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

Kiryu Hina's idea had been cut short before it could even begin.

Because before she could act, Kohinata Motoyo had spoken to her with a strangely smiling tone just before they entered the classroom, "Mister Hikaru isn't doing so well, but we can take care of him together."

That sentence was like a devil's whisper, echoing in Kiryu Hina's mind until she entered the classroom and sat at her own desk.

What did that mean?

No, actually she knew.

Ever since Kohinata Motoyo had arrived at Yuqiu High School, she had never concealed her intentions.

She wanted Kagura Hikaru back and to reconcile with her.

To the other, those two ambitions might seem like one.

On the surface, the two were romantic rivals, but conversely, if the fundamental conflict was resolved, they might still be friends.

This fundamental conflict was Kagura Hikaru.

If... just a hypothetical... if...

Kiryu Hina imagined a scenario where two women were holding the hands of a man, their expressions changing.

Kohinata Motoyo, perhaps the most greedy woman Kiryu Hina had ever encountered in her life.

And she was very adept at arousing others' desires.

Near the back door of the classroom, Kagura Hikaru, sitting in the last seat, glanced at Kiryu Hina who had been distracted ever since she spoke with Motoyo, growing suspicious.

He decided to ask directly.

"What did you say to her?" Kagura Hikaru turned to his desk mate Ms. Motoyo and asked.

Motoyo placed her textbook on the table, tilted her head slightly as if in thought, then smiled, "Just planted a seed."

"So, next autumn an apple tree will grow from Hina's head?"

"Hehe, that's a good joke. Are you mimicking Newton and his 'Tree of Knowledge'? I didn't expect Mister Hikaru to have such a sense of humor."

"Good if you like it."

"I certainly do."

Motoyo flashed her trademark smile, somewhat reminiscent of the Virgin Mary in Da Vinci's paintings—holy, warm, with a tender, maternal look in her eyes.

In this way, she naturally skipped over the previous topic, like a mother who didn't want to waste money on toys and used the start of a cartoon to divert her child's attention.

Kagura Hikaru noticed this but kept silent.

Kohinata Motoyo loved mysticism, and she never spoke outwardly about truly crucial matters.

That was also why many people found her reliable; despite appearing soft and tender, she always seemed capable of anything.

Most of the time, Motoyo would not conceal something harmful to others, and it was likely the same this time.

Since she obviously didn't want to share with him, it must be something he shouldn't know, Kagura Hikaru wouldn't ask further, lest he seem tactless.

In Kagura Hikaru's eyes, this was just a minor episode in everyday life, quickly forgotten.

But not so for certain others.

Kiryu Hina completely forgot her plan to communicate with Ayakoji Chiyoko; she attended school in a daze all day, and her expression was still troubled when she went home after school.

Unaware due to her reduced vigilance, she hadn't noticed Motoyo watching her departure from upstairs, rarely showing a smile of a plan coming together, cute like a stuffed-toy cat with a mouse in its mouth.

Now Motoyo was just one step away from a perfect conclusion, and she had the right to be pleased with herself.

Her plan was divided into two parts.

One was to use a boyfriend to tempt Kiryu Hina, shifting her focus from obstructing Motoyo's romantic relationship with Kagura Hikaru.

Since she was envious, why not join?

Two were happy together, three even happier, why shouldn't it be possible?

She believed Hina wouldn't be that stubborn.

Now sowing a seed, next year might yield a new relationship.

The second part, announcing the campaign for the next Student Council election, was to drain Ayakoji Chiyoko's energy.

Her supporters had been pressuring the Student Council both overtly and covertly since a week ago, and these unseen "non-supports" made the Student Council's work even harder, threatening the electoral situation of the next term, indirectly stopping Ayakoji Chiyoko from causing trouble.

Although the opposition seemed indifferent and very negative, they had to be on guard.

In Suse's estimation, by the time they would reach their third year, both parts of her plan would be completed.

By then, she could comfortably be embraced by both.

She truly missed the days in middle school when the three of them were together.

But, she didn't just want to restore the relationship to the way it had been, she wanted to take it even further.

That is, what the masses commonly call – a harem route.

Though it violated the moral views of modern society and would encounter resistance from outside, for Suse, this was undoubtedly the happiest ending.

The real instability in the plan would likely come from Kagura Hikaru, whose thinking was traditional and would probably not agree.

However, his personality also tended to be more passive, and Suse had a sufficient understanding of her significance in her boyfriend's heart, she could almost be certain that as long as she persisted with enough patience and persuasion, Kagura Hikaru would eventually nod in agreement.

Rounding up, that meant she was likely to win.

This kept her smiling all the way while walking home with Kagura Hikaru.

The next afternoon.

"I have seriously considered it, and I regret that I cannot accept it."

"..."

When Kiryu Hina solemnly rejected her proposal right in front of her, Kohinata Motoyo's smile stiffened, and her composure vanished.

"Why?"

"I should be the one asking why, did you really think I would agree to such an unrealistic proposal?"

Kiryu Hina glanced intricately at Kagura Hikaru, who stood quietly not far behind Suse, watching their conversation, then returned her gaze, showing a kind of hate that stung Suse.

"Kohinata Motoyo, who do you think I am, some middle school girl who'd die for love?"

Kiryu Hina's eyes hardened, "Don't be so full of yourself, you never understood me!"

"..."

This was, indeed, unexpected.

She hadn't anticipated that the first step of the plan would hit such a defeat, and that it would be so utterly cut down.

"Give me another chance, let's talk."

"I won't listen." Kiryu Hina said, "I wish you happiness."

She lowered her head and walked briskly, quickly brushing past Suse.

As she passed Kagura Hikaru, she paused slightly, then walked on with even more determination.

Just as she herself said, she wasn't a middle school girl whose life revolved solely around love.

Perhaps the ups and downs of this romantic experience would linger in her life for many years to come, yet even so, Kiryu Hina had no regrets about her decision today.

At least by losing this battle, she could still retain her last shred of dignity, rather than being embraced in the arms of a despised enemy like charity, sharing warmth, which would have been the ultimate humiliation!

Kagura Hikaru watched as Kiryu Hina rounded the corner and disappeared, then turned back to Suse who approached him: "What did you just say to her?"

"Hmm... there was a slight issue," Suse frowned.

It seemed, she had underestimated Hina's hatred for her.

So the real instability, was herself.