"No luck here either."
At the station where I’d hopped off with Hayashi, we had been trekking from one business hotel to the next. Every time we stepped into a lobby to ask for a room, the receptionist gave us the same disappointing answer.
Honestly, I was at my wit’s end.
Should we just take a taxi home?
No, Hayashi said she was exhausted.
"Hey, Yamamoto."
"Yeah?"
"We haven't checked that one yet."
Hayashi was pointing at a specific hotel.
The neon sign glowed with a suspicious, garish light. It was clearly different from the places we’d been looking at so far.
I let out a weary, exasperated sigh, making sure it was loud enough for Hayashi to hear. My blatant disapproval didn't seem to have any effect on her, though.
"...You can't stay there."
"Why not? It's just a love hotel."
"...That’s exactly why it’s a problem."
"Why?"
"Because it’s an indecent place."
"What’s that supposed to mean? Why are you suddenly putting on this 'protective guardian' act?"
Hayashi rattled on incessantly.
Lately, she’d been prone to sudden, heavy silences. When she suddenly reverted to the talkative persona she’d had back in our high school days, I found it hard to keep up.
To put it in baseball terms... it was like a pitcher messing with their speeds. You can’t hit a change-up when it comes right after a fastball, you know?
"...It’s not like we’re going in there to do anything indecent," she added.
"Well, sure, but..."
"You said it yourself, didn't you?"
"Huh?"
"We're family, right?"
...Well, yeah.
Sure, if we were family, we obviously wouldn't be doing anything inappropriate... but that had been a statement of convenience more than anything.
"I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but we aren't actually related."
"Ehh? So you were lying, Yamamoto?"
"You’ve been acting strange for a while now, you know that?"
"...Let’s just go."
Hayashi grabbed my hand and pulled me along. I reluctantly followed her inside.
Fortunately, they had a vacancy. Hayashi handled the check-in with practiced ease.
...It was a bit late to be thinking about this, but she must have come to places like this with her ex-boyfriend before.
Of course, I had no intention of nitpicking her past. I wasn't going to bring it up.
I was just a little startled to realize there was a side of her I didn't know, despite how much time we’d been spending together lately.
When I thought about it, that was only natural.
We had met in high school, hated each other’s guts, had a fateful reunion, and ended up where we were now.
It stood to reason that there were facets of Hayashi I had never seen.
"Phew!"
The moment we entered the room, Hayashi dove onto the bed.
The bed at our apartment was a single. The one in this hotel room... it looked massive, and in all likelihood, it was.
"Yamamoto."
Hayashi called my name while lying flat on her back.
"Come over here."
I didn't say a word.
I just started walking toward her.
...I couldn't figure out her true intentions.
She said she was tired. We were here to rest.
But...
But still.
Even if every other hotel was fully booked, did we really have to stay at a place like this?
There must have been other ways. Even if a taxi was too expensive, we could have used an internet cafe or a karaoke box...
There were plenty of other options.
I lay down on my back next to her.
"I don't think I’ve ever understood you less than I do today."
"...You don't understand?"
"Yeah."
"That’s because you know way too little about me."
"...You might be right. We were at each other's throats back in high school, after all."
"Exactly."
Hayashi stood up.
I didn't have the energy to follow suit.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"The bath."
As her footsteps receded, I closed my eyes.
A few moments later, the sound of the shower began to echo from the bathroom.