While Yamashita was taking a shower, I seriously contemplated calling Yuuki.
Of course, I had already spent two nights in a room together like a high school girl before.
Yuuki had once taken me to his house to sleep for a day, and when I was almost caught by a stalker, Yuuki had come and spent the day with me.
But back then, Yuuki was the one protecting me.
The reason I went to Yuuki’s house was that he thought a Yōkai was attached to me after I accidentally called Kaneko and Kokkuri-san, and then… well, I don’t need to explain further; he probably just wanted to keep me company because I was anxious.
However, with Yamashita, I was the one in the position to protect her.
So I fiddled with my phone, seriously contemplating until Yamashita came out.
It took quite a long time for Yamashita to finish showering.
Honestly, I never took that long to wash myself in this world.
Since I had a bathtub, I often made use of it. But even with taking a shower, filling the tub, soaking, washing again, and repeating it, it typically wouldn’t take more than an hour. Considering my hair was considerably longer now than when I was a man, that’s saying something.
Yet, it seemed like Yamashita took nearly an hour and a half.
Perhaps she was used to soaking in a big bathtub at home, or maybe she was simply too tired, making her time in the tub longer. After all, it might just be that girls take longer to shower; maybe I should live with someone for a while.
Yuuki also showered when we hung out, but at his house, I was talking with my grandfather while he showered, so I didn’t really keep track of time. When Yuuki came to my house, I was too dazed to notice.
After the sound of water stopped while Yamashita was showering, there was a long silence, and I seriously considered knocking on the door as I paced around the room.
Right? Just looking at her, she seemed exhausted enough to fall asleep as soon as she laid down. Thinking back, it was dangerous for her to be in the bathroom in that state.
My friend almost drowned after getting drunk and taking a bath. How could I be sure that Yamashita wouldn’t end up like that?
But not knocking on the door seemed to be the better choice.
Whether or not it was a good choice to not call Yuuki, I still couldn’t tell.
“…I’m done.”
“…Okay.”
Yamashita, having regained some clarity while drying her hair, stared blankly at my room again.
It looked like she had many things on her mind but was unsure about how to express them without making it awkward.
Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if she just said I was irritating.
If this were a place I really put effort into living, I might feel bad if I heard comments like that, but I had been living in this house since I woke up in this world.
“Aren’t you sleepy?”
As I asked her, I pointed to the blanket spread out on the floor.
Only then did it seem like Yamashita remembered how directionless she had been coming all the way here.
“…I’m sorry.”
Yamashita replied with a voice barely above a whisper, and I shook my head at her.
“It’s okay.”
To be honest, it would probably be easier for me if she just fell asleep. Wouldn’t it be more uncomfortable for both of us to sit here and talk about various things?
Did Yamashita think the same? She squeezed out her hair with the towel again and grabbed a hairdryer to dry her hair quickly. Meanwhile, I was sitting with my knees hugged against the opposite wall from her.
I really didn’t know what to do.
If it were a friend, we could have shared all kinds of stories, and if it were family, we wouldn’t care what we were doing and could just watch TV together.
But this wasn’t the kind of relationship where we could completely ignore each other, nor were we close enough to speak warmly.
If I were to open the conversation, the first thing that came to mind was “Why?”
No, I knew well enough the reason she came to my room. There really wasn’t anyone else I could think of who might help her aside from me.
Fukuda and Miura are close friends, but that’s precisely why, since our parents know each other so well, it wouldn’t be possible.
No, if there are “parents” in the house, it really applies to everyone. It’s not about whether it’s important to contact Yamashita’s parents; it’s more about the question of whether or not “can you let someone from another house stay at yours.”
Yamashita, who had roughly finished drying her hair, glanced at me.
I pointed to the blanket with my hand and said.
“You can sleep.”
“…What about you?”
“It’s daytime.”
“…….”
In response to my answer, Yamashita nodded and hesitated a little before crawling into the blanket.
Fortunately, Yamashita had brought some clothes in her bag. She wore a slightly oversized white T-shirt and a pair of athletic shorts.
Once she got into the blanket in comfortable clothes, she fell asleep almost immediately, and soon, soothing noises of her comfortable breathing filled the air.
“Phew.”
And it was then that I felt a little relieved, and I let my body slump against the wall.
……
When she was expressionless, she had a bit of a cold impression, but now, watching her sleep, she looked incredibly gentle. Then again, she was usually calm if I didn’t bother her.
