Chapter 2: 1

Chapter 1 - Surprisingly, Everyone is Using Dating Apps!

 

 

It's February, the winter of my second year of college.

College life is one of the periods in the middle of youth, often referred to as the summer of life, and when one is asked what youth is, then most people would probably associate it with love.

Even for me, who doesn't have a romantic mindset, when asked what youth means to me, among the many experiences that I could only have during my time as a student, such as club activities, school festivals, part-time jobs, and so on, it is still the word love that has the strongest image.

Of course, I also had my own experiences with romance.

Back then, I met Hikari Takamiya, a girl who was in my class at the high school entrance ceremony. Since our seats were next to each other, we often got involved with each other. We chatted every day at school, and when that wasn't enough, we went home and continued on LINE, sometimes over the phone, and we even went out on dates on holidays too.

Seeing us like this, our classmates, both boys, and girls did not remain silent and started asking us when we started dating.

In such a situation, came the cultural festival...

Our class was always pressured at every festival so this had become a habit. So, we decided to put on the play "Romeo and Juliet".

The cast was chosen by all the classmates. And my classmates all united to cast me as Romeo and Hikari as Juliet.

Thanks to that, we had more contact during the rehearsal. Even when the rehearsal was over, my classmates always went home first and left the two of us alone.

Now, I understand. I put my feelings of despair on the surface and told myself how much I wanted her.

I decided to do it on the way home after the festival.

"Takamiya....."

"What......?"

In the park on the way from school to the station.

After festival practice, we always sat on this bench and drank soda from the vending machine.

But today, it's likely to be the last time. ....... If I fail, then our relationship won't be the same anymore. And if I succeed, our relationship will probably change, but the change will be in a positive direction.

I want to change our relationship to be more than this.

"..... Do you want to date me?"

Because I was so enthusiastic, my first confession in life took the form of a question.

I was a little worried that Hikari would be as disappointed as I was with how pathetic I was.

"..... Want to?"

I was surprised to find that she answered my question with another question.

Fortunately, it went well.

We were seen by everyone around us as a good couple, despite our frequent fights. And even though they were aware of that, they still recognized that we were a good couple. I don't think they blame it too much because we always make up in the end.

But if there's a beginning, there's also an end.

From November of my first year of high school to February of my first year of college, after about 3 years and 3 months of dating, we finally parted ways

 

***

 

"So, Sho-chan. Do you want to get back together with that ex-boyfriend of yours?"

At a popular cafe with a monotonous black-and-white and gray interior and good coffee. Ichinose Enji, wiping his wet tray and said so to me.

".....No. I don't regret it!"

"Hmmm...."

Enji's expression seemed to look right through me, and I subconsciously averted my eyes from him.

"So-chan is usually calm. But when it comes to his ex, he gets emotional, huh."

"What? No, that's not true."

"Look, you're getting restless."

Enji placed his hot coffee order on the tray with a mocking expression.

He was like a magician reading my mind.

"You know what, Sho-chan? The chance of a comeback isn't even twenty percent."

"I guess you're right. ....."

I already knew that.

Since that day, there has never been a day when I could forget her. I've thought about it many times and researched many ways and possibilities to get back together. But, we weren't reunited for a year. I don't know what to do now...

"You should find a new love. If you can't forget him after a long time, just hit him with a new 'love'."

"......"

"I suggest you use a dating app. There are many beautiful girls on them."

"Dating app ...... can I forget about it with that ......?

"See, you still have regrets, don't you?"

"Ah, no. I have no regrets."

With a more mocking face than before, Enji fled, carrying his coffee tray as he walked down the hallway.

"Damn, he set me up......"

 

***

 

I was sitting at the counter with Enji after my part-time job at the cafe was over.

I installed a dating app that Enji recommended. The name of the app is Connect.

It boasted the largest number of members among all the dating apps available today, especially among college students.

The mechanism is simple. You look at a woman's profile, if you like her, you can send her a "like".

Once you do, then your profile will be shown to the other party.

If she gives you a "like" back on your profile, then you will be matched. But if not, then you will not be able to message each other.

"The system is great because it allows you to know that the other party also has a good impression of you to some extent when you are matched."

