【2巻記念SS 】大学生のクリスマス〜過去⓪〜 - I Was Cheated on by My Girlfriend but My Devilish Junior Now Yearns for Me

"What do you think of Christmas?" Freshman year of college, winter. The day before the Christmas party in the seminar room, held after exams. While gazing at the mountain of sweets laid out on the desk and the presents on the chairs, I asked Ayaka. She paused her gift wrapping tasks and responded, "Why are you asking so suddenly?" "Well, it's just that back in high school, you didn't seem to enjoy Christmas much." "Things have changed since then. My surroundings, and myself, too." High school and college. Ayaka as a high schooler and Ayaka as a college student. There's no doubt there's a significant difference between the two. "Indeed, since you started university, you've become quite the sociable character. Seeing results?" "Absolutely, huge results. I'm so into it now that I'm even volunteering to prepare for parties like this." Recalling the high school Ayaka, it's a bit moving to see her willingly participate in such a party. As I placed the wrapped presents on the chair, I thought about it. "I admit, at first it felt awkward. But once you get used to it, this is definitely more comfortable." "Then treat me a little better too, will you? I mean, I’d love a personal Christmas present." When I said that, a snack you can buy at Byodoin Temple was thrown my way. Caught off guard while lounging, I missed catching it. "Don't throw snacks!" "Haha, sorry, sorry. Just eat it and forgive me." With an abundance of snacks available, eating one shouldn't be a problem. I opened the package and tossed a snack into my mouth. It's annoying, but I find myself forgiving such a trivial thing. "Done!" Ayaka placed the wrapped gift on an empty chair and clapped her hands happily. "Great job. I wonder whose gift I'll get." At this Christmas party held after exams, every seminar member pre-purchased a gift to be placed on a chair in advance. Seats are randomly assigned, and each person gets the gift on the chair they end up sitting in. Ayaka and I left the seminar room, continuing our chat while locking up the room. The hallway was already decked out for Christmas, almost like a little illumination display. "I'd like a fancy present. How much did you spend on yours?" "About a thousand yen, I guess." "What color bag is your present in?" "Trying to cheat? You really want mine that badly?" "No, it's so I don't sit in your spot. I told you, I want a fancy gift." "May you be punished..." I inadvertently let out an exasperated sigh. At that moment, my pocket vibrated. Checking my phone, I saw a message from Reina. "Can I call you now?" it read. It's probably about the Christmas dinner plans. “Sorry, I've got a call coming from my girlfriend soon.” "...You bought her something nice, right? If you gave her a thousand-yen present too, I’ll get angry on her behalf." Ayaka looked at me suspiciously. Deeply offended, I replied, "Of course, it's more expensive than that. Don't worry." "Still nervous... What if it’s just fifteen hundred yen..." "I'm not a high schooler!" Raising my voice, the phone's ringtone began to play. A popular song's intro resonated down the hallway. “Well, catch you later.” “Sure, sure. Have a nice time.” "Sure thing." Ayaka gave a brief wave before heading down the stairs ahead of me. Once her figure disappeared, I finally hit the call button. "Hey there." "It's about time! What were you doing?" Reina's voice, warm and slightly sultry, filled my ear. I liked it a lot. "Just setting up for the Christmas party. I was chatting with a friend, so I missed your message, sorry." Hearing this, Reina sighed playfully, "Sounds fun." “My school’s an all-girls university, so we don’t really have those kinds of gatherings. Maybe parties are just easier when there are guys around." "That makes sense. With just guys, at least, there wouldn’t be any presents involved..." The idea of exchanging gifts was something suggested by the girls. If it were just us guys, the Christmas party would definitely turn into a plain drinking session. "But this year, I've got Yuta-kun for Christmas. Ha, I'm a winner!" I could vividly imagine Reina with her chest puffed out proudly. In my mind's eye, she looked adorable. Of course, she’s actually very cute too in reality. "I'm genuinely glad if you’re satisfied with someone like me." Honestly, if Reina attended a co-ed university, there’d be countless guys wanting to be her boyfriend. The fact I started dating her