Chapter 24: Late-Night Longings ( 24 )
It had been several months since Haruki moved into Satomi's family home. By now, he and Kyouko had become completely at ease with each other—like best friends sharing quiet routines.
They exercised together in the mornings, sometimes watched TV in the evenings, and Kyouko was almost always nearby.
Tonight, Haruki sat at the kitchen table with his laptop open, scrolling through a few project files.
"Haruki?" Kyouko's soft voice came from the kitchen doorway.
"Yeah, Kyouko-san?" he looked up.
"You working?"
"Kinda. Not too busy, though. I already finished the last project and sent it off to my boss."
She smiled. "Good. Want a late-night snack?"
"Yeah, sure."
Just as she stepped toward the fridge, they both heard a car pull up outside. The clock on the wall read 12:39 AM.
"Looks like they're back," Kyouko said, setting the snack idea aside.