A few days had passed since we found out I-chan was getting married.
I spent today like any other, keeping busy with the housework at Yamamoto’s apartment. It was Friday, a weekday. Yamamoto was off at the university studying. If things went according to our usual routine, he’d probably be back just in time for dinner.
I had already started on the evening meal. Lately, I’d developed a bit of an obsession with grilled fish. I’d bought a butterfly-cut atka mackerel and had two servings sizzling away in the grill.
"I'm home." "Welcome back." "Oh, fish tonight?" "Yep."
Looking genuinely expectant, Yamamoto washed his hands, gargled, and then clicked on the TV in the living room. The audio from one of those "satisfying" revenge videos playing on my phone on top of the fridge overlapped with the sound of his program. Surprisingly, it wasn't that hard to follow both.
"It's ready!" "Right."
Yamamoto helped carry the plated fish over to the living room table. He shuttled back and forth, bringing over each dish as I finished the plating.
"We should probably think about getting a slightly bigger table," Yamamoto muttered.
Now that he mentioned it, the table in his room was just a compact, folding thing. Once you put down dinner for two, there wasn't room for anything else. Neither of us was the type to leave clutter on the table, so it wasn't a huge problem, but it definitely felt a little cramped.
Still, in a one-room apartment with only six tatami mats of floor space, trying to fit a larger table seemed like it would be more trouble than it was worth.
"Well, let's think about it for a bit before we decide, okay?" "Yeah, I guess so."
We finished our meal in relative silence. While I was doing the dishes afterward, I remembered something I needed to tell him.
"Oh, right. I'm going over to Akari's house tomorrow." "Oh, nice. Have a good time," Yamamoto said, his eyes still on the TV. He sounded genuinely happy for me.
He had clearly picked up on the fact that things had been tense between Akari and me for a while, so he was probably just glad we were friends again. Still, it rankled me just a little. It sounded like he was actually happy I’d be out of the house.
"What's with the grumpy face?" "Nothing."
Yamamoto looked at me with a look of pure confusion. I knew I was being difficult, but lately, I’d found it harder and harder to hide my feelings from him. Then again, when I thought back to high school, it wasn't like I was any better at hiding them then.
"So, what are you going over there for?" "...I was given a job for I-chan's wedding." "Oh? What kind?" "The friend's representative speech." "I see."
For a split second, a spark lit up Yamamoto’s eyes. Come to think of it, on top of being obsessive, this guy was surprisingly proactive when something caught his interest. He probably thought it sounded like fun. I wondered if he was about to ask to be involved.
I’d have to tell him it was impossible, but I worried about how to say it nicely so I wouldn't hurt his feelings. My reasoning had nothing to do with his personality, or the idea that he’d make the room go cold if he spoke. It was simply because I-chan and Yamamoto hadn't really interacted in school.
Sure, I-chan had probably harbored some intense feelings for him back then... but if anything, that made it even more awkward. The representative speech is supposed to celebrate the start of a friend's new life. It wouldn't make sense for someone who wasn't close to the bride to give it. The whole point is the depth of the friendship.
"Well, good luck." "Huh?"
Surprisingly, Yamamoto stopped at just cheering me on. I’d forgotten that while he was obsessive and active, he was also incredibly considerate. No matter how interesting he thought a project might be, there was no way he wouldn't realize what would happen if he tried to insert himself into it.
So, he was probably suppressing his own interest just to support me. What a fool.
Since I’d started living here, it wasn't like I’d never heard him be selfish... but it was only ever about cleaning. When it came to scrubbing and tidying, he was a total tyrant. But anything else? I hadn't heard a single selfish word out of him. And that was despite me being selfish with him all the time.
He was always like this. Spouting sophistry while constantly worrying about my well-being. He was a complete idiot who always volunteered to take the short end of the stick.
"...Tomorrow, I'm going to do a group call with Ota and Ito from Akari's room." "Oh, I see." "Yeah. We're all going to talk about what I should say on the big day." "I definitely can't join in on that one." "Exactly. Akari is one thing, but those two who still live back home would have a heart attack if they saw you in her room." "Fair point. So that’s why you're heading to Kasahara’s place instead of doing it here." "...Yeah." "Sorry about that. Should I head out while you're busy?"
Why would you do that? This is your apartment. He really was a hopeless man.
"Once the four of us have hammered it out, I want you to read it. The speech manuscript, I mean."
I figured I should let a fool like him get what he wants for a change, even if it was just a little thing. That was the only reason I asked.
"...Alright, I'll do it." "Thanks." "Just so you know, I'm going to be a tough critic."
Right. I’d almost forgotten that Yamamoto was obsessive to a fault.
"Maybe I picked the wrong person for the job..."
I gave a wry smile. It was a safe bet that things were about to get a lot more complicated thanks to him... but surprisingly, the thought didn't bother me at all.