I scratched my head, thinking it was good I hadn’t called Yuuki right away.
I didn’t know why exactly, but for some reason, I felt relieved.
*
Even if an average person is terribly exhausted, it’s hard to sleep during the day like they would at night. Moreover, it’s even more difficult if there are no curtains in the room. The bright sunlight from outside would blind them.
Still, if someone is truly tired, they can manage to sleep for a few hours. It might be as short as an hour or stretch to three or four hours.
I figured I couldn’t do absolutely nothing during that time, so, unlike my usual weekends, I busied myself with this and that.
First off, if Yamashita woke up, I would need to feed her. Even if she had eaten breakfast and lunch today, dinner is a must.
Maybe even breakfast tomorrow.
Leaving Yamashita alone while she slept made me a little worried, but aside from that stalker who had followed me, I hadn’t experienced any other crimes at this house. I doubt a random burglar would come during the day.
Still, just in case, I locked the door tightly and headed for the nearest mart.
“…….”
Then, after contemplating what to buy, I finally decided on some easy-to-eat retort curry.
And a few cup noodles as well.
I wasn’t sure if Yamashita would be satisfied or not, but if she wasn’t satisfied, I could just go out for a hamburger, then come back.
Honestly, I was relieved that I had a part-time job. I wouldn’t have been able to respond so leisurely otherwise.
After finishing my simple shopping, it hadn’t even been an hour by the time I returned home.
I scratched my head for a moment and tentatively turned on the TV.
Then I muted the TV and grabbed the game console controller.
Well…
I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing, after all.
It’s not like music being absent would make RPGs unplayable.
It was the first day off I had in ages, but was it really okay for things to keep happening so dramatically?
I thought as I loaded a save file.
*
“Ahn…”
About three hours later.
While I was sprawled across the floor playing games, I heard rustling behind me, and I quickly sat up straight.
I saved the game data and turned off the console.
“Did you wake up?”
Turning back to glance at Yamashita, who was sitting there with a dazed expression, she nodded.
Her hair was sticking out to the side. It seemed she hadn’t properly dried her hair after showering because it almost looked like a horn.
I wondered if I should tell her or not, but I ultimately decided against it.
Looking at the clock, it was a little past five in the afternoon.
“…Do you want to eat?”
Yamashita looked at me blankly before nodding.
I got up from my seat.
Well, I already had rice cooking in the rice cooker. I just needed to heat the curry.
I walked into the kitchen to put water in a pot, returned, and set the table.
Yamashita’s gaze was on me.
She looked like she was about to get up, but in this situation, it seemed like she had no idea what to do.
Honestly, had she ever set the table herself? Didn’t she have someone to do that at home?
Since in my mind, Yamashita’s house was a really huge mansion, I found it hard to imagine her doing any kind of chores other than light cleaning.
Returning to the kitchen, as I took out the bowls, I dropped the curry into the water. Bubbles were just starting to rise out of the water, but since this was curry and not ramen, I simply needed to heat it up. The rice should be warm enough to be okay.
Then, as I took the bowls out, I hesitated slightly.
…Wait a second, did people in Japan just eat curry like this? I didn’t think they actually mixed it up separately.
When they serve curry rice in a Japanese-style restaurant, it comes on a flat plate.
“…….”
Ah, I don’t know.
There’s not much to do anyway, so I’ll just use what’s available.
I headed back to the room, served rice, went to the kitchen again, and regretted putting the rice cooker in the room a bit, but what could I do? I couldn’t unplug it at this point.
Still, if I took it to the kitchen now, it would be inconvenient to use later, so I decided to put up with the inconvenience this time.
“Hey…….”
As Yamashita hesitantly came out toward the kitchen, she seemed to feel guilty for the way I was bustling around by myself.
There was an expression on her face that was hard to see on her usual self; a slightly hesitant look.
“It’s okay—”
“Just sit.”
I wanted to say that but held my tongue.
I wondered if it might be better for her to feel like she was doing something instead of me handling everything for her.
Otherwise, it would just create unnecessary guilt.
“……Then could you pass me a spoon or something?”
When I said that, Yamashita opened the drawer.
“This one?”
I nodded.
Yamashita awkwardly grabbed the wooden spoon and brought it into the room.
The sound of the spoon being placed on the table rang out.
Hearing that sound, I used tongs to take out the curry from the boiling water, wrapped it in a kitchen towel, and slightly cut the top part of the packaging with scissors.
