My Beautiful Childhood Friend Is Working in a Maid Cafe For Some Reason

The refreshing night breeze feels pleasant on my skin.

It seems the heat that had been oddly lingering in my body is starting to fade.

“What a strange feeling…”

Thinking back to the conversation my mom and the others had earlier, even though it wasn’t as extreme as Yukina’s case, just imagining it made me feel weird. Things like that aren’t necessarily better the sooner they happen.

With a sigh, I leaned on the bridge in front of the inn and felt a bit calmer.

The adults were left sleeping in their rooms. Yukina stayed behind, saying she wanted to be alone, while Akari went to the souvenir corner to check out some gifts.

As for me, I decided to enjoy the night breeze, so I came here, which only took about thirty seconds.

There was no one around, and the night-lit hot spring town had a different charm from the daytime.

Just as I was soaking in the atmosphere, I felt a jolt on my back.

I recognized this feeling well. It had happened just recently.

“Yukina…”

When I turned around, of course, Yukina was there, but something seemed off. The proof was in how she silently wrapped her arms around my waist and hugged me tightly.

A hug from Yukina. I could take it as an expression of affection. But Yukina was acting strange. Her face was flushed, and she seemed dazed… a bit too sensual, even.

“Yukina… you stink!”

The faint smell that escaped her mouth hit my nose, and I realized.

“Yukina… did you drink alcohol?”

“Ehh? What do you mean? I don’t understand…”

She giggled childishly, her speech slurred. No doubt, she did this on purpose.

“Yuu-kun, Yuu-kun, I love you, love you so much…”

She must have mistaken the drink left by my aunt for juice and accidentally drank it. That’s probably what happened.

It was very Yukina-like in a way, but still… she should’ve cleaned up before coming out.

“Hehehe, Yuu-kun, hug me tight. Hug, hug, hug!”

…Well, this isn’t so bad. She’s snuggling even more than usual, and… honestly, the physical affection, even if it’s due to alcohol, makes me happy. But still…

“Yukina, come here for a second.”

“Eh, where are we going?”

I took her hand, leading her to a bench right next to the inn. I sat her down there.

“Wait here while I get some water.”

“No!”

“No? But…”

“I don’t wanna be away from Yuu-kun!”

“The vending machine is right next to us…”

My mutterings didn’t seem to reach her, and she snuggled up against me again.

“Yuu-kun, you’re so warm…”

“…Yukina, please, move away a little.”

“Yuu-kun… do you hate me?”

“N-no, it’s just that… your kimono is starting to come undone…”

I’m worried that something might show… Please don’t look at me with those sad eyes.

“Ohhh, Yuu-kun’s such a perv. But it’s hot, so if Yuu-kun really wants to, I don’t mind taking it off…”

This is bad. This is the worst kind of drunk Yukina—the kind where she gets overly clingy. If she were just snuggling, that would be one thing, but at this rate, I won’t be able to handle it.

“Yukina, close your eyes.”

“Eh, why?”

Thankfully, her intelligence seemed to have dropped.

While she stayed quiet, I quickly bought a bottle of water and pressed the cold bottle against her cheek. She let out a cute little yelp and opened her eyes.

“Here, drink this.”

“Okay.”

Yukina gulped down the water, and I sat down next to her. She clung to my arm for a while, but then, feeling sleepy, she rested her head on my shoulder and began breathing softly.

“Hehe… Yuu-kun…”

I wonder what kind of dream she’s having… She had such a happy expression on her face, so I playfully poked her cheek, making her face go even slacker.

After about thirty minutes, Yukina woke up. Realizing what had happened during her drunken state, she turned bright red.

“Um… um…”

She fidgeted adorably, clearly embarrassed.

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Y-yeah… I’m really sorry for causing trouble…”

“It wasn’t any trouble, but… from now on, only drink alcohol in front of me. I don’t want anyone else to see that side of you.”

“O-okay… I don’t want anyone but you to see me like that either.”

Yukina scooted closer to me, her head lowered, not quite leaning in completely.

“Summer break is almost over, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you have fun, Yuu-kun?”

“I did. I was happy too… It’s been the best summer vacation I’ve had in years. And right now is great, too.”

“M-me too. I had so much fun and felt so happy. Even now, just being like this makes me so content.”

“But once summer vacation is over, we have to start seriously thinking about our futures.”

Until now, I hadn’t given much thought to the future. I’d just been drifting along, living each day as it came. But if I want to stay with Yukina, I need to start planning.

“Yuu-kun, are you going to college? Or getting a job?”

“Honestly, I don’t know what I want to do. I’m not even sure about college or a job.”

“It’s a hard decision, isn’t it?”

“But what I do know is that I want to stay with you, Yukina.”

“Yuu-kun… I’m thinking of going to college.”

“I see. Then I guess I’ll go to college too. I’ll have to study hard, though.”

“You know, I don’t really have anything I want to do in college. I just want to spend my college life with you, Yuu-kun. So, don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”

“I’ll push myself for you, Yukina. You’re smart, and I’ll work hard to catch up to your level.”

“No, really, you don’t have to push yourself. Let’s aim for something that’s possible for both of us. After all, my most important goal doesn’t depend on which college we go to.”

“What do you mean…?”

Yukina raised her head and looked into my eyes. Her gaze was serious, as if she had made up her mind about something.

“The thing I want most, the thing I want to do more than anything… is to become your wife, Yuu-kun!”

“W-what?!”

“I could give up on everything else, but not that! So, just… remember my feelings, okay?”

While I stood there dumbfounded, overwhelmed with happiness, Yukina quickly stood up and tried to head back to the inn.

Before I realized it, I had wrapped my arms around her from behind.

“Yukina… Yukina…”

I couldn’t remember ever feeling this much affection for her. I loved her so much.

“Yukina, wait just a second.”

I pulled out my wallet and retrieved something from inside.

“Here.”

I placed it in her hand—it was the toy ring I’d won as a prize at the summer festival. A cheap trinket, probably worth almost nothing.

“It’s not the real thing yet, and I feel bad about that. But I promise I’ll give you the real one someday. For now, can you settle for this?”

“Yeah… yeah… thank you, Yuu-kun.”

Yukina smiled through her tears, big ones rolling down her cheeks.

I don’t want to make Yukina cry, but these are tears of happiness, and I understand that. She looked even more beautiful to me at that moment, and I pulled her into my arms once again.

“Someday, let’s come back here together.”

“Yeah… Hey, Yuu-kun…”

“Yeah?”

Yukina looked up at me, her cheeks tinged with red.

“I’m still a little unsure, and the ring isn’t enough to make me feel secure… I want something more certain… Like, what we talked about last night…”

She trailed off, too embarrassed to continue. She fidgeted and kept glancing at me, then quickly looking away.

I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers.

Our second kiss. Maybe I’ve gotten a little better? No, people don’t improve that fast. But still, I felt an overwhelming sense of happiness.

“…That’s sneaky, Yuu-kun.”

When our lips parted, Yukina muttered in a slightly sulky tone.

“But that’s what you wanted, right?”

“Well, yeah… but still!”