Dramatic Before and After

A more usable apartment to live in.

In the morning, I checked out what we were missing, and in the afternoon, we went out to buy the missing items we had discovered.

After a little while of walking, I noticed something and spoke to Suzuka who was walking beside me.

"Hey, isn't going shopping together like this a normal date?"

"This is an outing. A date is a date, right?"

"Please elaborate."

"If we call it a date if we do everything together, then we will lose the excitement of a special outing when we go out for a long time, won't we? Yuki and I are a couple, but we want to experience different things, so I think we make a distinction between the two."

Now this was an outing, not a date.

The way Suzuka thinks about it, never giving up, is so adorable that it makes me smile.

"Ah! This guy, what's are you saying with that kind of expression~?"

"Isn't that right? I just thought it was a cute thing to say, and I thought, surely, I should distinguish an outing from a date and entertain you in various ways."

"In that case, I forgive you! Yep yep, a date is a date. This is an outing. Hehe, from now on, let's have a drink together on dates, okay?"

"Yeah. Still, we've changed quite a bit since we started living together, haven't we?"

"Yeah. I'm clinging to you so much, aren't I?"

She smiled a little shyly.

Yes, it is an undeniable fact that she has clearly become more attached to me than when we were at our parents' houses.

"It's cute, so don't worry about it."

"So sweet~. You wouldn't have said that kind of thing before."

"Not too long ago, I would've probably told you to get lost, saying you're just in the way when you're nearby."

"True. Hey, hey, Yuki. How about we make a little detour before heading to the 100-yen shop?"

"Huh? Where are you going?"

"Aw, come on. You're intentionally playing the childhood friend role, aren't you?"

"Well, you sometimes act like a childhood friend too, and I thought I'd give it a try. How about it? Did I resemble my old self a bit?"

"It was similar. But, no more. I feel like I like Yuki no matter what people say~, like before, this guy is annoying!"

"Yeah, yeah. Well, you know, earlier I was just pretending to be annoyed. Feel free to make a detour anywhere."

"Thanks~. In that case, I want to go to the electronics store! I've been putting off buying a hair dryer for one reason or another!"

There's no hair dryer in the moved-in apartment. There's a hair straightener for styling Suzuka's hair, but she hasn't actually bought a hair dryer despite saying she would buy one... And that's because I've been preventing it.

"If you find a good one, will you buy it?"

"Well, I've been thinking I should buy one soon, so I'll buy it unless it's really expensive."

"I-Is that so..."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Huh?"

"Yuki, you like having your hair dried without using a hair dryer, right?"

"..."

“Maybe if you're honest with me, it'll do you some good?"

"Yes."

An immediate response.

Because, of course, I'd like something good to come out of this.

"I knew it! That's why even though we're planning to buy a hair dryer together online, you're acting all hesitant, aren't you? Complaining about the price and all! You big softie~ you little cutie~"

While being playfully elbowed in the side, I gave a wry smile.

Well, of course, I'd want to have my hair dried for a longer time if possible. So, if she found out that I was trying to avoid getting a hair dryer just to make that happen, it would be quite embarrassing...

Yes, the reason I was trying to keep her from buying a hair dryer.

It was simply so that Suzuka would dry my hair well after taking a bath.

It was a very creepy reason, even for me.

"Um, how should I put it? Having you rub my hair gently feels really pleasant. It's comforting to pass that inexplicable, idle time by talking to you."

"That's why you didn't let me buy a hair dryer. Well, can't be helped, I guess. It might be a bit of a hassle, but even if I buy a hair dryer, I'll still rub your hair gently for you!"

She raises a finger and smiles bashfully.

The goodness of Suzuka, my wife, who's willing to go the extra mile for me.

That's probably one of my weak points.

Because of that, I always feel like I should respond in kind.

"Well then, let's go buy a hair dryer."

With no need to prevent her from buying it, I start walking to the electronics store with a light step.

And so, after finishing all of our shopping.

