Morning

On the morning of the day I was heading out for a date with Hayashi, I woke up at my usual time. Hayashi always wakes up at a fixed hour.

But until that time, she surprisingly doesn’t stir, even if there’s noise from cleaning or other activities. It’s a quirk of hers I’ve come to know since she started staying at my place.

Taking advantage of the fact that Hayashi won’t wake up easily, I begin my morning cleaning.

Of course, I take great care not to disturb her, no matter how unlikely it is that she’ll wake.

“Morning, Yamamoto.”

Letting out a big yawn, Hayashi started to stir.

“Morning, Hayashi.”

By the time she wakes up, I’ve usually finished the first round of cleaning. That’s become the usual morning routine lately.

Early August. Due to domestic violence from her ex, I’ve been letting Hayashi stay at my apartment. It’s been just over two weeks.

Though it’s only a short time, it already feels completely natural to have her in this space.

But soon, this life of ours will come to an end.

“Hey, I can’t get this bedhead under control.”

“That’s a problem, huh?”

“…Yeah.”

Back in high school, Hayashi was infamous in our grade as an audacious, overbearing girl. They called her the “Queen.”

But when she first came to stay here, that bold attitude was nowhere to be seen. She wasn’t exactly a refined lady, but she’d become a reserved girl.

In just two weeks, though, it’s like she’s rediscovered her old self.

“What’s with that comb?”

“Comb my hair for me.”

“Why should I?”

“C’mon, just this once.”

“I’ve heard some girls don’t like guys touching their hair.”

“Some girls are like that, sure. But I don’t mind.”

“Oh, good to know.”

“Hey, where’re you going?”

“…Think about it inversely.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just like there are girls who don’t want guys touching their hair, there are guys who don’t want to touch a girl’s hair.”

“Are you one of those guys?”

“Nah, that’s not it.”

I stepped closer to Hayashi and took the comb from her.

What even was that exchange? Thankfully, she didn’t call me out on it. I’d just had a completely nonsensical conversation with her, and I’m grateful she let it slide.

“…You’re pretty deft with your hands, huh?”

“Yeah, believe it or not, I was the family’s sewing champion.”

“That’s not exactly something a guy can brag about to others, is it?”

I’d just been thinking she’d gone back to her old audacious self. But in the past, in a moment like this, she probably would’ve thrown out something like “gross” or “creepy.” That’s part of why they called her the Queen back then.

She’s softened quite a bit.

Experiencing domestic violence isn’t something to celebrate by any means. But when it comes to relationships with the opposite sex, it might’ve been a key factor in softening her demeanor.

What kind of perspective am I even analyzing this from?

“Thanks. The bedhead’s completely gone.”

“Good. But if you’re about to start living on your own, you can’t afford to spend this much time on your hair.”

“It was like this in high school too. I’m used to it.”

“Still, on days you oversleep, it must be a hassle. What did you do? Fix it on the train?”

“Nah, I just showed up late.”

“Because of your hair?”

“Yup. I even wrote ‘couldn’t get my hair right’ as my excuse for being late.”

Come to think of it, Hayashi used to skip school a lot back then.

I hadn’t realized it was for reasons like that… Well, I don’t know if every absence was for that reason, but after hearing this, all her excuses for being late sound pretty ridiculous.

She’s a bold woman, that’s for sure.

To her, getting her hair perfect was probably a matter of life and death, more important than her school grades. It’s just another difference in values between us.

“Don’t do that anymore, alright?”

I couldn’t help but point it out, if only for the sake of public decency. My tone was exasperated as I spoke to her.

“What? It’s important, you know!”

“That won’t fly when you’re an adult. You can’t just show up late to a job because of your hair. Say that when you’re getting paid, and you’ll lose all credibility in an instant.”

Besides, she shouldn’t be waking up so close to the wire in the first place, but I let that slide for now. I lectured her sternly.

Then I realized I might’ve gone too far. She hates it when I get all preachy like this. Usually, she’d get stubborn and dig in her heels.

“…Alright, if you say so, I’ll do it.”

But today, she accepted my advice without a fuss.

“You’re awfully agreeable today. It’s kinda scary.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? I’m being nice and listening to you!”

“…My bad. Please, keep it up.”

“Hmph.”

A brief silence settled over the room.

“…What do you want for breakfast?”

Hayashi was the one to break the silence. Both of us were starting to feel a bit peckish.