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

The first class after lunch break ended.

It was a break between classes.

Ayakoji Chiyoko and Kohinata Motoyo walked along the corridor of the special classrooms.

It was a place in the teaching building where few people came, visited only when classes such as chemistry and cooking, which required special equipment, were held.
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Ayakoji Chiyoko stopped in front of one of the classroom doors and opened it.

Inside was a dance studio, which usually served as the practice venue for the school's dance club.

The floor was covered with wood planks, the classroom's front and rear walls had been converted into mirrors, and two horizontal steel bars, which dancers typically use to stretch their legs, were fixed on the sides near the windows. They were wrapped in a layer of sponge, probably to prevent injuries.

Now that the lunch break was over, and it wasn't yet time to go home, no one would come here.

It was certainly a good place for a conversation.

"Even if no one comes, it's not so good to just enter without permission," one said.

"Well, you still came in, didn't you?" replied the other.

"Ah, I accidentally..."

Ayakoji Chiyoko looked at Kohinata Motoyo, who was cautious and looked around at the doorway, and somewhat grasped her character.

She was indeed a missy from a wealthy family, just as Sakata Asahi had said.

"Speaking of which, we haven't formally introduced ourselves yet," Ayakoji Chiyoko said, hand on hip. "I'm Ayakoji Chiyoko, the eldest daughter of the Ayakoji family. Ryoma Ayakoji, also known as Ayanokoji Daisuke, is my father."

Ryoma Ayakoji was a stage name; her father's real name was 'Daisuke,' a rough and hardly idol-like name.

Coming from an upper-class family just like hers should make it easy for her to understand.

"So you are Miss Chiyoko from the Ayakoji family, I've heard much about you. I apologize for my earlier rudeness."

Unlike the casual Ayakoji Chiyoko, Kohinata Motoyo brought her legs together and bowed at the perfect angle, her gracefulness almost making it seem like she was wearing a kimono instead of a school uniform.

"I too have heard of the Kohinata Family. Compared to you, my family might only be considered at the lower levels of the upper class. By rights, I should be bowing back, competing to see whose head can be lower."

Ayakoji Chiyoko, unfazed, said, "But the Kohinata Family, speaking to you now is just 'Ayakoji Chiyoko,' not the 'eldest daughter of the Ayakoji family.' I hope you understand this distinction."

"I see, I understand," Kohinata Motoyo raised her head, a realization dawning with a laugh. "So, there's no need for either of us to be overly polite, and we can simply treat each other as classmates."

"Heh, having both our complicated backgrounds sure makes conversation troublesome."

She shrugged her shoulders, Ayakoji Chiyoko stepped closer, gazing into her eyes, "You should know why I asked you to come here."

Of course, Kohinata Motoyo hadn't forgotten that quickly.

"You want to know about Kagura," she assumed.

"Exactly," Ayakoji Chiyoko took another step closer, cornering her prey with a forceful aura, "Sakata Asahi told me that during his relationship with Kiryu Hina, Kagura Hikaru cheated with another girl, which was you, Kohinata Motoyo."

"Asahi... I didn't expect you to have ties with her, what a small world," she remarked.

"Kiryu Hina has expressed distinct resentment toward Kagura Hikaru, and the latter has also admitted to me personally that the cheating indeed occurred. I find this believable."

Ayakoji Chiyoko took a deep breath, recalling the expression on Kagura Hikaru's face when he mentioned the incident to her twice.

Sorrow, pain, regret.

"However, even so, I still don't believe that's the whole truth. Your presence has confirmed this to me."

"And why is that?"

"Kagura Hikaru is afraid of you, almost as if you are not a former lover, but some sort of calamity... This is not the attitude toward someone with whom one has had an affair."

Upon hearing this, Kohinata Motoyo lost herself in laughter.

Indeed, it was all too clear.

Perhaps it's the clarity of an outsider, even Ayakoji Chiyoko, an outsider could see what Hina completely missed.

Or perhaps, she chose not to understand it.

