Ch.36Chapter 5. What It Means to Like Someone (8)

While Yamashita was showering, I seriously considered calling Yuuki.

Of course, I had already spent the night in the same room with a high school girl twice before.

There was the time when Yuuki took me to her house and I stayed overnight, and when I was almost in big trouble with a stalker, Yuuki came and stayed with me for a day.

But back then, Yuuki was in a position to protect me.

The reason I went to Yuuki’s house was because she mistakenly thought I was possessed by a yokai after I called out to Kaneko and Kokkuri-san and ended up summoning a foreign spirit, and the next time… well, she stayed with me because she was worried about me, no need to explain further.

But in Yamashita’s case, I’m the one protecting her.

So I seriously contemplated while fiddling with my phone until Yamashita came out.

It took Yamashita quite a long time to finish showering.

Actually, I don’t spend that much time bathing in this world.

I did make use of the bathtub since it was there. But even with showering, filling the tub, soaking, getting out to wash, and repeating, it usually didn’t take up to an hour. Even considering that my hair is quite long now and takes much longer to wash than when I was a man.

But Yamashita seemed to have bathed for almost an hour and a half.

Maybe she was used to soaking for a long time because she had a large bathtub at home, or perhaps she was so tired that she spent more time in the tub. Or maybe women just take longer to bathe. I’d have to live with one to know.

Yuuki did bathe when she stayed with me, but at her house, I was talking with her grandfather while she bathed, so I didn’t know exactly how much time had passed. And when Yuuki came to my house, I was out of it.

After the water sounds stopped while Yamashita was bathing, there was no sound for so long that I seriously considered knocking on the door as I paced around the room.

It made sense. She looked like she would fall asleep the moment she lay down somewhere. Come to think of it, it could be dangerous to go into the bathroom in that state.

A friend of mine once nearly drowned after getting into a bathtub while drunk. Who’s to say Yamashita wouldn’t do the same?

But not knocking on the door seemed like the right choice.

I’m still not sure if not calling Yuuki was the right choice or not.

“…I’m done.”

“…Yeah.”

Yamashita seemed to have regained some of her senses while bathing, and she looked around my room again blankly while drying her hair.

She looked like she had a lot to say but was trying to figure out how to say it without hurting my feelings.

Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if she just said it was shabby.

If this were a house I had worked hard to buy, I might feel bad hearing that, but I’ve been living in this house since the moment I woke up in this world.

“Are you sleepy?”

I asked, pointing to the futon I had laid out on the floor.

Yamashita seemed to finally realize how unprepared she had been when she came here.

“…Sorry.”

Seeing Yamashita answer in a small voice, I shook my head.

“It’s okay.”

Actually, it would probably be easier for me if she just fell asleep. Wouldn’t it be much more uncomfortable for both of us to sit here and talk about various things?

Yamashita seemed to think the same, as she squeezed her hair with the towel again and quickly dried it with a hair dryer. Meanwhile, I sat against the wall opposite to Yamashita, hugging my knees.

I really don’t know what to do.

If I were with a friend, we would have chatted about various things, and if it were family, I wouldn’t have cared and would just be watching TV.

But with her, ignoring her and doing something else didn’t feel right since our relationship wasn’t that natural, and yet we weren’t close enough for me to strike up a friendly conversation.

If I were to say something, the first thing that came to mind was “Why?”

No, I do know why she came to my room. She probably couldn’t think of anyone else to impose on.

Fukuda and Miura are close friends, but precisely because of that, their parents know each other too well, making it impossible.

No, any home with “parents” would be off-limits. It’s not simply a matter of contacting Yamashita’s parents or not, but whether another family can let someone else’s child stay overnight.

Yamashita, who had roughly dried her hair, glanced at me.

I pointed to the futon and said, “You can sleep.”

“…What about you?”

“It’s still daytime.”

“…”

At my answer, Yamashita finally nodded and hesitantly got into the futon.

Fortunately, Yamashita had packed clothes in her bag. A large white T-shirt and athletic shorts.

After getting into the futon in comfortable clothes, Yamashita fell asleep almost instantly and soon began breathing peacefully.

“Phew.”

Only then did I feel a bit relieved, relaxing against the wall.

…

She had a somewhat cold impression when expressionless, but looking at her sleeping like this, she seems incredibly docile. Well, she is generally quiet unless provoked.

I scratched my head and thought it was fortunate that I didn’t immediately call Yuuki.

Why, I’m not exactly sure.

*

No matter how tired a normal person is, it’s hard to sleep as long during the day as at night. Especially if the room doesn’t have curtains. The bright sunlight from outside stings your eyes.

