The seasons changed, and autumn arrived. The roadside trees in front of Cyberia had turned completely red and yellow, and sweeping the fallen leaves in the parking lot made me feel a little happy.

My relationship with Iori was going well, and recently she finally came over to my house. It was a bit embarrassing when my mom blushed upon seeing Iori. I’d appreciate it if she didn’t fall for my girlfriend. Well, I get it though.

Cyberia was as busy as ever, and according to rumors, our hourly wage was about to go up again. The students from Suzakura High School, who initially came just to see Iori, had now become full-fledged fans of “Family Restaurant Cyberia,” and even on weekends when we weren’t working, quite a few of them would still come. Although Iori was the initial reason, the fact that they kept coming back meant the restaurant itself had its own charm. I guess all those days of me wearing a maid outfit paid off.

If I had to sum up my life in one word, it would be “smooth sailing.”

—At least, until Iori said that.

◆

“You want to tell everyone about our relationship?”

I parroted the words I heard from my phone like a parrot. My body, still warm from the bath, was rapidly cooled by the air conditioner, and I reached for my pajamas, enjoying the pleasant chill.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but it’s hard to stay close to you the way things are now.”

Hard to stay close…

Despite the wording, Iori’s voice was serious. I could tell by now that she really meant it. Iori was much more affectionate and clingy than I had initially thought.

“For example, at Cyberia, we can’t get close at all, can we? Even though you’re my boyfriend. If we tell everyone, we could stay close without worry.”

“I still think that’s a bad idea, especially while we’re working.”

I wanted to keep that boundary clear. I didn’t like mixing work and personal life, and even if we came clean about our relationship, I doubted anyone would celebrate it.

“Even where no one can see us?”

“Even there. We need to take our work seriously.”

Balancing my phone between my ear and shoulder, I somehow managed to change into my pajamas and collapsed onto my bed. I’d already finished my homework, so all that was left was to sleep.

“…I see. You’re so reliable, Natsuki. I guess I’m the only one who wants to stay close to you all the time.”

I couldn’t help but smile a little at Iori’s slightly sulky tone.

“That’s not true. I want to be close to you too.”

“…Really?”

“Really. But you know, that feeling makes me want to work harder, and it makes the walk home more enjoyable too, don’t you think?”

I truly meant that. Knowing I could walk home with Iori made even the busiest days and occasional rude customers bearable. If we were flirting at work, I knew that wouldn’t be the case.

“Yeah… I guess that’s true.”

“See? That’s why I think things are fine as they are. But hey, if you feel like we’re not spending enough time together, we can always hang out more on weekends.”

“…Then, would it be okay if I came over to your house again?”

“Of course. I bought a new game, so let’s play together.”

As I spoke, I opened my calendar app. I marked this Saturday and, after a moment’s thought, wrote “Home Date.”

“Thanks to you, Natsuki, I feel like I can get through this week. Honestly, before we started dating, I don’t know how I managed to survive the weekdays.”

“Ah, I get that. I feel the same way. Iori, you’ve made me a lot weaker as a person. I used to be fine on my own, but now I can’t imagine life without you.”

I had always thought I was fine by myself, but now I couldn’t picture my life without Iori. I never imagined just having a girlfriend would change my perspective so much.

“That makes me happy. If that’s the case, we can stay together forever.”

“That’s my line. Let’s keep this going for a long, long time.”

“Of course. I love you, Natsuki.”

We seemed to have this kind of exchange about once every two days. Maybe from the outside, we seemed like one of those obnoxiously lovey-dovey couples. But I didn’t care. As long as we were happy, that was all that mattered.

After chatting for a bit longer, I ended the call. A sweet, warm sense of happiness lingered in my chest. I couldn’t believe I had spent sixteen years of my life not knowing this kind of joy. My life before now felt like a dry, barren wasteland.

With that feeling, we got through the week, and soon enough, Saturday arrived.

It was our home date day.