Then I poured it onto the rice bowls.
I had thought, “If I’m going to buy it, I should buy a little bigger one to make it more useful,” and I was glad I bought the bowls to make use as well.
After putting curry on both rice bowls, steam rose from them.
It seemed perfectly heated.
I turned off the gas stove, used the kitchen towel to grab the pot, and tossed it into the sink.
“Could you hold one of the bowls?”
When I said that to Yamashita, who had come out with chopsticks and a spoon, she nodded and picked up her bowl.
In my carelessness, I forgot we needed chopsticks—ah.
“……If you’re still hungry after eating, there are cup noodles left.”
“……Okay.”
Yamashita seemed a little flustered by my words.
I wondered if she felt guilty at all.
Well, I would have felt that way too. It feels awkward crashing at a friend’s house, especially if that friend couldn’t really afford to live well.
Especially if I was also getting a meal, that was.
Yamashita glanced at my face while holding her spoon.
I sat down at the table, looked at the remote control resting far away, and crawled slightly to grab it with my hand, pulling it toward me.
Then I unmuted the TV and flipped through the channels.
It didn’t really matter to me what was on; I flipped it to a channel that looked to be discussing a new movie release with entertainers and comedians.
I wouldn’t know much about Japanese films in this time period unless it’s an animation, so I just left it on as background music while I grabbed my spoon…
And then I held my hands together.
“Let’s eat.”
“……Let’s eat.”
To be honest, I usually don’t do this. I never developed a habit of it, and doing it alone only felt empty.
But since someone was sitting with me, it felt different.
I don’t think I did it the last time I ate hamburgers, after all.
As I took a scoop with the spoon and put it in my mouth…
“Mmm, it’s good.”
It was delicious.
Though I don’t usually like retort curry that much, it tasted quite good; perhaps it was because it’s been a while since I had it. Had I eaten something worse than this all this time?
“……You don’t usually eat this?”
Yamashita asked.
“…….”
I took a moment to think and decided to answer honestly.
“I usually just eat soybean sprouts.”
“…….”
Yamashita looked like she was unsure how to respond.
“……I’ll pay you back someday.”
“It’s fine.”
I simply said that and continued eating.
Well, I guess it might be better to just buy pre-made products instead of trying to cook. After all, I have a source of income now.
……This kind of good think while cleaning my plate of curry, Yamashita did the same. Maybe she had been hungry?
After all, I was a little worried about whether Yamashita would ask for cup noodles, considering when I had seen Yamashita eating a sushi set last time. Luckily, Yamashita didn’t say anything about still being hungry.
Then, maybe I should reserve the cup noodles for when I really need them next.
“I’ll do the dishes.”
“……Do you know how?”
When I heard Yamashita bring up the dishes after dinner, I asked seriously, and she couldn’t bring herself to answer.
That made sense.
Rich people likely just have someone else do it for them. Or do they even have a dishwasher?
Somehow, it seemed like they’d have formal meals in their house… No, was that a ryokan and not a mansion? Well, whatever.
We did the dishes together. With only a pot, rice cooker, and two rice bowls, it would have been fine to do them alone.
Then we returned to the room, sat side by side, and watched TV with the blankets up to our knees.
“……Aren’t you going to ask?”
“Hmm?”
“Why I came all the way here.”
“…….”
I paused for a moment before responding.
“I don’t think it’s necessary.”
After saying that far, I realized Yamashita might misinterpret my words, so I quickly added on.
“We’ll spend time together for as long as needed before you go.”
I never thought that Yamashita would settle here or anything. Most importantly, this house isn’t that good.
I didn’t even know how we would spend the night. I had a thick winter blanket, but I thought it might be hard to sleep under it in this weather.
No, still, I did just fine sleeping haphazardly on the floor before the blanket came.
“…….”
Yamashita said nothing for a moment before pulling her knees together.
“…Yesterday, that girl said she’d come into the house.”
Oh.
Until just a moment ago, I hadn’t really been thinking about it, but now that one phrase jolted me to attention.
However, it would seem a bit rude to turn off the TV or lower the volume, so I simply listened quietly.
“So… I just walked out without thinking. When I realized, I had nowhere to go.”
Well, that’s understandable.
If the person she was cheating with were to come back home, I’d want to leave too. No matter how big the house was, living under the same roof would make it hard to avoid each other.
“……I see.”
I responded that way.
There was a long stretch of silence between us.
“……I work part-time.”
