Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093094088809262/episodes/16818622172216099184
◇A few years later
“Nngh…”
I groan and rub my eyes, my vision gradually clearing.
The morning light paints a soft outline on my girlfriend’s back, and the savory smell wafting from the kitchen tickles my nose.
[Illustration.]
https://kakuyomu.jp/users/tanakamatao01/news/16818622172216126517
Her clear skin and shoulder-length hair sway silently.
As I stare blankly at her, she lightly taps my head with a ladle in her hand, “Take this.” she says.
My head shakes with the light impact, and a sense of reality washes over me.
“…..”
“What’s wrong? You were spacing out. Was it a good dream? But it’s not good, Yuuto kun. You can’t sleep on the sofa. I slept alone last night and I was so lonely.” Yua chan said with a giggle.
Her happy voice echoes in the room, and I can’t help but smile at the brightness of her voice.
“….Morning, Yua chan.”
“Good morning ! Yuuto kun, you sleepyhead.”
“Are your exams coming up soon? Do you have any plans for the summer?”
“Hm? Yeah ! The final exam is next week. As for summer vacation, let’s see, I have plans to go out with friends a little bit.”
“…..I see.”
Then Yua chan saw the look on my face and giggled.
She’s taller than when we first met, and her build is more mature.
And most importantly, her expression is different.
Instead of those dark, sunken eyes, there was a lively light in them.
Her cheeks had a healthy color and she had the air of a normal, pretty girl.
“Are you jealous? It’s fine, you know? It’s only girls, and I like Yuuto kun !”
“…No, I’m not jealous or anything. I’m just going to wash my face.”
“Hurry up ! I’ll use the washroom too !”
I reached the sink in a daze and when I looked in the mirror, there was a slightly tired-looking me.
The short beard on my chin is neatly trimmed.
As I was touching my beard, Yua chan jumped in from behind and hugged me tightly from behind.
“Hey !?”
“Sniff…hehe, Yuuto kun’s smell. This will make me work hard for the day.” she mumbled happily as she rubbed her face against her back.
The sweet scent of shampoo wafts from her hair, and her warm body heat is transmitted through her clothes.
Her face grew hot and her heart skipped a beat.
“You know, Yua chan. Stop hugging me so suddenly…”
“Why? Do you feel like being naughty?”
“Not really, but…”
“Ah, please move ! I wanna brush my teeth.” she said in a voice that sounded like she was in a hurry, a complete change from her pampered voice.
I had no choice but to give up the sink and start preparing myself.
As I recall, it was almost the president’s birthday.
I should buy something. But I don’t know what he wants.
After about five minutes, I heard a voice at the door saying, “Ah ! No, oh no ! I have to go !”
“O-oh. Be careful.” I replied, but the door showed no sign of opening.
“…Um ! What are you doing? Please come quickly !” she called.
Oh, I forgot.
There stood Yua chan with her eyes closed and her lips pouting a little.
“Hurry up.”
“Alright, alright.” I kissed her mouth.
“…..//”
“Fufu, are you embarrassed now? You’re as cute as ever, Yuuto kun ! Well, I’m off now !”
Leaving behind a bouncy smile, she ran out the front door.
”…Good grief.”
She gets cuter and cuter as she gets older, and says even more seductive things.
I sit down on the couch and take my phone out of my pocket.
The date is [June 10, 2030.]
◇8:30 in the morning
When I open the door to my office, it’s already filled with the smell of cigarette smoke and cheap coffee.
Three desks in a small room, a list of debts crudely pasted on the wall, my office is the same as usual today.
My co-worker Tanaka says, “Hey, didn’t you tighten up that fat guy yesterday? Did you spit out the money?” he asks me with a grin.
“Only half of it. The rest is due this weekend.” he laughs at me and says, ”You’re as naive as ever.”
Well, I’m not as much of an ogre as I used to be.
At nine o’clock, the morning meeting begins.
Sato san, my senior, reads out today’s target with sleepy eyes.
“A guy named Yamada, who owes 500,000 yen and is one month in arrears. His address is here and his phone number is here. Please take care of him.”
