The youthful romantic comedy between my “commuting wife” and me is too sweet!! - Chapter 12

Episode 12

After leaving the house, I grabbed Miu’s hand, and we sprinted as fast as we could.

At our school, morning homeroom starts right at 9:00 AM. 

Missing it means being marked late. 

If we didn’t catch the 8:40 train at Hasegasaki Station, the next one wouldn’t come until 8:50, making tardiness almost inevitable.

Just as the train was pulling into the platform, we dashed through the turnstile, showing our passes, and slipped onto the train in the nick of time.

“Yes! Made it!”

“Phew… that was close.”

Thanks to our desperate sprint, we somehow managed to board. 

Running first thing in the morning, right after breakfast, was tough—I felt a stitch forming in my side. 

While catching our breath, we found a spot on the train.

I could feel the stares from our fellow students drilling into us, but I tried to brush them off.

After all, the sight of me, a regular guy, rushing onto the train with Miu Amaya—our school idol—was bound to attract attention. 

Whispers about us staying over together would surely spread, and unfortunately, this time, they’d be true.

“Why do we have to run like this so early in the morning…?”

Miu’s voice brought me back to reality as she glared at me with a mix of exhaustion and irritation.

“W-Wait! This time, it’s not my fault, right? You were the one going on about toaster designs during breakfast!”

“Well, that’s true…”

Miu glanced up at me, seemingly still blaming me for the rush.

Today’s close call wasn’t due to my usual oversleeping or snoozing alarms. 

No, it was because Miu, mid-breakfast, got absorbed in researching toasters on her phone, debating designs and features.

“Anyway, as long as we catch this train, we’re good.”

“The next one isn’t until 8:50.”

“Sometimes I can make it even if I take that one, though. Total luck game.”

“Ehh… that’s impossible for me.”

She sighed, exasperated.

Under ideal conditions—no delays, no wasted time—it was barely possible to make it to school on the later train. 

In my experience, I had about a 30% success rate. 

Yeah, almost always late.

“They should really add more trains in the morning.”

“For real.”

The train was reasonably crowded, and when a salaryman’s shoulder almost bumped into Miu, I instinctively pulled her closer to me.

Noticing, she looked up and smiled softly. 

“Thank you.”

The train we rode was the Enoshima Electric Railway, or Enoden for short, a local three-car train. 

It was often empty in the evenings, but during morning and evening rush hours, or even on weekends with tourists, it got surprisingly packed.

Adding cars would help alleviate the crowding, but the stations were only built to accommodate three cars. 

Some could barely handle two. 

On top of that, certain stations could only fit one side of the train at a time, making increasing the frequency or capacity nearly impossible.

Despite the train’s inconveniences, the coastal scenery it offered was a luxury few high school students elsewhere could enjoy.

As I gazed out at the glittering sea reflecting the sunlight, I thought about how these mornings would someday become memories. 

Would I still remember this view when I was older? Would Miu still be beside me then?

Lost in these thoughts, I didn’t realize we’d arrived at Hachigahama Station. 

Students from Hachiko—short for Hachigahama High—began pouring out of the train. 

We followed them onto the platform.

Yep, no tardy marks today.

“Looking forward to this weekend.” 

Miu suddenly said as we exited the station.

“Huh? What for?”

“The toaster shopping. You’re still going, right?”

She beamed up at me, her smile as bright as the morning sun.

I held back the urge to tease her about being oddly enthusiastic about a toaster. 

She wasn’t excited about the appliance itself—she was excited to spend time with me.

“Yeah… I’m looking forward to it, too.”

Hearing that, she happily squeezed my hand.