“What do you want?” I spoke in a sharp tone that didn’t fit the lively atmosphere of the izakaya at all.
What more could possibly be said between us? Even when I went shopping with Ayaka and ran into Reina, we ended up parting ways without saying much of anything…though the way she’d said “see you” had lingered in my mind.
“Sorry for calling out of nowhere.”
“It’s fine. Been a while since you last rang.”
“Yeah. I figured you might’ve blocked me on LINE, so…”
“No…” I’d thought about it after we broke up, but I decided that it would probably be childish, because why would she contact me anyway? Right now, though, I wondered if setting a firm boundary like that would be necessary to move on.
“Are you busy?” she asked, probably hearing the commotion in the joint behind me.
“Just at a drinking party with a friend’s circle. If you need something, make it quick, please.”
There was a pause. I idly listened to the commotion from outside the door.
“Okay. Like I said when we ran into each other recently, I was wondering if we could meet up some time.”
So that wasn’t just you being polite? I swallowed the words before they could leave my mouth. It wasn’t the time to fight. I just wanted to get this call over with as quickly and painlessly as possible.
“No, thank you.”
“Why?”
Why? What do you mean, why?
That was the last thing I’d expected her to ask. I glared at my phone screen. Would she not get it unless I painstakingly spelled it out for her?
“Yuuta-kun?”
I seriously considered just hanging up. As I hesitated over how to respond, the door opened behind me. Ayaka had come to check up on me.
“Hey, there you are—oh, are you on the phone? Sorry.”
“You’re fine,” I reassured her.
“Is that your girlfriend?” Reina’s question gave me an idea of what she was thinking. She probably thought we’d put her cheating behind us—that we were a blank slate now. Maybe her question just now had no ulterior motive beyond pure curiosity. It was just my imagination, but it was what I believed nonetheless. While I stayed quiet, she asked another question, “Have you been busy lately?”
“Not really. I just go to my circle sometimes.”
“Okay. Same as always, huh?”
Same as always. We’d been together long enough for her to say something like that. I was starting to think this would go on forever unless I cut her off now. But even now, talking with her made my heart flutter.
I frowned a little.
Why was I letting this call go on for so long? I’d already decided that thinking about Reina would lead to nothing good. Was there something I wanted to talk about? Something I wanted to ask? Or just…
I half-forced myself to say, “What does it matter to you? Don’t call me again.” The voices in the izakaya grew louder, as if resonating with the stifled emotions in my voice.
Reina gasped on the other end of the call. “Oh…” Given the long pause, it was a short reply.
There was nothing left to say. Having decided that, I moved my thumb toward the “hang up” button, hoping to blot out the emotions passing through my mind.
As I pressed it, I heard her say, “I didn’t cheat on you, okay?”
My eyes went wide as the call ended.
What did she just say? It sounded like she said she didn’t cheat. She was holding hands with another man at my house. If that isn’t cheating, what is it? What, did she get a job as a pretend girlfriend, or something?
“What was that?” Ayaka asked, concerned. “Just now.”
“Don’t ask, please.”
No way am I making her worry about me just because of that conversation with Reina.
There should have been no way for her to know that I was talking with my ex just now, but it’d be obvious to anyone that I was in an argument. I was at least self-aware enough to know how I looked right now.
“Okay…I won’t, then.”
Mad at myself for making her uncomfortable, I bit my lip. But she patted me on the shoulder and added, “Either go home and rest, or drink and blow off some steam. If you’re going home now, I’ll pay your share for tonight.”
I gazed at her in surprise. There was a genuinely kind look on her face.
I pondered for a moment, but eventually said, “I choose drinking.”
Frankly, I doubted drinking would help me release all of my pent-up emotions, but I’d feel even worse if I let Reina ruin this experience that Ayaka had kindly made for me.
She smiled at my response.
When we went back through the curtains into the izakaya, the circle members’ voices had gotten louder. Everyone had just finished moving seats.
“I think I’ll move to the seat next to you,” Ayaka said. “You were lonely, weren’t you?”
“Don’t be silly. I was having tons of fun.”
“I wondeeer…” She smirked and walked toward the seat she’d been at.
When she took her glass, the people around her lamented, “Nooo, you’re leaving?!”
She apologized with a smile and moved to an empty seat. Then, she turned alongside Natsuki and waved to me.
“On my way!” I called out.
There were a lot of people here, so every part of the izakaya was filled with laughter and cheer. I wrapped myself in that noise like a warm, comforting blanket.