──● The Tsundere OL Becomes Distorted ●○●
The feeling of a Saturday night is complicated.
On one hand, I have tomorrow off too, so I can stay up late. On the other, another day off is already over.
In any case, I’m the type of person who wants to use my precious days off for myself, but.
“So how’ve you been lately, Megumi~!”
“Ehh~? Same old, same old. But I guess… I’m learning that living together is surprisingly difficult~”
“Kyaa~! I’m so jealous~ I wanna live with my boyfriend too~”
“…”
Today, I was invited out by some friends I was close with in university for a dinner-and-drinks kind of get-together at a slightly nice izakaya.
Everyone but me had a boyfriend… and honestly, I felt out of place.
I didn’t really want to come, but Mai, who I was closest with, insisted so strongly that it was hard to refuse.
It’s been about an hour since we moved on from dinner to drinks, and the conversation had started to shift to boyfriends. I knew this would happen, that’s why I didn’t want to come…
“So, what’s it really like? Living together… Do you guys do it every day?”
“Whoa. That’s a little too vulgar. But I’m curious.”
This group always loved dirty talk. So of course, the conversation would go in this direction.
“Isn’t that kind of a personal question?”
“What are you talking about! You’re curious too, right, Seira? You used to love this kind of talk.”
“Yeah, yeah! People who are living with their boyfriends have a duty! We came here to hear the real stories!”
Haaaah…
I don’t really care about hearing about other people’s sex lives… I’ve seen pictures of her boyfriend. I guess he’s pretty handsome.
Well, Masato is way more handsome, though.
I tuned out my friends’ vulgar conversation and brought a piece of the appetizer that had been served to my lips.
“What about you, Seira? How have you been lately?”
“Eh? Me?”
At some point, the conversation had been turned on me.
These girls know what my ex… it makes me sick to even call him that. They know what my ex did to me, and that we broke up.
That’s another reason I didn’t really want to see them…
“I’ve been having a pretty good time lately.”
“What! Is it a guy?!”
“Did you get a boyfriend, Seira?! Show us a picture!!”
“…Can you guys stop immediately assuming it’s a guy… Well, you’re not wrong, but…”
My friends, their faces flushed from the alcohol, leaned in eagerly.
You guys are way too into romance…
With a sigh, I showed them the picture of Masato I took on our date the other day.
On our last date, I pointed my phone at him while he was drinking his tea after dinner, and he smiled and gave me a peace sign. Too cute. An angel.
“Whoa, he’s handsome. Not like, a super-intense hot guy, but more of a refreshing kind of handsome.”
“He looks so nice~~ Ugh, I’m jealous. Where’d you meet a guy like that?”
Hearing Masato praised made me feel proud.
Right? Of course, of course. Masato is handsome and kind and an angel, after all.
The alcohol was getting to my head, and I was in a good mood, so I ended up talking a little too much.
“He works at a bar, you see. Once a week. So I go to see him on the day he works.”
“Eh?…”
“…A bar, like, a boy’s bar?”
“? That’s right.”
For some reason, the three of them were looking at each other. What? Did I say something weird?
Mai hesitantly handed my phone back.
“Uhm, Seira, are you two dating?”
“Nope. We’re not dating yet.”
“Um… Seira, how much do you spend on him a month?”
What? This is a weird mood.
I don’t think money is that big of a deal.
“Money?… It’s not a huge amount. Maybe about half my monthly salary?”
“Half your salary?!”
What are you shouting for…
I go every week, so I think it’s about that much. Plus, I splurged on our date the other day, and I’m thinking of buying him a present soon.
I hope Masato likes it…
“Seira.”
“…What?”
The cheerful expression on Mai’s face from a moment ago was gone. She took my hand with a serious look.
The other two were also looking at me with worried expressions.
“You should stop seeing this guy. I’ll ask my boyfriend to set up a group date, so you should come to that.”
“…Excuse me?”
A group date? I have zero interest.
