Cleaning Freak

The next morning, I sat up with a start. As usual, I’d slept on the hard floor last night. Hayashi kept insisting that I should just sleep in the bed with her, but I brushed her off, saying she was being noisy, and stuck to the floor. Thanks to that, my shoulders were killing me.

“…Guess I’ll go buy some bedding later.”

Hayashi was still in bed, breathing softly in her sleep.

I woke up at seven in the morning. For a college student on summer break, living the epitome of a carefree, lazy lifestyle, this was absurdly early. I’ve always been like this—on days when I don’t have a late-night shift, whether it’s a day off or not, I wake up at this hour.

Waking up early in the morning makes the whole day feel longer, like I’m getting a head start. Usually, I’d spend the extra time meticulously cleaning the apartment, eating lunch, and then heading out.

But today… with a certain someone still sleeping soundly in my room, I had to hold off on making any noise.

What time does Hayashi even wake up, anyway?

She’s probably been on edge for the past few days, so I wouldn’t blame her for sleeping in.

Still, not being able to clean the apartment was putting me in a bad mood. Even so, waking her up felt like a step too far.

“…Guess I’ll go for a walk.”

Even in the peak of summer, it’s much more bearable outside at this hour than during the day. Might as well take a walk to clear my head.

I slipped out of my pajamas, tossed them into the washing machine, changed into some casual clothes, and headed out for a stroll.

I didn’t have any particular destination in mind. Along the way, I spotted a convenience store and figured I’d grab some breakfast to bring back.

“Huh?”

When I got back, I let out a small sound of surprise.

The moment I opened the apartment door, I heard the washing machine running.

Did I start the laundry before I left? No way. I specifically avoided doing anything loud so I wouldn’t wake Hayashi.

Looking around, I noticed the curtains, which I’d left closed, were now open. There was a figure out on the balcony.

“Oh, morning, Yamamoto.”

“What’re you doing?”

“Cleaning.”

T-shirt, shorts, sandals, a broom, and a dustpan. Hayashi’s current getup was unmistakably that of someone in the middle of cleaning.

“You could’ve slept in a bit longer.”

“I always wake up around this time. It’s a habit.”

“Oh, really?”

“Your place is pretty clean, you know. There’s hardly any trash on the balcony either.”

“I run the vacuum every chance I get. It’s my hobby.”

“Ugh, that’s a sad hobby.”

…Wait, what?
Did she just make fun of me?

My parents were bawling their eyes out when I left for the city, all because their “cleaning freak” was moving out.

…Hold on.
Were they making fun of me back then, too?

“What’re you brooding about all by yourself?”

“Is it so bad to clean every day?”

“No, it’s a good thing. But making it your hobby? That’s a bit much.”

“Hobbies just cost money and produce nothing. Cleaning, though? That’s productive.”

“You’ve got quite the stash of cleaning supplies, though, don’t you? That’s gotta cost a pretty penny.”

I glanced over at the large closet behind me. Inside was my arsenal of cleaning tools.

“…You opened it?”

“Sorry.”

“No need to apologize. The cleaning supplies are probably happy to be used.”

“Who’re you empathizing with here?”

“…Anyway, let’s eat breakfast.”

I set the plastic bag I’d been carrying on the table. I’d bought enough rice balls for two.

“Didn’t know what you’d like, so just pick whatever you want.”

“…Rice, huh?”

Hayashi put a hand to her chin, lost in thought.

“I was thinking about this yesterday, but your cooking’s kinda… basic, isn’t it?”

“Is it?”

More importantly, which rice ball are you gonna eat?

“Starting from lunch today, how about I take care of the cooking?”

“From lunch?”

Seriously, which rice ball are you picking?
I’m kinda hungry here…

I pretended to think it over, but honestly, I wasn’t putting much thought into it. My answer to her suggestion was already set in my mind.

“Nah, it’s fine. I’ll handle it.”

“Oh? Are you particular about cooking, too?”

“Not at all.”

It’s just that Hayashi’s a guest in this house. It’d be absurd to make her do the cooking.

“You’re letting me crash here, so I should at least do that much, right?”

“…You’ve been through a lot lately, haven’t you? While you’re here, don’t you think you should take it easy?”

“It’s the opposite.”

“Opposite?”

“If I don’t keep busy, I end up thinking about all the bad stuff.”

…So, basically, she wants to stay active to keep her mind off things.
“…Alright, fine. I’ll leave it to you then.”

“Thanks. Oh, and I’ll handle most of the housework, too.”

“Huh? Why?”

“I just want to keep moving.”

“…Okay, got it. Wait, hold on a sec.”

With an unusually serious expression, I leaned toward Hayashi.

“…What?”

I’d gotten in her face a bit too eagerly.

Her cheeks seemed to flush faintly, but that was probably just my imagination. More importantly, there was something I absolutely couldn’t compromise on.

“Cleaning’s the one thing I’ll handle.”

“Do whatever you want, cleaning freak.”

With an exasperated look, Hayashi raised her voice at me. It was the kind of sharp, high-school-era retort I hadn’t heard from her in a while.

Back then, after a few teasing exchanges, she’d snap at me like this all the time.

Unlike those days, I hadn’t meant to tease her at all this time… but if I ended up upsetting her, there’s nothing I can do about it.

“Thanks for letting me have that.”

“…You’re such a weirdo.”

“Don’t flatter me. I’ll get embarrassed.”

Hayashi let out an exasperated sigh, and we started eating breakfast.