Everything was falling into place for the Takoyaki Party, but then an unexpected issue cropped up.
"Where are we going to hold it?"
"The plan is to use my room," Sora said.
"Huh? Your room, Senpai...?"
Hearing the proposed location, Kokoro's expression froze.
"Senpai... it's not good to push yourself too hard..."
"I'm not pushing myself!?"
"Let's do it in my room. Yes, let's do that," Kokoro insisted.
"No, no! It has to be my room!"
They had been getting along so well just a moment ago, but the second the location came up, they were completely at odds. Sora was determined to host at her place, while Kokoro absolutely refused to hear of it. Neither side was willing to budge.
"It’s just impossible. Let's be realistic, Senpai."
"Kokoro, aren't you being a little harsh!?"
"I love you and I truly respect you, Senpai, but this is different. There is absolutely no way you'll be ready in three days."
I was impressed. She'd used the word "absolutely."
Faced with such a flat rejection from her junior, I thought I saw a glimmer of tears in Sora's eyes.
"Then how about my room?" I suggested. "I only just moved in, so I don't have much stuff and it's not dirty."
Since neither of them would give in, I offered a third option. My place was right next door to Sora's, and since I’d just arrived, there was no mess. Being a guy's room was a bit of a downside, but as a compromise, it wasn't half bad.
"Well, as long as it's not Senpai's room..."
"No! I won't have it anywhere else but mine!" Sora stubbornly refused to change her mind.
"Senpai, why are you being so unyielding about this?"
"Because this is a Discharge Celebration for Kokoro, and it's also a thank-you to Owari, right? In situations like this, the host always ends up being the one to worry about everything."
"..."
"Kokoro, you’d definitely start fussing over things and moving around too much."
"...Well, I can't deny that."
"And Owari would too."
"Maybe so," I admitted.
Sora had a point. At these kinds of parties, the host tended to be the one taking care of everything—refilling drinks, cleaning up, doing the dishes, and so on. Plus, rooms usually got messy when food and drinks were involved, which would put a burden on the host.
"I want you two to just enjoy yourselves without having to worry about any of that."
"What do you think, Kokoro?" I asked.
"...I understand," she sighed. "If you put it that way, I can't really say no."
Knowing that Sora’s stubbornness came from a place of genuine kindness, Kokoro couldn't refuse.
"Why were you so against it in the first place, anyway?"
If their relationship was bad, I could understand the hesitation, but from what I'd seen today, they seemed like the closest of friends.
"Ah, so you don't know yet, Owari..."
"Hm?"
"Senpai, do you already have a Takoyaki Maker?" Kokoro asked.
"I bought one a little while ago."
"Then that's perfect."
Kokoro turned a smile toward me. It looked like a normal smile, but I could sense a swirling mix of complex emotions behind it—pity for a victim, the joy of finding a fellow comrade, and several others.
Suddenly, I started to get a very bad feeling about this.
"Owari, could you help Senpai look for the Takoyaki Maker in her room?"
"I can do that much by myself, you know," Sora pouted.
"Senpai, please be quiet. I'm asking Owari right now."
"Kokoro...?"
Kokoro bulldozed right over Sora's protest.
"I don't mind," I said. "I don't have any other plans."
I didn't have anything else to do today, so helping out with a task or two wasn't a problem.
"That's good. I’m counting on you, then. For... various things."
"Roger. ...Wait, various things?"
I felt like there was a hidden meaning in her words, but Kokoro just smiled quietly and didn't elaborate.
Since it was getting late, Sora and I left the hospital room. I couldn't stop wondering about the look on Kokoro's face as she saw us off.
We took the bus back, swaying with the motion of the vehicle, and arrived at the apartment building without incident.
"Honestly, Kokoro can be so rude sometimes."
The words were a complaint, but Sora’s face was beaming. She was clearly just happy to see her junior so energetic again.
"Come in, come in!"
Sora unlocked her door and invited me inside. Having promised Kokoro I’d help find the Takoyaki Maker, I followed her in.
"Excuse me..."
"Make yourself at home!"
The layout was identical to my own room. And yet, I couldn't shake that ominous premonition. The moment I saw the stacks of cardboard boxes lining the hallway from the entrance to the living room, my heart sank.
"Sorry it's a bit cluttered. I've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to clean."
"...Ah. Right. I see..."
As soon as I stepped into the living room, everything Kokoro said made perfect sense.
There were mountains of cardboard boxes. Heaps of clothes had been tossed randomly onto the floor. The table was buried under a mess of items and documents, and the sink was overflowing with empty cup ramen and bento containers. At least they’d been rinsed out, but honestly, this was no way for a girl her age to live.
To put it bluntly, this was a Filthy Room.
"Let's see, I think it's around here..."
Sora opened her closet, revealing even more cardboard boxes packed tightly inside.
"...Hey, Kohinata."
"Yeah?"
"When was the last time you cleaned this place?"
"Hmm... the last time I did a deep clean was about a week ago? I've just been so busy lately that I haven't had any free time."
"I see..."
Apparently, Sora was even busier than I’d imagined. The pile of instant food containers in the sink was a testament to her hectic schedule.
"...Kohinata."
"What's wrong?"
"I'm helping. We're cleaning this place right now."
"Eh? No, it's fine! I'll manage it on my own eventually."
"We're doing it. Seriously."
Unfortunately, the party venue was set in stone. We only had three days left. If Sora's schedule didn't let up, we had even less time than that. I had to get this place presentable before Kokoro was discharged.
"But I can't let you do all that work, Owari."
"It might be awkward, but I'm forcing my way in on this. We don't have time to waste."
I wanted to at least take care of the most obvious messes today. Overriding her protests, I got to work. I left the laundry and the dishes to Sora while I focused on the mountains of cardboard.
I emptied the boxes, folded them down, and bundled them with plastic twine.
"Kohinata, what about this?"
"Ah, that's the cup ramen I bought the other day. I'll take it to the kitchen!"
I spent the next few hours opening boxes and asking where the contents should go. At one point, I tried to open a small box labeled "clothing," only for a bright-red Sora to tackle me and snatch it away. Despite that, the cleaning went surprisingly smoothly.
I lost track of time. By the time I looked at the window again, the bright afternoon had long since faded into night.
"Phew! Man, I'm beat."
I’d finally managed to clear out every single cardboard box. All that was left was to carry the bundles and the trash bags down to the collection area.
"Thanks for the hard work, Owari."
"You too, Kohinata."
Sora had finished her part as well. She brought over two glasses of barley tea and handed one to me.
"I'm sorry for making you help with all this."
"Don't worry about it. I had nothing else to do anyway."
"I really was planning on doing it myself, but thanks to you, it's already done."
I took a long drink of the cold tea. There was nothing quite like the taste of barley tea after a hard day's work.
"So, I actually wanted to ask you something."
"Hm? What is it?"
"I think I'm going to be this busy for a while. So... would you mind helping me out like this maybe once a week? Like a part-time job as a housekeeper. I'll pay you properly, of course."
"Sure. I’m free all the time anyway."
It was more of a job than just helping out. Since she was offering to pay, it was a godsend while I was looking for work.
"Thank you! Honestly, I’ve wanted to hire a housekeeper for a while, but it’s hard to find someone you can really trust."
"Are you sure about me? I’m a suspicious guy with no identity and no memories. I’m basically the opposite of 'trustworthy.'"
"You're fine, Owari. I might not look it, but I’m actually pretty confident in my eye for people."
It wasn't a very logical reason, but it seemed to be all the justification she needed.
"So, I'm looking forward to working with you."
"Likewise."
I raised my glass and lightly clinked it against hers.