I don’t have money to spend on any man other than Masato right now.
And what’s this? Stop seeing him.
“I know this is harsh, but you’re being used as a money source, Seira.”
“Oh, is that what you’re worried about? It’s fine. Masato isn’t like that. He only works once a week, and I’m his only regular. So I have to be the one to pay for him.”
I see, I see. I get it.
They think that Masato is the same as any other run-of-the-mill boy at a bar.
They don’t need to worry about that. Masato is special. I went to another bar the other day and confirmed it. Masato is special. He’s not like that.
So, I’m fine.
“Seira…”
…So stop with that expression.
“Seira, you really shouldn’t. You have to come to the group date. And give up on that guy. He’s not good for you.”
…What do you mean, for my sake?
Anger started to bubble up inside me.
“What do you mean, for my sake? If you’re really thinking of my sake, why can’t you support me!? What do you even know about him?!”
“Seira… calm down.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me! You know what I went through, right!? When I was in pain, when I was suffering, Masato was the one who saved me! He’s not like that! Why can’t you understand?!”
Masato always worries that I’m spending too much money.
He says such kind things to me. It must be a job he doesn’t really want to do.
So what’s so wrong with me paying to help him out, even just a little?
“…Don’t worry about me. Masato isn’t like that. Things are going well right now. Don’t you dare… ruin it for me.”
Mai, and the other two, were still looking at me with sad expressions.
Stop it.
Don’t look at me like that…!
I wonder if it’s past midnight already.
On my way home from drinks, I walked alone down the street lit by streetlights, replaying what my friends had said to me today.
‘You’re being deceived.’
‘You’re being used as a money source.’
‘It’s just his job.’
—You’re wrong.
Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong!!!
Masato isn’t like that. I know him better than anyone.
He’s a kind boy. A boy with a cute smile who makes you want to protect him.
He is absolutely not the generic boy at a bar that they think he is. Not like the boy from that other bar who just spouted empty words. Nor is he a money-grubber who plays with women’s hearts to squeeze money out of them.
I know that better than anyone else.
I’m not wrong.
I opened my phone and tapped on the social media app.
There was the message I had just sent to Masato.
Seira: I went out for drinks with some friends.
Seira: They invited me to a group date. I don’t really feel like going, but…
…It’s okay. Masato will definitely tell me not to go.
He’ll say, “You have me, don’t you?”
As I was admiring the picture of Masato I had set as my chat background, the message was marked as read.
I instinctively went back to the chat screen.
He’s probably going to reply now.
“!”
A message. It came.
Masato: Good work today! Did you have fun?
Masato: Oh~! That’s great. You might meet someone nice!
…Why?
Why won’t you tell me not to go…?
There aren’t any nice people out there…
You’re the only one for me…
There’s only you, Masato…
Several droplets of water fell onto my phone screen.
It wasn’t raining.
They were, without a doubt, spilling from my eyes.
Friday.
I had decided I would never work overtime on Fridays, but my piece-of-shit boss made me stay late.
I will never forgive that asshole…
Because of that, I was rushing to the bar.
I had spent this entire week in a haze.
But my feelings haven’t changed. Masato is the only one for me. And I’m the only one who can spend money on Masato at that bar.
So, I’ve made a decision.
I’ll tell my friends after we start dating.
They’re worried because he’s not my boyfriend yet. So if we start dating, there’s no problem. I’m sure they’ll congratulate me then.
So, Masato and I have to move on to the next stage.
We’ve already gone on a date before work… so next is a date after, or something. Kind Masato will surely agree.
My spirits soared.
I’ll have dinner with Masato at a slightly nice place. The mood will be right. I’ll work up a little courage and ask him if he wants to come back to my place.
And then, when we spend the night together. How wonderful… how romantic would that be?
To get there, I need to prepare now.
I need to get closer to Masato.
I arrived at the bar.
I’m pretty late. At this time, is Masato probably working the reception?
