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 23 – You’re Not Alone Anymore

We gathered in the library and started our study session.

That said, with only one week left, the amount of studying I had to do was insane. It was already July, so I had to cover about three months’ worth of lessons from the second year.

I glanced at Hinami, Miki, and Maria from Class 1.

Honestly, just looking at what those three were studying made me realize it was a total impossible game for me.

A sigh slipped out of my mouth.

There was just too much to do.

Still…

I never thought Mie would glare at me like that.

Sure, she might’ve been a little sulky before, but never once had she looked at me with that kind of open hatred. Not in real life.

In my mind, she was always gentle, soothing—the kind of girl whose smile could light up a room.

And I liked that smile. I liked spending time thinking about how to make her smile even more.

But in the end, I was the one who made her look at me like that.

Because our breakup ended with just a text message, my last memory of her was that bright, happy smile.

The way she looked today… it was like she was a completely different person.

Then again, I’m the reason she turned out that way.

If only I’d treated her as my top priority back then… maybe things wouldn’t have ended like this.

“Big brother?”

Hinami, who was sitting next to me, leaned over and peeked at my face with concern.

“Ah… yeah.”

“Were you thinking about Mie?”

“You can tell, huh, Hinami?”

“You two were really close…”

It was through Hinami that I found out Mie had been suffering alone, unable to talk to anyone.
And that only a few days later, she had a new boyfriend.

I knew all that—at least, as facts.

“But still… seeing it in person really hurts.”

That spot used to be mine. Now someone else was there.

The face she showed me today, and the smile she gave that new guy—those were things I was never supposed to see.

And yet, seeing them with my own eyes… it hurt more than I thought it would.

“Yuu-nii, are you sad? There, there.”

Maria reached out and patted my head.

She was right. We’d already broken up, so this was how things were meant to be.

There’s nothing more I can do for her now.

I don’t have the right to be involved in her life anymore.

Maybe I don’t even have the right to cheer her on from afar.

She used to be so close… and now she feels so far away.

“Yuta, are you really fine with things staying like this?”

Rio spoke suddenly, as if she’d made up her mind.

“I guess… I’m not fine. I hurt her.”

“It’s true that you hurt her back in your old world, and maybe you never got the chance to see her again.
But now it’s different, isn’t it?”

“Yeah… you’re right.”

She was right. Things were different now. The girl who used to be far away was now within reach.

“I know it’s painful. But since you’ve met her again, maybe you should try talking to her one more time.”

“But…”

Would she even listen to me now? What would happen if I told her how I felt?

“I do want to apologize, properly.”

“Then do it.”

“But she doesn’t want that anymore. If I say it now, it’s just me trying to feel better about myself.
That kind of apology means nothing to her.”

“You don’t know that until you try.”

“I do know. If I’d faced her properly back then and talked things out, maybe things would’ve turned out differently. But now… it’s too late.”

“Even so,” Hinami said softly, “I think you should talk to Mie-chan.”

“Hii-chan…”

“Because it hurts watching you suffer like this, big brother.”

Her face looked so sad when she said that.

“…!”

“We can stay by your side when you’re in pain. We can support you. But we can’t erase the wounds that came from what happened with Mie-chan. Because that’s something you have to face yourself.”

“Yeah… you’re right.”

It’s true.

If it were a wound that could fade just by having someone next to me, I wouldn’t still be stuck here, thinking about it.

“It’s okay. No matter what happens, I’ll always be on your side.”

“Hii-chan…”

I felt tears threaten to rise.

I never wanted to hurt anyone again. And yet, because I was like this, I’d made Hinami and everyone else worry about me.

There’s no way things can stay like this.

At this point, even if she ends up hating me more, it won’t change much.

So maybe… while she’s still close by, I should try doing something.

That thought began to grow inside me.

“If you do your best, Mari will give you a big hug!”

“Hey! Wait, that’s my job!”

Please, go easy on my heart…

“Then I’ll listen to you complain on the phone all night!”

“No thanks.”

Seriously, Shima, that’s just because you want to talk on the phone, isn’t it?

“Pien…”

“Do your best, Yuta.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

Grateful for Rio’s words of encouragement, I left the library alone.