But still, if you’re tired, you can sleep soundly for a few hours. Anywhere from one or two hours to three or four.

Feeling like I couldn’t just do nothing during that time, I busily prepared various things, unlike my usual weekends.

First of all, I should feed Yamashita when she wakes up. Even if she had breakfast and lunch today, she’ll need dinner.

Maybe breakfast tomorrow too.

I was a bit worried about leaving the sleeping Yamashita alone, but aside from that stalker who followed me, I hadn’t experienced any other crimes in this house. There wouldn’t suddenly be a burglar. It’s still broad daylight.

Still, just in case, I locked the door securely and headed to the nearest supermarket.

“…”

After pondering what to buy, I decided on retort curry that could be eaten easily.

And a few cup noodles.

I’m not sure if Yamashita will be satisfied, but if she’s really not, we can always go out for hamburgers.

Really, it’s fortunate that I’ve been doing part-time work. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to respond so generously.

Even after returning home from this simple shopping trip, less than an hour had passed.

I scratched my head for a moment, then carefully turned on the TV.

Then I muted the TV and picked up the game controller.

Well…

I can’t just sit around doing nothing.

And an RPG doesn’t become impossible just because you can’t hear the music.

Is it okay for so many incidents to happen on what was supposed to be a rare day off?

I thought as I loaded the save file.

*

“Mmm…”

About three hours later.

While I was rolling around on the floor playing games, I heard rustling behind me, so I quickly sat up properly.

Then I saved the game data and turned off the console.

“Are you awake?”

When I turned around and asked that to Yamashita, who was sitting with a dazed expression, she nodded.

Her hair was sticking out to the side. Maybe because she hadn’t dried her hair properly after washing it, it was standing up almost like horns.

I considered whether to tell her or not, but decided not to.

Looking at the clock, it was just past five in the afternoon.

“…Do you want to eat?”

Yamashita looked at me with a blank expression and then nodded.

I got up from my seat.

Well, I had already put rice in the rice cooker. I just needed to heat up the curry.

I got up, went to the kitchen, put water in a pot, and came back to set up the table.

Yamashita’s gaze was on me.

She seemed to be trying to get up, fidgeting a bit, but she didn’t seem to know what to do in this situation.

Well, I wonder if she’s ever set a table with her own hands. Maybe they have servants at home?

In my mind, Yamashita’s house was already an enormous mansion, so it was hard to imagine Yamashita doing anything with her own hands except for light room cleaning.

Going back to the kitchen, I took out dishes and put the curry in the water. Bubbles were just starting to rise from the water, but this was curry that just needed to be heated, not ramen. The rice was warm too, so it should be fine.

And while taking out the dishes, I paused slightly.

…Come to think of it, do they just eat curry as is in Japan? I don’t think they mix it.

That’s why when you order curry rice at Japanese-style places, it comes on a thin plate.

“…”

Ah, I don’t know.

Anyway, I only have rice bowls, so let’s just use those.

Returning to the room, I filled the rice bowls with rice, and then went back to the kitchen, only to regret having left the rice cooker in the room. But what could I do? I couldn’t unplug it now.

And if I moved it to the kitchen, it would be inconvenient for regular use, so I decided to just deal with this occasional inconvenience.

“Um…”

Yamashita hesitantly came toward the kitchen, opening her mouth. She seemed to feel guilty about me running around alone.

There was a hesitant expression on her face that was rarely seen on the usual Yamashita.

“It’s—”

Fine, just sit down.

I was about to say that, but I closed my mouth.

Rather than not asking her to do anything at all, would it be better to let Yamashita feel like she’s doing something?

Otherwise, she might just feel guilty.

“…Then could you take out the chopsticks from this drawer and set them on the table?”

When I said that, Yamashita opened the drawer and asked, “This?”

I nodded.

Yamashita somewhat awkwardly picked up the wooden chopsticks and went back to the room.

I heard the clatter of chopsticks being placed on the table.

While listening to that sound, I used tongs to take the curry out of the boiling water, wrapped it in a dishcloth, and cut the top of the package slightly with scissors.

Then I poured it appropriately into the rice bowls.

I had thought, ‘It might be better to buy larger ones for better use,’ when buying the rice bowls, and I was glad I did, as they came in handy now.

After filling both rice bowls with curry, steam rose from the bowls.

It seems to have heated up well.

I turned off the gas stove and put the pot in the sink, holding it with a dishcloth.

“Could you carry one of the bowls?”

When I said that to Yamashita, who had already come back after placing the spoons and chopsticks, she nodded and picked up her portion of the bowl.

