".....What do you mean?"
"I mean exactly what I said, Chiyoko Ayakoji lied to you, I am your real girlfriend."
"..."
Kagura Hikaru’s smile vanished, his expression became blank, and his gaze intensified.
It was then that Kiryu Hina realized that the Kagura Hikaru of the ’future’ who hadn’t lost his memory hadn’t disappeared; he was just hiding behind a smile.
Strangely enough, Kiryu Hina thought she might actually prefer him like this.
"A person can’t be ’current girlfriend’ and ’ex-girlfriend’ at the same time; there’s a linguistic error in your statement," Kagura Hikaru said.
"Don’t you believe it?"
"Of course, I couldn’t possibly mistake my own girlfriend. I might have amnesia, but I’m not stupid."
Kiryu Hina sighed helplessly, "If you don’t believe me, you can ask someone else."
"Like who?"
"Kohinata Motoyo, she is your... well, according to your current understanding, she’s still your friend. You could ask her; she knows everything."
".....wait, what do you mean ’she is still your friend’? Did Suse break off her friendship with me?"
"Not exactly; she is currently pursuing you, but you turned her down—I mean the you before you lost your memory, so currently, you aren’t that close to her."
"The more you talk, the more confused I get."
Kagura Hikaru stood up and looked at this girl claiming to be his girlfriend, his brows furrowed tightly, "By coming to my house and saying all this, what is your real purpose? Are you trying to drive a wedge between Chiyoko and me?"
"I told you, if you don’t believe me, you can verify it with someone you trust."
Seeing that he didn’t want her to stay any longer, Kiryu Hina also got up and patted her skirt, "But I must remind you, only a very few people know about our relationships. Aside from me, only Chiyoko Ayakoji, Kohinata Motoyo, and Ai Cheng Karen know."
"Ai Cheng Karen?"
"Yes, you’ve met her in the hospital before." Explore more stories with freewebnovel
"I thought she was just a regular classmate."
"She is also your friend..... and mine. We both owe her favors." Kiryu Hina opened the door, turned her head towards Kagura Hikaru and said, "Be careful with Chiyoko Ayakoji. We’ve warned her to tell you the truth, but she didn’t do it and it even seems like she’s obstructing us—"
"What about me?"
Chiyoko Ayakoji’s voice suddenly appeared.
She had come upstairs at some point and was standing in the hallway, her right hand gripping the shoulder strap of her school bag, her face expressionless, eyeing Kiryu Hina, then turning to Kagura Hikaru in the room, smiling and pointing at Kiryu Hina, "Kagura, was she just speaking ill of me?"
Kagura Hikaru didn’t respond, just shrugged and turned away.
His non-response was an answer to Chiyoko Ayakoji.
"Well, I didn’t think you’d stoop so low, Kiryu Hina," Chiyoko Ayakoji crossed her arms, sighed heavily, and looked at her with resignation, "Even if you lost to me in the Student Council election, there is no need to drag Kagura into our personal grievances."
"Chiyoko Ayakoji." Kiryu Hina’s face turned serious, "Is deceiving a sick person satisfying for you? You know what I’m talking about."
"The liar here is you."
"Are you trying to turn the tables on me?"
"That’s the truth."
".....Don’t go too far, you better stop while you can!"
Kiryu Hina realized that Chiyoko Ayakoji had no intention of clearing up the misunderstanding; the agreement they had in the hospital was completely ignored.
She planned to keep being Kagura Hikaru’s girlfriend, letting him continue with his misunderstanding.
How was this different from getting someone drunk and forcing yourself on them!?
Kiryu Hina clenched her teeth so tightly she almost raised her hand to slap Ayakoji Chiyoko.
But remembering that Kagura Hikaru was right beside her, she ultimately lowered her hand and instead took a step closer, raised her index finger, firmly poked Ayakoji Chiyoko’s chest, leaned in, and said, "Kagura’s illness will get better eventually, and his memory loss is only temporary. When that lie is exposed, what do you think he will think of you?"
"Oh? So you’re saying you’re doing this for my benefit?" Ayakoji Chiyoko chuckled coldly in a low voice and pushed her away, "Sorry, please leave. You’re not welcome here."
"...Kagura." Kiryu Hina frowned, turned to glance at Kagura Hikaru, hesitated, and then turned away and left.
Even if she explained now, Ayakoji Chiyoko would have countless arguments to justify herself.
Given Kagura Hikaru’s current trust in her, anything she said would be hard for him to accept, and it might even backfire.
It would be best to temporarily step back, go gather more support, and figure out a way to thwart Ayakoji Chiyoko’s plan.
She had already taken the wrong path.
It was unexpected that Ayakoji Chiyoko would one day stoop so low as to bully a sick person for her own selfish desires.
It was just like Kohinata Motoyo from the past.
They both used to be noble talents, so why had they changed this way?
...No.
Kiryu Hina suddenly realized that it wasn’t just the two of them who had changed, but also herself.
They had all been blinded by love.
The things Ayakoji Chiyoko was doing now, she had done herself in the past.
Only, her methods involved using malice to control Kagura Hikaru, whereas Ayakoji Chiyoko used love.
This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.
She had to admit that, in this respect, Chiyoko was more skilled.
Unfortunately, that love was too fake and extreme, like a castle in the air, a brief dream you’re bound to wake from someday.
She herself must have understood this, yet she still wanted to monopolize this temporary moment.
No wonder it is often said that emotion is a woman’s weakness.
But even this brief beautiful dream, Kiryu Hina was not willing to give to her, not only because they were rivals in love, but also because she was hindering Kagura Hikaru’s recovery.
This was what she found most unacceptable.
As Kiryu Hina walked downstairs, she glanced back at the room one last time, where Ayakoji Chiyoko had just closed the door, shutting out the noise.
For some reason, looking at the closed door, she suddenly felt unease, as if she had forgotten something important.
But upon reflection, there didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary.
Kiryu Hina shook her head.
She walked down the stairs, greeted Kagura Hikaru’s stepmother, and left the Kagura Family home.
Standing at the entrance, she looked back once more at Kagura Hikaru’s second-floor room window, then headed towards the train station, took out her phone, and dialed Kohinata Motoyo’s number.
"Hello?"
"It’s me, are you still at school?"
"I’m rehearsing in the auditorium."
"I’m coming over now, there’s something you need to know… and also, I need your help."
"Understood, I’ll wait for you."
"Yeah."
Kiryu Hina ended the call, took a deep breath, stared at the phone screen for a long time, shook her head, and continued walking.