A peaceful time

I was idly watching TV, about an hour before bedtime.

“Phew”

The one who let out a sigh was Hayashi.

She’d been studying at the desk, sitting in that girlish way, but it seemed like she was calling it quits for the day.

“Good work. Want something to drink?”

“Mmm, I’m good.”

“Got it.”

Watching Hayashi tidy up her desk, I stood up. It was time to spread out my futon, which I’d pushed to the corner of the room.

“Sorry for hogging the room this late.”

Hayashi apologized, looking a bit guilty.

“No big deal. While you were hitting the books, I got some cleaning done, so I’m pretty satisfied.”

“Thanks.”

Hayashi smiled.

I finished spreading out the futon and laid down a blanket.

I met her during the summer break. Three months have passed since then, and the seasons are already starting to change.

When I first started hiding her in this room, I sometimes felt a strange sense of unease with her being here, and I think there were moments when I was nervous, too.

But now, not only am I not nervous anymore, I’m starting to see this lifestyle as just another part of my everyday routine.

Habit’s a scary thing, I can’t help but think.

“Hey, Yamamoto?”

“Hm?”

“On days when you don’t have your part-time job, you come home and it’s all cleaning, cleaning, cleaning… Don’t you have anything else to do?”

“Could you not suddenly point a sharp blade at me like that?”

Back in high school, we didn’t get along, but since I started hiding her in my place, our relationship’s been pretty good. Because of that, I’ve gotten to know her a bit, but… every now and then, she hits me with these meddlesome comments.

Seriously, she’s such a busybody.

What’s worse is that she knows why I come home early on days I don’t have work, yet she still says stuff like this. That’s what makes it absolutely infuriating.

“Can’t help it. I don’t have any friends, you know.”

“Then make some.”

“Make some? It’s not that easy.”

“It’s totally easy.”

“This conversation’s never gonna go anywhere, is it?”

I let out an exasperated sigh.

Hayashi’s got a bad habit of judging everything by her own standards. People like her, when they become managers in the future, are the ones who get grumbled about for not understanding the workplace.

“…So what about that guy from before?”

“From before?”

“…Those guys you went to that group date with.”

Hayashi asked, her voice dripping with undisguised disdain.

“Haven’t talked to them since.”

Can’t be helped.

After all, when I came home from that group date, I found my cleaning supplies neatly packed up like they were ready to be shipped off.

She told me to talk to guys, so I did, and when I reported back, that was the treatment I got. I still don’t know what I did to set her off, so of course I’d keep my distance.

Well, even if that wasn’t the case, it seemed like those guys were done with me after that day anyway.

“…That’s no good.”

Hayashi muttered.

“What, not hanging out with those guys?”

“No.”

Hayashi was pouting.

“…Not making friends.”

Easier said than done.

I stayed silent.

“Oh, right.”

“Don’t tell me you’re gonna suggest selling my cleaning supplies again?”

“N-No, that’s not it! And I didn’t actually sell them!”

She didn’t sell them, sure, but…

Let’s just drop it there.

Ahem, Hayashi cleared her throat with an exaggerated cough.

“Yamamoto, go talk to some students tomorrow.”

“…Ugh, seriously?”

“Don’t give me that look. If you talk to someone, I’ll… I’ll give you a reward.”

“A reward?”

…Is she implying that kind of thing?

“Yup. I’ll step up and help you reach your goals, just like you do for me.”

Hayashi puffed out her chest proudly.

“Making friends isn’t exactly my goal, you know?”

I said, averting my eyes from her chest.

“Shut up!”

“Ugh, so it’s just brute force in the end…”

“Just do it! You’re doing it, no arguments!”

Man, she’s so stubborn once she gets an idea in her head.

…Well, I mean, it’s not like I’m completely uninterested in this so-called reward, even if playing along with her schemes feels a bit annoying.

I guess that’s something.

“Fine, I’ll do it.”

Hayashi’s face lit up instantly.

“Then, about that reward…”

“Yeah, about that. There’s actually this cleaning tool I’ve been wanting.”

I pulled out my phone, opened the shopping app, and showed Hayashi the page for the cleaning tool I’d added to my wishlist.

Hayashi stared at me with a deadpan expression.

“…So, I just buy that?”

“…Yeah.”

“Got it. If you talk to some student, I’ll buy it for you. Up to a limit.”

“Whoa, I don’t need that much.”

What’s with that petty jab?

Wait, now that I think about it, this is actually a pretty sophisticated jab.

If she buys cleaning tools up to some ridiculous limit, my room will either get overrun with cleaning supplies or I’ll be forced to throw some out—a devil’s choice.

If I’m pushed to sell or get rid of cleaning tools, which are, like, the third or fourth most important thing in my life, the guilt might crush me. But keeping them all isn’t physically possible either.

And on top of that, it’d eat into her money.

Damn it.

How the hell does Hayashi come up with such diabolical, heartless schemes…!?

“…I’m going to bed.”

“Wait, Hayashi, hold on! Now’s not the time to sleep. Think about what you just said. This is not the time to sleep!”

“Not at all.”

“Hayashi! Are you out of your mind?!”

“…Zzz.”

“…She falls asleep so damn fast.”

I turned off the room’s lights.

This so-called peaceful time doesn’t feel peaceful to me at all.