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

Kagura Hikaru brought Ayakoji Chiyoko to the agreed place.

Under a maple tree in the courtyard.

....What are you thinking? That he would take Ayakoji Chiyoko to the rooftop of the old school building?

No, no, no.

Imagine this scenario.

You are picked up by a woman who likes you, and you like her too. You quickly fall in love, and after doing everything together, you learn that she has a partner and you are the third party.

You angrily leave that woman and find another whom you can truly trust.

Then one day, the former woman finds you, tells you she has separated from her original partner, and wants to get back together with you. Would you bring her to meet your current lover?

The reason why Kagura Hikaru didn't take Ayakoji Chiyoko to that rooftop is somewhat similar.

But seeing her looking up at the blooming maple tree with a hint of joy on her face, he couldn't help feeling guilty about his own stinginess.

Bringing her here without attending class was meant to be an opportunity to open up one's heart to talk, but now he had deliberately closed a window, creating an unnecessary barrier, hadn't he?
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If Ayakoji Chiyoko ever finds out that he had a better place, he could just say that he discovered it after today.

Yes, that's what he would say.

.....Before even opening up to someone else, he had already told a lie. Could it be that he was quite a terrible person?

"How beautiful, the red maples."

Drawn by Ayakoji Chiyoko's words, Kagura Hikaru also looked up at the maple tree.

The red leaves, like crimson clouds, were spread out among the branches. If you squinted and purposely blurred your vision, there was a charming fluffiness to them.

He lowered his head and turned his gaze to Ayakoji Chiyoko.

She was still looking up, mesmerized by the stunning autumnal crimson maples. It was then that Kagura Hikaru realized she was still a romantic at the age of youthful adolescence.

Girls of sixteen or seventeen are always unpredictable. A year ago she probably wouldn't even bother to look up at the scenery, but now she was candidly appreciating the beauty of the maple leaves.

Was he the cause of this change?

In saying so, he seemed to have inadvertently drawn out Ayakoji Chiyoko's girlish quaintness.

Even if there were no further ties with her in the future, he could say proudly that their relationship had been beneficial to her—probably so.

But on some level, Kagura Hikaru felt that Ayakoji Chiyoko from a year ago was a little more attractive.

"Chiyoko," Kagura Hikaru said, "do you know what I was thinking the first time I saw you?"

"What?" Ayakoji Chiyoko turned her head around.

"This is a lioness, a true lioness."

"?"

"Confident, earnest, dangerous. I couldn't see the slightest hint of hesitation on your face; you were like steel."

".....Describing a woman with those words doesn't seem quite right."

"That is also a kind of charm." Kagura Hikaru said, "Now, that quality can no longer be seen on your face."

This sentence sounded like it wasn't a compliment.

Ayakoji Chiyoko was silent.

"What was your ideal when you entered school, do you remember? It shouldn't be trivial matters on the scale of dating some guy or opposing Kiryu Hina."

"..."

"I heard that Hina and Suse gave you quite a bit of trouble at school, and I bet you paid them back in kind. How many such small-scale conflicts have you guys had? Aren't you tired of it?"

Kagura Hikaru said softly, "Chiyoko, we are no longer children. Next year we'll be seniors, just one step away from adulthood. I don't want to see you getting caught up in these kinds of things anymore."

"What do you mean by 'these kinds of things'?"

Ayakoji Chiyoko's voice sounded like she was holding back something, "I—"

"You've put in so much and yet can't get anything in return. Your efforts are completely meaningless, yada yada," Kagura Hikaru interrupted her mercilessly, "You can go interview at any company, where the corporate drones can spill a whole string of similar grievances."

Ayakoji Chiyoko's face turned pale: "Are you mocking me?"

"Yes."

Kagura Hikaru looked at her, his black eyes seemingly flickering with spikes, "Do you know, Ayakoji Chiyoko, there are two kinds of people I despise most in life: one is the fool who is ignorant of their stupidity, and the other is the love-brain. You, in my eyes right now, are the second type."

