The Elite CEO is Addicted to Her Alleyway Savior - Chapter 2

Led by the woman’s hand, I headed toward the living room.

Breakfast was laid out on the table.

White rice, miso soup, blanched spinach, rolled omelets, and grilled fish.

I usually barely eat breakfast. I typically just gulp down a vegetable juice or a CalorieMate from a convenience store and call it a day. It’s less of a meal and more like refueling.

“Wait… what is all this?”

The words escaped me before I could stop them.

“Ah, sorry for raiding your fridge without asking. I tried making something with the leftovers.”

The woman gave a little shrug and chuckled.

It seemed she had used the meager stock of my nearly empty refrigerator, along with some fish and spinach that had been abandoned in the freezer.

I stared, wide-eyed, at a meal that looked like something you’d only find at a childhood home.

I took my seat and tentatively tasted the miso soup. The gentle aroma of dashi wafted through my nose, and a mild, savory richness spread across my tongue.

The rolled omelet was sweet, just the way I like it. When I pressed my chopsticks into it, it fluffed apart, releasing a soft scent of broth. The grilled fish had crispy skin and meat that flaked away effortlessly.

The white rice was perfectly plump, tasting faintly sweet with every chew.

What is this?

“…It’s delicious.”

A small voice escaped me, and my expression softened.

Unconsciously, the speed of my chopsticks quickened.

How long has it been since I’ve eaten a meal like this? What exactly is the difference between this and convenience store food?

It’s different from a high-end restaurant, too. A gentle warmth spread through my chest.

Opposite me, the woman, resting her chin in both hands, narrowed her eyes and giggled. The corners of her mouth were curled up in satisfaction.

How embarrassing. I instinctively brought my hand to my mouth and cleared my throat.

“Who are you anyway?”

“I’m Yuno.”

“…Aren’t you eating?”

“Nope, I’m not hungry. Just watching you eat is enough for me.”

She said this after a brief moment of hesitation.

However, without a second’s delay, Yuno’s stomach let out a loud growl.

Yuno blinked her wide, round eyes, and her face turned beet-red all the way to her ears in an instant.

“Maybe I will have some after all,” she muttered, hurriedly pressing her palms together in a quick prayer before stealthily starting to eat.

I found it strangely cute, and I quickly dropped my gaze back to my plate.

Regardless, there were a mountain of things I wanted to ask this woman.

I rearranged the questions floating in my mind like puzzle pieces.

There were too many mysteries.

I calmly considered how to efficiently gather information in the limited time I had.

Who are you?

How old are you?

What do you mean by ‘abandoned’?

What do you plan to do from here on?

And what on earth was that little nibble on my ear earlier?

The last question… well, that could wait.

“Hey.”

When I spoke, Yuno looked up at me with a sidelong glance, her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel’s as she munched on her rice.

Her large eyes peered at me.

“How old are you?”

I started with age.

If it came to light that I was living with a minor, there was a risk of it becoming a problem both for the company and in the eyes of society. Depending on the answer, I intended to kick her out immediately.

“Nineteen.”

I felt relieved that she was an adult.

Perhaps because of her baby face, she looked a bit younger than her age, but I had no choice but to believe her.

“Hmm,” I murmured softly, then asked the next thing on my mind.

“What do you plan to do now?”

“Hmm, I haven’t thought about it. I don’t have a home. I guess I’ll just wait for someone to pick me up in the same place again.”

Yuno gave a breezy smile.

What does she mean, “no home”? Why? Another mystery added to the pile.

I put my head in my hands, faced with an expression so carefree it betrayed no sense of gravity.

I suddenly remembered the sight of Yuno drenched in the rain yesterday, like a stray kitten.

Was she really going to just wait for someone to pick her up like that again?

Unexpectedly, a dull ache tightened in my chest, and I spoke softly.

“…You can stay here until you find a place.”

“Eh? But I can’t pay rent for a place like this.”

“I’m not expecting rent. You leave the moment you find a new home.”

“Then, until I find a new part-time job and get paid… would that be okay?”

“Fine. Find one as soon as possible.”

“Yay! Thank you. Then, instead of rent… I’ll make the meals.”

Then, with a slightly mischievous look, she added:

“And… I’ll do the cleaning for you, too.”

That suggestive little chuckle made me strangely irritated, and I gave Yuno a light glare.

And so, through a strange turn of events, I ended up “keeping” a mysterious woman on a limited-time basis.

There were still a mountain of things I wanted to ask.

However, I was out of time and had to head to work.

Leaving a stranger alone in my room felt too unsettling, so I decided to make her come outside with me.

“Here,” I said bluntly, handing her two thousand yen. Yuno looked up and tilted her head.

“…It’s not like a thank-you or anything…”

Even I knew I sounded awkward.

Yuno chuckled and took the money with a “Thank you.”

As I left the entrance, Yuno gave a small wave and said, “Good luck today!”

For some reason, that alone made my footsteps feel a little lighter.

When I arrived at the office, the atmosphere was tense.

Because we had our third resignation this month, everyone’s face was strained from the moment they walked in.

“Is the proposal document ready yet?” “The handover for Hanaki comes first!” — the voices of my colleagues, Inukai and Saruwatari, echoed through the quiet office.

Matsuyama glanced at me.

His face was a picture of distress, silently pleading, Please stop them from fighting.

I started to stand up. But for some reason, my legs wouldn’t move.

Right at that moment, the phone rang with a call from a client, and I stepped outside as if escaping.

If I were a president who was well-liked and respected, I probably wouldn’t have taken the call and would have stepped in to stop the fight.

I knew I was being cold.

But I couldn’t think of any other way.

On the way home, my shoulders felt incredibly heavy.

When I arrived at the apartment, Yuno was sitting by the entrance, wearing a worn-out T-shirt and the hoodie I had lent her. She was holding a grocery bag.

The moment she spotted me, she looked up and gave a small wave.

As soon as Yuno entered the room, she rolled up her sleeves and began cooking.

I sat on the sofa and checked the day’s news on my smartphone.

Glancing over at Yuno, I noticed she was quite efficient. She handled the knife with practiced ease, shook the pan, and tilted her head slightly while tasting the food.

In less than thirty minutes, the meal was on the table.

Steam rose, filling the room with a wonderful aroma. As I began to eat, the flavors were well-absorbed, and I felt as if the tension in my core was finally unraveling.

My expression softened unconsciously, and I let out a long sigh.

Tonight, Yuno began to eat as well.

“Do you cook often?”

“Yep. I’ve been mostly on my own since middle school. I’m actually pretty good at it~”

After finishing a mouthful of white rice, she beamed.

Again, she shared a shocking fact with a smile, as if it were someone else’s story.

I was concerned about many things, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask more. I gave a small nod—”I see”—and drank some tea. The warm liquid flowed slowly down my throat.

The list of questions for this woman was growing by the second, and frankly, it was overwhelming.

…Regardless, my shoulders were stiff.

It was likely due to the mental exhaustion of the day. I cracked my shoulders with a series of pops.

Seeing this, Yuno suddenly stood up and moved behind me.

“I’ll massage your shoulders.”

With that, Yuno reached out, gripped my shoulders, and began to knead them slowly.

The temperature of her hands was just right, and she hit the pressure points with exquisite precision.

It felt amazing.

The tension that had built up throughout the day slowly melted away.

Then, suddenly, a voice whispered right by my ear.

“Good work today.”

A high, sweet voice laced with a breath, coming from a distance where her lips almost touched my ear.

While my heart felt warm and fuzzy, for some reason, a shiver ran down my spine.