I check the map and the borrower’s information on my desk.
On my phone, I received a message from Yua chan: [Yuuto kun ! Good luck today !] I smile for a moment before work, but quickly switch it back.
It’s past 10:00 and I’m on my way out the door.
I head to the apartment of a guy named Yamada.
It’s a ramshackle two-story wooden building, littered with trash and reeking of life.
I knock on the door and say in a low voice, “Yamada san, are you there?” I call out in a low voice.
A frightened voice comes back from inside, “Who the hell are you…?”
“You forgot you borrowed money?” I say, and the door opens in a hurry.
A dull man in his 40s stands there, sweating, and gets down on his knees, asking me to wait until this weekend.
In the old days, I might have packed it in here, but now I say, “Get me half of it by Friday. Next time you run away, it’s over.” and walk away.
Maybe it’s because Yua chan’s words, “You’ve become nicer.” flicker in my mind, but lately I don’t make it any rougher than it needs to be.
I eat lunch at a standing-only noodle shop near the office.
As I slurp down my 300-yen soba noodle, Tanaka is talking smugly next to me, saying, “The new customer at the pachinko parlor has a habit of borrowing money.”
“Hmm.” I responded.
When I returned to the office in the afternoon, I was on call duty.
I make a bunch of calls demanding debt.
“Your husband owes me a million yen. I don’t care if you can’t pay your children’s school fees.” I threaten nonchalantly.
It’s easy to get through to them when they are not right in front of you.
Whether they cried or screamed, I was able to let them know that it was my job.
In the evening, we sorted the collected money.
I counted the cash collected today and put it in a ledger book.
Sato san nodded his head in satisfaction, saying, “This month is going well.” but I just kept quiet and did the calculations.
Work finishes around 6:00 p.m., and before I leave the office, I get a line from Yua chan asking, [What do you want for dinner?]
When I replied, “Fried rice would be good.” a stamp came flying back saying, [Got it ! I’ll make your favorite dish !]
After a day in the world of loan sharks, interactions like this are soothing.
On the way home, while buying cigarettes at a convenience store in front of the station, I also put some pudding in the basket that Yua chan seems to like.
It is the moment when my mind switches between the cold air at the office and the warmth of home.
The daily life of a loan shark is nothing but threats and fighting over money.
But when I come home, Yua chan jumps at me and says, “Welcome home !”
That’s my cue.
I don’t know how long I’ll keep this job, but I can’t quit just yet.
Thinking about that, I walk home in the night.
◇
When I get home, I can smell the delicious smell.
“Welcome home !” she said, hugging me and giving me a kiss.
I kiss her and say, “Yes, I’m home.”
“I made fried rice. Do you wanna eat first? Do you wanna take a bath? Or… Yua?”
“I already got Yua chan, so I’ll have fried rice.”
“Eh? There are still lots of places to eat.” she said, flashing the front of her pajamas.
My eyes were drawn to it and I began to say, “Wow ! Naughty ! //”
After that flirtation, the two of them go to eat dinner.
We had a great time talking about what happened today, and after we finished eating we went to take a bath.
After eating, I went to bed together with Yua chan, who had been relaxing on the sofa.
Yua chan hugs me as we get into bed.
I hugged her too.
“..I love you, Yuuto kun.”
“I love you too, Yua chan.”
“Hey, how long will you keep calling me with chan? I’m not a kid anymore.” she said, puffing out her cheeks.
“You’re like a child to me.”
“…After all that? Would you do something like that to a child?”
“…I won’t do it anymore.”
“Sorry, sorry ! You can’t ! …Do it, okay? From now on.”
“Yeah.”
I kiss her forehead.
At that moment, I suddenly remembered something.
I remember…I had this dream a few years ago.
A dream in which I was making out with Yua chan, who had grown up.
It seems that I have a happy future ahead of me.
If that’s the case, I’ll get married and have children when I grow up….
Looking forward to such a future, I closed my eyes.
Yua chan, I love you.
[Illustration.]
https://kakuyomu.jp/users/tanakamatao01/news/16818622172219704550
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