{My 20-Year-Old Girlfriend and 19-Year-Old Me (1-1)}

This July, Satou-san will turn 20.

She’ll become an adult a few months earlier than me, by about four months.

There’s a little frustration in being overtaken, but it can’t be helped. For now, I just want to celebrate her birthday, which is sure to be special for her, in a big way.

In that case, the most important thing is research.

I decided to meet Satou-san before her birthday to ask her directly.

“Satou-san, is there anything you want for your birthday?”

“Oh, no, really, just your feelings are enough.”

Satou-san, not catching the mood, tried to be modest.

But I can’t just back down with a simple “okay.” What kind of guy doesn’t prepare something for his girlfriend’s birthday? She has to say something, anything, or I’ll be in trouble.

“Even if it’s just a restaurant you want to go to, that’s fine. It’s your birthday after all.”

When I pressed on, Satou-san, who had been lost in thought, suddenly had a realization.

“Oh, come to think of it! There is a restaurant I’ve been wanting to go to.”

“Then let’s go there together.”

“Is that okay? I was hoping you’d come with me too, Yamaguchi-kun, but…”

“Of course it’s fine. Let’s go wherever you want, Satou-san.”

Judging from the way she said it, it’s probably a place that’s hard to go to alone. It’s rare for the usually oblivious Satou-san to feel awkward about entering a place, but if it’s a couple’s spot, I can understand. Or maybe it’s a bit of a fancy place.

If that’s the case, I should check first.

“By the way, what kind of place is it? I need to know the budget too.”

“Uh, it’s a place near the station.”

Satou-san continued thoughtfully.

“As for the budget… I’d like to keep it within the 30,000 yen range if possible.”

“Th-thirty…”

I almost raised my voice.

Thirty thousand yen. That’s a lot of money for a struggling university student working at a convenience store.

What shocked me more was how casually Satou-san mentioned that amount. She’s already working, so maybe spending 30,000 yen on her birthday isn’t a big deal for her. It made me feel the gap between us in terms of financial power.

Of course, it’s not an amount I can’t afford. I’ve been saving up little by little to buy a car since I got my license. But if it’s for Satou-san—especially since it’s her special 20th birthday this year—I want to celebrate it properly.

“Got it. That’s fine.”

I tried to stay calm and told her without revealing my inner resolve.

She immediately looked relieved.

“Thank you, Yamaguchi-kun. I was really anxious about going alone…”

Just how much did she want to go to this place? I can’t imagine what kind of upscale restaurant would make Satou-san so nervous.

Now that I think about it, there are a few things I need to check besides the budget.

“What about reservations? Should I make one?”

It would be terrible if, after all the effort, we were turned away because the place was fully booked. Most upscale restaurants require reservations, especially for dinner.

And then there’s the dress code. Casual clothes might get us turned away, and in the worst case, we might not even be allowed in. I should research the place and, if necessary, wear a suit.

I never imagined the day would come when I’d wear a suit for a date with Satou-san.

Just as I was thinking that, she said something rather odd.

“I’m not planning on making a reservation this time. I just want to take a quick look.”

“A… quick look?”

“Yeah. You know, there are always those posters in front of the place.”

“Posters?”

“Yeah, like ‘1DK,’ ‘Western-style room,’ ‘5 minutes from the station’…”

Something was wrong.

Our conversation wasn’t aligning at all. It’s always a bit off with Satou-san, but this time it was particularly bad.

“Satou-san.”

I decided to confirm once more with her.

“What kind of place do you want to go to?”

Satou-san, looking slightly puzzled, answered.

“It’s a real estate office, I guess? The kind of place where you rent rooms.”

Ah, that explains it!

No wonder we weren’t on the same page. I looked up to the sky, trying to brush off the overwhelming fatigue creeping over me.

That was surprising. I thought Satou-san wanted to go to some super fancy place. So, a real estate office, huh?

“—Why?”

On second thought, that was another shocking statement.

Why would Satou-san, who lives with her parents, want to go to a real estate office?

She hesitated a bit before answering my question.

“W-well, the truth is… I’ve been thinking about living on my own…”

This was by far the most shocking revelation of the day.

It seemed that even for her, the thought wasn’t something she had fully made up her mind about yet.

Right in front of my surprised eyes, Satou-san hung her head like a child who had just been scolded.

“Well, I haven’t exactly decided,” she said.

“I-I see.”

“Yeah… I mean, if possible, I’d like to, but…”

After saying that, she glanced up at me, trying to gauge my reaction.

“Is it weird? For me to say something like this?”

“No, not at all!”

I hurriedly denied her concern.

“Living on your own is an admirable thing. I know a few friends who live independently, and honestly, I often feel envious of how fulfilled they seem.”

Once you’re in university, quite a few people move out of their parents’ homes and start living alone.

That said, most of them don’t have lofty reasons like independence or self-sufficiency. Usually, it’s because they want to sleep in late, find their parents annoying, party with friends until the middle of the night, or sometimes sneak their girlfriend over—most of them have rather impure motives.

They often rent a place close to the university, only to regret it when it becomes a hangout spot. Serves them right.

As for me, I’ve never dreamed of living on my own. Both of my parents work, and since they’re employed at the same place, they tend to be busy at the same time. When that happens, they don’t come home until after midnight, so I get to enjoy the freedom and solitude as if I were living alone.

Of course, I have to do the laundry and cleaning, and sometimes I even prepare meals for them. So you could say that, for me, living at home doesn’t come with the typical comfort and ease people expect.