My Cool and Straightforward Girlfriend Won't Let Me Sleep Today Either - Chapter 1

Episode 1: 4th Year With My Girlfriend

I was lying on the bed in the air-conditioned room, reading manga.

The intercom rang, so I went to the front door and opened it, letting in a wave of heat from outside.

Feeling uncomfortable with the heat making my cheeks twitch, I called out to the person who had arrived.

“Oh, Natsuki…”

“Is it bad that I came?”

Natsuki Minashiro looked at me with a slightly displeased expression. She’s my girlfriend, Natsuki. We’ve been a couple for about four years now.

She has a beautifully shaped face and a slender figure. And above all, her bobbed hair, leaning towards a short cut, is very attractive.

Now, it wasn’t that I was twitching my cheeks because Natsuki came, but because of the heat. I should probably make that clear…

“I felt hot when I opened the door.”

“Is that so? I thought you looked bothered by my visit.”

“That’s not it. I’d be happy if my girlfriend came over.”

“Hmm…”

“Anyway, stop standing outside and come in.”

I invited Natsuki into the room.

Natsuki, after taking off her shoes, opened the refrigerator in the room and started drinking tea.

“Don’t drink without asking.”

“Okay, okay.”

Without apologizing, Natsuki took out two new bottles of tea from her bag and put them in the refrigerator.

Is she implying that it’s okay now? Well, I guess I can’t complain since the number of bottles has increased.

“So, why did you come today?”

“I was bored.”

“Shall we go somewhere then?”

“Hmm, it doesn’t matter either way.”

I received a vague response.

Actually, I didn’t really mean to suggest going out seriously. Since my bored girlfriend came over, I just said it as a boyfriend. I really didn’t want to go out on such a hot day.

“Well, let’s not go then.”

“Yeah.”

Natsuki replied softly and lay down on my bed, playing with her smartphone.

Is it really necessary for her to come all the way to my room to do that?

Well, it’s fine for a girlfriend to visit her boyfriend’s room on a whim… I suppose.

While pondering to myself, I decided to pick up the manga I was reading earlier and continue reading.

And within 20 minutes, I finished reading the manga.

“Phew…”

After finishing the manga, I stretched my slightly stiff back.

Then, when I looked at Natsuki, my gaze was drawn to her firm and attractive buttocks.

Indeed, her love for exercise, going to the fitness gym with a pool three times a week, shows.

Without realizing it, my hand reached out towards Natsuki’s buttocks in the silence of the room.

But she must have sensed my inappropriate gesture.

“…Don’t touch.”

Natsuki pushed away my hand reaching for her buttocks as if it were something filthy.

I felt a little sad.

“You used to let me touch whenever I wanted.”

“Okay, okay.”

Natsuki didn’t tell me why she wouldn’t let me touch despite my complaint.

Well, I sort of understand.

During the early days of our relationship, I wouldn’t have minded physical contact from the other person.

But now, it’s been almost four years since we started dating.

It’s understandable that suddenly being touched on the buttocks could feel bothersome.

While I was silently convincing myself, Natsuki casually asked me.

“Do you want to do it?”

“What if I say I want to?”

“Hmm, not now.”

Natsuki’s the kind of girlfriend who says things that make you expect something, only to disappoint you.

She used to apologize with a guilty look when I made advances in the past.

“Why did you ask then?”

“……”

Even though I let out a small complaint in a quiet voice, Natsuki ignored me.

Well, maybe it seemed like I was just talking to myself because I was speaking quietly.

Still, it’s not like I really mind.

“Why are you grinning like that?”

With a disgusted expression, Natsuki looked at me.

Well… certainly, compared to before, Natsuki is undeniably more aloof.

But even so…

“You’re cute today too, Natsuki-chan.”

I don’t dislike her at all; in fact, I love her.

Although we’ve lost the innocence and shyness of the past, being together now feels more comfortable than ever before.

“Thanks. It’s gross though…”

She praised me with a tsundere attitude, but also insulted me.

Is this what they call tsundere?

Wait a minute? But the thanks first and then the insult… is this deretsun?

“Anyway, you’ve become more tsun-tsun… You used to be all dere-dere.”

I lamented Natsuki’s change.

Then Natsuki let out a sigh and squeezed my cheeks with both hands.

“Isn’t being all dere-dere all the time creepy?”

“I guess so.”

Sometimes, with my cheeks squished and possibly making a face like a toad, I said it with a muffled voice.

Then Natsumi, with a dissatisfied expression, expanded on the conversation.