There is a limit to the number of "likes" you can send, and you cannot send "likes" to everyone you see. This is so that members do not spam "likes" to random people.

"Hey, does this require money?"

Sending a predetermined number of "likes" and viewing someone's profile is free. But it looks like there will be a monthly fee for opening and sending messages.

It costs 4 thousand yen per month. That's a little steep for a college student's wallet.

"If you're serious about meeting someone, then it would be better if you use a paid app. Or do you want to try a free app? But if it's free, it's usually filled with overpriced people."

To be honest, I didn't want to find a partner. I just wanted to forget about Hikari.

"No, I'll just use this Connect."

"Heh, that's quite surprising, isn't it?"

If I use the free one, the other party might make up some excuse to escape from me. So, why not just spend some money so that the other party can't escape from me?

"Well, I need to move on soon, so..."

"Bwahahah, it sounds funny when you suddenly say such pretentious things."

"Don't tease me. !!!!"

The first thing to do after installing Connect is to create a profile, which includes basic information such as height and weight, as well as a "hobbies" tag.

It seems to be a system that allows you to see at a glance whether or not we have common interests. As for the rest, well, that's about it.

"The reason why Connect can have the largest number of members in the dating app industry is probably because of this personality test. Women love psychological tests, so they install this app for that purpose."

I think it's a suspicious psychological test that uses the Burnham Effect to produce several sympathetic results that can be applied to everyone.

 

TL/N: A psychological phenomenon in which a person takes as accurate a description of themselves that seems tailor-made for them, when in fact the description is so general that it could apply to many people.

 

"What the hell is this? Do I have to answer a hundred questions?"

"It's a way to get to know yourself in more detail. Of course, you wouldn't believe it if it was just a few questions, would you?"

"I see, yeah."

Then, I started answering a hundred questions in silence and completely ignored Enji, who tried to interrupt me while I was busy reading the questions.

I finished the personality test in about 10 minutes.

I thought it would take more time, but I was glad because it had a rule that I had to answer each question within 5 seconds.

Maybe the reason is that if you don't choose an answer based on your intuition, then you might not be able to recognize yourself.

"What? You're anxious and uncooperative?! Hahaha, that's right!"

"Noisy!"

Enji burst out laughing when he saw my test results.

There were several personality tags displayed, and the system seemed to prioritize those with personalities and values that matched mine.

"But, this "Single-minded" personality tag is pretty good. I think the ladies will like it."

"I see, yeah."

"But the other personality tag is really bad, and it can create a gap. Women are usually sensitive to gaps, you know? Well, for example when a yankee feeds a stray cat, it looks more beautiful than when a normal person feeds it, doesn't it?"

"You're teasing me again, huh?"

"Hahaha!"

The most important part of creating a profile is the photo.

"I'm embarrassed to take a selfie. So, I'll leave it blank for a while."

"Alright, let's take a picture now."

Enji suddenly took a picture of me with his camera. It was so unexpected that the result showed me blinking with my mouth open.

"Hahaha, your face is hilarious!"

"That's you taking the picture!"

"Sorry, sorry, but I advise you to upload your photo there. It'll make a difference like heaven and earth in terms of compatibility if you don't."

I've never been good at posting my face on the internet. The only time I ever did was when I took a picture with Hikari.

I was so happy with that first picture that I used it as my LINE icon.

Looking back, I cringe too, huh?

Unfortunately, I broke up with him in the end, and there was no way I could keep those two photos as LINE icons after we broke up.

After searching for a while, I finally found the photo of the cafe Hikari and I used to go to in my gallery.

Those who saw my LINE at that time must have guessed, "Oh, they must have broken up. That's too bad."

"But, I don't want to do that. I'll only post it if I'm in the mood."

"Hmm, then what if you don't get the match at all?"

"Well, that's fine."

After going through the basic information, hobby tags, personality tags, and photos, my profile was finally completed. However, I couldn't proceed to the next step without uploading a single photo.

Well, in that case, then I'll register a photo of the omurice that Hikari ate.

"That's the omurice photo you used as your LINE icon, right? Where did you buy it?"

