Sweet Cohabitation Romcom With My Senior Girlfriend and Alcohol Starts At Twenty - Volume 1 Chapter 8.1

Chapter 8: Reflections After a Night

“Damn it! Why did I say something like that yesterday…?!”

I was drowning in self-loathing the morning after.

And for good reason. Yesterday, I got drunk on Senpai’s alcohol because I missed Senpai.

It was only natural to writhe in the harsh reality that awaited me upon sobering up, even if what I said was bound to come out eventually, with or without the influence of alcohol.

And Senpai still hadn’t returned by morning.

The only message I received was, “I’ll be back around noon, so don’t worry.”

I hadn’t replied yet. I didn’t know what to say.

Should I just respond with “Okay”? Or should I express my true feelings with “I’m worried”?

No good, my head was filled with thoughts of Senpai.

It was Sunday, and there were no classes, but my heart couldn’t find rest.

This was far worse than being constantly teased by Senpai.

This painful, suffocating feeling… I didn’t want to experience it ever again.

“…I should make breakfast.”

Following last night’s dinner, I decided to make breakfast for the first time in a while.

I never thought I’d find solace in cooking.

But with this unusual morning, I wanted to try something different—perhaps a fancy breakfast.

It was just before seven, around the time Senpai usually woke me up.

The fridge was stocked with bacon, eggs, butter, and chilled bread—perfect for breakfast.

Seeing the ingredients Senpai had bought made my heart tighten again.

I wanted to see Senpai so badly. I wanted to hear the response to yesterday’s confession. I wanted a deeper relationship with Kureha Senpai.

To suppress these continuous thoughts, I slammed the fridge door shut.

It was pointless if I didn’t know Senpai’s feelings.

Did I want to restrain Senpai?

Did I only like Senpai when she did as I wished?

No, that wasn’t it. I loved Senpai for being true to herself. Whether it was the usual Senpai, the slightly bewildered Senpai when caught off guard, or the clumsy Senpai from yesterday, my affection grew because she always reacted in a way that was unique.

What was I trying to do by taking away Senpai’s freedom?

As I mixed the eggs, sugar, and milk in a bowl, my thoughts began to settle.

With each ingredient blending together, my mind calmed down, and I realized how selfish I had been.

Yes, I wanted to live with Senpai more, but I had to consider Senpai’s pace, or it would all be for nothing.

“I’ll make some for Senpai, just in case…”

The breakfast base was ready in no time.

All that was left was to soak the bread in the egg mixture for a while and then fry it.

Ideally, it should be soaked for a few hours to a day, but this was just a casual breakfast.

Today’s breakfast would have to be made with the bread barely soaked.

Resigned to this, I took the bread out of the egg mixture in the container and dropped it onto the hot frying pan, where the butter had just started to melt.

The sizzling sound of the bread frying was different from what you’d see in a store.

Flipping it over, the uneven browning was a clear sign of me being bad at cooking, but the smell of the egg-soaked bread and the rich aroma of butter were still irresistible.

I couldn’t care less about the uneven browning. I waited eagerly for the other side to finish cooking, wanting nothing more than to eat it right away.

And so, today’s breakfast—French toast—was complete.

“Itadakimasu.”

With the long-awaited breakfast in front of me, I put my hands together and reached for the French toast with my fork, trying not to focus on the empty seat opposite me…

***

“Sorry for causing you so much trouble yesterday. I’ll make it up to you next time.”

The morning after, I left Yuu-chan’s room.

On my back was the alcohol I couldn’t finish, and in my tote bag were the remnants of last night’s cooking disaster.

“You could have just left it here. Mistaking sugar and salt happens to anyone sometimes.”

“No, this is my way of taking responsibility. I have to settle my own mistakes.”

“Well, if Senpai insists, I won’t stop you…”

Yuu-chan had been telling me since this morning that it wasn’t necessary to take it back, but I couldn’t forgive myself.

I couldn’t let Yuu-chan deal with the results of my training with my mother and my own weakness. I had to bear my own failures.

Perhaps understanding my feelings, Yuu-chan didn’t say anything more about it.

“Hey, Yuu-chan. What kind of face should I show Takashi-kun when I meet him? How should I return to his room?”

With these thoughts, I prepared to face whatever came next.

The time was nine in the morning.

Normally, I would have already finished breakfast, and it wouldn’t have been strange to be cuddling with Takashi-kun.

Pretending to hold hands, I could be pressing his arm into my chest, enjoying the expressions of my beloved.

It was a time when I should have been sharing wonderful moments with my lover.

None of this would have happened if I hadn’t hesitated to surprise Takashi-kun by returning to his house early.

To put it more precisely, if I hadn’t been shaken by Takashi-kun’s words—by the mention of “marriage”

As I was thinking about this, I realized I had asked Yuu-chan a strange question.

“…Huh?”

Yuu-chan raised her voice in surprise at my question.

I like how Yuu-chan always reacts honestly in times like these, so I don’t have to worry about her being overly considerate.

Her response was straightforward.

“What kind of face should you make when you see him? Just be your usual self? Tease Takashi like you always do.”

“I know that, but… I just feel so pathetic…”

“Are you still hung up on what Takashi said yesterday? About getting married?”

“Of course. I haven’t seen Takashi-kun that serious in a long time.”

My agitation settled down as I continued the straight-to-the-point conversation with Yuu-chan.