Our Life That Begins with a Convenient Relationship - Chapter 13

A major turning point in my life—Sakura Haruno’s life—arrived many years ago.

“You got into a big company, so your future is even more secure now.”

After I finished my job hunting, everyone said the same thing to me, so I believed I would be fine. However, the reality was different from what I had imagined.

Work flooded in every day. There were mountains of things to learn, and deadlines wouldn’t wait. I would go to work early in the morning, return home late at night, and before I knew it, I’d fall asleep. I’d be startled awake by my alarm and head back to the office without ever feeling rested.

In that way, my “daily life” completely vanished, unlike how it was when I lived with my parents. Hobbies, fun, relaxation… everything was gone.

Even when I called my mother back home, she only told me to “do your best.” That was natural, I suppose. After all, I was the one who chose to leave the path set for me and live on my own.

Then one day, my heart finally neared its breaking point.

“…I have to drink. I can’t deal with this.”

Wanting to feel even a little bit better, I felt drawn to a place I had never entered before: an izakaya.

The person who seemed to be the manager was muscular and very eccentric, but I sat at the counter without the energy to even be surprised. Not really knowing what I was doing, I ordered my first beer. The moment I tasted it, I grimaced at the bitterness.

“What is this…? It doesn’t taste good at all… Why does everyone drink this…?”

Even though I thought that, I soon found I couldn’t stop drinking. Strangely, the core of my body began to loosen up, my head felt fuzzy, and all the unpleasant things felt further and further away.

After a while, a staff member spoke to me.

“Aren’t you drinking a bit too much?”

“…Huh?”

It was a calm tone. But it had a kind ring to it that let me know she was truly worried about me.

When I looked up, an older woman—Sakurai-san—came into view.

“Um… if something is bothering you, I’m willing to listen.”

With just those few words, the tension I had been holding snapped. Before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face, and I was pouring out all my complaints about work and my weaknesses to her.

But Sakurai-san didn’t look annoyed at a complete stranger like me; she just listened the whole time, nodding and saying, “I see, I see.”

It was from that moment that color slowly began to return to my everyday life.

From then on, I started going to the izakaya where she worked every day after finishing my job. I paid generously so that I could talk to her for even a little longer. The beer that had tasted bitter started to taste delicious.

I would eat dinner while she listened to my venting, and I was healed by her presence. Just from that, my motivation for work shot up, and before I knew it, my performance was soaring. I kept producing results and started to be highly valued.

Perhaps if anyone else had spoken to me back then, I might have followed the same path. But the one who spoke to me that day was Sakurai-san, and no one else.

—Yes. Sakurai-san was the start of everything.

Because of that, it didn’t take much time at all for me to fall in love with her.

She changed from just a “staff member” to a “precious person” inside of me. Things like the age gap or being two women didn’t even bother me.

Still, the fact that we are both women is an unchangeable truth. Just because I like her doesn’t mean we can easily start dating.

So, I thought about it. What is my selling point?

The answer was money.

If I had money, I could support her. If I could reach a point where I could proudly tell Sakurai-san, who works as a part-timer at the izakaya, “I will support you for the rest of your life,” then maybe she would choose me. It might be meddling too much, but I thought it was my only option.

With that single goal, I worked desperately. I didn’t care about taking days off. Because of that, my already low life skills dropped to rock bottom.

Then, about six months ago, I finally received a fast-track promotion to section chief, and my salary became more than enough.

The next thing I did was rent a room where two people could live. I found it! It was a high-rise apartment close to Sakurai-san’s workplace that wouldn’t interfere with my own commute. It was fairly expensive, but I considered it a necessary expense.

If we end up living together, I picked out the room while fantasizing like that. The reason I splurged on the massage chair was that I dreamed of a future where she would use it someday.

Looking back now, it was a very bold move, considering I had no proof we would ever live together.

Right around then, I got a call from my mother.

“Sakura, you’re in your mid-twenties now, aren’t you? Work is fine, but isn’t it about time you thought about marriage?”

My heart froze.

I have no intention of being with anyone except Sakurai-san. I absolutely hate the idea of marrying someone I don’t love. But I couldn’t exactly say, “I like Sakurai-san, who is a woman,” so I just kept making vague excuses.

In the midst of all that, next spring arrived and that night came.

The pressure to get married had become so strong that I ran away into alcohol, and finally, Sakurai-san looked after me when I passed out. When I woke up, I thought I was home, but it was a love hotel.

I was relieved that nothing happened, of course, but I felt pathetic when I realized a part of me deep down had actually been hoping for something.

I didn’t want to say goodbye at the station, so I made up a reason to invite Sakurai-san to my room. She was exasperated when she saw the messy room, but I was just happy for the time we spent alone.

Then, I made up my mind and told her.

“Let’s get married.”

But it seemed like those words didn’t reach her, so I panicked and told a lie to try and fix the situation.

“S-sorry! I made a mistake! Let’s have a sham marriage!”

From there, I listed all the benefits I had planned for us living together and talked rapidly to try and get her to say yes. Sakurai-san was confused but told me, “Let me think about it for one night.” My heart felt like it was breaking because I was so afraid she would refuse since it was so sudden.

However, a call came sooner than I expected, and as we talked, I heard those words.

“I’ll be in your care, Sakura-san. Let’s have a sham marriage.”

In that moment, my whole body felt hot. I desperately held back the urge to cry out loud, and after hanging up, I jumped around on my bed.

“Yes. I did it!”

—With this, I might finally be at the starting line.

I don’t simply think we can start dating right away. First, we start by living together. And then, one day, I want to tell her these feelings and turn a relationship that started as a sham into something real.

Because from now on, I want her by my side forever.