The String of Balls - Chapter 3

“…Sit down.”

Leaning back in his chair, he spoke weakly.

“…There’s nothing more to say.”

“I’m telling you to sit down. You want me to break up with Kotonoha, right? Hurry up.”

Ahh… I’m so frustrated. Why do I have to deal with a brat?

Kotonoha is Kotonoha. All he does is apologize and doesn’t say anything. I’m going to make Hayama feel the same way I do… and I’m going to make you feel a little hurt too.

“Punishment” is not a lukewarm word. You cheated on me, so you’re ready to face the consequences, right?

“…I get it, so don’t give me orders.”

I glance at Hayama, who is sitting in the chair opposite me and glaring at me, then turn my attention to Kotonoha.

“You too, Kotonoha.”

“……yes”

Why are you trying to sit down next to Hayama?

“That’s not where you should be sitting.”

He slaps his knee and glares, wondering if it’s here.

…You didn’t even show any sign of wanting to come next to me.

“You again…!”

” We’re lovers, after all. Don’t worry about it.”

“…I’m going home, Koto. If you’re not going to talk seriously then that’s fine.”

“Who said you could stand? If you care about Kotonoha… then sit down.”

“…What, what do you mean?”

I returned a cold look to Hayama, who was glaring at me with a suspicious expression, and decided to explain things carefully and thoroughly so that the woman could understand.

“It’s common knowledge that you’re dating my foolish brother, right? Almost everyone knows about it in the past year.”

“…What is that?”

“They say you’re a big couple, but… what do you think will happen if word gets out that you’ve abandoned your lover and are cheating on her?”

“Are you trying to threaten me? Do as you please. I indeed cheated on you, so I can’t help being blamed.”

“I said, ‘If Kotonoha is important to you.’ You’re not very perceptive… That’s also puzzling, but for some reason, you’re popular with the female students. The question is who hurt Shinobu-kun? It’s only natural that you will be blamed, but it’s not hard to imagine that the person you had an affair with will also be criticized.”

As soon as he said this, Hayama’s expression changed instantly.

His sharp eyes are bloodshot and he looks ready to pounce at any moment, and his face is bright red with rage.

You are the one who sowed the seeds. Do you think I would willingly do something like this?

“…You can probably guess what will happen to Kotonoha who doesn’t have a single friend in class, right?”

“You!”

“Sit down!! …I thought I told you?”

He raised his voice and looked towards the chair, then Hayama clenched his fist and stomped his feet loudly.

The real thing is about to begin. Weren’t you taught as a child that it’s no good to take other people’s things? Well, let me teach you. People can only learn by experiencing the same pain. It’s easy to hurt someone if you don’t know the pain.

Those who know pain… can hurt others more deeply.

“There’s no need to be scared, Kotonoha. Just sit on my lap. Like always.”

…Hehe…I guess he does hate me now.

She looked down and wouldn’t even look at me. Her shoulders were shaking and she was hunched over.

I’m sure you wouldn’t want to get close to someone who threatened you…

But… I can’t be picky about the means. I can’t just sit back and watch with my fingers in my mouth as you are taken away.

“……sorry”

“Hurry up and sit down.”

Being apologized to over and over again just makes you feel miserable.

Please laugh as you always do. Don’t be scared of me.

“I betrayed you… I’m sorry… I’m sorry… for making you say this…”

The words he spoke were trembling, and his regret was clear.

You weren’t scared of me, you were blaming yourself and regretting it. You lowered your eyes, saying you didn’t have the face-to-face me, and only apologized.

He knows that I’m not being serious about threatening him and that he doesn’t want to do it.

He understood me as a person, he loved me. So why… why did he betray me?

“…I wonder if I’ve missed something…”

Why are you whining?

He had intended to hurt them both by forcing a kiss on her in front of Hayama, but maybe venting his anger would make her feel a little better.

Even if I act like a villain, this is my limit. My boyfriend cheated on me, and I clung to him, showing my pathetic state… The moment the thought “I’m going to be dumped” crossed my mind was much more painful than the fact that he cheated on me.

“Kotone did nothing wrong… I am the one who is at fault…”

“…I want to ask you something.”

In the end, there is only one thing that matters to me.

“Do you still… like me?”

As long as Kotonoha is by my side, that’s all I need.

Even when I caught him cheating, even when I lost my temper and yelled at him, even when I accepted the fact that he might hate me, the option of breaking up never occurred to me.

If you’ve been disliked, all you have to do is try harder to make them like you again.

His face was distorted and he kept his mouth shut as he waited for Kotonoha’s reply.

“So now you understand? I’m the one who likes Koto. Not you.”

