Sweet Cohabitation Romcom With My Senior Girlfriend and Alcohol Starts At Twenty - Volume 1 Chapter 4.1

Chapter 4: The First Bar Visit

“That’s why Takashi-kun! Let’s go to a bar today!!”

One evening, my Senpai, who had returned from university classes earlier than me, suddenly proposed something unusual.

Kureha Senpai, who rarely suggests eating out, was now saying, “Let’s go to a bar.”

I couldn’t help but be wary that something was up.

“Um, what do you mean by ‘that’s why’?”

I braced myself for some teasing, ready for whatever she might throw at me.

I couldn’t always be the other end of Senpai’s jokes. I had to fight back a little.

That’s what I was thinking.

However, it seemed my wariness was unnecessary as Kureha Senpai began to look at me with serious eyes.

“You know, I’ve been thinking a little since then. About how I could have a good time with Takashi-kun.”

“Since when?”

“Since the day you came back from cheating on me with your best friend, having yakiniku and drinks.”

Her words dripped out, reminding me of my recent blunder.

Despite having Kureha Senpai, I had gone out for yakiniku and drinks with a friend of the opposite sex—a grave mistake I should not have made.

And then, unavoidably, I remembered the punishment that followed.

A stimulating punishment that was eighty percent reward and twenty percent hardship, typical of Senpai.

Even now, just thinking about it brought back the heat of that moment.

“But I explained that I couldn’t refuse, and you understood that, didn’t you? I told you that Yuu is just a close friend and there’s nothing romantic between us!”

I vehemently denied Senpai’s words as if to drive away the sensations that were starting to return.

Of course I was entirely at fault, and I had received a fitting punishment, which I had no complaints about.

But it was tough to have it dredged up again.

I had demonstrated my innocence. I had also clearly stated and demonstrated that I was devoted only to Senpai.

That’s why I thought she had “understood.”

I hadn’t expected her to bring it up again, and in my panic, I raised my voice.

But, once again, my worries were for naught.

“Yes, of course I understood that part. I knew how much you love me, Takashi-kun.”

“That…”

“Is it not true? You don’t love me?”

“I do love you.”

“I love the blushing you, too~”

Kureha Senpai smiled broadly while saying that.

“There you go again, Senpai, doing something like that…!”

“Hmm~?”

“No, I just thought you seemed to be having too much fun by yourself…”

“Yes, everything is fun when I’m with Takashi-kun~”

Although I felt a twinge of frustration at being teased by Senpai again, seeing her cheeks flushed with joy and having fun made all my irritation seem trivial.

In fact, if my recent blunder had been elevated to a source of teasing for Senpai, then perhaps that was something to be happy about.

I had vowed not to do anything that would sadden Senpai again.

“By the way, what does what you just said have to do with going to a bar? We could just drink in our room.”

Having settled the past in my mind, I finally got back to the main topic.

Ever since Senpai started coming to my room, the collection of alcohol on the side of the kitchen has been steadily growing.

There’s the sweet liquor that Senpai prefers, the obligatory beer, and then the wine. I have more alcohol than the average “I drink alcohol~” kind of person.

Of course, it’s mainly Kureha Senpai who drinks. I can only drink a little, and just seeing Senpai enjoy her drinks is enough for me.

That’s why I’m a bit puzzled by the invitation to go to a bar this time.

It’s not because I can’t drink much. I just don’t want to show the slightly tipsy Senpai from alcohol to other people.

Senpai is already eye-catching enough on a regular day. Add to that a state of drunkenness, and she becomes an even more attractive target.

I want to avoid that. I don’t want Senpai to be the focus of other men’s gazes, and I wish only I could look at her that way.

Yet, despite all this, there’s a part of me that can’t resist the allure of a night date with Senpai, something we’ve never done even now that we’re already living together.

“So, you don’t want to go on a night date with me?”

“I want to.”

“I love how you answer so honestly and immediately.”

“Uhh…”

Behind Senpai’s beaming smile, I can’t shake the feeling that she understands my intentions, and even knowing that, she would still choose to tease me.

That’s Kureha Senpai for you, and I can’t help but love her for it, with no complaints whatsoever.

“We couldn’t date at night before because of my house curfew, but now that we’re living together, we can fully enjoy our night dates~”

“They easily agreed to living together, but there was actually a strict curfew, huh?”

“Well, the curfew was set by my father. No matter how I am his ‘cute daughter’, I’m over twenty years old. It’s too much to be told to come home by 21:00.”

I’ve heard several times about the strictness of Senpai’s father.

Senpai, who never speaks ill of others, only ever has complaints for one person – her father.

One of the hardships that made Senpai grimace was the curfew. Having a 21:00 curfew as a university student is just too unreasonable.

Perhaps because of that, we hardly ever went on dates after classes before we started living together.

The exception was when she had part-time work; she was allowed to stay out past curfew, but she had to report when she left her job, as if under surveillance…

So, the most couple-like things we did before living together were holding hands before the circle activities started or chatting in the cafeteria.

Knowing that Senpai stayed over on my birthday made me realize the idea of living together was serious.