{My 20-Year-Old Girlfriend and 19-Year-Old Me (1-2)}

I wonder if Satou-san is good at things like cooking or laundry. I remember once she made frozen mandarins for me—but that doesn’t really count as cooking. And there was that fondant chocolate cake she made… though it was frozen too.

Anyway, it’d be nice if her living alone made it easier for me to visit.

As I was entertaining these somewhat selfish thoughts, Satou-san’s expression brightened.

“You think so too, right? Living alone is the first step toward independence.”

She continued, seemingly gaining momentum.

“Since I’m turning twenty, I want to become more of an adult…”

“So that’s why you want to live alone?”

“Y-yeah. It’s the first thing that came to mind.”

“Hmm, I see…”

Well, I can kind of understand.

Maybe because I just nodded vaguely, she hurried to explain further.

“Of course, there are other reasons too. I thought it would be better to live closer to work, and, well, since my family runs a bento shop, I sometimes worry about my uniform smelling like incense…”

Now that she mentions it, when I visited Satou-san’s house before, it did have a faint scent of incense.

“But… I think the biggest reason is that I want to become more independent.”

Satou-san looked a little uneasy. It seemed she still had some hesitation.

Then, she glanced at me again and asked, “What do you think it means to be an adult, Yamaguchi-kun?”

It was a rather philosophical question.

Becoming an adult, huh? Legally, you’re considered an adult at twenty, but that’s probably not what Satou-san was asking.

“I guess it’s when you become independent,” I offered my thoughts. “When you can take care of yourself both financially and in your daily life, that’s when you’ve really grown up.”

By that standard, I’m still very much a child.

As for Satou-san, she’s on the verge of becoming an adult.

“I think so too,” she nodded seriously.

“When I was younger, I thought that as soon as I got a job, I’d instantly become an adult. I figured once I started earning my own money, that would be enough to make me grown-up. But…”

She paused, then smiled shyly.

“I feel like that’s not enough, and that’s why I want to move out.”

She shrugged her shoulders a little as she continued.

“I’m about to turn twenty, but I still don’t feel like an adult at all.”

“That’s not true.”

I found myself instinctively denying it.

Sure, I wouldn’t say she comes across as a fully grown woman just yet. She still rarely wears makeup, her usual ponytail remains unless I help her with her hair, and her choice of clothes is… well, her taste is unique. But compared to the awkwardness of our high school days, she’s started to become prettier lately. And when she’s deep in thought like this, she has a kind of contemplative look that’s a little alluring and makes my heart skip a beat.

“Satou-san, you’ve changed. You’ve grown up.”

I wished I could’ve said, “You’ve become beautiful,” but that felt a bit too suave for me. It would’ve been embarrassing to say it.

“…Thank you,” she whispered, her cheeks tinged with red as she looked at me with slightly teary eyes.

“When you say that, Yamaguchi-kun, it makes me really happy…”

Her response made me realize just how much she had changed.

Satou-san is no longer the same girl she was back in high school.

I wonder how much she’ll change once she turns twenty and starts living on her own. Will she become more of an adult, more beautiful, and then—what will happen next?

I found myself eager to see it and decided to support her.

“If that’s the case, I’ll go with you to the real estate agency.”

Even though she hadn’t fully decided yet, I figured we didn’t need to make any reservations.

“On your birthday, let’s go check it out together, take a look at those listings.”

When I said that, Satou-san nodded enthusiastically.

“Yes! I’d feel so much more confident with you coming along, Yamaguchi-kun.”

“Well, I’m not exactly an expert. I still live with my family, after all.”

“That’s fine, me too. I just thought it might feel a bit lonely going alone.”

She smiled cheerfully.

But if she finds it lonely just going to the agency alone, will she really be okay living by herself?

“Satou-san, won’t living alone be lonely?”

I couldn’t help but ask, feeling a bit concerned. She fidgeted for a moment before answering softly.

“I guess… it might be lonely. But if I think about you coming over to visit…”

That settled it.

I decided that I would wholeheartedly support Satou-san in her decision to live on her own.