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 8 – Hiromi Segawa

My ex-girlfriend from the world before I was reborn—Hiromi Segawa.

I first met her through a matching app where people could play games together and even become couples in the game.

At first, I joined it without much thought, but it was hard to find someone I really clicked with. Then I met her. She was the first person who truly matched my pace.

We both liked anime and manga, so our in-game conversations never stopped. For someone like me, who rarely met anyone I could get along with that well, she became more and more important to me.

From there, we became a couple in the game, exchanged contact info, and finally decided to meet in real life. At first, she was still holding on to feelings from her last relationship and didn’t want to rush into another one. I understood that. I thought we could still be good friends, and I was fine with that.

But it didn’t take long for our relationship to deepen.

It started on Christmas Eve. We went to see the holiday lights together.

Before we knew it, we were holding hands.

“Hey,” she said, her voice soft. “What do you think we are?”

“Friends, I guess,” I said.

“I don’t hold hands with just friends, you know?”

“Then… best friends?”

“Nope.”

“But, are you sure about this? I mean, you still have—”

Someone else you like.

We both knew that, yet…

“I already forgot about him,” she said.

“That easily?”

“Come on. If it wasn’t like that, I wouldn’t see you this much, or hold your hand.”

“I… I see.”

“Hey, Yu. What do you want to become with me?”

Her eyes were serious, and my answer came without hesitation.

I wanted to stay with her. To share quiet, simple moments together.

“…Let’s go out,” I said.

“Yeah!” she replied, smiling so brightly that I’ll never forget it.

After that, once we started dating, she was… well, free-spirited.

She followed her moods and went at her own pace. When we went out, I often let her pick where to go. And honestly, I enjoyed it. I could feel her affection, and that made me want to do my best to return it.

I really thought things would stay that way.

Even though I’d already learned that such feelings are fragile, easily shattered.

But she made me forget all that.

Reality, though, is always cruel.

“I’m sorry,” she said one day. “I just don’t like you that way anymore.”

It hurt, of course. But somewhere inside, I understood.

Because if I was being honest… did I really love her romantically anymore, either?

We got along, sure. As friends, we were great. But maybe both of us had rushed things.

Now, I don’t even know if what I felt back then was real love, or just the idea of it.

Not that it matters anymore. I thought I’d never see her again.

I thought.

But here she is. Sitting right next to me.

Of all the people in the world—my ex-girlfriend is now my seatmate.

And just when I actually need help from her, too.

To make things worse, my seat is by the window in the back corner. If I were sitting in the middle, I could’ve asked the person on the other side for help. But no—on my other side is just the window.

Yeah… what am I supposed to do, ask the window for notes?

“Um… are you okay?”

Her voice pulled me out of my thoughts. She sounded awkward, unsure.

“Eh? Ah, yeah… just, uh, something.”

“You don’t have your textbook, do you?”

“Ah… yeah. And not even a notebook.”

“…Then why did you come to class?”

Good question. What did I come here for?

“Here,” she said, holding out a notebook—still wrapped, brand new.

“Eh… are you sure?”

“It’s fine. I have extras.”

“But—”

“Or… do you just not want to take it from me?”

Her words made me freeze.

She was right. I had no reason to accept anything from her now. We’d broken up. We had no obligation, no bond left between us.

“You said we could still be friends, didn’t you?”

“Well, yeah… I did.”

At the time, when we broke up, I suggested we go back to being friends. I didn’t want things to end so coldly.

She agreed.

Of course, I figured we’d both eventually forget that promise.

But—

“You remembered that?” I asked.

“Of course,” she said. “I really couldn’t keep being your girlfriend. But I still hoped we could talk again someday as friends.”

“I… I see.”

“So? What will you do?”

“I’ll pay you for the notebook.”

“You don’t have to.”

“No. We’re not like we were before.”

“…Yeah. You’re right.”

That’s how it should be.

No more deep connection. No more confusion.

Maybe after class, I’ll ask the teacher to change my seat.