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

```

It was as if a shock grenade had detonated at the center of his skull.

For a moment, it seemed as though his brain matter itself was trembling.

This was probably an illusion, but Kagura Hikaru truly felt waves of dizziness assault him like a tsunami.

He stood there, losing consciousness for perhaps a fraction of a second, then quickly recovered as if he had taken a power nap at the height of exhaustion and instantly awoke, his body shock, followed by an uncontrollable numbness that spread throughout his entire body, making it impossible for him to stand steadily.

What had he just heard?

Kiryu Hina?

To learn this name from Teacher Miura, his middle school homeroom teacher, could only mean one thing—Kiryu Hina had also attended this school, and she was one of Teacher Miura's students, just like Kagura Hikaru and the others.

From the way the teacher spoke of her, Kiryu Hina was clearly a student from their same year!

But that, that was impossible.

Teacher Miura, as the Japanese language teacher, was responsible only for the students in their particular year. If Kiryu Hina were also her student, and her grades were comparable to Ayakoji Chiyoko's, then he would certainly have known of such a person during middle school.

Yet the reality was the opposite.

In his memory, the only person with grades close to Kohinata Motoyo was Ayakoji Chiyoko; he had never heard of the name 'Kiryu Hina.'

Memory and reality were in conflict.

The more he thought about it, the greater the fear he felt.

Because Kagura Hikaru knew what this meant, and it was something he couldn't possibly be unaware of.

So far, the only person who had pointed out errors in his memory was Kiryu Hina herself.

Ai Cheng Hua Lian and Kohinata Motoyo had intentionally avoided discussing it.

After Kagura Hikaru's last fainting episode, Kiryu Hina had them change their approach, believing that overstimulating Kagura Hikaru's brain might not be beneficial. The external injury to his head hadn't even fully healed, and it had been very fortunate that his last faint didn't affect the wound.

Therefore, neither Ai Cheng Hua Lian nor Kohinata Motoyo mentioned Kiryu Hina when they were with Kagura Hikaru. After all, this wasn't the only way to help him regain his memory.

Unexpectedly, the taboo was broken right here with Teacher Miura.

...No, was it really unexpected?

The one who caught the staggering Kagura Hikaru was Kohinata Motoyo, her lips curved in a slight smile as she embraced him, using her body for support.

"Are you alright?" Kohinata Motoyo asked softly.

Unlike the last time, Kagura Hikaru didn't faint; he just had a severe headache and swayed his head groggily, "I'm not, not fine...."

Seeing Kagura Hikaru in pain, worry filled Kohinata Motoyo's eyes, which also held a hint of determined resolve.

Ever since his last faint, Kiryu Hina had been terrified and specifically asked them not to bring up her matter in front of Kagura Hikaru, lest it lead to another accident.

However, after consulting with her family's doctor, Kohinata Motoyo had a different opinion.

The doctor agreed with her that Kagura Hikaru didn't need to be shielded from the truth; instead, he needed more stimulation of the cerebral cortex, allowing the brain to become accustomed to such shocks and gradually adapt, in order to uncover the deeply buried memories.

This, she believed, was the way to help Kagura Hikaru recover his memory quickly.

Kiryu Hina's approach was like an old person maintaining health; the threat of Ayakoji Chiyoko was imminent, and there was no time for such caution.

"What's happening to him...?"

Kohinata Motoyo looked toward Teacher Miura, who had stood up from her chair in surprise, and said with an apologetic smile, "Sorry, Teacher Miura, Kagura might be feeling unwell. We'll go outside for some fresh air."

"Okay, okay, do you need me to take you to the infirmary?"

"That probably won't be necessary. If we decide to see the school nurse, I remember where to go."

"Alright."

"Wait."

Kohinata Motoyo intended to take Kagura Hikaru outside, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks, turned back to look at the teacher and asked, "Teacher Miura, do you know Ayakoji Chiyoko?"

```

"What?" Teacher Miura showed a baffled expression and took a few seconds to reply, "Sorry, I don't seem to have heard of her. Is she a student at Bunkyo Middle School?"

"...It's nothing."

Kagura Hikaru's expression darkened as he turned his head and walked out of the teacher's office with uneven steps.

As the two of them walked down the stairs and passed by the communal sink in the first-floor corridor, Kagura Hikaru asked her to stop for a moment and splashed his face with some cold water.

The chilly sensation spread across his cheeks.

After rinsing his face, he rested his hands on the edge of the sink and hung his head in silence.

Kohinata Motoyo stood by his side, equally silent.

"...Why aren't you saying anything." It was a long while before Kagura Hikaru finally spoke, his head still lowered.

Kohinata Motoyo cracked a wry smile, "What do you want me to say?"

"Stop playing dumb!" Kagura Hikaru slammed his fist down on the edge of the porcelain basin.

But he quickly realized his tone was too harsh and softened his voice, "...Motoyo, I need to seriously ask you a question."

"Hmm."

"Is my memory wrong?"

"Hmm."

"Chiyoko, she never attended school here?"

"Hmm."

Kagura Hikaru clenched his fists, his forehead breaking into a sweat.

His current state of mind was as if someone had just informed him that Godzilla really existed and might emerge from the sea at any moment.

In his memories of middle school life, Ayakoji Chiyoko unquestionably played a large part.

She had been in the same class as him in the second year, had joined the drama club with him and Motoyo, and this year, Kagura Hikaru had confessed to her, making them a couple.

Everything seemed so perfect.

Yet now, he was being told that all of that was false, a deception.

But that made no sense.

If Ayakoji Chiyoko never attended Bunkyo Public Middle School, then who was the one who had been with him, to whom he had mustered up the courage to confess his love?

The more he tried to recall the details, the more severe his headache became. His hands trembled uncontrollably as he took out a painkiller from his pocket, swallowed it, closed his eyes, and waited a few seconds, slowly feeling the dizziness subside.

He couldn't even be sure if 'Ayakoji Chiyoko' ever existed.

The seed of doubt that Kiryu Hina had planted in him that day had finally begun to take root and sprout.

"Let's go outside."

Kohinata Motoyo suddenly said.

She smiled, grabbed Kagura Hikaru's hand, and, while he was still dazed, led him outside.

They exited the academic building and turned left toward the side near the sports ground.

Bunkyo Public Middle School had a signature plant, a large cherry blossom tree.

When spring came, the students of Bunkyo Middle School liked to gather under the tree to enjoy the cherry blossoms.

The blossoming season had already passed, leaving the branches bare and giving the place a desolate, somber air, but the trunk was so thick that four people could not encircle it, and that alone was impressive.

For Kohinata Motoyo, this place held a special significance.

Because it was here that she had confessed her feelings to Kagura Hikaru.