At my words, Yamashita’s eyes turned toward me.
“Thursday to Sunday. I usually come back late at night.”
I calmly continued explaining.
“You might have to stay alone at home from Thursday to Sunday. Is that okay?”
“……Don’t they usually tell you to leave?”
“I think I kinda get the feeling.”
“…….”
Fukuda’s family didn’t seem to be more normal, but at least to me, it seemed Fukuda’s dad was nearly absent, to the point where he might as well be. And when Fukuda’s dad made a joke, she seemed more startled than disgusted, staring at him that way.
Miura’s family is probably just an average family at home.
It’s a little understandable for Yamashita to say such a thing to me. If she told other kids, they would probably immediately try to suggest solutions.
And usually, someone with a tough situation doesn’t demand a solution anyway.
They just want someone to empathize and accept their situation. After all, they know that the solutions proposed won’t be things they can necessarily implement.
To put it bluntly, it’s akin to an employee venting to their boss.
Of course, the current situation is much more serious than that.
“……That’s strange, you.”
Yamashita said.
“And… you’re a little impressive.”
Hmm.
Well, I’ve been alive for more than ten years longer than you, so…
That doesn’t mean I’ve become a perfect human being, though.
We both remained silent, absorbing the words trickling from the TV.
Then—
knock knock knock.
I heard someone knock on the door.
“…….”
Yamashita’s expression showed a flicker of surprise. She looked up at me with a bit of confusion in her eyes.
Could it be Kagami came for a visit?
I mean, I also thought that aside from Kagami, the only person who would drop by would be Teacher Suzuki. Or maybe Yuuki.
Considering that someone came calling unannounced at this hour, it could only really be Kagami.
“I’ll go see who it is.”
I said that and stood up from my seat.
Yamashita looked worried, like she wanted to stop me but wasn’t sure if she should. I suppose it would look a bit sketchy from a stranger’s perspective.
To tell the truth, in my opinion, I felt safer around here rather than less safe. There wasn’t much difference between this area and any other residential area. The police arrived immediately when I shouted, after all.
Well, considering my luck, maybe the next time I would encounter a bad guy too.
I locked the chain and slightly opened the door.
Through the gap, there was…
A woman I had never seen before.
She was quite an attractive lady. Her height seemed similar to Yamashita’s, and she was dressed neatly in a blouse and a light, airy skirt, with a thin, light cardigan draped beautifully over her.
She had the impression of a “pure girl” often seen in Japanese manga, but—
I somehow felt like I knew who this person was.
“……Are you Kurosawa-san?”
“……Yes.”
“I’m… Mori Miho.”
“…….”
“Yamashita-san’s… girlfriend.”
I shut my eyes.
So it really was like I suspected.
“Do you have Yuuki with you by any chance?”
“…….”
I firmly shut my mouth. It didn’t feel right to force this person inside when she had run away herself.
While I hesitated for a moment, I noticed the woman seemed to figure out that Yamashita was inside without me responding.
“Ah, um.”
Seeing her suddenly kneeling down, I couldn’t help but exclaim slightly.
But Miho quickly put her hands on the ground, adopting a posture that could be described as… dogeza.
“Is it too much trouble to ask? I know it’s rude to come without notice at this hour, but please… please grant me the opportunity to talk to Yuuki. I earnestly ask for this.”
O-Oh…
This wasn’t how I pictured her at all.
She wasn’t what I imagined in many ways, either in terms of appearance or behavior. She didn’t seem like the kind of person who would be doing that sort of line of work, if you know what I mean.
“…….”
I turned back to look behind me.
Yamashita was nearby, still in her white T-shirt and athletic shorts.
Yamashita appeared to hesitate for a second before looking at my face and nodding.
…Maybe she thought it would be a bother too.
I took a deep breath, closed the door, and undid the chain.
Then I opened the door again.
“……I’ll be outside.”
“……Okay.”
Yamashita nodded at my words.
“Thank you. Thank you.”
Miho thanked me repeatedly as she got up and carefully stepped into the room.
Watching the door close softly, I stepped out toward the hallway and looked down.
I could still see a parked car that hadn’t turned off its engine.
And by the side of the driver’s seat stood Yamashita’s dad, dressed in a white suit.
He leaned down to light a cigarette, but upon making eye contact with me and our eyes met, he raised his hand slightly.
I descended the stairs.
“Seems your daughter is a bother.”
“No, she isn’t.”