“But Minato used to be kind to me…”

As she released her hands from my cheeks, Natsuki said with a heated tone.

Perhaps Natsuki became tsun-tsun because I wasn’t spoiling her enough…

Thinking that, when I tried to pat her head to spoil her,
“It’s gross.”

She quickly swatted my hand away.

Yeah, I thought so.

“This is what they call a slump in the relationship, huh…”

“Sigh… Why did I end up dating a guy like this…”

“So, should we break up?”

“…I don’t want to break up.”

While fiddling with her hair, Natsuki said with a sullen face.

The fact that she casually refused to break up makes me happy, as it shows Natsuki’s love.

Because the topic of breaking up was brought up, I remembered something.

“We’re about to celebrate our fourth anniversary since we started dating… Should we at least celebrate it?”

“Then, shall we eat cake? But, it has to be cheap since I’m broke.”

“I”If you say so, we can’t help it.”

I remember we celebrated our first anniversary quite properly.

But by the 4th year, maybe this is how things are.

Our exciting life with each other, gradually fading away.

I keenly feel that.

“We might seem more dull compared to before… What do you think, Natsuki?”

“Well, isn’t that normal after being together for four years?”

“I guess so. Well then, it’s almost lunchtime, but… going out to eat seems a bit off.”

Outside, the sun was shining brightly, and the voices of cicadas mingle.

It’s definitely summer. If we go outside, we’ll undoubtedly be assaulted by the relentless heat.
I don’t want to go out just to go out to eat.

“I guess I’ll make something then.”

Different. that’s not it.

When I said I didn’t want to go out because of the heat, Natsuki seemed to have interpreted it as wanting to eat her home-cooked food.

With a smile that seemed happy to be requested by her boyfriend to cook, Natsuki’s attitude changed.

Well… there’s no helping it.

“Let’s go buy some ingredients then.”

※

We left the air conditioning on and went outside to buy groceries.

The air conditioner is a great way to cool down a room, so it is better to leave the air conditioner on if you are going out for a short period of time.

“It’s hot.”

“Minato said he wanted to eat my cooking, so there’s no helping it, right?”

I was warned not to complain by Natsuki.

Well, I actually didn’t want to go outside… But she misunderstood.

Since I might get scolded if I say she misunderstood, I’ll just keep quiet.

“What are you going to make for me?”

“What do you want?”

“Curry.”

“That’s so typical. Well, okay. How about some Fukujinzuke(a condiment)?”

“No, when you say curry, it’s supposed to be pickled rakkyo.”

“Fukujinzuke, right? When you order curry, it usually comes with it. Therefore, Fukujinzuke is the best accompaniment for curry.”

“No, no, Fukujinzuke is cheaper. Rakkyo is more expensive than Fukujinzuke. So, there are fewer restaurants that serve pickled rakkyo because it’s more expensive.”

“No, that’s not true. Pickled rakkyo have preferences even more divided than Fukujinzuke, and when it comes to leaving them, it’s just that they have such a strong presence it’s hard to leave them behind. If they’re delicious, you’d ignore the cost and still add pickled rakkyo, right?”

Disagreeing opinions. If it were the beginning of our relationship, we might have come up with a playful compromise.

But now, as we approach our 4th year together, we are no longer naive.

We continued our debate without conceding to each other.

In the end, we reached the supermarket without reaching a conclusion.

After putting carrots, potatoes, onions, pork, and curry roux in the shopping basket, Natsuki and I also added Fukujinzuke and pickled rakkyo.

“Well, let’s just go with our preferred ones…”

“It’s not like they’re expensive.”

After putting all the necessary ingredients in the basket, we paid at the register and went back out into the scorching outside world.

As I was carrying all the shopping bags, Natsuki said while looking at me.

“I can at least carry one of the bags?”

“I can’t make my fragile girlfriend carry heavy stuff.”

“Looks like nothing’s changed even after four years.”

“Did you want something to change?”

“No, I’m fine with things as they are.”

Although her attitude is indifferent, I can tell that Natsuki is in a good mood, her short hair fluttering as she walks beside me.

We’ve walked together countless times. Before we started dating, and during the early days of our relationship, just walking together made my heart race. But now, it’s not like that anymore.

Even so…

My feelings for her, my girlfriend Natsuki, haven’t changed.

“Phew, it’s hot. When we get back, can I use your shower?”

Wiping the annoying sweat from her chest with her clothes, Natsuki smiled gently at me.