"At the cafe that looks like a forest in front of Sannomiya Station. It's a simple place, but I like it."

"That place is nice, isn't it? I want to go there next time. But, it's quite surprising for Sho-chan to go to a stylish cafe alone."

"Well, so what?"

"Because Sho-chan is unfriendly and doesn't have any friends let alone a girlfriend. ...... Well, that's the point."

"What do you mean?"

The grin that appeared on his face annoyed me. Why does this guy like to tease me so much?

"I'm your only friend, right?"

"Noisy!"

"You ate that omurice with your ex, right?"

She asked a well-targeted question while grinning at me.

This guy is annoying.

"So what?"

"You're single-minded, aren't you? You're so cute."

"Stop it. It's disgusting if you're the one saying it."

We left the cafe after our part-time jobs were done and headed to the apartment where we lived.

I was friends with Enji because I met him at my part-time job. I also found out later that we were in the same university and even lived in the same apartment.

What is a romcom, anyway? And why did I do it with him?

"Well, let's send her a "like" first before we go home."

I don't know why Enji was so much more enthusiastic than me, but I couldn't start if I didn't send a "like".

"Should we choose from the recommendation menu?"

Based on the results of the personality test, the Connect system would automatically find a suitable match for me.

"Wow, amazing! The match is 98%!"

"Is it that amazing?"

"Of course! Getting a match of more than 90% is very rare!"

The other party with a 98% match rate with me was the owner of the username Akari.

"But, our hobby tags or personality tags have nothing in common at all."

"Hobby tags are only useful for giving you topics to talk about, so they don't affect the match rate. While personality tags also don't necessarily mean that people with the same personality will be compatible with each other. Take us for example. We are opposites, but we can be good friends, right?"

How could she say such an embarrassing thing so casually?

"You're right, I can't imagine Enji dating a girl like her. It would look like dogs with dogs. Both love to bark."

"Instead of Sho-chan, a cat. Nyanpasu!"

I ignored Enji who was grinning beside me and sent a "like" to a girl named Akari who I thought would suit me.

It was a good match, but I was much more interested in her profile picture than that.

"Hmm, the photo is......"

The photo listed on Akari's profile wasn't her own. It was the same photo of the cafe and omurice that I had posted.

You are reading story Matchinguapuri de Moto Koibito to Saikai Shita at novel35.com

"Wow, it's the same as Sho-chan's! Even the photos match perfectly!"

"Yes."

We walked for about 10 minutes until we reached the apartment.

Once there, my cell phone rang, and when I checked the screen, there was a notification from Connect saying, "You have been matched with Akari-san."

They say that the first message is one of the most important elements of a dating app.

The app also has prepared optional messages such as, "Nice to meet you! Please take care of me!"

But, Enji told me that I should avoid using these canned messages, as they would not be liked by him.

In dating apps, the female party will receive many "likes" from countless men. That proves how many people can communicate with her on these apps.

Not all of their messages will be replied to by her. In this case, what kind of messages would she prioritize...?

"Messages that are easy to answer, first impressions, and most importantly, whether the other party is a reasonable person or not. That's all."

"Why did you break into my house?!"

Enji, who just walked into my house right after we arrived at the apartment, answered confidently.

"Calm down. I'll take care of it so that Sho-chan doesn't ruin your compatibility score with a rude message."

"Hey, don't say it like I'm incompetent!"

And this was the first message I sent after considering Enji's advice.

[Nice to meet you, I'm Kakeru. We have a 98% match rate, we even both posted pictures of omurice, aren't we too good for each other? Could this be fate?]

"Your writing is quite flirty, unlike the usual Sho-chan."

That's right. After I sent it, I thought that it was a bit flirty. But, I know that guys get popular when they act a bit flirty. Enji must think that way too.

I also wanted to mix in some jokes so as not to make it seem too formal.

"I changed my username to Kakeru. It's just another pronunciation of the word Sho."

"I don't like the name."

"I thought my name was good. Besides, we shouldn't set the stakes too high."

"The higher the better."

As we were arguing, my cell phone rang. It was a message from Connect.

"Looks like it's from Akari-chan."

I unlocked my phone and opened the Connect app and saw that it was a reply to the first message I sent Akari-san.

