The two sat down and ordered a few small dishes.
As soon as the beer arrived, Higashimatsuyama Yone drank it all in one go. After two or three cups of alcohol, she seemed to transform into a different person and began to pour out her grievances to Kobayashi Itsuki.
Don't let her calm demeanor today fool you; in reality, as a rookie, she was completely faking it.
She had never heard of thieves being so bold before.
Not only did they dare to resist, but they also had accomplices.
If she hadn't met Kobayashi Itsuki, it's hard to say what the outcome would have been in that alley.
As she spoke, perhaps due to the alcohol, Higashimatsuyama Yone's eyes reddened, and she leaned on Kobayashi Itsuki's shoulder, crying and complaining.
Kobayashi Itsuki hadn't expected Higashimatsuyama Yone to suddenly act like this.
He could only reach out and gently pat her back, comforting her softly.
As he was talking, Higashimatsuyama Yone's head tilted, and she fell asleep right on his shoulder.
"Seriously, Officer, you never told me your alcohol tolerance was this bad."
After trying to wake her up without success, Kobayashi Itsuki looked helplessly at Higashimatsuyama Yone, who was resting on his shoulder.
Observing her up close, he could appreciate the delicacy of her features even more.
Although being a police Officer didn't require the elaborate makeup of a typical Office Lady, even with light makeup, Higashimatsuyama Yone was still very striking.
Especially after she had just cried, her tear-streaked face was truly pitiable to anyone who saw it.
Sitting in the small bar, seeing that he couldn't wake Higashimatsuyama Yone, naturally, there was no way to ask where her home was or send her back.
Left with no choice, Kobayashi Itsuki paid the bill, hailed a taxi while holding her, and headed toward his own home.
With events progressing this far, everyone involved was an adult, and they had experienced so much today, plus they had been drinking.
Returning home to do something pleasurable was perfectly normal.
If it had been anyone else, Kobayashi Itsuki figured something would definitely happen.
But Higashimatsuyama Yone was different. Although Kobayashi Itsuki was quite taken with her looks, she was, after all, a player with skin in the game.
Kobayashi Itsuki didn't want to wake up tomorrow morning with a pair of silver handcuffs on his wrists, arrested and charged with assault and indecency.
Under the taxi driver's suggestive gaze, Kobayashi Itsuki finally managed to bring Higashimatsuyama Yone home after a great deal of effort.
He had to admit, when people got drunk, even slender girls became as heavy as dead pigs.
Back home, Kobayashi Itsuki took out the spare bedding and made the bed. He then went to the bathroom to take a shower, fed Higashimatsuyama Yone some honey water, and finally lay down.
Looking at Higashimatsuyama Yone's exquisite sleeping face, resting not far from him in the small room, Kobayashi Itsuki rubbed his temples.
'I should hurry up and rest. Teacher Matsuzaka made plans with me for tomorrow.'
Thinking about the events of the next day, Kobayashi Itsuki started to feel sleepy, set his phone alarm, and drifted off into a deep sleep.
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, Kobayashi Itsuki woke up to the sound of his phone alarm.
When he woke up, Higashimatsuyama Yone was still deep in sweet slumber.
Kobayashi Itsuki looked at her beautiful sleeping face, suppressed his urge, got up, and went to wash up.
It was still early; there was no need to rush.
As long as he wasn't late.
After a quick wash and change of clothes.
Kobayashi Itsuki looked at Higashimatsuyama Yone, who was still asleep. He thought for a moment, then took out a bag of toast, some bacon, and a can of Eight Treasures Congee from the System.
Going to the stove, Kobayashi Itsuki fried two eggs and a few strips of bacon. He poured the Eight Treasures Congee into a pot to warm it up, and finally placed the bacon, eggs, and toast on plates on the table.
He then adjusted the placement slightly before nodding in satisfaction.
Not bad.
The three-piece set of perfunctory breakfast—all ready-made, simple, and easy to handle.
He quickly finished his portion, then Kobayashi Itsuki took a piece of white paper and left a few sentences on it.
[I don't know when you will wake up. If it's cold when you get up, you can heat it in the microwave.]
[I have something to do during the day and probably won't be back until evening. There's a new toothbrush and towel in the bathroom...]
Having done all this, Kobayashi Itsuki couldn't help but give himself a mental thumbs-up.
Putting himself in her shoes, if he were a woman and woke up to see this scene, wouldn't he be completely charmed by himself?
'I truly live up to my reputation!'
After finishing these tasks, Kobayashi Itsuki put his phone in his pocket and left.
However, just after he left, Higashimatsuyama Yone, who had been lying still, suddenly fluttered her eyelashes.
Leaving home, he managed to arrive at the entrance of the Kindergarten about twenty minutes before the agreed time.
Shortly after arriving, he saw Matsuzaka Ume hurrying over.
"Teacher Kobayashi, sorry to keep you waiting."
"It's fine, I just got here myself."
Kobayashi Itsuki looked at Matsuzaka Ume, who was clearly dressed up, and said with a smile.
Although she was a farm girl, she was naturally blessed with good features.
Dressed up today, she had even more charm than the sexy city beauty he had seen last night.
In his previous life, she would absolutely be the type to be featured in street photography.
"Teacher Matsuzaka, you look very different today compared to usual."
"Huh, really? Is something wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong. You are just more beautiful."
As the saying goes, a woman adorns herself for the one who delights her. This holds true regardless of the era or location.
Hearing Kobayashi Itsuki's praise, Matsuzaka Ume clearly became a little embarrassed.
Her face slightly flushed, she looked very shy, but internally, she was laughing triumphantly.
'Ohohoho, it wasn't a waste that I got up at seven this morning to put on makeup and spray my most precious brand-name perfume. It really worked!'
"Oh, please, Teacher Kobayashi, you exaggerate."
While chatting and laughing, Kobayashi Itsuki followed Matsuzaka Ume toward the Commercial Street.
Along the way, Kobayashi Itsuki took out his phone and exchanged contact information with Matsuzaka Ume.
Matsuzaka Ume was pleasantly surprised to learn that Kobayashi Itsuki had bought a phone.
This was great news for her; it would be much easier to contact Kobayashi Itsuki in the future.
Maybe they could even have long phone calls at night.
Thinking this, Matsuzaka Ume felt a surge of excitement.
One of them coveted the other's body, and the other coveted the other's favor. From a certain perspective, they were kindred spirits.
Arriving at the cinema, Kobayashi Itsuki prepared snacks and drinks.
Because it was a morning screening, there weren't many people.
It felt empty, almost as if they had booked the entire place.
There was only a young couple a few rows in front, and no one else could be seen.
The movie was a romance film, which Kobayashi Itsuki wasn't interested in, but it was perfectly suited for a couple in the ambiguous dating phase.
However, somewhat awkwardly, halfway through the movie, the young couple in front started making out as if no one else was present.