patreon.com/StarMoon10
for Advance Chapter
Chapter 6: Changes and Casual Lunch
Since Sayu's arrival, the change in Yoshida's quality of life was visible to the naked eye.
First, Sayu always had a piping hot meal waiting for him whenever he left for or returned from work. Before this, Yoshida would only cook for himself occasionally depending on his mood; even if he suddenly craved something, he usually gave up after looking up the recipe on his phone. He'd end up settling for something from the convenience store, and breakfast was almost non-existent.
Then, having his laundry taken care of was a massive help. In the past, because he hated the hassle of washing work shirts, he had even bought six identical ones. Now, not only was someone washing them daily, but they were also being meticulously ironed flat.
As his home environment improved, Yoshida felt a clear shift in his performance at the office. Perhaps because he was properly nourished by breakfast, his brain felt incredibly sharp. He no longer suffered from the mid-morning hunger pangs, allowing him to maintain focus right until the lunch break. Plus, wearing a crisp, wrinkle-free shirt felt genuinely comfortable; his mood was elevated, and his productivity followed suit.
Is this how guys with wives feel every day when they work?
While tapping away at his keyboard, the thought suddenly popped into Yoshida's head.
"What kind of feeling is 'this feeling'?"
Hashimoto, sitting next to him, suddenly spoke up without looking away from his own screen.
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Are you not even aware of it? you've been mumbling to yourself for a while now. I thought you were talking to me."
Hashimoto's retort left Yoshida a bit flustered.
"Wait, seriously?"
"You... don't tell me..."
Yoshida quickly covered his mouth. Hashimoto hit the save key and turned around to look his friend squarely in the face. "Is it because of that kid?"
"...I guess you could say that."
When people mention the younger generation, words like "clumsy" or "lazy" usually come to mind. Initially, Yoshida thought Sayu wouldn't last more than a few days, but as time passed, that idea vanished. Since moving in, she had taken her domestic duties seriously—a far cry from his flighty first impression of her.
Though Yoshida maintained he didn't have any particular "thing" for high school girls, he was still a normal man. Living with a cute, considerate girl who was good at housework made it inevitable for things to become close—or even ambiguous.
"Don't fall too deep, or it'll hurt when she leaves."
"Don't worry. I've been following the rules."
"That's not what I meant... Oh, forget it." Hashimoto sighed and gestured toward the wall clock. "Want to grab lunch?"
Yoshida looked up; it was already nearly 1:00 PM. Lately, he'd been losing track of time while working.
"Sure. I just finished up this part of the task. Let's go."
The two saved their progress, grabbed their jackets, and gave quiet nods to their colleagues who were still grinding away. Then, Yoshida's eyes met Ms. Goto's, who sat a bit further away.
"Ah..."
Ms. Goto's mouth parted slightly, and she hurriedly averted her gaze—a reaction that was unlike her usual composed self. Yoshida tried his best to look straight ahead as he walked past her, letting out a silent sigh once they were a distance away.
"Eating out or the cafeteria?"
"I don't have much of an appetite, let's just do the cafeteria."
Shortly after they mindlessly settled on lunch, the clack-clack-clack of high heels echoed from behind. The hurried pace sounded like someone trying to catch up. Yoshida turned around in confusion and jumped when he saw Ms. Goto much closer than expected.
"Whoa! Ms. Goto?"
"What kind of reaction is that?"
Ms. Goto looked at him with amusement. Even as she stopped, her hair continued to sway gracefully. "You guys are headed to lunch, right?"
"Yeah."
"Mind if I join you?"
"Uh..."
Yoshida didn't know how to answer and shot a pleading look at Hashimoto. This is awkward, help me out, his eyes screamed.
"It would be an honor."
Hashimoto, however, gave a mischievous grin and slapped Yoshida hard on the back. "Let's go. Don't just stand there, Yoshida."
"Ah, right."
Still stunned by the sudden turn of events, Yoshida followed Ms. Goto as she took the lead toward the cafeteria.
"Ms. Goto, that's surprisingly..."
Hashimoto looked at the pork cutlet curry set Ms. Goto had placed on the table, appearing slightly shocked. No matter how you looked at it, such a heavy, large-portion meal didn't seem to fit the refined beauty standing before them.
"Don't you usually just have a salad?" Yoshida couldn't help but whisper.
"My, you certainly observe her closely, don't you?" Hashimoto's face immediately lit up with a wicked grin.
"I—well, she stands out! She obviously doesn't need to watch her weight, yet she always eats so light."
Feeling as though a secret had been exposed, Yoshida's face flushed. He lowered his head and took a loud slurp of his ramen.