As I got closer to him and fixed my gaze on the cigarette pack, Yamashita’s dad seemed to read my expression and returned the cigarette to its pack.
Hey, he could smoke if he wanted.
Frankly, I wanted to ask for a cigarette for myself. Before working, I often smoked, but lately, I had been thinking about it more often.
Could it be that it was due to the current situation?
“How is Yuuki… doing?”
“He’s fine. He’s eaten.”
“…….”
Yamashita’s dad scratched the back of his head.
“I asked Kagami-san how to find him.”
“……I figured as much.”
Yamashita’s dad gazed at the hallway leading to my room.
The walls and doors were thin enough that if they were to raise their voices and argue inside, we’d probably hear it out here. But so far, it seemed like a rational conversation was being carried on.
“Aren’t you curious?”
“…….”
Of course, I was curious.
“Yamashita didn’t tell me.”
“……Did she?”
Yamashita’s dad seemed to realize that his question was inappropriate.
But he didn’t have a dramatic reaction like Yuuki or Miura when they learned the same story. Perhaps he had seen worse in his line of work and was desensitized.
“I guess I misunderstood. Sorry.”
“……So, what Yamashita is angry about is because she still has feelings for you.”
“…….”
At my words, Yamashita’s dad looked at me in shock.
“If Mori and Yamashita were close, and if they had feelings for each other, it would only amplify the feeling of betrayal.”
To the listening Yamashita’s dad, I continued on.
“If you really want to communicate, you need to face it directly and persuade her. Without that, there’s no meaning in communicating at all.”
Yamashita’s dad pondered my words and nodded slowly.
“Is that so….”
Yamashita’s dad might not have thought that he would let Yamashita side with him.
But that doesn’t mean that he could always take good actions. After all, every family has its troubles in their own unique way.
When special situations overlap in that environment, the already complicated relationships can tighten like a noose until there’s no way to breathe.
In the end, the only option left may often be to cut them out completely.
Yamashita’s dad was gazing at me.
Could it be because I was the daughter of “Kagami-san” that he had asked these questions? At first glance, it felt like he was questioning someone of a similar age, but perhaps his thoughts were layered on top of my identity.
There could possibly be something spiritual behind this all as well.
click.
I heard the sound of the door opening.
Yamashita and Miho were coming out of my room.
Both of their eyes looked slightly red. Maybe they had been crying.
In that situation, it might be possible that Miho could have seemed like an older sister to Yamashita.
If such a situation occurred, it would be understandable for a fight to happen.
As the two walked down the staircase side by side, they stood in front of Yamashita’s dad and me.
“……Yuuki.”
“……Dad.”
Yamashita’s dad hesitated for a moment before bowing his head.
“I’m sorry.”
“…….”
Yamashita extended one hand to grab the other arm, lowering her head away from his gaze.
“……I still can’t understand….”
“I’m not expecting you to understand in a day.”
“Neither do I, Yuuki.”
Yamashita remained silent for a while.
It was I who broke the silence.
“You can stay for a few more days.”
All three surprised eyes turned toward me simultaneously.
“However, the condition is that you have to go back home in the end.”
“…….”
Yamashita took a glance at my face before looking back at her father and… Miho.
“Emotions aren’t something that you can control at will. If it’s feelings of affection…”
I was speaking to all three of them.
In the end, Yamashita nodded.
Seeing Yamashita, Miho sighed in relief as did Yamashita’s dad.
“Alright then. I’m sorry for the trouble.”
“……One more is okay here, honestly.”
Yamashita’s dad gazed at my house with a troubled expression.
Then reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out his wallet. From it, he took out a few bills and handed them to Yamashita.
“You should definitely pay back while you’re staying here.”
“……What is this, really?”
Yamashita complained, but her dad firmly grasped her hand.
In the end, Yamashita accepted the money.
Yamashita’s dad slightly lowered his head toward my direction. Miho also deeply bowed toward me.
“Please take care of Yuuki.”
I felt a bit burdened by that.
The two finally looked at Yamashita for just a second before getting into the car.
I stood watching the car leave. Yamashita too stood next to me watching after them, and once the car disappeared from our view, she said.
“……Thank you.”
“…….”
I briefly gazed at Yamashita before taking a step toward the apartment’s outside.
“Kurosawa?”
“……Let’s go buy some blankets.”
“……Ah.”
Immediately behind me, Yamashita quickly followed.
And, huh… perhaps I should pick up some proper groceries too. I let out a small sigh.
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