{A Night Together 2}

Then, Miyu, who was still on the sofa, suddenly turned around and smiled brightly.
“Welcome back, Atsushi-kun.”
“I’m home.”

Even though I had just gone to the bathroom, she greeted me with a cheerful “welcome back.”
She reacted the same way after my part-time job, but there’s probably no one else in the world who would be so happy just to see me. It feels both ticklish and heartwarming.
I sat down beside her in a good mood.
As I continued to look at Miyu’s smile, she eventually tilted her head slightly in curiosity.
“Atsushi-kun, you’re smiling. Did something good happen?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded and replied.
“I think it’s a nice night.”

After finishing work, eating delicious ice cream, taking a bath, and having my cute girlfriend beside me—it’s nice to have Miyu with me on a quiet, peaceful night like this.
When I was living at home, I often spent nights like this alone.
I wasn’t at an age where I felt lonely without my parents, and being alone had its perks, but living together with someone made me realize that being with someone else can be nice too.
Especially if that someone is my girlfriend.

On the way back from going out, I don’t have to glance at the clock and think, “It’s time to say goodbye.” I don’t have to worry about how to spend the waiting time until I see her next. It’s nice to be able to share little happy and fun things in daily life right away.
I really think starting to live together was a good decision.
I hope she feels the same way too.
When I looked at her with hope, Miyu smiled and said,
“Yeah, Saturday nights are great.”
“…Does the day of the week matter?”
“It does. Sunday nights can feel a bit gloomy.”
Well, I feel the same way.

On Sunday nights, I feel a deep sense of loneliness as I sense the end of a fun weekend, and Monday mornings weigh me down with thoughts of the week ahead. This feeling is probably the same for both working adults and college students. During the weekdays, she tends to get home later than I do, so sometimes I feel a bit unsatisfied that we can only see each other in the morning and at night.

In that regard, Saturday nights are special.
It feels good to think that there’s still tomorrow. I know I’ll get to spend more time with Miyu tomorrow.

“Atsushi-kun, do you have any plans for tomorrow?”
“Not particularly. What about you?”
When I asked back, she answered with sparkling eyes.
“I don’t have any plans either, but… if there’s nothing else, there’s somewhere I want to go.”
“Sure, where?”
“There’s a new bakery that just opened in front of the station. I heard it’s really delicious from someone at work.”
“I’ve walked past the shop before. They have eat-in options, right?”
“Yeah, I heard there’s a café attached. Let’s go check it out.”
“Sounds good! Let’s make that our lunch spot tomorrow.”
Just talking about tomorrow’s plans in this light-hearted exchange is enjoyable. It’s exciting.
“Well then, maybe we should wake up early tomorrow.”
I looked at the wall clock.
Before I knew it, it was five minutes before the date changed, and as someone who values a regular lifestyle, I felt it was about time to sleep. I had overslept this morning, but if I doze off tomorrow, I might miss out on enjoying the bread for lunch.
“Well, if that happens, you can just eat it for a snack.”
But Miyu said that so casually.
I thought, well, it is a holiday, so maybe it’s okay to let it slide.
“Are you going to oversleep again tomorrow?”
When I asked, Miyu leaned her head on my shoulder.
“Maybe. Sleeping in on a day off feels so nice.”
“‘Planned sleeping in’ is a novel concept…”
“It’s more fun to do it voluntarily. Otherwise, you end up waking up in a panic.”
That’s true, indeed.

In that case, I decided to relax tonight, stopped looking at the clock, and instead focused on her.
Miyu continued to lean against me, giving me a happy smile. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and the light from the lamps shimmered in her eyes. Her hair, which she had let down, was completely dry, but I could still distinctly smell the nice fragrance of the shampoo.

It really was a lovely night.