After Work, I Brought Home a Devilish Beauty - Chapter 73

Ever since Chiba left, Yuichi’s life had returned to normal—or at least, something resembling normal.

But he was no longer as enthusiastic as he used to be.

He stopped visiting the shop downstairs to buy pudding after work, and he no longer rushed home at the end of the day. After all, what was the point?

No matter how early he returned, the apartment would still be empty.

Perhaps because of his growing lack of motivation, Yuichi had also become noticeably less productive at work.

As a result, his boss had been yelling at him more frequently than ever.

“What’s wrong with you lately?! You used to be so hardworking! Why have you suddenly become so lazy? Do you even want to keep working here?!”

Of course, being scolded by his boss wasn’t exactly unusual for Yuichi.

Even when Chiba had still been around, he had occasionally found himself on the receiving end of his boss’s temper.

It was just happening far more often now.

Meanwhile, Fujiwara, the new employee, was adapting remarkably quickly.

In only a week, he had become familiar with the workplace, developed good relationships with his colleagues, and established himself as one of the most hardworking newcomers.

Gradually, Yuichi’s boss began paying less attention to him and focused more on cultivating Fujiwara instead.

Fortunately, that took some of the pressure off Yuichi.

And so, his uneventful days continued.

Until one day…

That evening, Yuichi had just returned home from work.

With winter approaching, the company had adjusted its working hours slightly, allowing everyone to leave earlier than usual. Even so, by the time Yuichi arrived home, darkness had already fallen.

After taking a shower, he climbed into bed as usual.

Whenever he was bored, he would occasionally scroll through novels or browse the news on his phone, but none of it held his attention for long.

Every day felt the same.

Wake up.

Go to work.

Come home.

Sleep.

Perhaps that was simply the life of an ordinary working adult—drifting through each day without much purpose, only to repeat everything again tomorrow.

It was around ten o’clock at night.

Yuichi was already half-asleep when he suddenly heard a strange sound nearby.

Scrape…

Scrape…

It sounded as though something was moving against the wall.

At first, Yuichi assumed it was probably a stray cat and didn’t pay much attention.

…Come to think of it, this winter really has been cold.

A chilly breeze drifted into the room, making him shiver.

Only then did Yuichi realize that he had forgotten to close the window.

“This is such a pain…”

With a reluctant sigh, he dragged himself out of his warm bed and walked toward the window.

Just as he leaned forward to look outside—

“AAAAAH! A GHOST!!!”

A dark figure suddenly appeared beneath the window.

Yuichi screamed and stumbled backward, collapsing onto the floor.

His legs trembled as he stared at the shadow in complete terror.

…Had he done something terrible without realizing it?

Was this some kind of punishment?

“What the hell are you talking about, Yuichi…?”

Yuichi froze.

Wait.

Ghosts couldn’t talk.

And they definitely couldn’t call him by name.

Slowly, his racing heart began to calm.

That voice…

It sounded strangely familiar.

Could it be…?

To confirm his suspicions, Yuichi shakily reached for the light switch.

“Phew… It’s just Alice.”

Yuichi let out a long breath of relief and patted his chest.

“You scared the life out of me! But seriously, how did you even get up here?”

This was the second floor.

Yuichi stared at Alice in disbelief.

How exactly had she climbed all the way up to his window?

Could she know martial arts?

…No, that sounded ridiculous.

“I was trying to surprise you,” Alice complained. “But your reaction was incredibly disappointing.”

Yuichi stared at her.

“That wasn’t a surprise! That was a heart attack! What kind of idiot climbs through someone’s window in the middle of the night just to surprise them?!”

Alice pouted.

“They called me an idiot… I’m a little hurt.”

Yuichi sighed.

“Well, whatever. I still have plenty to say, but that’s not why I came back.”

She smiled mysteriously.

“I actually came to give you another surprise.”

Yuichi immediately looked horrified.

“Another one?! Please have mercy on me. My heart can’t handle any more surprises tonight.”

Alice couldn’t help but laugh.

“Don’t worry. This one’s a real surprise.”

She pointed toward the living room.

“You’ll understand when you open the door.”

Yuichi became curious.

Another surprise?

After witnessing Alice climbing through a second-floor window in the middle of the night, Yuichi couldn’t imagine what else could possibly surprise him.

Still, he slowly walked toward the front door.

Then, with a puzzled expression, he reached for the handle.

And opened it.

The moment Yuichi saw the person standing outside, his mind went completely blank.

“You’re really slow, Yuichi.”

A petite girl stood at the doorway with her arms crossed.

“I’ve been waiting for ages.”

Yuichi stared at her.

His brain simply couldn’t process what he was seeing.

“Uh…”

He rubbed his eyes.

“Wait. Give me a moment. Am I dreaming?”

He looked at her again.

“Chiba…?”

There was no mistake.

The girl standing in front of him was Chiba.

Chiba sighed.

“Instead of asking whether you’re dreaming, why don’t you figure it out yourself?”

Yuichi immediately followed her suggestion.

He pinched his cheek as hard as he could.

“Ouch!”

Definitely not a dream.

Chiba stared at him strangely.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?”

Yuichi shook his head.

“No.”

He smiled.

“I’m just happy.”

Chiba blinked.

“But I’ve only been gone for about ten days. What’s there to be so happy about?”

“I know.”

Yuichi lowered his gaze slightly.

“But to me… those ten days felt like an entire year.”

He looked back at her.

“I didn’t even feel like eating.”

Chiba’s expression became complicated.

“…Am I really that important to you?”

“Of course.”

Yuichi answered without hesitation.

For a moment, Chiba said nothing.

Then she quickly turned her face away.

A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

“…Idiot.”

Yuichi smiled.

“I heard that.”

Chiba remained silent.

Yuichi scratched his head awkwardly.

“There are still so many things I want to say to you, but…”

He paused.

“…I can’t think of anything right now.”

Chiba glanced back at him.

“Then what do you want?”

Yuichi hesitated.

“Can I make a small request?”

“Go ahead.”

Yuichi looked slightly embarrassed.

“Can I lean on your shoulder for a moment?”

He quickly added:

“Just for a little while. Please.”

Chiba stared at him.

Her expression was impossible to read.

Yuichi immediately began regretting his decision.

…That look.

She’s looking at me like I’m completely hopeless.

He could practically imagine how this would end.

Embarrassed, Yuichi slowly turned his face away.

But before he could say anything else—

Chiba quietly stepped closer.