第103話 いざデートへ① - I Was Cheated on by My Girlfriend but My Devilish Junior Now Yearns for Me

Ding, ding, ding. Three days after the proposal for a trial relationship was brought up, it was lunchtime. The intercom was pressed repeatedly, and I picked up the receiver before the ringing stopped. As expected, Shinohara’s face appeared on the monitor. The mischievous junior seemed a bit put out that the button pressing wasn’t causing any noise. “What’s up, hey.” Shinohara pouted at my casual and somewhat blunt greeting. “Senpai! Your language is terrible!” “Sorry. Bye.” “Ah, wait—” Ignoring whatever Shinohara was about to say, I hung up. The intercom rang again, and the monitor flickered back on. This time, filling the entire screen was a set of keys with a snow leopard keychain. “Senpai, I have the keys right now, you know.” She likely intended to convey that she could unlock the door at any time. I sighed and replied in a flat tone. “That’s pushing it, you know.” “I’m aware, so I’m just keeping it as a threat, aren’t I?” “You know it’s a threat?! …Anyway, I'm about to eat lunch. I don't have any for you, though. Is that okay?” “Would you just let me in for now!” “Ugh, fine.” “Senpai, today’s gift is GODIVA chocolates.” “Oh, then sure, come in.” Sadly, as a guy living alone, I couldn’t resist the allure of fancy chocolates. I heard the click of the lock and Shinohara’s cheerful voice coming from the entryway. “Senpai, may I come in?” “GODIVA!” “Okay, here I come!” Shinohara entered just as the words left my mouth, the front door closing simultaneously. When she finally appeared, she was wearing a light pink knit sweater and, surprisingly, pink-gold earrings. I felt a slight flutter, a reaction driven by the instinct that men have a fondness for things that sway. “Right, Senpai, I'm visiting again this week.” Saying this, Shinohara handed me a luxurious gift bag. It truly contained GODIVA chocolates, garnering a spontaneous “Wow!” from me. For a male college student living alone, luxury chocolates were nearly a foreign entity. Money off the top from my living expenses often ended up spent on trivial things. Before dating Reina, I spent it on mobile game extras, most of which turned into nothing. If only I had that money now, I could accomplish more, but lamenting is pointless. The only current issue is the humiliating fact that I've been completely tamed by these chocolates. “But hey, if it makes me happy, I can't help it!” “If they keep you in a good mood for a week, they're a bargain.” “I’m so predictable, huh?” Shinohara has this clever tactic of bringing nice gifts occasionally. Unless I'm extremely drowsy, I always end up letting her into the house. “Senpai, it's Saturday. Don’t you have work or something?” “Not today. I'm planning to relax and enjoy the GODIVA.” “That’s… not a verb.” Shinohara replied with a slightly exasperated tone, then continued. “By the way, Senpai, have you thought about it? The trial relationship thing?” “Yeah, I’m okay with it.” “Right? I thought about it more once I got home and realized I might have been slightly pushing it. I didn’t mean to disregard your feelings—” “It’s fine.” “Still, I was being inconsiderate… wait, what?” Shinohara blinked a few times before quickly getting up. “You should’ve said that sooner! I rambled on with pointless excuses for nothing!” “I’ve been saying it the whole time!” Reina had asked me twice, so even though I hesitated until the end, I decided to go ahead with it, no turning back. However, it seemed that Shinohara had expected and accepted the possibility of my refusal, making me wonder if accepting the trial relationship was actually the wrong choice. If rejecting it would solve things smoothly, that would have been best. “Maybe I should—” “No backing out now. I already got you to say it.” “What happened to my human rights?” “A slip of the tongue can cause trouble, you know! ...Who are you calling trouble!” “Don’t argue with yourself!” When I raised my voice, Shinohara burst into laughter. “Alright, it's settled then. I have plenty of things I want to confirm with you, Senpai.” “What do you want to confirm?” Even as I asked, I could somewhat guess Shinohara’s answer. At the same time, I resigned myself to the idea that this week might be quite draining. “Well, you see—” With that, Shinohara sat down. As she did, her neckline gave a quick peek. The spring clothing allowed a glimpse of what seemed to be a black camisole, prompting me to avert my gaze. This wasn’t lucky, because— “Senpai, today it’s okay to look. After all, I’m your girlfriend now!” “Keep your distance.” “Verbal abuse!” It was all calculated fashion with a hint of teasing. Given that it was underwear meant to be seen, Shinohara herself likely felt no embarrassment. Guys like genuine underwear, the kind that would get you in trouble if seen by accident. “Could you not degrade genuine underwear like that?” “I don’t really get it, but fine. I wore a cardigan properly until I got here, you know.” “Wait, that’s just for show, isn’t it?” I asked while keeping my eyes glued to the tablet. On the screen, a recording of a martial arts match I'd been watching earlier played silently. “It’s for you to see, Senpai. I don’t show this to just anyone. Though, well, the real thing is underneath… Want to see that too?” “I’ll kick you out.” “Right.” Expecting my response, she narrowed her eyes nostalgically. “You said the same thing the first night we spent together, didn’t you?” “Technically correct, but that phrasing is misleading.” The first night Shinohara stayed here was around mid-January. I can recall vividly because it was the night Reina called, saying, “I haven’t cheated.” The circumstances surrounding me have changed significantly since then. So have my feelings toward Shinohara. “Since we met, it’s been about half a year, hasn’t it?” “Oh, the Santa costume incident.” I smirked. I intended to tease Shinohara, but she unexpectedly gave me a smug look. “It really suited me, didn’t it? Anyone else would’ve looked silly.” “You were always like that, huh.” “Hey, that’s rude!” Shinohara's face showed dissatisfaction. I apologized twice, “My bad, my bad,” and sighed. "So basically, you want to experience something normal between people who don't hold back with one another, right?" "Exactly. Unlike with Yudo-Senpai, you've agreed this time, Senpai. So, I figured things won't get unnecessarily complicated!" "Even if things don't get complicated, anyone with common sense wouldn't enter a trial relationship." The term "trial relationship" is something you might hear in manga, but living a normal university life, you're unlikely to encounter anyone actually doing it. In manga, it's often depicted that due to circumstances involving their parents, characters are forced into trial relationships. But such things rarely occur in reality. At least, for an average person like me, it's definitely a distant notion. "There might be some people with common sense who do trial relationships though, right?" "Where would that be? We're practically adults now." In manga, the settings where trial relationships occur are mostly middle or high schools. It's at those ages—when self-determination is lacking—that such ambiguous relationships can exist. For us, who have reached an age where we must decide everything for ourselves, it's clearly unsuitable. Unlike those middle or high school scenarios, when you imagine a trial relationship for college students, it often seems like a messy affair. I voiced this thought entirely, and Shinohara laughed unabashedly. "On the contrary, a trial relationship is the result of increased self-determination." "How do you mean? Explain." Feeling a bit defensive after my logic was laughed off, I asked. Shinohara remained completely unfazed, raising her index finger decisively. "For those who are dating with marriage in mind, it’s quite common to be in trial relationships with multiple people. Even if there are several good matches, ultimately you have to choose one. In a way, it’s those faced with the toughest decision who experience trial relationships." "...Where did you get that bit of wisdom?" "...From a dating show." We fell into a brief silence. Shinohara and I locked eyes, and then gradually, her gaze wandered to the side.