I checked my appearance to make sure I was ready to see him and opened the door.
“Welcome, My Lady… ah, thank you for your continued patronage.”
It wasn’t Masato at the reception.
But because I’ve started coming every week, the boys here recognize me now, which is embarrassing.
“Um…”
“You’re here for Masato, right?”
“Ah, yes. I am.”
It was embarrassing, but there was also a slight feeling of superiority.
As if it was a given that I’m the one who requests Masato at this bar—.
“I’m sorry, Masato is with a customer right now…. If you’d like, I can have another boy attend to you.”
—Eh?
Masato is… with a customer?
With who?
With who, other than me?
Saying I would wait for Masato, I stepped outside the bar for a moment.
I needed time to collect my thoughts, and I had no intention of being served by anyone other than Masato at this bar. I don’t mind just talking, but being served by someone else, I had a resistance to that.
Masato is serving someone else.
It’s my fault.
Because I was late.
I should have just made up some excuse for my overtime and left, I should have come right away.
I gave some other woman time to get her hands on him…!
I couldn’t help but stomp my foot in frustration.
I will never work overtime on a Friday again. I’ll use a fake illness or whatever it takes to get out of there.
I looked at my watch.
Is it about time?
I should go back to the bar.
I walked back.
Unless they extended a lot, it should be about time for them to be finished. It’s fine. She was probably just a curious first-timer, I’m sure.
Just today, a coincidence.
I’m sure I spend more money on Masato, and I receive a lot more affection.
So, it’s fine.
I told myself that as I arrived in front of the bar—.
Just as Masato was seeing a customer out.
And at the end of his line of sight.
I saw her. That woman.
I recognized her.
I know her.
I know that woman.
Her hairstyle was different, but I knew her right away. At the drugstore, the girl Masato was being so nice to…!
A black emotion swirled in the depths of my heart.
I could tell just by looking. Before, I had the impression that she was a filthy little girl, but I was wrong.
A cheerful, smiling girl with twintails.
And Masato, seeing her off, was smiling too.
Ah. Masato is… smiling.
Something overflowed from the bucket of my emotions.
No.
No no no no no!!!
Absolutely not!
That place, that place is my—!!!
“Well then, see you, Masato.”
“Yeah, see you.”
See you?
I put my hands on my knees right where I was standing.
“Ugh… gueh…”
I felt like I was going to throw up.
It was obvious.
They look better together.
A bright and cheerful young girl, and handsome Masato.
Their interaction looked so dazzling.
Anyone would say that they look better together than he and I do.
…But.
I’ve made up my mind.
I took out my hand mirror and checked my appearance one more time.
My complexion was awful. But there’s nothing I can do about that.
I won’t give up. No matter how dirty or ugly it gets, I’ve decided that Masato is the only one for me.
I won’t let you have him.
I won’t let you have him I won’t let you have him I won’t let you have him.
I staggered over and stood behind Masato, who was still watching that girl’s back.
What—should I say to him?
Ah, right.
I can’t start by dissing that girl.
Masato might have his reasons.
And I might give him a bad impression of me.
In fact, I should probably compliment her.
So, right.
Let’s go with this.
“What a cute girl.”
Header: In Mochizuki Seira’s Case
< Seira
Seira: So, that girl is a university friend, I see. (23:34)
Masato: That’s right! One of my few friends (lol). (Read, 23:51)
Seira: Oh, so you’re close. (0:02)
— Message retracted — (0:03)
Seira: Is that kind of girl your type, Masato? (0:04)
Masato: I’ve never really thought about it like that! (lol) (Read, 0:15)
Seira: I see, but she is cute, isn’t she. (0:21)
Masato: You think so too, Seira-san? Yeah, that’s right! She’s charming, and… (Read, 0:39)
Masato: And what’s more, she’s a really good person. (Read, 0:41)
— Message retracted — (1:35)
Seira: I see. (1:37)
📞 Missed call (2:23)
📞 Missed call (2:24)
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