One day in October.
Hayashi led me out of the house early that morning. Usually, I would still be in the middle of cleaning at that hour. Had I been a more selfish man, I might have found a way to complain about it.
We had grown quite close lately.
During our high school days, and even when we first reunited after starting university, things had been nothing but strained between us. It was remarkable how much our relationship had transformed in just two months.
But despite that newfound closeness, we walked in total silence today.
I had no idea what was going through Hayashi’s mind as she walked ahead of me.
As for me, I was a bundle of anxiety, tension, and dread. To put it simply, I felt awful.
I had sworn I would never set foot in that place again.
I had only been to our destination once before, but back then, I was certain I would never be back.
As it turned out, I was wrong.
It all started with a single call to my smartphone.
The caller—who had reached out to me instead of Hayashi—was from the police station.
A flicker of dread brushed against my mind the moment I realized who it was. Currently, there was only one reason the police would ever be calling me.
Maybe the officer on the other end sensed my nerves, or maybe they were just used to people tensing up when the cops called. Either way, they kept their voice intentionally cheerful as they spoke.
Thankfully, the worst-case scenario I had imagined hadn't come to pass.
In fact, it was more of a logistical matter.
So there we were, walking down the street on a weekday morning.
Our destination was the rental apartment where she had once lived with her ex.
He was the man who had subjected Hayashi to domestic violence, and he was currently rotting in a jail cell.
The police had explained that based on the wishes of the guy's parents, the lease for the apartment would be terminated at the end of the month. That was the gist of the call.
If she wanted to retrieve her belongings, there wasn't much time left.
Because of those circumstances, we were now walking through the streets in the early morning.
I had hesitated at first. I wasn't sure if I should even mention anything to Hayashi that would force her to go back to that room.
There was a chance she still had things there she cared about. I knew that was likely the case, but the memories of my last visit made me want to bury the whole idea.
I agonized over it, but in the end, I decided to tell her.
I wanted to prioritize her feelings, but honestly, I mostly folded because she had caught me on the phone and grilled me about the caller with that sharp, suspicious look in her eyes.
She had looked bewildered for a long time afterward. Eventually, though, a look of grim resolve settled over her face, and she asked me to go with her.
Which led us to now.
She still hadn't said a word. I just hoped she wasn't spiraling.
Remembering how things went last time, I couldn't help but worry about her state of mind.
"That room is probably going to be even dustier than last time," I said.
At times like this, I felt like I had to say something to lighten the mood. I remembered the day she had first taken me to that guy's love nest. In that dust-filled apartment, I hadn't been able to stop sneezing for a while.
"I even tucked an extra mask into my pocket."
The fact that I could only bring up cleaning topics instead of saying something clever just went to show what an incomparable cleaning-obsessed idiot I was.
"Actually, wearing two masks on a day as hot as this is bound to be suffocating. I'm such a fool. Ahaha."
Hayashi didn't reply.
"...I-I also brought anti-dust glasses. Once the dust gets in your eyes, you can't stop tearing up."
"...Did you buy more weird cleaning gear again?"
"Hey, they aren't 'weird.' These have a very specific purpose that nothing else can handle."
"Why are you so emotionally attached to them?"
Seeing her look of exasperation brought me a wave of relief, despite my awkwardness. I had expected her to be more withdrawn, but it looked like she would be okay.
"Thank you. For being so considerate."
"What part of that sounded like consideration?"
"Was I wrong?"
"No, you're right."
"Ahaha. I thought so."
Before long, we arrived.