{Our Morning Together 2}

After repeating the word in a groggy voice, Miyu slowly forced her eyelids open and looked at me. Her still-drowsy eyes weren’t fully focused, but they seemed to recognize my presence next to her. Her lips curled into the slightest smile.

“Good morning, Atsushi-kun…”

“Good morning. The alarm went off.”

“Mmm…”

Miyu rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, as if trying to wake up.

“What time is it?”

“Eight-oh-four. But it’s Saturday, so no need to rush.”

I made sure to remind her of that fact so she wouldn’t worry.

Today’s Saturday. Satou-san has the day off, and I don’t have any classes either. I have a part-time job, but that’s not until the evening, so we have the whole day to relax together.

On such a precious day off, I’d love to keep a healthy routine and make the most of our time—when…

“Today’s a day off, right?”

Miyu asked, blinking slowly, looking a bit puzzled.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Then, can’t we sleep a bit longer?”

Without waiting for my response, she closed her eyes again.

“Let’s sleep a little more…”

Her dry, red lips murmured sleepily.

As I silently watched, she soon began to breathe softly again. A bit confused, I tried asking her something.

“How much longer is ‘a little more’?”

“Ten… maybe thirty minutes…”

Maybe because she was still half-asleep, her estimate was pretty vague.

Well, thirty more minutes should be fine. If we eat right after waking up, we can still keep a healthy routine. I decided to accept her request and got out of bed.

“Alright, I’ll get up first. I’ll wake you up when breakfast is ready.”

“Mmm…”

Satou-san murmured in response, as if she wanted to say something more.

Then, just as I was about to get out of bed, she clung tightly to me.

“Whoa!”

I was pulled right back into bed.

Miyu grabbed the front of my pajamas with both hands and pressed her cheek against my chest as if using me as a pillow. When I glanced down at her face, her eyes were still closed, but her lips were smiling.

“Just thirty more minutes…”

She said it again, looking so happy.

I was at a loss for words, but before even a minute passed, she was sound asleep again. Her face looked so peaceful, and she clung tightly to my pajamas, showing no sign of letting go. I wasn’t cruel enough to pry her off.

“I give up.”

I mumbled softly, but she didn’t respond. Her lips slightly parted, her eyes shut tightly, and her cheeks faintly flushed—a completely innocent, unguarded sleeping face just inches away. I could even see the shadow of her eyelashes from this close.

I said I “gave up,” but there’s really nothing to complain about seeing her sleeping face this close.

In fact, it’s an incredibly happy moment.

The bed is perfectly warm with both of our body heat. Her soft, warm body is snuggled up against mine, and being next to her makes everything else seem unimportant. Even my eyelids start to feel heavy.

I had planned to maintain a healthy routine even on our days off.

But, when you’re with someone, unexpected things happen and plans can get thrown off. That’s something I’ve learned many times since I started living next to Satou-san, and those unexpected moments tend to leave lasting, fond memories.

So maybe, just for today, I’ll go along with her and take a nap together.

I close my eyes to match Miyu’s pace.

I wrap my arms around her, holding her softness and warmth all to myself. She stirs just a bit, but then leans into me again, drifting back into her light slumber.

What’s the most important thing in living together? I still think it’s “leading a healthy life,” but I believe mental health is part of that, too.

In other words, sometimes you need to sleep in a little, to avoid stress and just be happy together—though, I’m getting sleepy now, so let’s save that conclusion for later.