Hayashi and Yamamoto’s House

“We’re here, Hayashi.”

Hearing Yamamoto’s voice, I snap back to reality.

It seems I’ve been getting pretty cozy with Shiho-chan without realizing it. At first, I thought she was a serious, straight-laced girl, but she’s surprisingly clingy and easy to get along with.

On top of that, our hobbies—or rather, our tastes—line up so well that it’s only natural we’d hit it off.

Yeah, this is totally unavoidable…!

“Your personality’s doing a complete one-eighty, you know.”

“Ugh, shut up!”

“Big brother, you’ve got no tact!”

“Seriously, though. Right, Shiho-chan?”

“Right, Meg-chan!”

Yamamoto’s face is pure exasperation as he watches us giggle and chatter.

Letting out a single sigh, Yamamoto unlocks the door to his family home.

“Let’s go, Meg-chan.”

“Yeah.”

Shiho-chan takes my hand, and we step into Yamamoto’s house together.

Come to think of it, today’s the first time I’ll meet Yamamoto’s parents. I’d completely forgotten about it, lulled by Shiho-chan’s warmth, but now I’m starting to feel a twinge of nerves.

“Hey, Shiho-chan. Are your dad and mom home?”

“Huh? Oh, probably not.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. They’re at work today, too.”

Oh, I see.

I feel a little silly for worrying.

But, in a way, this just means the tension inside me is still lingering, and I can’t let my guard down yet.

“Hey, Shiho.”

Before I know it, Yamamoto, who’d been striding through his house for the first time in months, peeks out from behind a wall, showing just his face.

His voice, calling for Shiho-chan, carries a hint of irritation.

“You haven’t been cleaning your room properly, have you?”

“What? No way, I totally have!”

“You haven’t. Come here.”

“Ugh, what a drag…”

With her head drooping, Shiho-chan is dragged off by Yamamoto.

For a moment, I’m thrown off by this unfamiliar side of Yamamoto, but I soon follow after Shiho-chan.

The room Yamamoto’s in is the living room.

There’s a big TV, over forty inches, and a shiny new L-shaped sofa. The hardwood floor looks spotless, like it’s been meticulously cleaned.

…Is he seriously complaining about this pristine room?

I’m glad I left the cleaning to him.

If I hadn’t, I might’ve driven myself crazy.

“Look at this. Behind the dresser. There’s dust piling up.”

“Come on, normal people only clean spots like that during a deep clean. You’re the only one who cleans like that every day, big brother!”

“What are you talking about? There’s tons of dust around the AV equipment’s wiring, too. And the way the cables are arranged is just sloppy. You’ve gotta organize them better.”

“Ugh, shut up already!”

Shiho-chan hangs her head, while Yamamoto nags on relentlessly.

Seeing this side of Yamamoto at home feels oddly refreshing, like I’m witnessing something new.

And at the same time, it hits me.

…I thought Yamamoto was just a cleaning freak, but isn’t this just full-blown OCD?

Like, extreme OCD.

I can totally see him refusing to shake hands with anyone without wearing gloves someday.

Yamamoto pulls a mask out of his pocket and puts it on.

Come to think of it… didn’t he wear a mask once before when we went into a dusty room?

Okay, isn’t he way too sensitive about dirt…?

“I’m gonna do some cleaning.”

“What? I wanna keep talking with Meg-chan!”

“Go ahead and talk. I’ll clean on my own.”

“Oh, well, in that case, be my guest.”

“Right.”

“Let’s go, Meg-chan.”

Shiho-chan calls out to me with a smile.

“Oh, sure.”

And so, I’m pulled along by Shiho-chan, climbing the stairs just past the entrance.

“My room’s on the second floor.”

“Oh, cool… Hey, is it okay to just leave him like that?”

“Oh, it’s fine. It’s just how he is.”

That’s terrifying.

Is this what it means to be used to it?

I’m starting to get used to his weird habits myself, but I’m nowhere near as nonchalant about it as she is.

As expected of siblings.

As expected of family.

…I’m kinda jealous of him, having a family like this.

“This is my room!”

“Thanks for having me. It’s really nice and clean!”

“Yeah. Though the guy downstairs never bothers to praise me for it.”

“Oh, really…”

“Yup. I was watching a family drama the other day, and it hit me—big brother’s totally like a nagging mother-in-law, isn’t he?”

“Oh, yeah, totally.”

“He’d probably be perfect for training a bride-to-be, right?”

…You know, she’s got a point.

Sorry about this.

I might end up posting even less frequently.

…It’s all Zelda’s fault.

I mean, come on, it can’t be helped.

What’s more important, writing or saving the world?!

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