After breaking up, my ex asked me to win her back

Kagura Hikaru had deviated from his usual route on the way home, which first alerted Kiryu Hina that something wasn't right.

He had been close to the station that would take him home, but he missed it.

At that time, Kiryu Hina just thought he wanted to buy something along the way and didn't take much notice of it.

She did not expect that his final destination would be this kind of place—a love hotel.

A love hotel is not a hotel.

It's about love.

This place charges by the hour, providing a space for couples to do "things."

As for what those things are, of course, they are what adults love to do.

The men and women who gather in such places, needless to say, have clear intentions.

So why were Kagura Hikaru and Kohinata Motoyo here?

"Mister Hikaru... Motoyo... what are you doing?"

At that moment, she asked this question purely out of curiosity.

What were they doing, why were they there, why were they so close together...?

She did not understand; she couldn't comprehend it.

Her mind subconsciously refused to accept the scene before her eyes.

The statuesque and handsome Kagura Hikaru, dressed in a black trench coat, and Kohinata Motoyo, wearing a white fur coat with her hair hanging over her forehead.

They looked good together.

Just like a couple you'd see in a wedding advertisement.

Probably what you'd call the ideal couple.

Seeing her, Kagura Hikaru visibly panicked, becoming flustered.

"Hina?! What are you doing here, wait, it's not what you think, I really didn't...!"

"Calm down, Kagura," Kohinata Motoyo said, holding his shoulder and giving a wry smile, "I'll handle this."

"You....!" Kagura Hikaru seemed very angry and wanted to say something to Kohinata Motoyo, but after seeing her expression, he quelled his fury, stepped back silently, and went off to cool down alone.

Kohinata Motoyo looked worriedly at him, brushed his chest with her hand, but he pushed her away.

"Kagura...."

Her expression briefly saddened, then she forced a smile, turned her head, and walked up close to Kiryu Hina.

"Good evening, Hina. I'm so sorry for letting you see us in such an embarrassing state. Although I knew it would come out eventually, I didn't expect it to happen here."

"Motoyo."

At that moment, Kiryu Hina, even she herself was surprised by her calm, as if all emotions had been erased. What appeared on her face was sheer expressionlessness.

"Could you tell me what you were doing kissing outside a love hotel?"

Faced with such a straightforward question, even Kohinata Motoyo couldn't help but look embarrassed.

She turned to look at the love hotel and then back again, "Today is Christmas, right? It's a day worth commemorating for couples. So, I wanted to commemorate it here, by giving away my first time."

"Giving away... what?"

"My virginity."

"To whom?"

"Kagura Hikaru, the person I love."

"..."

"I caused him to cheat, I'm sorry, it was all my fault."

...Huh.... haha...

All this was so absurd it felt like a dream.

Was she dreaming? It must be, right?

Her boyfriend, and her best friend, went to a love hotel on Christmas... just after their date.

Kiryu Hina didn't quite remember what happened afterwards.

—Just kidding, how could she forget?

Being betrayed by both her boyfriend and her best friend at the same time—could such a sensational experience really be forgotten by anyone?

At least her memory of it was sharp enough to be engraved on her tombstone after death.

"Why....."

"Why did I do such a thing, is that what you want to ask?"

Kohinata Motoyo gave a bitter smile, tilting her head, her sleek black hair swaying. Her eyes were full of undeniable turmoil and distress.

Just like, yes, just like a girl in love.

Kiryu Hina's heart thumped uncontrollably.

Her charm was effective on girls as well.

"I like him."

Kohinata Motoyo said, "I like him so much that I can't pull myself away, just like you. It's as simple as that."

"I don't understand something like that... I don't understand!" Kiryu Hina finally changed her expression, shouting angrily and even drawing the attention of passersby, "The Suse I know wouldn't do such a thing! Even if you liked him, you shouldn't—"

"Hina, you just don't understand."

Suddenly, Kohinata Motoyo interrupted.

This made Kiryu Hina catch her breath.

She had never experienced such a thing.

Suse doing something as rude as interrupting someone, she had never seen such a thing.

...No, in the end, her being with her own boyfriend was the biggest distortion.

Kohinata Motoyo, she was no longer the Kohinata Motoyo she knew.

Then who was this person in front of her?

She didn't understand, she really didn't understand, can the world change so fast?

"Saying I don't understand, what do you mean? Are you saying I don't understand love, or are you saying I don't understand the special preference of someone cheating with a friend's lover?"

Kiryu Hina stepped back half a step, her gaze looking towards Kagura Hikaru not far ahead.

Happiness, and love,

all turned into hatred.

"So it is, so it is, after all, I was the only one kept in the dark. Just how much have you done behind my back, taking for granted the trust I placed in you... "

Once doubts started, all past memories began to feel wrong.

At school, sometimes she would be late to the club for some reason, and by that time Kagura Hikaru and Suse had already started practicing, just the two of them alone in the club rehearsing the play—but, was it really just practice?

There were always idlers around Suse, and Kiryu Hina sometimes heard rumors spread about her for chatting alone with her own boyfriend, at the time she only smiled about it, not taking it seriously—but, was it really just chatting?

Not long ago, a text message arrived on Kagura Hikaru's phone; he said it was from his father, urging him to come home—but, was the person on the other end of the phone really his father?

The whirlpool of doubt kept spinning, pulling her in, swallowing her up.

She felt as powerless as a lone boat on the sea, mercilessly dragged into the center of the whirlpool and mercilessly shattered.

Unknowingly, tears streamed down her face.

She didn't want to cry, not in front of her boyfriend and his lover; she didn't want to cry.

Kiryu Hina forcefully grasped her cheeks with both hands.

Perhaps frightened by the tears, Kohinata Motoyo became somewhat panicked, "I'm sorry, Hina, I'm really sorry, but please don't blame Kagura, it's my fault, I was the one who—"

"Don't talk anymore." Kagura Hikaru came over and, without even looking at her, pushed Kohinata Motoyo away.

"Kagura...?"

"Let's go, don't say anything else, I'll explain."

"..."

Suse hesitated before leaving.

It was this aspect of her that made people feel sympathetic, almost obedient to those close to her.

Gentle, passive.

Initially, she had been proposed by others to run for the Student Council election, as her popularity could definitely secure her a position as Student Council President.

But Suse refused, for this very reason – she couldn't reject others' requests easily, so she definitely would not make a good leader.

Ah, so it is like that.

Kiryu Hina suddenly realized.

Just as the growth of a person takes time, one cannot suddenly change.

She hadn't been mistaken about her impression of Suse; she still was that naïve, kind-hearted, perfect girl.

Then who was actually at fault?

"Hina, now I'm going to tell you everything I've done."

Kagura Hikaru said this, her own boyfriend said this.

He was someone who loved to smile, his smile often enchanted girls at school.

But now, he was numb, expressionless.

"Half a year ago, I started to like Suse and she liked me back, so we began seeing each other behind your back. Holding hands, hugging, kissing, dating, everything I did with you, I also did with her—this continued for half a year. That's the truth."

Slap!

Kiryu Hina slapped him with all her might.

"We are done."

"...Yes."