"Where did you work a part-time job?"
"A bookstore near the station on that street."
"Oh, it's close to my place."
"Yes, my apartment is only an eight-minute walk to your bookstore, or rather, I always buy my books there." Yukinoshita never expected that Tobe would work so close to her place. "Why did you work there? No, why did you even think of working a part-time job?"
Most high school students wouldn't work a part-time job unless they were female.
It was because a female student usually spent more money than a male student, since a male student would usually just spend their time playing a game, holed up in their room, or doing a cheap activity instead of shopping for branded items, going to a viral cafe, or going on a trip.
Even Hachiman Hikigaya wouldn't bother to work part-time as his pocket money was enough for a living, at least in high school.
"I just wanted to try to work on a part-time job. It's a good experience, right?" Still, Tobe couldn't say why he worked at the bookstore. It was because he found that the staff was a heroine that could trigger his system, so he used a different excuse. "As for why it was that bookstore, I just happened to buy novels there and found out that it needed a part-timer. It's also quite close to my home."
Similar to Yukinoshita, his home was also located in the Mihama ward, where most families with above-average incomes, celebrities, athletes, and wealthy individuals lived.
"Hmm... where did you live?"
"What's wrong? Do you want to come over?"
Tobe was joking around, but as Yukinoshita's face grew redder, he knew that she was serious. "I don't mind if you are okay."
"Then, I will play later. I need to make some preparations."
"There's no need to. My father doesn't care much about those types of things as long as he knows that we're happy and love each other."
"But, what about your mother?"
"Oh, it should be fine."
The mood was quite happy and high, so Tobe was a bit hesitant to say that his mother had passed away.
"My mother is quite strict, so you might need to prepare yourselves."
Do I have to meet your parents, too?
Yet, it seemed like, unlike him, who had a playful nature, when he decided to date Yukinoshita, she took it seriously.
"...isn't it still too early to meet your family?"
"You want me to meet your family, and you won't meet my family?"
Taking a deep breath, Tobe said, "Let's postpone if you want to meet my family first." He felt as if this continued, they might get married soon, which made him realize how fast their relationship progressed despite the fact that they had just dated.
Was this the difference between a girl from a wealthy family and a normal family?
In the case of the wealthy family, as they made a relationship, they were expected to see it through to the end, which somehow worked like a shackle, yet also made them extremely loyal.
Still, he felt that it was too early, especially when he thought of how strict the Yukinoshita family was.
"My father is about to remarry, so I might meet my new family."
Yukinoshita was dumbfounded and stared at him in a daze. "...really?"
"You are not lying because you aren't ready to let me meet your parents, and also for you to meet my parents?"
While it was a bit dirty, Yukinoshita thought to get close to Tobe's family, too, so that way, she would make his family her ally. After all, she knew this guy was handsome and had a lot of popularity. One or two girls might be able to be rejected by him, but what if he was seduced by many girls?
Unlike girls, who just hung out with the men, who got close to them, and just accepted those whom they were interested in, the boys had no problem at all accepting many girls as their partners.
As long as one was cute, of course.
While it was shallow, no matter who the man was, instead of a personality, they would be attracted to the appearance of the female and ignore other important factors such as personality, chastity, intelligence, family, etc.
This was also the reason why Tobe was quite patient despite Yumiko was bitching around.
"Do you think I will make such a strange joke?"
"...then, what about your mother?"
Regardless, this was big news, Yukinoshita thought.
"My mother had passed away before I graduated from middle school."
Yukinoshita felt her head was dizzy when she heard all of that, as all the information that she received was too heavy.
"Don't show such an expression. It is something that I have accepted and live with, so don't look at me with so much concern."
"If you kiss me, I will forgive you."
Tobe was joking, trying to make her mood better, but Yukinoshita really kissed him, on the cheek, with her thin, yet beautiful lips. Wet and warm, he thought, which made him wish to kiss those lips of hers. "Have you calmed down?"
"...I think it is you who should be calmed down instead of me, but thank you." Yukinoshita took a deep breath and knew that instead of pity, she just needed to love him and stay by his side. While she wasn't sure how he felt, he had accepted it and lived with it, which made her realize how mature he was, yet also made her heart tighten, wondering whether he thought to become a better person, trying to avert his attention away from his father's remarriage.
'If my father remarries...'
Even if her mother was quite scary, Yukinoshita didn't want to have a new mother.
"Then... what do you think of your father's remarriage?"
"Yup. He loves her, and I want him to be happy. That's enough, isn't it?"
Yukinoshita's lips trembled, and she was about to say something, but she wasn't sure what to say. In the end, she asked, "...you are okay with this, Tobe-kun?"
For his father to remarry, it meant that his father would have a new woman that he loved, and he might forget his deceased mother, so was it okay?
Shaking his head softly, Tobe said, "But, at least, it is wrong to just say that you can't accept it without even trying it once, and when I graduate from high school, I will probably live on my own, so it is good for him to have someone by his side."
Only when he said those words did he feel the hand that held his hand become tighter.
"I will be by your side."
Yukinoshita's appearance was that of a determined person, thinking that she would be by his side, but Tobe smiled and asked, "So that meant that you want to live with me when we become university students?"
In some countries, this practice might be weird, but in many, it was quite common to see two couples live together, especially when they had become adults.
Living together was cheaper on the wallet, too, after all.
Still watching his expression, Yukinoshita puffed her cheeks. "You are teasing me again!"
As he laughed, she complained, telling him that he should take his problem seriously, yet it also showed that she cared about him. At that moment, Shiori Yomiuri was dumbfounded as she saw her junior, whom she was excited for, had a girlfriend already!