Our Dating Story: The Experienced You and The Inexperienced Me - Volume 5 - Chapter 3.5

Chapter 3.5: Love Talk in a Girls’ Room

“Senpai was so amazing! When he heard I disappeared, he came to Kyoto ’cause he was worried about me! The teacher got really mad, but I didn’t care at all ’cause I got to see him!”

That evening in the room after lights-out, Nicole was twisting around in her futon, clinging to the bedding.

“Ahh, I really wanted to be with him longerrr!”

“You’ll get to see him again tomorrow, right? Good thing he’s staying in Kyoto,” Runa said, lying on her futon next to Nicole. She was watching her friend with a smile.

“But I miss him already...”

Lying on a futon on the opposite side, Akari lifted her head. “And now you’re all obsessed with romance! That’s so nice... I want a boyfriend too!”

“Huh, that’s unusual,” Nicole said.

“For her to say that? Totally,” added Runa.

“Time for some love talk, then.”

The futons in the room had been placed in pairs against each other. At Nicole’s command, each girl rolled over onto her stomach. Then, everyone brought their faces close together.

“I mean, it’s just me now. Not having a boyfriend. Honestly, I’m jelly watching everyone be all sweet with their guys.”

“I don’t have one either,” Maria said shyly from next to Akari.

“You could get one as soon as tomorrow if you put your mind to it, Mia!” replied Akari. “Are your standards too high? Are you not gonna date anyone unless he’s tall and good-looking? Does he have to be some kinda perfect super guy?”

“Not at all,” Maria replied with a faint smile. “The boy I liked until recently... He was ordinary.” Her smile turned into a nostalgic one. “But he had a girlfriend.”

Runa’s face clouded over at that, but Akari didn’t notice.

“Ehh? I’m pretty sure you could just steal him from her. All guys like girls like you,” Akari said.

Maria smiled again and shook her head. “No, he rejected me. He treasured his girlfriend.”

“Wow, seriously?”

“But there was something I realized after it was all over: I was in love with a boy who treasured his girlfriend.” Maria spoke haltingly while Runa looked on with pain written on her face. “I was jealous of her. I admired how he loved her and wished that a boy could love me like that too... Before I knew it, I fell more and more in love with him. But that’s not a healthy relationship at all, though, is it?” she said with a smile and without any trace of her putting on a brave front whatsoever. “So, next time... I want a real love, one that’s between just me and my boyfriend.”

Runa smiled at that.

Nicole seemed lost in thought. “I wonder what real love is...” she uttered.

“Remind me, Nikki, how’d you fall in love with your senpai?” asked Akari.

“Hm? When I joined the ping-pong club and said hi to everyone for the first time, I thought he was kinda my type. He was fun to talk to and we were on the same wavelength, so I kinda fell in love with him more and more over time...”

“Wow, that’s amazing! Isn’t that what they call a fated partner?!”

“That’s what I’m hoping, at least.”

“Man, that’s so nice!” Akari wasn’t hiding the envy in her voice at all. “Ah, where’s my fated partner?!”

“What about Ijichi-kun?” Runa asked.

Akari’s face cycled through a hundred expressions in an instant. “There’s just no waaay! I can’t possibly go confess to him, so I’m kinda satisfied just watching! Like, there’s a difference between admiration and love, you know...?”

“What if Ijichi-kun starts going out with some other girl while you’re like that?”

“I reeeally couldn’t take that either! I can’t let him belong to someone else!”

“Then your only option is to date him yourself,” said Nicole. “His looks aren’t all that bad if you think about it, and he’s tall. Sure, maybe girls will stay away from him for a while because he’s geeky, but eventually, someone will take him.”

“What the hell! I can’t take iiit... I could die just thinking about iiit!”

“Then do something already.”

“I caaan’t! I’m definitely not his fated partner...”

Burying her face in her pillow, Akari thrashed her legs up and down against her bedding.

“And anyway, are these ‘fated partners’ decided from the start?” asked Runa. “You could start with a ‘he’s kinda nice,’ but then you can both decide that you’re made for each other and cultivate those feelings together... Maybe you’ll clash at first and some things won’t go so well, but eventually... I feel like that’s what real love is. You gradually approach each other and grow into each other’s ‘fated partner.’”

Seeing Runa’s bashful and happy smile, Nicole and Akari exchanged looks.

“So...you’re just talking about your wonderful love life, yeah?” said Nicole.

“This is why I hate girls with boyfriends!!!” added Akari.

“Hey, Akari-chan, you’ve been too loud for a while now. The teacher might come.”

Maria’s warning made Akari cover her mouth as though she’d forgotten all about the need to keep things quiet until now. When she made sure that nobody was coming, a look of relief appeared on her face.

The conversation in this room wouldn’t be ending anytime soon.