{Our Life Together 1}

For White Day, I decided to get a keyring as a gift.

With the two of us starting to live together, I wanted to make sure we wouldn’t lose the keys to our new home.

“Wow, this is so cute!”

Miyu exclaimed as she accepted the keyring I gave her.

The leather charm was shaped like a cute mouse, dressed in a rhinestone-studded dress. I had to visit several stores to find this one.

“Thank you, Atsushi-kun! I’ll treasure it!”

“You’re welcome.”

Seeing her light up at first glance made me really happy.

“But finding mouse-themed stuff must have been hard, right? It was for me when I was making the nameplate,” she said.

“It wasn’t that hard.”

It was true that I spent hours searching for it, but I didn’t think it was necessary to mention that. Since I found such a rare mouse item, I decided to get a matching one for myself—a charm of a mouse in a tuxedo with a rhinestone bowtie. It felt a little childish for me, but if anyone asked, I could just say, “I got it to match her.”

“I’m so happy we have matching ones,” she said.

With her smiling brightly in front of me, I attached new keys to both keyrings.

These were the keys to our new home, which we had just received from the real estate agent.

On moving day, Miyu and I both headed to our new place.

Our room was on the second floor of a small apartment building along the national highway. Although we’d need to take a bus to the station, it was a decent property, just a five-minute walk to the bus stop. The sunlight streamed in well, and there were convenience stores and drugstores nearby.

When we climbed the external stairs and reached the door, she fidgeted with the keyring.

“Um, can I try opening it?”

Her voice was a little high-pitched, and the eagerness in her tone made me want to let her do the honors.

“Go ahead.”

“Thank you! Then here I go…”

The mouse charm swayed as she turned the key.

As the door slowly opened, the fresh smell of a new building filled the air.

Before we moved in, the place had been remodeled, so the interior was surprisingly nice for its age. Upon entering, to the left were the bathroom, toilet, and washroom, and straight ahead was the door leading into the dining kitchen, with two more rooms at the back—so a 2DK layout.

“Wow, it’s spacious!”

Miyu joyfully peeked into the dining area, opening the doors to the two back rooms one by one.

Of course, it felt spacious since none of our moving boxes had arrived yet. We were expecting two moving companies to deliver our belongings, but we had staggered the times to avoid chaos—still, there was no time to relax.

“But you don’t have to think you need to unpack everything today,” she advised, sounding like someone with moving experience.

“Let’s take our time and do it little by little, Atsushi-kun.”

“Wise words from an expert,” I replied.

I had never moved before, so I planned to ask Miyu anything I didn’t know.

She seemed to relish the idea of being asked for help. With a puffed-out chest, she said, “Feel free to ask me anything. I’ve only moved once myself, but…”

“To me, you’re definitely a senior in that regard.”

“Senior… ehehe, that’s a little embarrassing,” she said with a shy smile.

Against the backdrop of our empty room, Miyu beamed.

Spring sunlight poured through the bare windows, illuminating the white walls and the floor, as well as her shimmering hair.

In that surreal moment, I found myself feeling unexpectedly giddy.

Before long, the moving truck arrived in front of the apartment.

As planned, Miyu’s belongings arrived first. I helped carry them into the back west room. Familiar items like her color box, blue carpet, and cardboard boxes labeled “Stuffed Animal 1,” “Stuffed Animal 2,” quickly filled up the spacious room.

After a lunch break, it was my turn for the moving truck. I had a bit more stuff than she did, thanks to my parents generously letting me take some unused items from home, like a TV and a table.

Before we knew it, the dining area and both rooms were filled with boxes and furniture.

Once the movers left, we began unpacking together.

We started by opening the boxes from each other’s rooms, putting away clothes in the closet. We arranged the beds for use that night and put up curtains using a step ladder. I prioritized my study desk, leaving the bookshelf for later.

Meanwhile, Miyu eagerly began arranging her stuffed mice in the color box. She was so absorbed that I could observe her without her noticing.