Hayashi Megumi’s Overthinking
The next morning.
I stayed up a bit late last night, but somehow managed to wake up at my usual time.
Breathing a sigh of relief, I checked to see what my housemate was up to.
The futon that had been laid out in the living room last night was neatly folded in the corner. And the guy in question was nowhere to be seen in the living room.
No sign of him on the balcony either.
Same for the hallway.
That left the bathroom area.
If I listened closely, I could faintly hear the sound of the washing machine running.
“Yo, morning.”
As I headed toward the laundry area where the washing machine was, there was Yamamoto, standing in front of it, holding a mesh laundry bag.
Something’s off.
We’re supposed to stay overnight at Yamamoto’s family home today, so we agreed yesterday not to run the washing machine. The laundry basket is full of the clothes we wore yesterday.
So why on earth is Yamamoto running the washing machine?
“You noticed how our clothes have been getting moldy after washing lately, right?”
“Not at all.”
“…Well, maybe it’s because I’ve been wearing mostly white T-shirts, so it stands out more.”
“Is that so?”
“…Yeah.”
The washing machine was spinning with no clothes in the mesh bag Yamamoto was holding.
No way… this guy…
“Are you seriously cleaning the washing machine right now, at a time like this?”
I asked.
But the answer was obvious even without asking.
“Cleaning the washing machine takes a while, doesn’t it?”
“It’ll be done in time for the train.”
“…Don’t tell me you’re doing this just to avoid going back to your family home?”
“No way that’s it.”
Yamamoto’s expression was unusually serious.
“…It’s just, you know, to keep my cool. I figured I’d put in a bit more effort than usual with the cleaning. That’s all.”
So, in other words, this wasn’t him running away… it was just an excessive attempt at avoiding reality.
Well, that’s pretty in character for Yamamoto, I suppose.
“How many more times are you running the machine?”
“This is the last one.”
“…Oh, okay.”
Yamamoto paused the washing machine and opened the lid.
I stood next to him and peered into the drum. The water was still swirling from the spin cycle, and there was mold floating along with the current.
Seeing the tiny bits of mold gave some credibility to Yamamoto’s claim that this was the final run.
As I watched him scoop up the mold with the mesh bag, I realized something.
The two of us were peering into the small washing machine meant for a single person.
Right now, I could see Yamamoto’s cheek right in front of me.
…Tch, too close.
I stepped back from Yamamoto.
“I-I’m gonna go get changed.”
“Hm? Oh, sure.”
“…Is there anything you want for breakfast?”
“Huh? …Oh, maybe some tamagoyaki.”
“Got it.”
If I stayed in that space with him any longer, I might end up sabotaging his trip back home, so I hurried to change and started preparing breakfast.
A little while after I began cooking, Yamamoto finished cleaning the washing machine and came out into the hallway.
“Done?”
“Yup. Spotless.”
“…I see.”
I wanted to complain about him starting such a time-consuming chore right before the trip, but considering how much I annoyed him last night, I held back.
“Hey, Hayashi?”
“Yeah?”
“My parents aren’t gonna say anything about you, I promise.”
“Huh?”
“That outfit looks really good on you.”
…I know.
This guy’s been trained by Akari. That’s why he knows the bare minimum of guy etiquette, like complimenting a girl’s outfit.
That’s all it is.
…So don’t go getting all giddy, Megumi.
“Hayashi.”
“W-What?”
“It’s burning…”
“Gah!”
I hurriedly turned off the stove.
Just go ahead and date already!
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