After lunch, I made my way to the nearest department store alone. My target: a full set of bedding. One thing had led to another, and I’d ended up with a houseguest named Hayashi for the foreseeable future. That houseguest had usurped my bed. After two nights of sleeping on the hard floor, even I had reached my limit.
"Heave... ho. Heave... ho."
A mattress, a comforter, a blanket, and a pillow—all stuffed into a massive plastic shopping bag. They were so heavy I found myself letting out rhythmic grunts, the kind you only hear in children's storybooks these days. Even for a grown man, lugging these things a full kilometer on a sweltering midsummer day was backbreaking work.
I’m going to have a bone-chillingly cold juice the moment I get back. If I didn't have a reward waiting for me at the finish line, I wouldn't have made it.
Exhausted, I finally arrived home.
When I opened the door, the only sound coming from the room was the hum of the television.
"...Hayashi?"
I called out to my guest of two days, but there was no reply. Given the circumstances of how she’d ended up here, I panicked. I kicked off my shoes and rushed into the living room.
There, I found Hayashi fast asleep, breathing softly.
I’d been braced for the worst-case scenario, and I could feel my tense, rigid body go limp with relief.
"Way to be misleading, seriously."
Taking advantage of the fact that my roommate was out cold, I grumbled my complaints. Naturally, I couldn't say them to her face. Part of it was an instinctive fear of making her angry, but mostly, I didn't want to cause her any more mental strain while she was so vulnerable.
I let out an exasperated sigh, realizing I was becoming quite invested in her well-being.
For now, I decided to lay out the bedding without waking her. However, in this tiny six-mat room, the mere sound of pulling the futon out of the bag echoed loudly.
"Nn..."
"Sorry. Did I wake you?"
"...Ah, sorry. I was out."
"No need to apologize. You've probably been exhausted. Just take it easy."
"...I can't just let the homeowner do all the work while I lie here."
Even as we exchanged words, I kept working away, but Hayashi got up and lent a hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"It's fine. I've got this."
"It’s not fine. I’m helping."
"Look, I can handle this much on my own. Go back to sleep."
"And I'm telling you, I'm fine."
We both sharpened our tone for a second, then blinked at each other in surprise. After a moment, we both laughed.
Hayashi sat down beside me and started opening the seal on the comforter.
"You're way too stubborn."
"You're one to talk."
"What I said was just a fact. I really can do this by myself."
"And I’m just saying what’s common sense. I couldn't stand sleeping while the host is working."
"Is that how it works?"
"That's how it works."
I don't usually act with other people's feelings in mind, so I didn't really get it, but if she said that's how it was, it must be true. Unlike me, she was someone who had been surrounded by friends and had experienced plenty of life. I decided to back down gracefully. She’s scary, after all.
"You're sweating a lot, by the way."
"It was just hot out. Once we're done here, let's have some barley tea and take a break."
"If you say so, I don't mind."
For a while, we worked in silence. Perhaps because there were two of us, the unpacking was finished in no time. All that was left was to bag up the trash, take it to the collection shed, and the job would be done.
"Good work."
When I returned to the room, Hayashi had already prepared two glasses of barley tea.
"Thanks."
I offered my gratitude and sat down at the small table, across from her. The barley tea I gulped down, making my throat rumble, tasted incredible.
"How are you feeling?" I asked, satisfied after my drink.
"Eh?"
"I mean, your injuries or the fatigue. You were sleeping earlier."
"...Oh, that was just because I was bored and had nothing to do. As for the injuries, well, I’ll just have to be patient with the hospital visits."
"...Right."
I was the one who had brought it up, but seeing the resignation on her face filled me with a sense of helplessness. I shook my head, deciding to steer clear of dark topics.
"Speaking of which, don't you watch TV?"
"Not really."
"Oh? Really?"
That was a bit unexpected. Aren't teenagers supposed to find things to talk about on TV so they can gossip at school the next day? I wouldn't know, since I don't have many friends.
"...Do you read manga, then?"
"Not much."
"I see."
...Wait.
The conversation was dying. How strange. Even though I was the one providing topics, why was it...?
...Hmm.
This is awkward.
It had been a little over a day since I’d reunited with Hayashi. Thinking back, we hadn’t really had a calm moment alone together because of the hell she’d been through these past few months. Now that things had finally settled down, the conversation wouldn't flow. I couldn't find a way to expand on anything.
...Is this that thing? The one where a couple goes to an amusement park, runs out of things to talk about, and ends up breaking up?
...This is bad.
At this rate, Hayashi will get fed up with me, hate me, and leave...!
Actually, Hayashi already hates me, and she's constantly fed up with me... and her leaving isn't a problem once everything is resolved.
In other words, it's no problem at all.
"...Pfft."
While I was lost in thought, Hayashi suddenly burst out laughing.
"Sorry. ...I was just thinking how I never imagined ending up like this with you back in High School. It’s just funny."
Where exactly was the "funny" part?
"Come to think of it, we never really talked back then, did we? I can count the times on one hand."
"Same here."
"Plus, Akari was almost always there. So this is the first time we've ever talked like this, just the two of us."
Akari was her best friend, Akari Kasahara.
"...You're right."
I gave a wry, slightly awkward smile.
"In High School, I thought you were a total deadbeat. You were always saying such half-hearted things, and you seemed so insincere that you just got on my nerves."
"Thanks for the blunt honesty. I'll take it under advisement."
"What's that supposed to mean? ...Still, I never imagined there would come a day when a guy like you would save me."
"...Was it that disappointing?"
"...What do you think?"
...Putting the question back on me at a time like this was a bit mean-spirited.
Well, I was the one who had helped her out of my own selfishness. It didn't feel right to expect gratitude or respect from her.
"I was happy."
Despite my thoughts, Hayashi was smiling brightly.
"...Stop it. That's embarrassing."
"Maybe I should keep saying it, then."
"You’ve got a mean streak. You're going to end up like me."
"Then maybe I'll say it even more!"
I have a pretty bad personality, but she's certainly no saint either.
Looking at Hayashi as she smiled with her usual spirited warmth, I could only manage a wry laugh.