After My Girlfriend Dumped Me, I Got Reincarnated As A High School Student. That Part’s Fine—But Why Are All My Ex-Girlfriends Here Too? - Chapter 22 – Hanaoka Mie

I met Mie through social media.

We got along well right from the start, exchanged photos, and decided to meet in person.

She was talkative when messaging, but when we finally met face to face, her shyness was on full display. I remember how hard it was just to have a normal conversation at first.

Come to think of it, in the beginning, we used to call each other “Princess” and “Lord Yu”… yeah.

Really, every time I remember my ex, all my embarrassing memories come flooding back too. Why does it have to be like this?

Still, talking to her was fun, and the pictures she sent were cute. So one day, I told her:

“I think you’re really nice, Princess.”

Yeah… looking back now, that was a terrible line.

But she smiled shyly and replied,

“I don’t know if Lord Yuu is serious or not… but I do like you.”

And from there, we started dating.

We really did get along. Even until the day we broke up, we never had a single real fight.

She lived near the prefectural border, so we couldn’t see each other often. That’s why, every time we met, it was pure happiness—and every time we parted, I felt an ache in my chest.

Even with that distance, we still visited each other’s hometowns, stayed over at each other’s houses, went on trips… and, well, at the hotel, we crossed that line.

It was both of our first times. I remember mostly feeling sorry for her, since it hurt and she tried to hide it.

I introduced her to my family, my friends, and even to Hinami. Thanks to that, many people supported our relationship. And somehow, I just assumed—without any real reason—that we’d end up together someday.

Our last date before the breakup had been fun, just like always. We even made plans for the next one.

I never thought that would be the last time I’d see her.

Her birthday was coming up, and we had planned to go to a beer garden together.

But as the day got closer, she told me she couldn’t come—there had been a death in her family, and she suddenly had a lot of expenses.

Looking back now, if I had gone to see her instead… If I’d been earning more money, if I could’ve supported her… maybe things would’ve been different.

But I was still a kid.

I got upset and said, “Fine, I’ll just go with someone else,” just because I didn’t want to lose a few thousand yen in cancellation fees.

And that was our first fight.

I learned then that “not fighting” doesn’t mean there are no problems.

We were both just bad at saying what we really felt.

Once it started, it was like a dam breaking—it all came out at once.

I had been taking her for granted, believing she’d always be there, without any reason to think so.

I believed in something like destiny, thinking we’d be fine no matter what, just because it was us.

In the end, we broke up after that fight.

I said things I regret even now.

And after everything was over, I realized it was too late—even to apologize.

Things were rough afterward, too.

Because I had told so many people about her, when they heard we broke up, everyone pitied me.
Some even threw cruel words like, “No wonder she dumped you.”

I couldn’t even say sorry. That relationship still lives inside me as regret—and as a wound.

I hated how helpless I was, unable to go see her right away. But even that was just an excuse.

The truth was, I was scared. Scared of being rejected face-to-face.

If I’d really wanted to, I could have gone to her, even after work, even if I was broke.

But I didn’t.

Because I was weak. Because I didn’t have the courage to face her properly.

The four of them listened silently as I told the whole story—how I met her, and how it ended.

“I see… a breakup after a fight, huh,” Rio finally said.

“Yeah. Stupid, right? Even now, I still think—‘If only I’d done this,’ or ‘If only I’d said that.’”

Without a doubt, she was the one I regretted losing the most.

Not just because I loved her, but because things ended in a fight—without either of us getting closure.

Of course, it would’ve been best if it hadn’t ended at all.

But once I realized it was ending, I panicked and lashed out.

I still wonder—was that really the only way it could’ve ended?

She gave me so much happiness. She cared for me so deeply.

If I had at least been strong enough to wish her happiness at the end…

Maybe I wouldn’t regret it this much.

…No. Thinking this way isn’t for her sake.

It’s just me wanting to feel forgiven—for hurting her.

Even now, I’m still only thinking about myself.

“I guess the only reason I could end things peacefully with Hiromi,” I said, “was because of that fight with Mie.

Back then, I couldn’t really think about her feelings. I pushed my ideals onto her and lost something truly important.

Then, when I tried to fix that with my next girlfriend, she said she wanted me to be more honest about my thoughts.

I thought, ‘Maybe if I’d done that before, things would’ve gone better.’

But then what was I supposed to do?

I keep getting dumped, keep wondering what I did wrong each time… and I just keep repeating the same mistakes…”

The four of them stayed quiet, unsure of what to say.

(And for the record, I definitely didn’t tell them about the hotel part. They’re all girls, and students—it’s not something I should be talking about.)

“That’s easy, Yuu-nii.”

“Hacchi? Since when were you here?”

“Ah, sorry, Yuu-nii. I was just passing by and overheard everything.”

“I-I see. So, what’s this ‘easy’ thing you’re talking about?”

Miki smiled confidently, and I couldn’t help looking at her with a bit of hope.

“You don’t have to stick to girls, you know? What about Tomanari? He’s perfect!”

…I was an idiot for expecting anything for even a second.

“If you two got together, Yuu-nii would be happy, and I’d get to enjoy—cough, cough! Anyway, everyone wins!”

Hey, Hacchi? I heard that “enjoy” part.

“Then Yuu-tan, you should just become a masochist! Ahhn♡”

Yeah, I wasn’t expecting anything from her to begin with.

“That must’ve been hard for you, Yuu,” Chizuru said.

“Chizuru.”

She patted my head—with the same hand she’d just used to smack Macho Matsuzaki’s butt.

This is… complicated.

Apparently, today Macho Matsuzaki’s playing the horse while Chizuru rides on his back. Honestly, it’s such a ridiculous sight I don’t even want to describe it.

“It’s okay,” she said softly, winking at me. “I know Yuu’s a very attractive man.”

“Chizuru…”

Careful. I almost fell for that one.

Still… could you please use your other hand to pat me?

Then Miki leaned close and whispered in my ear.

“See? You’re fine.”

She really is a decent person—most of the time.

“There are plenty of people who see your good side, Yuu-nii. So, don’t worry, okay…? Fufufu…”

Yeah… if only not for that last part.

“You’ve got Mari, Yuu-nii!”

Maria suddenly hugged me.

“Ah, no fair! Me too!”

Hinami jumped in and hugged me from the other side.

“Good grief…” Rio sighed, shrugging.

In the end, nothing was really solved.

But spending time with these idiots… somehow makes me feel happy.

“Guess it’s not so bad being reborn after all,” I murmured.

Maybe—for now—I’m allowed to feel that way.