[Nice to meet you too, I'm Akari. I'm new to Connect, but I know that a 98% match is amazing, LOL.]

 

TL/N: Assume she's wearing a laugh sticker.

 

"You started well. Good job."

"O-Oh."

Everything went well. It had been a long time since I last had a conversation with a girl, so I wasn't sure how it would go.

But, even though it had been quite a while, it turned out that our conversation was very lively.

[I work part-time at the cafe. The coffee here is good, by the way. I also do my coursework there after my work is done. How about you, Akari?"]

[What?! I also work part-time at a cafe, you know?! At Starbucks! Amazingly, we're so similar, LOL!]

[As expected of a 98% match rate...LOL.]

In the end, we got along so well that Enji didn't have to worry about me anymore and our relationship deepened.

[When was the last time you had a boyfriend?]

[It was about a year ago. How about you, Akari?]

 

[I'm around that age too! I didn't expect us to be this much alike, LOL!]

While I was thinking about what to reply to, I received another message from Akari-san.

[Why did you break up with her?]

Why, huh? The cause of our breakup wasn't a big deal. But because I was so stubborn at the time, I lost her.

I can't apologize to her now. Hikari must feel the same way.

It's been a year since we broke up, so it's not like she wants to start all over again.

If I wanted to tell her, I would have told her everything. If I did that, I'm sure it would make Akari-san feel uncomfortable.

In that case, I'll make it vague.

[I crossed the line.]

[LL!!!]

After that, we exchanged many other messages. We also talked about our favorite artists.

[I prefer J-Rock. Right now, I'm into Rusty Dog.]

[Rusty Dog is good, isn't it? I like Bag Number more!]

Then, we also talked about movies.

[I can't wait to see the movie that will be released later.]

[Ah, actually, me too.]

[Wow, we're the same again!]

[If I'm not mistaken, the title is......]

[[Ohanabatake mitaina koi o shita!!!]]

 

TL/N: I Fell In Love Like A Flower Garden.

TL/N: Let's just say that they both sent the message at the same time.

 

[LOL!!]

We also talked about our favorite cafes.

[The omurice there is good, isn't it? And the interior is so stylish too! I love it and go there often.]

[I used to like that place too. But I haven't been able to go there again lately...."]

[Actually, me too.....]

I'm getting to know her better and better, and because I can't see her face, so I can say things that I normally wouldn't say to others.

[I'm glad I was able to chat with you, Kakeru-san.]

[I'm also happy to be able to chat with you, Akari-san.]

[If you don't mind, we can visit ......] [Then, let's go. ......]

After communicating for a few days. Our relationship grew, and it culminated on Friday night.

[[Want to go together tomorrow?]]

[[Ah, same again...]]

We both reacted at the same time to the same invitation, and even on the other side of the screen, I could imagine Akari-san's face smiling, although I didn't know what she looked like yet.

[Then, tomorrow, let's go to a cafe and watch a movie ...... how about it? Do you want to?]

[Let's go!]

 

***

 

Date day with Akari-san.

Enji told me that it's very rare that there are cases where people will meet each other without knowing each other's faces beforehand.

Dating apps have more male members than female members, and it seems that the men compete with each other for the limited number of women.

In such a situation, a man who does not register a photo of his face naturally loses popularity, and it is almost impossible for him to meet a woman.

The women feel scared to meet a man who doesn't put up his face photo. Because that makes him look like a suspicious person. But luckily, I managed to avoid such an impression because we happened to have both posted the same omurice photo.

The level of compatibility, the same omurice photo, and the ease of smooth communication.

To be honest, I was surprised too. I've never felt this happy when talking to someone other than Hikari. It gave me the same feeling as when I was talking to Hikari.

--- "Fujigaya-kun, do you have someone you like ......?"

I heard Hikari's voice replaying in my brain.

She still called me by my last name back then, didn't she?

Back then I was called using a girly tone of voice.

--- "Sho! Try this! It's delicious!"

After we started calling each other by their first name, she started showing me the real her.

Gradually, it became clear that she loved to eat.

Hikari was embarrassed by her hobby, but I thought it was cute.