"..."

Ayakoji Chiyoko's complexion changed in an instant.

Humiliation flushed her face red, and her fists clenched tightly.

Being explicitly expressed disgust by the person she liked, she was not one of those who enjoyed being mistreated, and certainly did not derive any pleasure from it.

"Why, do you have to speak of me like this... I'm not love-obsessed, I just, I just like you, is that not allowed?!"

"If unilateral control is what you call liking someone," Hikaru Kagura stepped closer, staring at her coldly, "do you realize how ugly you look right now? Like an old lioness who's had her teeth pulled out, skinny and weak, falling over with just a push. How could someone like you qualify to be my girlfriend, you're not even qualified to be a friend."

In a flash of rage, Chiyoko Ayakoji reflexively threw a punch, hitting him on his left cheek.

Hikaru Kagura stepped back twice, touching the corner of his mouth.

There was blood.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to... I was just..." Chiyoko Ayakoji, stunned, looked at him helplessly.

Hikaru Kagura was unexpectedly calm, wiping the blood with the back of his hand, "It's okay, I was just worried it would come true."

"What?"

"I was always afraid of you; I felt like you would hit me if you got upset."

Chiyoko Ayakoji stood awkwardly on the spot, looking down at her hands before subconsciously hiding them behind her back.

She indeed had a tendency to resolve issues with violence, but she never thought that one day she would raise her fist against Hikaru Kagura.

Could she be a Domestic Abuser Woman?

"Why are you making that face? You are Chiyoko Ayakoji, after all. Even if you hit someone, you should stand tall and proud," Hikaru Kagura scolded her in return.

Now Chiyoko Ayakoji became even more confused.

"Aren't you angry?"

"I insulted you, and then I got hit, I think I brought it on myself. Besides, I did it to provoke you."

"Why? To get hit?"

"Of course not, but it's enough to prove one thing: you're not good at controlling your emotions. So we'd better clear the air and not leave any lingering issues."

A red maple leaf fell on his head, Hikaru Kagura picked up the leaf, twirled it in his hand, then threw it away, and said, "Let me tell you the truth, Chiyoko, I don't plan to pursue the things you did while I was amnesiac."

"Then..."

"At the same time, I don't want to get back together with you," Hikaru Kagura sized her up and down, "I really don't want to crush your spirits, but to be honest, you're not my ideal type."

"Umm..."

"Chiyoko, now that you know where I stand, you're a smart person, don't hang yourself up on me."

"I can't find anyone better than you."

"No, you certainly can. You've got a lot of time ahead of you to meet someone, this is just the perspective of a seventeen-year-old you."

"What if I can't find anyone?"

"You're being obstinate," Kagura Hikaru said in disappointment, "If you keep this up, we really won't even be able to be friends."

"..."

Chiyoko Ayakoji fell silent for a while, "I have a condition."

"Hmm?"

"I... I can stop pursuing you, but I have a condition," Chiyoko Ayakoji stated earnestly, "If five years from now, you don't have a girlfriend, and I can't find that someone better than you that you speak of, then you'll have to accept me."

"...Alright."

They both knew that this condition was quite lenient.

Even when the time came, if Hikaru Kagura hadn't changed his mind, he could just find someone to pretend to date.

Chiyoko Ayakoji had already realized she had no chance, it was about saving face for both of them, that's what Kagura Hikaru thought.

He agreed readily.

Now, more than half of the first class had passed, but obviously, there was still an opportunity to go back, provided he had a suitable excuse.

As Hikaru Kagura was about to leave, he was stopped by Chiyoko Ayakoji again: "Wait, can I ask one last question?"

"Go ahead."

"Who is your ideal type?"

Hikaru Kagura looked at her, furrowed his brows.

He wanted to name someone else at first, but after some thought, he decided against it, waved his hand, and mentioned a name they both knew:

"Motoyo Kohinata."