A Love Longed for the Tiger Lily (GL) - Chapter 1

“Thank you for everything, Wakana.
The time I spent with you was truly happy.
I hope you find happiness too.”

…Liar.
You said we’d always be together…

A beautiful woman, the kind who perfectly suits her long, glossy hair, rolls a suitcase out of my apartment.

I could’ve run after her.
But my legs felt unbelievably heavy. They refused to move.
My throat tightened like something was lodged in it, making it hard to speak—no, even to breathe.
I couldn’t do anything.

And just like that, I was left alone in the apartment.

I—Taniguchi Wakana, 25 years old and in my third year as a full-time working adult—was the kind of person who generally liked her job.

The woman who just walked out… she was my girlfriend, the one who had promised to stay with me forever.
I tried asking why she was leaving, hoping for some clarity, but in the end, the answer was simple:
She’d gotten bored of me.

Apparently, I’m just not exciting enough for someone like her.

We had been together for about three years.
She promised we’d always be together—so I took out a loan and bought this apartment.

Now, all that remains is the apartment… and me.

“Haa… I need to stop thinking about it.”

I wanted to stop.
But this place is saturated with memories.

I peeked into her old room. It was empty now, except for the furniture.
When I flopped onto the bed, her scent still lingered faintly in the sheets.

“Ugh…”

My tears soaked the mattress.

……

I cried so long I lost track of time.

“What time is it now…?”

The sunlight streaming into the room had turned red.
That meant evening was near—and I hated nights.

I fixed my tear-streaked face with some makeup and decided to head outside.

Tonight, I just wanted to drink.

As I headed toward the nightlife district, I spotted a girl being harassed by a man.
She looked out of place in this part of town, and judging by her uniform, she was probably a high school student.

I intended to ignore it and walk past.
But then I saw her face—and I froze in shock.

If I weren’t freshly heartbroken, and if she weren’t in uniform, I might’ve even tried to flirt with her.
That’s how pretty she was.

“There’s a job where you can make real money.
You don’t want to go home, right?
With a face like yours, you’ll totally rake it in.”

The man ogled her shamelessly.
Still, I was too drained to play hero. I figured I’d just keep walking.

He knew she was underage and still went after her—disgusting.
I hoped the cops caught him soon.

“P-please… stop…”

I should’ve kept walking.
But that trembling voice— I couldn’t ignore it.

Ugh. I hate how meddlesome I am sometimes.

“Hey. You know that hitting on a minor like this can get you arrested, right?”

The sleazy man stomped toward me, full of bravado.
His intimidation made me flinch and take a step back in fear.

“Oh? Then how about you take her place, miss?”

“No chance. C’mon, let’s go.”

Not wanting to escalate things, I grabbed the girl’s hand and quickly pulled her away from the nightlife district.

“I think we’re safe now.”

That’s when our eyes met for the first time.
But what stunned me more was how lifeless her gaze was. I couldn’t say a word.

What kind of despair had she gone through…?

And something about her face felt oddly familiar.

Was it just my imagination?

Either way, I couldn’t leave her alone.
She’d only end up in danger again.
So I gently asked,

“Which way is your home?”

“Don’t touch me…!”

She slapped my hand away and took off running.

Sure, maybe grabbing her hand like that was a bit much.
But I was still hurt by how harshly she reacted.

That whole mess drained me even more.
I no longer had the energy to hit the bars—
So I decided to head to my parents’ house instead.

Luckily, it was still within the same city. Not too far.

“Oh my, what happened?”

“…We broke up.”

My mother rushed over, her face filled with concern.

My parents were never the type to interfere in my relationships.
They always said, “Do what makes you happy,”
and they never objected when I moved in with my girlfriend.

“For now, why don’t you take a nice bath?”

My mother wrapped me in a warm embrace.
That warmth began to thaw the dried-up, cracked pieces of my heart.
I soaked in the bath she had prepared, thinking how lucky I was to have a home to come back to.

When I came out, dinner was already on the table.
But something felt off.

Ours was a household of three—me, my mom, and my dad.

So why were there four place settings?

That strange feeling lingered as I quietly took my seat at the table.