Once betrayed, it became impossible to trust again, and the thoughts of suspicion couldn't be shaken off the mind, not to mention that Hina was the one who got hurt the most among the three of them.

And with Kagura Hikaru's personality, he probably took all the blame upon himself.

Indeed, it wasn't his fault at all, but her own.

She was the root cause of the tragedy.

"It's about time you told me," Ayakoji Chiyoko said, "As Kagura's friend, I think I deserve to know the truth."

"...Yes, you're right."

Kohinata Motoyo closed her eyes, then opened them again.

She didn't hesitate and candidly revealed the truth, "Just as you thought, Kagura was forced to cheat. It was me who used Hina's leverage to threaten him and force him to compromise. The so-called affair was nothing more than an act of wrongdoing I committed to satisfy my own desires."

"..."

Although she already knew that the lady in front of her was straightforward, she didn't expect her to confess so openly.

But, indeed, it was as she had thought.

Kagura Hikaru was not the 'mastermind'.

So, he was actually protecting Kohinata Motoyo, or rather, he was protecting the existence of the so-called 'leverage over Kiryu Hina', allowing those other than Kohinata Motoyo who knew the truth to misunderstand him.

Kagura Hikaru was not such an absurd person.

Therefore, it must have been the leverage that Kohinata Motoyo presented, which he feared too much, capable of harming both parties, hence he had no choice but to respond this way.

"That leverage..."

"Sorry, I can't tell you about that," Kohinata Motoyo shook her head, "After all, it also involves Hina, and I can't reveal her privacy."

"Is that so, well then."

It's a pity not to get hold of the opponent's leverage, but it doesn't matter if the interrogation about this matter is postponed a bit.

Compared to that, learning another piece of the truth made Ayakoji Chiyoko feel satisfied, and that the trip was worthwhile.

Just as she thought, Kagura Hikaru was not the despicable person Kiryu Hina thought he was.

Doesn't this mean that she, rather than his ex-girlfriend Kiryu Hina, is closer to Kagura Hikaru?

"Now, it's my turn to ask," Kohinata Motoyo smiled faintly, seemingly unaffected emotionally by her earlier confession, "Ayakoji classmate, please tell me what Kagura and Hina went through when I wasn't around."

Upon leaving the dance studio, both Ayakoji Chiyoko and Kohinata Motoyo had agreed on a cooperative intention.

Ayakoji Chiyoko told her that if she wanted to reconcile and be a couple with Kagura Hikaru, she needed to first change the school rule that forbade dating, otherwise even holding hands at school had to be done secretly.

But if she became the Student Council President, she would fully push for changes related to school regulations.

She also promised her that once she became Student Council President, she would help her improve her relationship with Kagura Hikaru, as long as she helped promote herself in the Student Council election.

The personal charm of Kohinata Motoyo had already been tested in 2nd year Class A. Even as a transfer student who had just moved, she might be a big help.

Kohinata Motoyo was apparently persuaded and agreed.

Of course, that was fake, a deception.

She had promised to help her improve her relationship with Kagura Hikaru, but had not agreed to let her date him.

How could Ayakoji Chiyoko possibly give up the man she had her eyes on?

Moreover, according to Kohinata Motoyo's statement, Kagura Hikaru even had a grudge against her, since she was the reason they had to break up.

But from Ayakoji Chiyoko's perspective, she had to thank her for giving her the chance to intervene in this relationship.

The third period after lunch ended, school was out.

Ayakoji Chiyoko immediately went to the Disciplinary Committee, prepared to send someone to thoroughly investigate Kohinata Motoyo's affairs, and considered how to maximize the use of her abilities.

She believed that the other party was the final piece of the puzzle to defeat Kiryu Hina.

The last vote was just a week away, so preparations had to be made early.

Meanwhile, having reluctantly declined an offer from a classmate to accompany her, and planning to ride home alone in a private car, Kohinata Motoyo accidentally encountered Kagura Hikaru in the courtyard. He was supposed to have left school early but was now walking around the school carrying a cute girl.

"Eh?"

"Eh?"