She hurriedly returned to the room with the hot rice bowl.

…Come to think of it, chopsticks aren’t necessary— Ah.

“…If you’re still hungry after this, we have cup noodles.”

“…Okay.”

Yamashita responded to my words with a slightly bewildered expression.

Maybe she’s feeling guilty.

Well, I would feel the same. It’s already awkward to impose on a friend’s house, but even more so if that friend isn’t well-off.

And then to be fed on top of that.

Yamashita glanced at my face as she picked up her spoon.

I sat at the table, then crawled slightly on the floor to grab the remote control that was far away and pulled it toward me.

Then I unmuted the TV and flipped through the channels.

I tuned to a channel with content that I didn’t particularly care about watching. Inside the TV, people who were called entertainers or geinin were sitting and talking about a movie that was about to be released.

Unless it was an animation, I wasn’t particularly interested in Japanese movies of this era, so I just left it on as background music and was about to pick up my spoon… when I put my hands together.

“Thank you for the meal.”

“…Thank you for the meal.”

Actually, I don’t usually do this. It’s not a habit, and it feels somewhat empty when I’m alone.

But since there’s someone sitting with me now.

I don’t think we did this when we ate hamburgers last time.

I took a spoonful and put it in my mouth…

“It’s delicious.”

It was delicious.

I don’t usually like retort curry, but maybe because it had been so long since I’d had it, it was quite tasty. Perhaps I’ve been too accustomed to eating things that taste worse than this.

“…Don’t you usually eat this?”

Yamashita asked.

“…”

I thought for a moment and decided to answer honestly.

“I usually eat bean sprouts.”

“…”

Yamashita had an expression that was hard to describe.

“…I’ll pay you back someday.”

“It’s fine.”

I just said that and continued eating.

Hmm, maybe it’s better to just buy ready-made products like this rather than trying to cook something mediocre. Since I’m earning money now.

…With such trivial thoughts, I emptied my curry. Yamashita did the same. Was she hungry?

After seeing Yamashita eat a large set last time, I had considered cup noodles, but fortunately, Yamashita didn’t say she was still hungry.

Then I’ll save the cup noodles for daily provisions next time.

“I’ll do the dishes.”

“…Do you know how?”

When I asked with a serious expression to Yamashita who mentioned doing the dishes after the meal, she couldn’t answer.

I thought so.

Rich people can just hire someone. Or maybe they have a dishwasher?

Somehow I imagine their meals being served formally… no, that’s not a mansion, that’s a ryokan, right? Anyway.

We did the dishes together. Actually, there were only the pot, rice cooker, and two rice bowls, so one person would have been enough.

Then we went back to the room, sat side by side, covered our knees with the futon, and watched TV.

“…Aren’t you going to ask?”

“Hm?”

“Why I came here.”

“…”

I thought for a moment and then said, “I didn’t think it was necessary.”

After saying that, I quickly added more, thinking Yamashita might misunderstand my words.

“Stay as long as you need.”

I didn’t think Yamashita would settle down here permanently. Above all, the house isn’t that nice.

I’m not even sure how we’re going to sleep tonight. I do have another thick futon for winter, but it seems too hot to use in this weather.

Well, before I got the futon, I used to just sprawl on the bare floor to sleep.

“…”

Yamashita sat silently for a while, then hugged her knees.

“…Yesterday, that woman said she was moving in.”

Hmm.

Until just a moment ago, I wasn’t particularly interested in hearing about it, but after that one sentence, I couldn’t help but listen.

But I didn’t want to be too obvious by turning off the TV or lowering the volume, so I just quietly paid attention.

“So… I just left the house without thinking. But then I realized I had nowhere to go…”

Well, I can understand that.

I would want to leave home too if the person my father had an affair with was moving in. No matter how spacious the house, if you live in the same place, you can’t avoid running into each other.

“…I see.”

That was my response.

For a while, there was no conversation.

“…I work part-time, usually.”

At my words, Yamashita’s eyes turned toward me.

“Thursday through Sunday. I usually come home late.”

I continued calmly.

“From Thursday to Sunday, you might have to be alone in the house. Is that okay?”

“…Normally, wouldn’t you tell me to leave?”

“I think I understand how you feel.”

“…”

Fukuda’s family doesn’t seem entirely normal either, but at least from what I can see, Fukuda’s father seems closer to not having a wife. Fukuda was startled by her father’s joke, but she didn’t look at him with disgust.

Miura’s family is probably just an ordinary household normally.

I can somewhat understand why Yamashita is telling me this. If she told the other kids, they would surely try to find or suggest solutions.

