haven't I told you about this, Natsuki?" "No, never heard it. That kind of story, I'd latch onto immediately." "But Senpai here gracefully ignored it when I mentioned it." Shinohara smirked and glanced in my direction, probably recalling our first meal together on Christmas Eve. The over eight-thousand-yen Christmas course was still vivid in my memory. "I wasn't ignoring it. We were just engrossed in other conversations." "Doesn't sound like much of an explanation." Shinohara's exasperated tone was met with a nod from Natsuki. "Yeah, that's not convincing at all." "Don't just agree with her, Natsuki." I sighed and continued. "Weren't you two planning to leave once you joined up?" Shinohara didn't come here for the new member's welcome party; she came to meet Natsuki. I didn’t know where they’d go afterward, but honestly, I hoped they’d leave soon. The reason being, the club's vice president— "Ayaka, I’m going to step out for a bit!" Natsuki waved enthusiastically, and a cheerful "Okay!" replied from afar. Fortunately, with the crowd mingling, Ayaka couldn’t spot us. Her group should be seated and engaged in conversation, and unless we approached, we wouldn’t catch sight of them. "Who was that you just got permission from?" To Shinohara’s casual question, Natsuki answered, "The fellow vice president!" To my unease, Shinohara seemed impressed, her eyes wide. "Sounds like a reliable person. Managing such a large club, wow." "Well, unlike me, she seems quite reliable." "Definitely different from you, Natsuki." "Hey, don't just agree with that!" Natsuki pointed sharply, and Shinohara replied with a mischievous smile, turning her gaze back to me. "So, Senpai, why are you here? Isn’t this the start’s new welcome party?" "Ah... I just helped with the prepping." "Wow, unusual. Can't believe Senpai would volunteer." "What do you think I am...?" Being obsessed with money beyond the norm is natural for a student living alone. Not everyone has Shinohara's financial comfort. ...Come to think of it, my tendency to link volunteer work with money shows that perhaps I’m not suited for it. "Yuta, you’re so weak when it comes to Ayaka. If it were me, I’d definitely refuse." ──For Natsuki, that was probably a casual remark. But I noticed the slight stiffening in Shinohara's usually cheerful and friendly smile. "Natsuki, about this 'Ayaka' you mentioned──" "Oh, Shinohara." My heart skipped a beat. The surroundings had darkened without notice, and the visibility was limited without the aid of streetlights. I hadn't been aware of the approaching presence. Luck must have deserted me since we didn't collide during the trip. ──It marked the second encounter between Shinohara and Ayaka that I knew of.