Sousuke got up from the sofa again, went to the kitchen, and came back with a can in one hand.

“Want to drink some?” Sousuke asked Satori.

(Ah, he wasn’t feeling too well just earlier. I guess giving him alcohol is a bad idea.)

He immediately changed his mind. Sousuke opened the lid at the top of the can and drank the contents as if he was enjoying it a lot.

(Drinking a beer after work is the best.)

Satori looked at Sousuke excitedly.

Does that drink taste that good?

Perhaps because he had noticed Satori’s gaze, Sousuke lightly lifted the can towards him.

“Want to drink some?”

Satori nodded his head.

Sousuke drank the contents of the can and placed it on the side table. He then brought over a new can from the kitchen, opened it, and handed it over to Satori.

Satori sniffed the inside of the can. He quietly took a sip. He was expecting the same sweet flavor as the drink from earlier, but he was startled by the sudden bitter flavor that stung his tongue.

“…!!!”

When he looked at Sousuke while blinking tearfully, Sousuke was putting a hand over his mouth while trying to contain his laughter.

(He really reacted like a character out of a comic book.)

“Here, give me the rest of it. You don’t have to force yourself to drink it.”

Satori handed it back obediently. He thought that Sousuke seemed to enjoy drinking such a bitter drink. Satori tried to remove the bad taste on his mouth with the colored water, then he unconsciously stared at Sousuke. Sousuke narrowed his eyes and chuckled softly.

(This guy, everything he’s thinking is clearly written on his face.)

Satori couldn’t help but be captivated by Sousuke’s smile.

“Where did you come from? Do you have a place to stay the night?”

(Is he a homeless person after all…?)

Satori didn’t know what Sousuke meant by “homeless person.” But if what Sousuke asked about was a place to pass the night, there were many places for it, like the parks and fields around here. In the first place, that was what Satori always did back in his hometown. When Satori started smiling, Sousuke looked at him more and more suspiciously.

(Is there something wrong with his head?)

Sousuke asked him where his house was, but Satori only tilted his head in reply.

House. If what Sousuke meant by a house is a place that everyone must return to at night, then…

“I-I don’t have a house.”

Sousuke blinked his eyes at Satori’s answer.

(So he’s homeless after all…)

Sousuke scratched the back of his head with a troubled look on his face. Satori was puzzled by Sousuke’s murmur that came directly to him.

It seemed like the fact that Satori didn’t have a house troubled Sousuke. When Satori’s gaze was wandering, Sousuke, who had been staring at him, let out a sigh of resignation.

(…Well, I guess there’s no other way now that I’ve picked him up. I can take my time and think about the future later.)

Suddenly, Sousuke’s relaxed voice could be heard in the back of Satori’s mind.

“Hey, if you have nowhere else to go, you can stay the night for today.”

Stay the night? I can be together with Sousuke? I don’t have to leave?

“…Can I?”

“There’s no other way if you have nowhere else to go.”

(It’s troublesome, but there’s no other way.)

It pained Satori to know that it wasn’t Sousuke’s genuine offer, but he still wanted to be together with Sousuke regardless.

Just a little bit more. After this, I’ll give up for sure…

“Tha-thanks.”

Satori’s cheeks were heating up. When Satori finally replied in a shaky voice, Sousuke blinked his eyes a little.

(This guy’s kind of cute…)

When Satori thought that he had heard a voice so quiet that he could have missed it if he were careless, Sousuke frowned. At that moment, a piece of cheerful music came out of nowhere. A voice that announced that the bath was ready could be heard, and Satori was surprised.

“Let’s take a shower first.” 

After he said that, Sousuke suddenly turned away and disappeared somewhere.

Before Satori could worry about whether he had unconsciously done something to offend Sousuke again, he heard a faint emotion that was similar to a thought.

(…What’s with me, calling him cute. There must be something wrong with me for thinking that way towards a guy …But I just can’t seem to leave him alone.)

Satori widened his eyes. The word cute from Sousuke slowly spread to all of his body. He was so happy that he could scream right now. Even so, he knew that Sousuke might not like it if he suddenly let out a loud noise. When he put up with it by letting out an animal-like growl, Sousuke suddenly came back and looked at him with a puzzled face.

“What are you doing…?”

(Am I a little hasty about this after all…?)

“Here, this is the bath towel. The bathroom is in the back on the other side. There’s hot water in the bathtub, so go ahead and take your time.”