Ayano and Taro sat in his room later that day together. Taro seemed obsessed with his phone, refusing to allow Ayano to see what was so important on it. She sighed, assuming it was really personal and important. She didn't once suspect cheating.
"You ok babe? You've been on that phone a lot..." Ayano said with a little concern. Taro looked up, frowning a little. He could see she was concerned. He put his phone down with a sigh, sitting down beside Ayano and hugging her.
"I'm fine, Ayano. Don't worry, ok?" He told her before gently kissing her. It was that kiss. It confused her so much. It convinced her that she loved him, yet she still occasionally thought about kissing Oka again. She kissed him back, pushing the nagging voice that told her to think about Oka to the back of her mind.
Taro had gone into the bathroom, leaving his phone in the room with Ayano. Part of her was curious. She wanted to know why he was so attached to it. Her hand twitched a little as she reached out to grab it. He still hadn't come in as she entered his password, which she had found out when she was looking over his shoulder a few days ago. Tears began to blur her vision as she read the flirty messages between her boyfriend and his ex girlfriend and childhood best friend Osana Najimi.
"What is this about?" Ayano demanded, showing him the text messages as soon as he came back into the bedroom. He laughed a little, taking the phone from her.
"Just a misunderstanding baby. Don't be so paranoid." He put the phone into his back pocket, gently putting his arms around her and kissing her. She kissed back with slight hesitation. She didn't know if he was telling the truth, but hoped to God he was.
It was about a week later. Oka was still on life support, barely recovering from her suicide attempt. Ayano hadn't seen her since last time. She was walking down the street heading to the store to purchase food for herself and Info-chan when she saw something that broke her heart. Taro was walking down the street holding hands with Osana. She tried to push it to the back of her mind, trying not to be paranoid about it. No matter how hard she tried, she always assumed he was cheating on her with Osana. Oka would never do that to her. She went over to him, wanting to scream when she saw him passionately kissing the ginger tsundere. He hadn't noticed her.
"What the hell Taro?" Ayano snapped as she furiously stormed over to him. He looked up in surprise, letting go of Osana's hand.
"A-Ayano!" He gasped in shock. "It's not what it looks like!" He tried to persuade her, but she didn't believe him. Her heart was shattering by the second. She now understood how heartbroken Oka had felt when she'd turned so cold towards her. Tears filled her eyes as she looked up at him.
"How could you do that to me?" She yelled as a single tear ran down her cheek. Osana hadn't known Taro was with Ayano, and immediately felt awkward. She walked away, not wanting to be confronted by Ayano.
"I wasn't doing anything to you. She's just a friend. You need to calm yourself down." Taro told her in a slightly manipulative voice. She knew that voice. He was trying to convince her he wasn't cheating so he could continue to cheat on her behind her back. She knew she deserved better than that. She'd done better, and threw it away for him. No more. She was going to undo her mistake to the best of her ability.
"No. You're a liar and a cheater. I don't want anything to do with you Taro. We're over!" She snapped furiously, turning and walking away. She ignored the stares she was receiving from passers by, too focused on her own goal. She went into the shop, getting what she needed before heading back to the house. She knew the hospital visiting hours were over, so there was no point in even trying. Tomorrow morning, though. She would go to the hospital and go see Oka. She only hoped it wasn't too late.
That night, Ayano laid on her bed in the darkness. For the first time in ages, her mind was finally clear. She wasn't caught up in who she liked more. She knew who she wanted to be with now. Ayano knew she'd made so many mistakes, she'd probably made Info-chan hate her, but she was suddenly clear. She knew exactly how she felt now, after so long she knew. Taro was nothing more than a lying cheat who didn't deserve any love from her or any girl. As her eyes drifted shut, she came to the realisation she wished would've come sooner.
Ayano Aishi's heart belonged to Oka Ruto.
