A nostalgic aroma drifted into Yoshida's nostrils.
"...Mm?"
He opened his eyes slightly, but everything was a blur. Even though he had woken up naturally, his eyelids felt heavy. However, the various discomforts of a hangover quickly jolted his consciousness awake.
"What time is it...?"
It was very bright outside; it didn't look like morning at all. Yoshida rubbed his eyes and struggled to make out the face of his watch.
"Crap, it's already 2:00 PM..."
Frowning, he sat up in bed. He had absolutely no memory of what time he had gotten home. Not only that, he had gone straight to sleep without even changing his clothes. For a man who lived a fairly disciplined life, this series of anomalies was enough to trigger a sense of guilt.
Fortunately, it was the weekend. If it had been a workday, he wouldn't have been able to brush it off by telling the company he simply overslept.
Speaking of which, what was that fragrance that had been wafting through the house? Yoshida followed the scent toward the kitchen, and then he froze.
There was a high school girl in his house, wearing an apron over her uniform, cooking something at the stove.
"Who the hell are you?!"
"Hmm... The high school girl you picked up and brought home, Mister?"
Turning her head toward Yoshida—who had practically tumbled out of bed while shouting—the girl blinked. She actually looked more confused than he was.
"What 'mister' brought you back?!"
"You did, Mister."
"Wait—I am not a mister!"
The girl laughed silently. It was only then that Yoshida noticed how truly cute she was.
"Anyway, why don't you try some first?"
Using a ladle, the girl scooped something out of the pot into a bowl and brought it over to him.
Though her subtly dominant attitude annoyed him slightly, Yoshida's stomach immediately growled in surrender. He had vomited everything up while drunk yesterday and had slept until the afternoon today; it would be weirder if he wasn't hungry.
"Urgh..."
Yoshida's body moved involuntarily as he took the bowl from her. It was miso soup.
...It was delicious. Not too salty, yet not bland at all. Most importantly, he could tell with one sip that it wasn't some instant store-bought packet. The warmth of something "handmade for someone else" was very strong.
"Is it good?"
"Ah, yeah... It's okay."
"Is it 'okay' or is it 'good'~?"
"It tastes fine. It's not bad."
"Not bad, huh... Hehe~"
What is this? Yoshida wondered. The atmosphere felt like that of a newlywed couple. He turned his head slightly, feeling too embarrassed to look at the girl's face.
As he sipped the miso soup and his body warmed up, his memories gradually returned.
The heartbreak, meeting his friend for drinks, staggering home while vomiting, and then... under the utility pole...
"Oh, you're the one with the black underwear?"
"Why is the color of my underwear how you remember me? Pervert~"
Despite her words, the girl didn't seem angry at all.
He had indeed let her stay because he couldn't leave her out there. And then, and then... what happened next?
He had almost no memory of what happened after bringing a high school girl home. A cold sweat suddenly broke out down Yoshida's back.
"...I didn't do anything to you, did I?"
To Yoshida's question, the girl simply responded with a silent gaze.
The lack of an answer gave Yoshida the sensation of walking on ice and suddenly falling through. Yesterday was arguably the most reckless day of his life so far; it wouldn't be surprising regardless of what he had done.
"Hey, don't scare me. I shouldn't have even taken my clothes off."
Yoshida's IQ suddenly surged back online. Thinking about it, as dead-drunk as he was, he probably lacked the physical capability to do anything, and it would have been very difficult for a girl to undress an unconscious adult male.
"Tch, and I wanted to scare you a little bit, Mister."
The girl placed a slender finger on her chin and flashed a playful smile.
"I felt it was unfair for you to put me up for nothing, so I did have that intention... but you kept saying you weren't interested in me and things like that."
Thank God! Yoshida pumped his fist in his mind. If he had taken advantage of a homeless high school girl, today's him would have utterly despised yesterday's him.
"So, I asked you if there was anything else you wanted me to do, and you said..."
The girl paused, the smile on her pretty face growing even more radiant.
"That you wanted me to make you miso soup every day."
"Hey, cut it out."
Yoshida could state with certainty that no matter how drunk he was, he wouldn't say something that sounded like a marriage proposal to a high school girl he just met. The way she was carefully observing his reaction made it obvious she was teasing him.
"You're too serious, Mister~"
"Wait, first of all, stop calling me 'Mister'."
Being called that by a high school girl made him feel like he was involved in some sort of compensated dating.
"...Then, do you prefer being called 'Daddy' or 'Big Brother'?"
"I don't need either... just 'Yoshida' is fine."
This girl is definitely doing this on purpose, Yoshida thought, clicking his tongue in annoyance.
"Mr. Yoshida... yeah, that fits you well..."
The girl said this while carefully studying his face.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean, you really look like a 'Mr. Yoshida'."
I look like that? This was the first time anyone had ever evaluated the common surname "Yoshida" that way. Was she saying his face was just as generic as his name? High school girls these days were really blunt.
"Aren't you going to ask my name, Mr. Yoshida?"
"Not interested."
"Aww, just ask~"
"...Fine, what's your name?"
Since they met, the girl had been dominating the conversation. However, it was also a hassle not knowing what to call her. Yoshida thought about it and decided that asking for a name was no big deal.
"My name is Sayu."
Upon hearing Yoshida ask, the girl nodded with a satisfied look and announced her name.
"Sayu, huh..."
"It's written with the 'Sa' from Bishamon and the 'Yu' from Excellence."
"That's the first time I've ever heard someone use Bishamon to explain a kanji," Yoshida muttered under his breath.
"Would you like another bowl?"
Seeing that Yoshida was about to put the empty bowl on the coffee table, Sayu smiled and reached out her small hand, asking softly.
"Uh... please..."
Yoshida obediently handed over the empty bowl, which Sayu caught with both hands.
She was playful, liked to tease adults, and lacked a certain sense of boundary—but she was also genuinely cute, and her well-timed consideration didn't feel uncomfortable.
Watching the girl's cheerful back as she walked toward the kitchen, Yoshida found that he simply couldn't muster the heart to say, "You should leave now."