Instead of Kotonoha who replied with silence, Hayama spoke up with a triumphant look on his face.

It’s an annoying thing to say, but… hehe, I’m feeling good right now. She’s just a child, after all, so I’ll be generous and forgive her.

It was a good lesson for them to learn that if they get complacent about their relationship as childhood friends and panic when someone tries to take her away from them, it’s too late.

“As I’ve said before… you really don’t understand anything. I’m no longer angry; I even feel pity for you.”
「Don’t make fun of me…! Why don’t you just admit it already? Being a sore loser is just lame.」

Seeing Hayama quirking his eyebrows and teasing me, I suddenly felt foolish.

I knew he was just a kid, but I never imagined it would be this bad.

“Haa… Stay quiet. Next time you open your mouth again, you know what’ll happen, right?”

“…the lowest.”

I thought about replying, “You’re the one hitting on a guy who has a girlfriend, aren’t you?” but… I don’t have time to worry about children. My beloved girlfriend is waiting for me… hehe…

I got up from my chair and walked lightly to my beloved. It was strange for me to be happy after being cheated on, but I realized that she didn’t hate me, and more than anything, she still liked me.

My emotions seem to be completely overwhelmed, with a sudden change from anxiety and impatience to relief and joy.

He stopped in front of Kotonoha, cradled her body in a curl with her head down, and whispered gently in her ear.

“I forgive you.”

It’s been a long time since I felt Kotonoha’s warmth.

The fragrant aroma that tickles the nostrils is difficult to describe and is comparable to the famous Fragrance No. 5.

She was petite and fit perfectly in my arms as if she was made for it. I pressed my nose against her cute whorl and took a deep breath.

“Huh!?”

He suddenly leaned his torso back and looked up at me with flushed cheeks and a look of confusion.

I wanted to enjoy it a little more…but unfortunately…

“Fufu, a gloomy look doesn’t suit you after all.”

“Ah… I’m sorry…”

“I just said it doesn’t suit me… What a mess.”

Kotonoha tends to be too servile. She lowered her face again.

If he keeps apologizing to me, it will make me feel down, so I’ll try to persuade him quickly.

“I don’t think I have the right to be with you since I cheated on you… right?”

His body twitching, he replied with an attitude that spoke louder than words.

It’s rare to find someone as easy to understand as Kotonoha. It was reckless from the start to cheat on her secret in secret.

He could shake me off and run away, but he’s stuck in my arms because the guilt and self-loathing are keeping him from moving.

“Kotonoha, that’s cowardly. You’re just trying to make things easier by running away. You think you’ve punished me by blaming yourself. If you want to make amends, don’t run away from me. Face me with the guilt and awkwardness of cheating on me.”

The circumstances of this case are different from those of the past.

He had blamed himself then because of Kotonoha’s kindness, but this was caused by weakness. A weakness that can corrupt a person to a fatal extent.

Blaming yourself doesn’t give you an excuse. Facing it is more painful than running away. If you run away now, you’ll just do it again. Once that happens, you’ll end up alone.

Even if I could forgive cheating, I couldn’t overlook this. Not just for my sake, but for Kotonoha’s sake too.

“Was that word you said you’d stay by my side a lie? I’ve told you so many times, that I’ll be by your side no matter what.”

“Sniff… I’m sorry…”

“My feelings haven’t changed even now. I love you, Kotonoha.”

As if my confession had reached her, Kotonoha slowly raised her head, tears flowing from her eyes and she was at a loss for words.

I was crying with my head down so my glasses were all wet…hehehe…

“As the legal wife, I will let you off the hook this time. However, there will be no second time, okay?”

I lightly poked her nose with my fingertips and glared at her with resentful eyes, and Kotonoha clung to me and broke down into tears.

“Ugh…sniff…Kotone…! I’m sorry…I’m sorry…!”

“It’s fine. Welcome back, Kotonoha.”

While stroking Kotonoha’s hair, he rubbed her back to soothe her.

Fufu… Rain makes the earth firm, I see. With this, Kotonoha will never be able to leave me again. I was upset at first, but in the end, it turned out for the best.

I also have to thank Hayama Aya. Thanks to you, our bond has grown stronger…

“Hey… wait a second… Koto… what about me…?”

Just as I was thinking spiteful and vile thoughts, I heard the man’s faint voice coming from right next to me.

He had taken my threats seriously and endured until now for Kotonoha’s sake, but it seems he could no longer keep quiet. If we hadn’t been love rivals, we might have become good friends, but there’s no point in thinking about what-ifs.

I guess it’s time to settle this. I hope what happens twice doesn’t become a coincidence…