And often, people with difficult situations don’t necessarily want such solutions.

They just want someone to empathize and accept their situation. Because they know that the solutions being offered are not ones they can implement.

It’s like an employee complaining about their boss.

Of course, this situation is much more serious than that.

“…You’re strange.”

Yamashita said.

“And… a bit amazing.”

Hmm.

Well, I have lived more than 10 years longer than you.

Not that it makes me a complete human being.

We listened to the stories flowing from the TV without saying anything for a while.

Then—

Knock knock knock.

The sound of someone knocking on the door was heard.

“…”

Yamashita showed a slightly surprised expression. There was a question in her eyes as she looked up at me.

Does she think it might be Kagami?

Well, in my opinion too, it’s either Kagami or Teacher Suzuki who would visit. Or maybe Yuuki.

Considering that someone came without notice at this hour, it’s probably just Kagami.

“I’ll go check.”

I said that and got up.

Yamashita had an expression of concern, wondering whether to stop me or not. Well, from a stranger’s perspective, the security here might look bad.

In my personal opinion, rather than the security being bad, I think I just have bad luck. Actually, the surrounding area is no different from any other residential area. The police came as soon as I screamed.

Well, considering my luck, it might be a bad person this time too.

I put the chain on and opened the door slightly.

Through that gap…

A woman I didn’t know at all was standing there.

She was quite beautiful. About the same height as Yamashita? She was dressed neatly in a blouse and a flowing skirt, with a light, thin cardigan over it.

She gave the impression of a “pure woman” often seen in Japanese manga, but—

Somehow, I felt like I knew who this person was.

“…Are you Kurosawa-san?”

“…Yes.”

“I’m… Miho Mori.”

“…”

“I’m… Yamashita-san’s girlfriend.”

I closed my eyes.

So it is her.

“Is Yuu here by any chance?”

“…”

I kept my mouth shut. If she ran away on her own, wouldn’t it be wrong to force this person inside?

While I was hesitating for a moment, unable to answer immediately, this person seemed to notice that Yamashita was inside.

“Ah, excuse me.”

Suddenly seeing her kneel on the floor, I involuntarily let out a slightly loud sound.

But Mori-san soon placed both hands on the ground.

A prostrating posture… well, this is dogeza.

“I know it’s an inconvenience to come at this hour without notice. But please… please, could you give me a chance to talk with Yuu? I’m begging you like this.”

Oh my…

This is very different from the image I had in mind.

Like Yamashita-san, Mori-san was even more shocking in various ways. Just looking at her appearance… she didn’t seem like someone who would work in that kind of field.

“…”

I looked back.

Yamashita was standing nearby. She was still in her white T-shirt and athletic shorts.

Yamashita had a contemplative expression for a moment, then looked at my face and nodded.

…Does she think this is an imposition too?

I took a deep breath, closed the door, and undid the chain.

Then I opened the door again.

“…I’ll, go out for a while.”

“…Okay.”

Yamashita nodded at my words.

“Thank you. Thank you.”

Bowing to me several times and thanking me, Mori-san carefully entered the room.

Watching the door close gently, I went out to the corridor railing and looked down.

I could see a car with the engine still running.

And leaning against the driver’s side door was Yamashita-san, still dressed in a white suit.

He was about to light a cigarette with a lighter when our eyes met, and he slightly raised a hand to me.

I went down the stairs.

“My daughter has imposed on you.”

“Not at all.”

When I stared at the cigarette pack, Yamashita-san noticed my gaze and put the cigarette he had in his mouth back into the pack.

No, it’s fine if you smoke.

I actually want to bum one myself. I used to smoke frequently before getting a job, and lately I’ve been thinking about it often.

Maybe because of the situation.

“How is… Yuu?”

“She’s fine. She ate too.”

“…”

Yamashita-san scratched his head.

“I asked Kagami-san and came looking.”

“…I figured.”

That seemed likely.

Yamashita-san looked up at the corridor where my room was.

The walls and doors are thin, so if they were shouting and fighting inside, the sound would reach here. At least for now, they seemed to be having a rational conversation.

“Aren’t you curious?”

“…”

I am curious.

“Yamashita didn’t tell me, so.”

“…I see…”

Yamashita-san spoke as if slightly embarrassed.

“What I’m about to say might sound like an excuse, but Yuu’s mother left home several years ago.”

“…”

“Miho is a girl I’ve been helping since around that time. She was the daughter of an acquaintance. She’s not much older than my daughter, so I was trying to help her in my own way…”

Hmm, I can imagine the situation from the story.