was largely because she's at an all-girls school, and I approached her early on at the university festival held there. If I hadn’t approached her, some other guy would have for sure. Even if she didn’t end up dating anyone back then, she’d have similar chances every year. The fact we crossed paths within just half a year of becoming a university student was remarkably lucky. "Excuse me, where can I find the relaxation room?" "Huh?" A high school girl with brown hair was addressing me. Realizing I was on the phone, she quickly bowed her head apologetically. "Up these stairs and right at the top." "Oh, thank you so much...!" The high school girl gave one more deep bow before making her way up the stairs. "Who was that?" "A high school girl asking for directions. She must have come for a campus tour on her own." "At this time of year! Yuta-kun's university must be pretty popular. Usually, you don't see high schoolers coming around now." "Not really. I bet students look around yours too." "They do, but didn't you say she came inside all by herself? It takes a lot of dedication to do that." Once she pointed it out, she might be right. Though I often see high school students visiting, they normally come in groups. A high school girl visiting alone during the Christmas season must be a rarity. "I hope she gets accepted." "Yeah, I'd want to cheer for her too. Go get it!" "Totally. I’d be genuinely happy to see her next year." "You say that, but I bet you won't remember her face." With that comment, I put a finger to my chin and thought. She seemed really cute, but since I was on the phone with Reina, my recollection was fuzzy. "I was on the phone, so nope, can't remember her at all. I was too focused on our call." "Oh really... since that makes me happy, maybe I should be the one to book our dinner reservation." "No, no, let me at least do that. Give me a moment to show off a little. I'll make the reservations." With that, I pulled up the list I had picked out online. The street was lined with chic French and Italian restaurants, and all that was left was to coordinate with the budget. "Hehe, I'm looking forward to it. That's why I called—reservations are starting to fill up around this time." "True, it's about time. I'll make a quick reservation right after this call." "I leave it to you!" "I've got it." While I was on the phone with Reina, the hallway's illuminations seemed to shine even more brightly. I'm sure if I were single, I wouldn't feel this way. As these thoughts crossed my mind, I noticed something that wasn't there earlier lying in the hallway. —It was a student ID. The name read Mayu Shinohara. I likely wouldn't remember it for long, but it had a nice, pleasant ring to it. "What's up?" "Oh, there's a student ID on the floor. It probably belongs to that high school girl from earlier; I'm going to return it." Reina chuckled gently. "That's one thing I like about you—how kind you are." "Stop it, it's embarrassing. You're making me grin." "But it's true. Should I hang up while you return it?" "Yeah, probably a good idea. I'll just hand it over and call you right back." "Okay. Talk to you later." The call ended. After verifying this, I examined the student ID again. The photo showed a girl with black hair, making me wonder when she dyed it brown. I hoped it wasn't stress from exam preparation that made her do it. With a wry smile, I headed toward the stairs. ◇◆ —In the end, the high school girl wasn't in the relaxation room. No one was inside when I checked the relaxation room. She must have just peeked in from the outside and then moved on to another building. Finding her would take time at this rate. So, I took the student ID to the student affairs office as a lost item. I had already forgotten her name, but in my heart, I prayed to Christ that she'll be accepted at this university. When I stepped outside and looked up at the sky, snow began to fall as if in response to my hope. As I reached out to touch the snowflakes, my phone rang. I must have taken longer than expected, and she probably couldn't wait any longer. With a sense of happiness, I couldn't help but smile. Having never spent Christmas with a girlfriend before, this year's Christmas would certainly be special. With fingers going numb with cold, I pressed the call button. "Yayyy, it's snowing!" Reina's playful voice resonated through the phone. —I'm really looking forward to this Christmas. Listening to Reina's laughter, I realized I was genuinely excited.