{My 20-Year-Old Girlfriend and 19-Year-Old Me (3-2)}

“I want this…”

Satou-san gazed intently at the yukata-clad mouse plush with sparkling eyes.

Then, she shifted her gaze to the leather-jacket-and-sunglasses mouse plush beside it with a similarly desirous look.

“But this one’s great too. It’s a style they’ve never done before, right?”

Since I didn’t know what the previous styles were, I had no idea how to respond.

That said, Satou-san being so absorbed in the plush toys was cute. Her cheeks blushing pink and her eyes sparkling as she flitted between the different plushies was captivating to watch. I had no interest in plush toys myself, so I had been watching Satou-san the whole time.

“Hey, which one do you think is better?”

Satou-san held up both the yukata mouse and the leather jacket mouse.

“If you’re that torn, why not get both? It’s your birthday, after all.”

Unable to decide, I answered that way.

Satou-san’s eyes immediately widened in surprise.

“No, that’s too much! One is more than enough.”

“It’s fine. Let’s just get both. It’ll be quicker.”

Compared to the 30,000 yen I’d initially budgeted, two plush toys were quite affordable. I took the two mice she had chosen and started walking toward the checkout counter.

That’s when Satou-san grabbed my sleeve and stopped me.

“Bu-but, I don’t really have any more space to put them!”

“Really? Do you have that many?”

Indeed, Satou-san’s room was filled with plush toys, all of them mice.

“Yeah… I’ve ended up collecting quite a few…”

She mumbled her reply as if offering an excuse.

Her cheeks, already rosy, turned an even deeper shade, and now her ears were red too. She avoided my gaze, her eyes wandering around the room.

She seemed embarrassed about something, but I couldn’t understand what she would have to be embarrassed about at this point. I already knew her room was overflowing with mouse plushies, and I knew I was partly responsible for helping her collect them. So, why the sudden shyness…?

Then it hit me.

“Oh, could it be that you want to live on your own because of that?”

It seemed my guess was spot on.

Satou-san panicked and threw herself at me, protesting.

“N-no, that’s not it! Well, it’s not totally wrong, but that’s not the only reason! I really do want to be independent, too!”

“I’m not doubting you.”

Satou-san, flustered in a way I hadn’t seen before, was so adorable that I could hardly hold back my laughter.

Ah, I see. It all makes sense now. That’s why she seemed uncertain about moving out on her own, and why none of her reasons for doing so had quite convinced me.

Satou-san hadn’t told me her biggest reason for wanting to live alone.

“In that case, you’ll need a bigger room, right?”

I tried not to smirk, but I may not have been able to help it.

Satou-san responded with an embarrassed look.

“Well, if I live alone, I could put them in more places, like the entrance or the kitchen…”

It looked like her room was going to be filled with mice wherever I visited.

I began to worry whether I’d actually be able to relax in such a place.

“My mom always says, ‘You’re twenty, and you’re still into plush toys?'”

She said this a little sadly, looking at the two mouse plushies I was holding.

The mice seemed to gaze back at her with their beady eyes, as if pleading with her to take them home.

“But to me, they’re treasures, and I bought them with my own money.”

Her gaze shifted from the mice to me, looking at me with those same beady eyes.

“And more than anything, these mice represent memories… that’s why I want to treasure them.”

Hearing her say that didn’t make me feel bad at all—maybe that was proof that I was also quite smitten.

But I understood the meaning behind those memories. Even people who saw the photo we took at the school festival might not realize why Satou-san collects mice. But I knew, because she had told me the story.

“Satou-san, you want your own castle, don’t you?”

This time, I told her seriously, without a smile.

A castle to carry all her memories out of, and a place where she could keep them safe. That’s what her own apartment would be.

Satou-san slowly blinked and said,

“Yes… you’re right. Just like you said, Yamaguchi-kun.”

Her expression looked as if she’d just learned a new word, a dawning realization on her face.

“I did want my own castle… mine and Yamaguchi-kun’s.”

But in that moment, maybe it was me who truly woke up.

Satou-san’s castle, and mine.

Hearing those words felt like discovering something entirely new.

Suddenly, an image came to mind. A small apartment. Mice plushies lined up at the entrance, in the kitchen, and, of course, in the room itself. Satou-san relaxing, gazing at them happily, while I sat beside her watching.

Maybe that kind of life wouldn’t be so bad after all.

No, it might actually be the happiest life imaginable.

In the end, Satou-san couldn’t choose, so we bought both the yukata mouse and the leather jacket mouse.

After we left the store and started walking side by side, I broached the subject.

“If you’re still unsure about living alone…”

Satou-san looked up at me curiously.

“…why don’t we just live together? You and me.”

Her expression changed instantly, confusion spreading across her face.

“Huh? You… and me?”

“Not right away, of course. I’m still a minor.”

I took a deep breath, trying to appear calm as I continued.

“But while we were looking at apartments today, I realized that family-sized units were a lot more common than ones for singles. I think it’d be easier to find a place if we lived together.”

“Yeah…”

“And I can cook, you know. I also handle cleaning and laundry at home. I’ve been saving up from my part-time job, so I could help with rent. Plus, living together would be safer than you being on your own.”

The more I spoke, the more I became convinced that this was the best option.

It was faster this way. Sure, I was still a student, but I could protect and support Satou-san. I’d feel much more at ease living together than constantly worrying about her on her own.

“So, what do you think?”

After listing all the advantages, I finally asked. Satou-san thought it over for a moment before giving me a shy smile.

“Room-sharing with Yamaguchi-kun sounds wonderful. I’d like that.”

But that wasn’t the answer I wanted.

Why room-sharing? Aren’t we dating?

“Wouldn’t it be called living together in our case?”

When I said that, Satou-san blushed as if the thought had never occurred to her.

“L-living together… th-that sounds so grown-up…”

“You’re already an adult, Satou-san. You turned twenty today, remember?”

“Oh, right… I did…”

She seemed to accept it, though it took her some time to fully process the idea. She stood there, fidgeting and unable to look up, lost in her own thoughts.

But because I patiently waited…

Eventually, she raised her head and said,

“I… I want that too. I want to be with you, Yamaguchi-kun.”