But isn’t that still stealing? If I were that “acquaintance,” I would have risen from my grave.

“Yuu… seems to think that my wife left because of that girl.”

If the timing matched, that’s quite understandable.

“I… when I heard Miho’s confession, I didn’t know what to do. But Miho… appealed to me much more strongly than I expected, and now this has happened even though she hasn’t even graduated from university yet.”

“…”

Hmm…

It was a bit intriguing when I heard it from Yamashita, but hearing it in such depth now feels different.

It’s like I’ve heard something I shouldn’t have.

So it seems to be a family dispute that’s precariously within the bounds of legality in various ways.

“What do you think?”

“Pardon?”

“If Kagami-san were to bring in a new man… what do you think you would feel?”

“…”

I probably wouldn’t feel much.

“I probably wouldn’t feel much.”

I answered honestly.

Yamashita-san looked at me with slightly widened eyes, as if a bit surprised.

“…I’ve already been cut off from my relationship with my mother.”

“…I see.”

Yamashita-san seemed to finally realize that his question was inappropriate.

But he didn’t show a dynamic reaction like Yuuki or Miura did when they heard my story. Working in that field, he must have seen cases like this or even worse. He might have experienced it himself.

“I misspoke. I’m sorry.”

“…So, I think the reason Yamashita is angry at you is because she still has feelings of affection.”

“…”

At my words, Yamashita-san looked at me with a surprised expression again.

“If Yamashita and Mori-san were close, and if she had feelings of affection, she would have felt an even greater sense of betrayal.”

I continued speaking to Yamashita-san, who was listening attentively.

“Without taking the time to face her directly and persuade her, communication is meaningless.”

At my words, Yamashita-san thought for a moment and then nodded.

“I see…”

I didn’t think Yamashita-san ‘couldn’t have done better’ for Yamashita.

But he probably couldn’t have been perfect either. That’s true for all families.

In such a situation, when a “special” circumstance overlaps, the already tangled relationship becomes so tightly bound that blood can’t flow through.

Eventually, there’s no other way but to cut it off.

Yamashita-san looked at me quietly.

Did he ask that question because I’m “Kagami-san’s” daughter? At first glance, it seemed like he was asking a peer in a similar situation, but that reason might have overlapped.

There might be something religious about it too.

Click.

The sound of a door opening was heard.

Yamashita and Miho-san were coming out of my room.

Even from here, their eyes looked a bit red and swollen. Had they been sitting face to face and crying?

Perhaps Miho-san was like an older sister figure to Yamashita.

In such a situation, it’s understandable that they would fight over something like this.

The two people who had walked down the stairs side by side stood in front of me and Yamashita-san.

“…Yuu.”

“…Dad.”

Yamashita-san thought for a moment, then bowed his head.

“I’m sorry.”

“…”

Yamashita held one arm with her other hand and lowered her head, avoiding his eyes.

“…I still can’t understand…”

“I don’t expect you to understand in just one day.”

“Me neither, Yuu.”

Yamashita remained silent for a while.

The person who broke that silence was me.

“You can stay for a few more days if you want.”

All three of them turned to me with surprised looks.

“But on the condition that you eventually return home.”

“…”

Yamashita looked at me briefly, then at her father and… Mori-san.

“Because human emotions can’t be controlled at will. Especially if it’s feelings of love.”

That was meant for all three of them.

Yamashita finally nodded.

Mori-san let out a sigh of relief, and so did Yamashita-san.

“I see. I’m sorry for the trouble.”

“…It’s a place that can accommodate one more person.”

Yamashita-san looked up at the building where I live with a somewhat complicated expression.

Then he took out his wallet from his inside pocket. He pulled out a few bills and handed them to Yamashita.

“Make sure to pay back properly while you’re staying.”

“…Seriously, come on.”

Yamashita was annoyed, but Yamashita-san firmly held her hand.

Eventually, Yamashita accepted the money.

Yamashita-san slightly bowed his head toward me. Mori-san also bowed deeply to me, saying,

“Please take care of Yuu.”

Which made me feel a bit burdened.

The two of them hesitated for a moment as they looked at Yamashita one last time, then got into the car.

I quietly watched the back of the departing car. Yamashita also stood beside me watching, and only after the car disappeared from sight did she say,

“…Thank you.”

“…”

I looked at Yamashita for a moment, then moved my feet.

Not toward the house, but toward the outside of the apartment.

“Kurosawa?”

“…Let’s go buy a futon.”

“…Ah.”

Yamashita quickly followed behind me.

And… maybe I should buy some proper food too.

I let out a small sigh.