{“Meeting Up Together” 2}

As I thought about how glad I was that I hadn’t told anyone my apartment address, I closed the group chat that kept pinging with notifications.

Instead, I sent Miu a message.

“I just finished my class. If you’re still at the station, let’s meet up. I’ll carry your bags.”

Her reply came quickly, telling me where she was, and I couldn’t stay still. I hurried out of the university at a fast pace.

I’ve heard that drinking parties become harder to deal with once you start working.

All the seniors who entered the workforce early say so in unison, and Miu doesn’t seem to particularly love the work drinking parties either. It’s not so bad when it’s just colleagues or part-timers, but when the store manager or people from headquarters join, it becomes quite draining.

Will I feel the same when I start working? Probably, since I’ve always struggled with hierarchical relationships. In situations like that, I wonder if I can say something like, “My girlfriend is waiting for me,” and leave. Though, saying it’s just a girlfriend might not work.

But if I said, “My wife is waiting,” I feel like even in a workplace, they’d let me go.

I imagined it and felt embarrassed at how awkward it sounded. It’s way too early to be thinking about things like that. It also gave off a somewhat serious vibe, and of course, I wasn’t used to saying it.

Still, I have a feeling I’ll say it one day.

When I’m a working adult, I’ll probably try to leave drinking parties early just like today, hurrying home to her. Time spent with her is irreplaceable, and I’m sure that won’t change no matter how many years pass.

As Miu told me in her message, she was at the supermarket near the station.

She stood by the plastic bottle recycling bin, just far enough not to trigger the automatic door’s sensor. She wore the same beige coat and dress as this morning, along with low-heeled leather shoes. She looked a little tired, but as soon as she saw me, her face lit up with a bright smile.

Seeing that smile, I was even more certain that I wouldn’t want to waste time at a drinking party. I didn’t care if they gave me the “death penalty.”

“Atsushi-kun, over here, over here!”

She waved the heavy-looking shopping bags in the air, and seeing her like that, I forgot all about my exhaustion from classes and ran over to her as fast as I could.

“Sorry, did I keep you waiting?”

Miu shook her head vigorously.

“Not at all! You got here so quickly, I was surprised.”

But her cheeks were red from the cold. It had been so warm during the day, but now the evening breeze was a bit chilly.

“I did hurry. It got cold as soon as the sun went down.”

As we chatted, I took the shopping bags from her.

They were heavy, filled with potatoes, onions, carrots, and beef—just as I expected, tonight’s dinner was either curry or hayashi rice. Since it was beef, it didn’t seem like it would be stew.

“What’s for dinner tonight?” I asked.

Miu replied with a hint of pride in her voice, “Beef stew! It’s perfect for the cold, right?”

I was wrong, but I didn’t mind at all.

“Beef stew, huh? That sounds warm and cozy.”

“I bet it’ll be delicious, if I can make it well.”

“I’m not worried about that.”

Miu didn’t have a lot of dishes in her repertoire, but she definitely wasn’t bad at cooking. In fact, I always secretly looked forward to the meals she made for me.

“Oh, and I bought some bread from that bakery the other day.”

When I peeked into the bag, I saw a bakery’s bag inside. I recognized the name.

“The place we went to on Sunday? That was a good bakery.”

“Yeah,” she nodded and added cheerfully, “And doesn’t bread go well with beef stew?”

“True. Now that we’re talking about it, I’m getting hungry.”

I rubbed my stomach, and Miu laughed brightly.

“Let’s hurry home, then. I’ll do my best to make it delicious.”

I told her again, “I’m really not worried.”

We left the supermarket and took the bus home together.

Even though it was rush hour and the bus was quite crowded, we stood side by side, holding onto the handrails, eagerly anticipating the dinner we’d share.