Used

After eating breakfast, we left the house.

“Can we stop by the place I used to live with that guy first?”

Right after leaving the house, Hayashi suggested this.

That guy. That’s what Hayashi used to call her ex-lover, the one she referred to as “that person” until recently. After graduating high school, Hayashi had initially lived alone, but then she met this ex-lover, fell in love, and moved in with him.

I was a bit thrown off by Hayashi’s sudden desire to visit his place. I thought we were going out for a date today, but was I dragged along to help with moving or something?
Well, I guess that’s fine either way.

“It’s probably not what you’re thinking right now.”

“What, you learned to read minds now?”

“Huh? Lame. Gross.”

…Sigh.

“I’m stopping by his place to change clothes.”

“Clothes?”

The clothes Hayashi was currently wearing were ones I’d bought for her from a nearby store when she started staying at my place.

“Since we’re going on a date, I want to dress up a bit, you know.”

I see. That makes sense. I nodded in understanding.

I remembered how Hayashi once vehemently refused to use anything her ex had bought her, but I guess necessity wins out sometimes.

Still, “dress up”… It’s kind of amusing to hear that word from someone who was once called a queen.

Following Hayashi’s directions, we hopped on a train from the nearest station and rode for three stops. After getting off and walking for a bit, Hayashi stopped.

“You okay?”

Hayashi’s face, which had guided us this far, looked a little pale.

That’s only natural.

The apartment she shared with her ex-lover was a place etched with deep trauma for her.

Thinking about it, coming here just for a date with me was a pretty risky move.

“…Let’s call it off, Hayashi. If you push yourself and end up feeling worse, the date won’t be fun for either of us.”

“I’m going.”

“Come on, Hayashi…”

“I said it, didn’t I?”

Hayashi turned to me, her face pale, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“…I want to enjoy this date with you.”

With resolve in her steps, Hayashi started walking again.

Her ex-lover’s place was, as expected of a working adult, a fairly neat apartment building.

Hayashi used the spare key she still had to unlock the building’s entrance and the apartment door.

Maybe because no one had been here for a while, the apartment felt a bit dusty.

“Come in.”

“…Ugh.”

I pinched my nose.

“Dusty rooms suck.”

“What, you’re a clean freak now?”

“Not really. It’s just that dusty rooms make my eyes itch.”

“…Come on. You’re seriously going to leave me alone in here of all places?”

Hayashi grabbed my hand firmly and pulled me inside. The apartment was, as expected, a little dusty.

Something felt off.

This was the place Hayashi used to live in. Hayashi, for all her quirks, was surprisingly fastidious, just like me. She was diligent about housework too. For a place she lived in to get this dirty?

It had been about a week since Hayashi started staying at my place and her ex got arrested. So, in that week, that guy hadn’t bothered to clean the place at all, huh?

…Filthy.

My steps felt heavy. But I couldn’t leave Hayashi alone, so I followed her. Since this was her old home, her steps were confident and direct.

She entered what was probably their shared bedroom.

A double bed sat prominently in the room, making me feel a bit awkward.

Hayashi opened the closet in the bedroom. It seemed her clothes were stored there.

For a while, Hayashi rummaged through the closet, picking out an outfit for today.
She seemed fine now, which was a relief, but it left me with nothing to do. Idly, I glanced at the trash can next to the bed.

“…Ugh.”

“What?”

I let out a small yelp, startled, and Hayashi reacted to it.

“Oh, nothing.”

In the trash can were a few crumpled tissues. And on top of them was… something. Something used.

…Well, sure. A couple living together would do that sort of thing. I’d already come to terms with that when Hayashi told me at the convenience store that she was living with her ex.

Still, seeing the actual evidence left behind by someone else was a bit too real. It felt gross. That’s my honest take.

“…You’re so obvious.”

I tried to brush it off, but Hayashi gave me a cold look. She stood up swiftly.

“What?”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

Ignoring my attempts to stop her, Hayashi walked over and peeked into the trash can I’d tried to shield from her.

She probably saw the used condom, because she fell silent. Her body, pressed against mine, didn’t move an inch.

“…Don’t worry about it. It’s normal for a couple to do that kind of thing, right?”

I said it as much to Hayashi as to myself, trying to convince us both.

“Well, you weren’t here, so it can’t be helped. It’s his fault for not throwing it out. Yeah.”

Hayashi didn’t respond right away.

“…Hayashi?”

Her arms, which had been pressed against me, wrapped around my back.

“…What’s wrong?”

“…That morning, when I left to stay at your place, I threw out all the trash.”

Her words hit me, and I clamped my mouth shut.

She’d taken out all the trash for collection. Of course, that included the bedroom trash…

Knowing how thorough she is, she wouldn’t have missed anything.

Which means… this was used after Hayashi, his lover, had left.

“Thanks, Yamamoto.”

Hayashi’s grip on me tightened even more.

“A guy like him should stay locked up in jail for life.”

“Yeah… Achoo!”

Completely ignoring the mood, I let out a sneeze.

A preemptive post to thank you for third place in the daily genre rankings. I could only do this because I still have some chapters in stock.
Lately, it feels like all I talk about in these afterwords is my stock…!
When did I become such a boring guy?
Oh, who am I kidding? I was never interesting to begin with!

Reviews, bookmarks, and feedback are greatly appreciated!!!