Chapter 42
"Alright, Yui-san. I should get going now."
"Thanks for everything."
I bid her farewell and turn to leave the estate when—
"Um, I have a request."
"A request? What is it?"
"Could you... call me by my first name?"
"Your first name?"
"Yes. Now that we’ve reunited and grown closer than before, I’d like us to use given names instead of surnames. ...Is that no good?"
Yui-san looks up at me with pleading eyes. I’m not used to calling women by their first names—it’s embarrassingly intimate.
Wait, you’re asking about Lil-chan and Mill-senpai? Well, uh... I don’t know their actual ages, but they’ve probably (definitely) lived way longer than me. Still, they give off a "younger sister" vibe. Yui-san, though? She’s (visually) a mature woman, which cranks up the awkwardness. But rejecting her would be wrong. She gathered her courage to ask, so I should meet her halfway.
"O-oh, yeah. Sure. I’ll do it."
"...! Really!? Then, please—!"
"Mi... Miyu-san...?"
"No honorifics! Just my name, please!"
"...Mi... Miyu."
"...! Yes! Yuya-san! Wait—Yuka-san!"
Yui-san—no, Miyu—blooms into a radiant smile, like a sunflower unfurling. Her joy makes me happy too, but damn, this is still mortifying... Guess I’ll have to get used to it.
"Yeah. Well then... Miyu, see you later."
"Yes! Let’s meet again soon! I’ll be eagerly awaiting more of you two’s rom-com antics! I’ll compile a ‘Yuka & Albert Lovey-Dovey Chronicle’ for you! Look forward to it!"
"Uh, sure. I’ll... wait for that. I’ll text you."
"Anytime! You’re always welcome, Yuka-san!"
"Okay. I’ll visit when things calm down."
And with that, we set off back home.
"...Yuka, you’re... surprisingly popular, aren’t you?"
"Hweh?"
It takes me a full three seconds to process Albert-sama’s words. Popular? At what? How?
"You and Yui were getting quite cozy."
"? Cozy? I felt more like I was being overwhelmed by Miyu... And isn’t that just normal friend distance?"
Albert-sama stares at me, his eyes half-lidded with exasperation as I tilt my head in confusion. Bruh. That’s standard friend behavior.
With a slow, disappointed headshake, he sighs like he’s dealing with a lost cause.
"If that’s ‘normal’ to you... To anyone with eyes, Yui was clearly smitten. Hell, she was making heartfelt confessions with that look."
"Huh? Huh? Wait, seriously? That’s what that was?"
Miyu’s into me? If Albert-sama’s right, I’m denser than a harem LN protagonist.
"Good grief. It seems my Wife is romantically obtuse. Now then... How shall I deepen our bond, I wonder?"
Comments (0)
Please login or sign up to post a comment.