"Men are all scumbags."
After downing three drinks, Eriri's pale, delicate face turned a little red, and she launched right into her rant.
"During the six months we were together, I don't think I ever treated him badly."
"He paid for our outings, sure—but after every date, I worried about him feeling poor, so I always transferred 100,000 yen to his card—every time, without even blinking!"
"And what did I get in return?"
"I got dumped!"
"Ha ha ha! What a joke!"
Eriri laughed and cried simultaneously, then poured herself another drink that tasted like brandy with peach.
"He loved my money—not me."
"Girl, remember—never spend money on men!"
"Spend money on men and you'll be unlucky for life!"
Eriri, tipsy now, grabbed Kotonoha's hand and earnestly lectured her.
"I'm the best example."
Kotonoha: "...Big sis?"
If she remembered correctly, Eriri was actually younger than her.
In terms of age, at least… though maybe not emotionally.
"He cheated on me first, then had the nerve to blame me?" Eriri was clearly drunk now, spiraling into her own world and ranting freely.
"Fine! I admit that when I started dating him, I kind of treated him as a rebound. I was half-hearted at first, always thinking about Aki Tomoya."
"But I changed, didn't I?"
"Why couldn't he give me a chance to make up for it?"
"He was juggling… three? No, five? Wait, let me count!" Eriri started counting on her fingers, trying to figure out how many girls Takashi was stringing along.
But clearly, it wasn't a math problem she could solve.
Even if Takashi himself tried, he probably couldn't count all the girls he'd led on.
Eriri counted again and again. Eventually frustrated, she messed up the hairstyle she'd spent an hour on.
"Ughhh! I can't figure it out! Whatever! He wasn't even loyal to me in the first place!"
"I forgave him! And he still didn't accept it!"
"Who the hell does he think he is?!"
"Does he think I can't live without him?!"
"What a joke! I've got men chasing me from Japan to the UK—I need him?"
"Fine! Don't forgive me then! I don't even care! I've already forgotten about him!"
Eriri started bluffing.
But truthfully, every night when the world was quiet and the depression creeps in, she'd curl up under her blanket alone, crying quietly while replaying the sweet memories of their past.
Sometimes, under her alt account, Kashiwagi Eiri, she'd post vague, emotional messages like:
"How much love can be redone?"
"If we met earlier, would things have ended differently?"
"If you miss me, just turn around—I'm still here."
All crazy signals hoping Takashi would come back.
If Takashi ever messaged her just a single "You there?"—no, even just "."—she would instantly reply.
Since that last talk, Takashi hadn't contacted her again, but Eriri had emotionally worn herself out.
Girl… come on.
We followed you for your spicy drawings—not this drama.
You post these emo things every day. Who can handle it?
Everyone has emotional scars—but we've moved on. Why are you dragging us back?
To the outside world, they were following a lewd artist. But now it looked like they were all following a romance blogger.
And believe it or not—
Some of Eriri's fans, those who'd had unforgettable heartbreaks and still hadn't healed, were inspired by her posts to give love one more shot.
As for the results...
She's already showing a baby bump, and they still haven't moved on.
Well, now it's mutual.
Thanks to Eriri's meltdown, she's no longer the only one suffering.
The world kissed her with pain—so she hurt the world back.
If anything, the Akatsuki organization should've been entrusted to her, not Pain.
"Forgotten him?"
Kotonoha didn't follow Eriri's account, so she had no idea what Eriri had been posting.
But just watching her wipe away tears while claiming she'd already moved on wasn't exactly convincing.
She couldn't help but ask, "If Takashi showed up right now and said he wanted to start over… would you agree?"
"Of course not."
Eriri folded her arms, looking proud and haughty.
"What kind of person do you think I am?"
"Even if he got down on his knees and begged, I wouldn't get back together with him."
"A Sawamura woman never goes back to her ex."
Not far away, Sayuri overheard her daughter's bold declaration and nearly sweatdropped like a Minion.
Girl, it's fine to lie to yourself—but don't lie like this in public.
He doesn't need to beg on his knees. If he just shows up in front of you, you'll probably grab his leg and cry to get back together.
"I feel dizzy… I'm heading to the restroom." Eriri swayed slightly, holding her head and pushing herself up from the table.
"Don't go, bestie. Wait for me to come back—we'll keep chatting."
Since Eriri had ranted so much to her parents they were sick of it, she finally had someone new she could vent to.
There was no way she was letting Kotonoha go now.
Even though Kotonoha had a bit of a short fuse, in Eriri's heart, she was now a forever bestie.
Wait, people can actually get drunk on this stuff?
Kotonoha glanced at the drink in her hand, then at Eriri stumbling toward the restroom, needing to use the wall for balance.
The alcohol content in these drinks was extremely low—like the pre-mixed cocktails guys buy from convenience stores.
They barely even give you a buzz.
She couldn't figure out how Eriri managed to get drunk off this.
It was her first time drinking them, and she'd thought they just tasted like sweet soda.
…
"Miss Shinomiya, happy birthday!"
Surrounded by socialites and heiresses, wearing a crystal tiara, Kaguya felt none of the joy people usually feel when surrounded by friends on their birthday.
Inside, she was perfectly calm—dead calm.
All she could think was how fake everyone around her seemed.
She wasn't even familiar with most of them.
Many were meeting her for the first time. They'd only known each other for less than an hour, yet they acted like they were lifelong best friends.
Disgustingly fake.
Kaguya sneered inwardly.
Everyone here—and this entire party—disgusted her.
They claimed the party was for her, but had anyone even asked what she wanted?
The guest list, the venue, the decorations—none of it was her choice.
She didn't believe they came for her birthday. She was certain they came for her family name.
If she didn't carry the Shinomiya name, none of them would even glance her way.
If only I were just a normal person, Kaguya silently wished, closing her eyes.
Everyone wanted her life, including Takashi.
But what Kaguya envied… was the ordinary life he had.
"Whew…"
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