"Oh? Was that a compliment?"
Ms. Goto elegantly tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and continued with a smile. "Actually, I gain weight easily. It's just that occasionally I have a craving to feast on meat. I'll have to work hard to make up for it over the next few days."
Where exactly are you fat...? No, wait, if we're just talking about "weight," I might have an idea.
Yoshida practically buried his face in his bowl to hide his eyes from drifting toward Ms. Goto's chest—which was remarkably "heavy" compared to her slender frame.
"Speaking of which, Yoshida-kun, you've been leaving right on time lately."
Ms. Goto took a bite of her cutlet, looking content and satisfied. She suddenly met Yoshida's eyes, and Yoshida—the peeping tom caught red-handed—nearly choked on his ramen broth.
"Cough! Well, uh... I've just been in a good flow lately. Everything is going smoothly, so..."
As she listened to Yoshida's shifty explanation, Ms. Goto's smile turned a bit peculiar.
"And here I thought you were the type to stay late and help everyone else even after finishing your own work."
That had been Yoshida's old pattern. A single man had nothing to do at home anyway, so helping busy colleagues didn't take much effort. But lately, the thought of Sayu waiting with a hot meal created a mysterious sense of "mission"—a need to get home as soon as possible.
"Is it really bad to leave first while everyone else is working overtime?"
Though Yoshida checked his project progress every day, he had to be careful if his boss pointed it out. And yes—Ms. Goto was his direct superior.
"I didn't mean it like that. Someone as capable as you, Yoshida-kun, has every right to leave on time."
Her words made Yoshida feel a bit lightheaded. Men are like that—they can't help it when a woman they admire praises them.
"I'm just curious... Yoshida-kun, did you get a girlfriend?"
Yoshida froze.
He wanted to shout "No way!" immediately, but for some reason, he felt a pang of guilt.
"If you had a girlfriend, wanting to get home early would make perfect sense..."
Somewhere along the way, the warmth had vanished from Ms. Goto's eyes.
"That's..."
Yoshida scratched his head and glanced sideways. Hashimoto, sensing the atmospheric shift, showed zero intention of helping. He sat perfectly upright, looking intensely serious as if counting every grain of rice in his bowl.
"Yoshida-kun?"
Just as the air grew so tense that Yoshida felt he had to say something, Ms. Goto blinked and suddenly broke into a wide grin.
"Sorry, sorry! Your expression was just too funny~"
"...What was that about?"
The atmosphere had shifted so fast Yoshida couldn't keep up.
"I mean, just now, you looked exactly like a man who had been caught cheating. I couldn't help but tease you a little~"
Ms. Goto giggled and bit into her cutlet. The way her tongue flicked across her lips was captivatingly seductive. Any annoyance Yoshida felt evaporated instantly. Beautiful women are always easily forgiven—especially when they've been your unrequited crush for years.
"Well, even if you really did get a girlfriend, it's fine. I just, well... as a friend, I'd want to vet her for you, you know?"
"I told you, I don't have a girlfriend. I just recently [confessed] to you..."
Mid-sentence, Yoshida realized what he was saying and shut his mouth. Luckily, he hadn't been speaking loudly, and the coworkers at nearby tables didn't seem to notice.
"Oh no, the afternoon meeting!"
Ms. Goto suddenly panicked and put down her chopsticks. Yoshida looked over and was stunned to see that the pork curry was completely gone. She had looked so elegant while talking to him; when did she finish it?
"I'm sorry, let's talk more next time, okay?"
"Ah, sure."
"Good work today."
Watching Ms. Goto hurry away, Yoshida pushed aside his bowl of soggy ramen and slumped onto the table, drained.
"What is even happening..."
"Well, from where I'm sitting, it looks like there might be hope for you after all."
Hashimoto, who had played his role as a background prop perfectly until now, laughed and patted him on the shoulder.
"Stop joking. Didn't she just reject me recently?"
"You never know. My wife and I broke up and got back together five times back in the day."
"You're an outlier. Anyway, why are you suddenly so invested?"
"What if I said it's just to see you make a fool of yourself?"
Yoshida turned to look at Hashimoto. There was a deeper meaning in his best friend's eyes. He wanted to complain about Hashimoto being a meddler, but the words only came out as a sigh.
"Alright, alright, I'll shut up. Going for a smoke?"
"Didn't you quit?"
"Yeah, but I'd feel bad for you if you went alone."
Hashimoto pulled a cute-looking electronic cigarette from his pocket. Without asking, it was obvious the design was his wife's preference. "Better than smoking alone, right?"
"I guess so. Walk with me for a bit."
The two rose from their seats and headed toward the smoking area.