{My 20-Year-Old Girlfriend and 19-Year-Old Me (3-1)}

“Looking for a place is harder than I thought.”

Satou-san finally let out a weary sigh.

After that, we went around to every real estate agency near the station. Well, we just looked at the listings posted outside, but we still didn’t find anything promising, so we left empty-handed.

“It’s surprisingly hard to find a place that fits your needs.”

It might be because Satou-san’s conditions are pretty strict, but there just didn’t seem to be many options for single-person apartments in general.

There are quite a few in areas with a lot of students and cheap rent, but they don’t meet the “convenient for commuting” requirement. Plus, most of the apartments there are old buildings. Some of the rooms have been renovated and look nice, but if you want a place that meets all the conditions, the rent skyrockets.

“Maybe we’ll find something better if we search online.”

Half comforting, half suggesting, I offered my advice.

“Or, we could try asking at the shop directly.”

The listings they post outside are probably just a small sample of what they have. After all, these people are professionals. They might be able to find something Satou-san likes more easily than we could. It’s always faster to leave these things to the experts.

“At the shop, huh…”

She suddenly looked a little hesitant.

Glancing nervously at me, she said, “If I ask at the shop, I feel like I won’t be able to back out.”

She sounded like she was making some huge life decision. I tried to hold back a smile and asked, “Is backing out not an option?”

“It’s just…”

She responded hesitantly.

“I feel like if I hesitate now, I’ll never take the plunge.”

“You can always take the plunge whenever you feel ready.”

There’s a saying, “Strike while the iron is hot,” but Satou-san still seemed to be at the stage where she wasn’t sure if the iron was even hot. Maybe she wanted to find the “perfect apartment” as a final push to help her make the decision.

As I watched her face, she looked a bit embarrassed.

“But if I don’t make a firm decision now, I feel like I’ll give up easily, right?”

“Does it really need to be that big of a decision?”

“For me, it does. I think I’ll be able to stick with it better that way.”

Satou-san’s every word was serious, almost heavy.

“After all, if I don’t, I feel like I’ll end up back at square one, like a kid again.”

“You’re thinking about this pretty seriously. But wouldn’t it be okay even if you did go back?”

“It wouldn’t be okay! I’m already twenty.”

With a serious expression and lips pressed together, Satou-san looked at me and said, “Yamaguchi-kun, would it be weird if I asked you to come with me when I talk to the real estate agents?”

“It wouldn’t be weird at all. I’ll go with you.”

Of course, I answered immediately.

If I didn’t, Satou-san might agree to something without really looking at the place, just because she’s too polite to say no.

“Thank you!”

Her face lit up with a bright smile.

“Then I’ll give them a call soon. When the time comes, I’ll count on you.”

She said that, but I had my doubts about how soon “soon” would be. After all, she was still hesitating.

But no matter when it happened, I was ready to go with her whenever she needed me.

“For now, why don’t we take a break?”

We didn’t find any apartments today, after all.

Since it’s her birthday, there’s no need to spend the day feeling down.

“Let’s get you a birthday present, Satou-san. Where do you want to go?”

When I asked, she smiled shyly.

“Well… I don’t know if I’d call it a present, but there’s a store I’d like to visit.”

“Sure. What kind of store?”

And now, here I am, surrounded by stuffed animals in a cutesy shop.

“Wow, they’re so cute!”

The moment we walked in, Satou-san let out a delighted squeal and immediately grabbed one of the plushies on display.

This is a small store tucked away in the shopping street near the station, selling nothing but stuffed animals. They’re not mass-produced by manufacturers; instead, several artisans bring their handmade pieces here to sell. And the variety is overwhelming. There are so many animals that it’s like a safari zone in here.

The shelves are lined with fluffy stuffed elephants, felt bears, rabbits knitted from yarn, and even rare finds like giant isopods and dumbo octopuses. They all have that “cute!” expression that makes girls like Satou-san want to squeal, but none of them really struck a chord with me.

The store is decorated in pastel colors, and there’s even a sweet scent in the air. Given the products they sell, it’s no surprise that over 90% of the customers are women. Aside from me, there’s only one other guy in here, looking nervous as he was clearly dragged here by his girlfriend. I silently sent him some advice.

—You’re feeling out of place because you’re looking at the stuffed animals. Just look at her while she’s looking at them.

“Look, Yamaguchi-kun! It’s a new release!”

Satou-san was totally captivated by a mouse plushie, as usual.

It was a mouse in a yukata, part of the July new arrivals. From the look of it, the artist had decided it was male, dressed in a dark indigo yukata with a traditional stripe pattern.