First, we check if the hair dryer we bought isn't broken.

Then, using the items we bought at the 100-yen shop, we improved the apartment.

The apartment after clearing up various problems.

While it hasn't undergone a complete transformation, the usability of the little things has improved significantly.

"It was pretty clean before, but it feels more organized now."

"Yeah."

The living room. Things without a designated place were scattered around a bit untidily. The living room, which had a somewhat messy look, is now completely clean thanks to the convenient items from the 100-yen shop.

But the most significant change is the furniture arrangement.

The table in the middle of the living room and the carpet under it have been moved slightly toward the TV rack.

"I can't wait to see the sofa!"

To be honest, it's a slight rearrangement to make room for the upcoming sofa. Right before the holiday, on our way back from university, we impulsively purchased a sofa from a major furniture store.

The price was... ___ million yen.

While it's not incredibly expensive for a sofa, it's still a price that we, who were high school students until recently, aren't completely accustomed to.

The sofa will arrive tomorrow.

Therefore, we shifted the position of the table and the carpet while we were setting up the convenience items.

"For now, all I can see in the future is us cuddling on the sofa."

"I'm definitely up for that. Well, we're so affectionate anyway. Might as well get all lovey-dovey. Hehe, is it okay to be lovey-dovey?"

"It's fine. We could start right now if you want."

"Then, I want to laze around together on the bed! Once the sofa comes, we might spend less time cuddling on the bed!"

According to the request, we head to the bedroom where the bed is located.

And then, we both stretch out on the bed, watching videos on a phone despite having a television in the room.

Surely, when the sofa arrives, we'll be more lovey-dovey on it than on the bed.

So, we enjoy some lovey-dovey moments on the bed.

"I love lazing around on the bed! Because, in this position, I can easily snuggle up to you!"

In a deliberately theatrical manner, she wraps her arms around my body while I watch.

She clings to me like a body pillow, detaching when she gets a little tired, only to come back and embrace me again when she starts missing it.

Ugh, you're just doing whatever you like!

I thought that and, finding today's videos a bit boring, I absentmindedly stuck my index finger into the Suzuka's mouth, who was yawning.

"Hey... Just because my mouth was open doesn't mean you can put your finger in there! Seriously, geez!"

I got scolded, wondering what I was doing.

So, why did I do such a thing? With a face that asked that question, I conveyed the straightforward truth.

"Sorry. I saw your wide-open mouth and kind of felt like putting something in for no reason."

"Well, I guess that can't be helped. I feel that way sometimes too! But if you do it again, I might just chomp down on it, okay?"

I received a warning.

But unfortunately, I had no intention of stopping.

Once again, I stuck my finger into Suzuka's widely yawning mouth.

"Ah..."

When she realized my finger was inside, she looked surprised, as if saying 'again?' And just as I thought she was about to bite down on my index finger,

"Nom."

She gently held my finger with her mouth, rather than biting down.

Anticipating a slightly stronger bite, I was left with mixed feelings and decided to tease her.

"Do my fingers taste good?"

"It might be. So, I guess I'll eat other parts too~"

Stopping the 'nomming' on my finger, Suzuka nibbled at my arm.

Then, with a slightly stronger and playfully nibbling bite, she had a delighted expression.

"I left my teeth marks on Yuki's arm. Hehe, Yuki is my prey after all~. I'll mark you all over so you won't be taken away!"

Again, she took a bit my arm, leaving gentle bite marks.

She's a bit possessive, which can be bothersome.

But, it seems she's doing this on purpose, not just because she's possessive. It's hard to think of her as anything other than incredibly adorable.

Looking at Suzuka as she chomped on my arm, I smiled lightly.

"This cute little one. Or rather, don't you think my arm is dirty?"

"Hehe~ It's not dirty."

She momentarily lifted her mouth from my arm to tell me that, then resumed nibbling on my arm.

From then on, Suzuka enjoyed tasting my arm with evident delight.