But then we got into a fight, and I unknowingly said something I didn't mean to.

--- "You're such a glutton!"

She likes to eat a lot, and her favorite dish is omurice. But despite this hobby, she can't even cook.

The lunches she made for me on some occasions were so horrible that the word "disgusting" would be appropriate to describe them. But back then, I was happy to eat her lunch.

"I tried dating apps to forget Hikari, but what I got instead was a lot of regrets......."

At a convenience store near the station, I leaned my back against the wall and waited for Akari-san.

For some reason, talking to Akari-san reminded me of Hikari. Maybe it's because I start to feel the same way about Hikari when I talk to her.

I couldn't wait to find a new love and forget about Hikari.

I hope I'll fall in love with someone other than Hikari soon.

I thought about that when I saw the "Message from Akari" notification from Connect.

Today's meeting place is in front of the 7/11 at Sannomiya Station.

There are two 7/11 stores in Sannomiya Station. One at the central exit and the other at the east exit. These two stores are located close to each other and are less than a 1-minute walk away.

Since both stores are located right outside the ticket gates, they are often used as meeting places. However, the fact that there is another 7/11 nearby must have caused many people some confusion.

I had that experience when Hikari and I first met at Sannomiya Station.

--- [I was at the east exit!]

--- [Eh, don't people usually exit through the center exit?]

--- [Eh? I thought it was normally the east exit. Alright then. Sorry, I'll be right there now!]

--- [Thank you.]

From that day on, whenever we met at Sannomiya station, we always met in front of the 7/11 near the central exit.

I forgot to confirm whether today's meeting place was in front of the central exit or the east exit.

[There are two 7/11s, which one do you want to go to, the central exit or the east exit?]

Akari-san's message was exactly what I was thinking at the moment, and I feel that good chemistry is the accumulation of moments like this.

[In that case, please go through the central exit instead.]

[As people usually pass by, right?]

Akari-san, just like me, thinks that a central exit is a suitable place. It's different from Hikari.

I arrived a little earlier than the appointed time and nervously waited for Akari.

I was much more nervous than I expected. That was obvious. Because I was about to meet someone who had only been exchanging messages for a few days.

And it's not just a meeting. Because today we were going to eat omurice at our favorite cafe and then watch the movie we wanted to see.

We haven't decided what we'll do for dinner yet, but we'll probably eat together.

I made a reservation at the cafe and got the movie tickets. The clothes I'm wearing have been chosen by an expert. My shoes are clean. My hair was trimmed and my nails were trimmed. I feel very handsome today.

I wonder if I have bad breath or not, but since I'm only 20 years old, there shouldn't be anything to worry about, right ......?

As I exhaled into my hand and checked, I received a notification from Connect.

Since Akari-san was the only person who matched me, so of course it was from her.

[I just got off the train! I'll be there now...]

Since we didn't recognize each other's faces, so the first thing I had to do was tell him what I looked like before we met

[I'm wearing a long beige coat. How about Akari?]

[Ah, I'm wearing beige too! I'm wearing a boa jacket!]

[Then we're the same? LOL.]

[Nee! LOL.]

I'm nervous, but I'm also really looking forward to it.

The expectation of what kind of person is coming feels a bit like doing gacha in a game.

Since I've never seen a picture of Akari-san, I have high expectations for her.

I looked up from my phone and wondered if it was time for him to arrive?

"Thank you for waiting, Kakeru-san~ My name is A---Kari....?"

I looked up from my cell phone and saw Akari-san, who had been communicating with me for several days.

......I think the person who called me was Akari-san. Because that's how it should be.

But from the previous dialog, this girl in front of me is her. But why ......?

""What------?""

I'm not even sure if this is reality or a dream.

""How come you? !!!!""

Supposedly, I was about to meet someone I had just met for the first time. But, this person in front of me is not someone I've just met, but rather the second person of the opposite sex I've met the most after my mother.

"Why are you here?" "Why are you here?"

Akari-san, the person who had an appointment with me in front of the 7/11 near the ticket gate of Sannomiya Station, turned out to be my ex-girlfriend, Takamiya Hikari.

And today, I was reunited with my ex-girlfriend through a dating app.

 

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