After breaking up, my ex asked me to win her back

A park somewhere in Tokyo.

The diffused light of dusk scattered down, tinting the ground, the sandbox, the slides, and the playing children in shades of orange.

A kindly looking woman sat quietly under the shade of a tree, silently watching her grandson playing with his peers.

"As you age, you really start to crave these moments, to escape the hustle and bustle and be with your children and grandchildren, even if just sitting still for an hour or several hours can fly by."

"Is that so?"

"You'll come to understand this feeling eventually, Classmate Ayakoji," the woman said with a smile, turning to Ayakoji Chiyoko sitting beside her, "Just the thought of that tearful Ayakoji now being a senior in high school, and me, an old relic who's retired and no longer working, I can't help but think of the saying 'time waits for no one.'"

"You took care of me during that time, Teacher Chi Wei."

"Oh, it was ultimately you students who saved yourselves. On the contrary, it's me, the teacher, who failed to protect you, and I am really sorry for that."

"That's all in the past now."

This kind woman was none other than their fourth-grade elementary school homeroom teacher, Teacher Chi Wei.

That same year was also the one when Ayakoji Chiyoko faced the worst of the bullying.
Your journey continues with empire

Almost every day she would end up in tears, sometimes crying three times in the worst days, and Teacher Chi Wei often saw Ayakoji Chiyoko attending classes with tear-stained cheeks.

At those times, she would call Ayakoji Chiyoko to the office for questioning, and then scold the group of bad kids fiercely.

Back then, Teacher Chi Wei, standing in her role as a teacher, couldn't get too deeply involved in student disputes but she secretly arranged for two other girls to befriend Ayakoji Chiyoko.

They were Kiryu Hina and Sakata Asahi.

She was a kind teacher, and Ayakoji Chiyoko respected her greatly.

Not long after that incident, a student was pushed down the stairs.

"The last time you came to see me, it was about him, right?" Teacher Chi Wei said, "I'm sorry, Chiyoko. I've gotten old, and my memory is fading; I tried to recall for a long time after your last visit but still couldn't remember."

"It's okay, I understand, Teacher Chi Wei." Ayakoji Chiyoko shook her head, "Actually, I came today because I've found some clues and wanted to confirm them with you."

She pulled out her mobile phone and brought up an ID photo of Kagura Hikaru.

It was taken directly from the student album by the Gorilla Vice President, who was still serving in the Disciplinary Committee.

She showed the photo on the screen to Teacher Chi Wei, "This person is called Kagura Hikaru, someone told me he might be the boy who was pushed down the stairs back then. Teacher, do you think it's him?"

About her classmates from that year, Ayakoji Chiyoko's memory had almost completely blurred.

After all, she was working part-time as a child star during elementary school, which already reduced her time at school, and moreover, she would be placed in different classes every year.

To recall anything, she could only rely on related parties like Teacher Chi Wei for help.

Unlike before when she'd broached the accident dryly without any clues, this time Ayakoji Chiyoko had a name and an exact likeness.

Even if her past memories had blurred, with these aids, she might be able to remember something.

"Let me see."

Teacher Chi Wei took the phone, put on her reading glasses and scrutinized it, muttering, "Kagura, Kagura Hikaru... Ah, I remember now, that's Teacher Kagura's son!"

"Teacher Kagura is?"

"The mother of this student, Kagura Hikaru; she's a novelist. We all used to call her Teacher Kagura when she came to the parent-teacher meetings. She was a very talkative person, and left a deep impression."

Listening, Ayakoji Chiyoko felt it somehow resembled the description of her stepmother, but she was more concerned about another issue.

"Teacher Chi Wei, so you're saying Kagura Hikaru…"

"Yes, thanks to this photo, I completely remember now," Teacher Chi Wei lamented as she took off her glasses with a sigh, "How could I forget? Indeed, I'm getting old... This Kagura student was definitely one of my students, and he was in the same year as you, Chiyoko."

"Could it mean!"

"Yes, the student who was pushed down the stairs that year was him."

She had found him.

At last, she had found it.

At this moment, Ayakoji Chiyoko's mood was even calm, calm with a touch of joy that unconsciously showed on her face.

She looked up at the twilight sky, her heart burning like the clouds now.

——The hero she had been desperately searching for, who had secretly helped her escape bullying in elementary school and was the root and opportunity that made her into who she is now, had been right by her side all along.

How silly, how could she have only realized it now.

They were, after all, so close!

All the experiences she had undergone with Kagura Hikaru uncontrollably reemerged in her mind.

The first meeting was in the hallway, where Ayakoji Chiyoko blocked him, recruiting him to join the Disciplinary Committee.

On the bench in the school courtyard, they reached their first agreement there, their relationship still very rigid, sparing with their words.

In the process of confronting Kiryu Hina, they gradually developed a tacit understanding and became allies.

In Tsukinomori, she learned of Kagura Hikaru's troubled past for the first time.

On the night in the Capital City, they thawed their previous misgivings, and Kagura Hikaru indirectly confessed his feelings to her.

A long time had passed since then.

Until now.

She discovered yet another past of his, which was also related to her.

Ayakoji Chiyoko realized that a part of her school life already had a place for Kagura Hikaru.

She could see him every day at school.

Was this a coincidence, or had she gradually started to seek him out intentionally?

Her gaze would be involuntarily drawn to his figure.

She would get jealous seeing him close with other girls.

When talking to him, her heart would uncontrollably beat faster.

Occasionally, she would long for more intimate physical contact.

Ayakoji Chiyoko finally understood what that itch in her heart was whenever she saw Kagura Hikaru.

It turned out, she liked Kagura Hikaru.

She was in love.

The emotions inside her burst forth all at once.

Making her heart race.

Thankfully, the dusk hid the blush on Ayakoji Chiyoko's face.

She had once imagined the boy who saved her as a great figure; would she be disappointed if she actually met him?

Ayakoji Chiyoko had once pondered this question.

But now, this question had become meaningless; there was no need to think about it anymore.

Because she had found the best answer.

On the way to Yuqiu High School, Ayakoji Chiyoko looked at Kagura Hikaru beside her, slowly drawing near his cheek.

She touched his cheek with her fingertip.

"....? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, just wanted to try," Ayakoji Chiyoko smiled.