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https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051598917319858
“You remember Ellis, right? She’s going to be staying with us as a homestay student.”
One day in March, just before I was set to start college, my mom said that while she was packing.
“…What did you just say?”
“I said, a homestay. Ellis is going to be attending a university in Japan.”
I hadn’t misheard her.
Elis Wiegert.
She was a girl I used to be close with back when I lived in Germany.
We’d lost touch completely lately, so I never would have imagined she’d end up attending a university in Japan.
She’s always loved Japanese manga and NHK Asa, so when I think about it, maybe it’s not such a far-fetched idea. But if she’s going to be staying with us, that changes everything.
“Why our house, of all places…?”
“Her parents asked me. They said if it was okay, they’d like me to keep an eye on her. So, we started talking about how it might work out if she stayed with us—”
“No, no, that’s not a good idea.”
“It’s fine. If I move with your dad, we’ll have an extra room, so it’s perfect.”
Mom says it as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.
Actually, if you just look at the conditions, Mom isn’t wrong.
A two-bedroom apartment in Tokyo.
Our parents know each other, and there’s a childhood friend who speaks German living in the same house.
I think those are ideal conditions for a homestay.
Except for the fact that the childhood friend is the opposite sex, and my own feelings, that is.
“Hey. I’m a guy, you know… what about that?”
“I couldn’t care less about your opinion. The room has a lock, and most importantly, Ellis-chan says it’s fine, so there’s no problem, right?”
There is? There’s a huge problem, isn’t there?
Sadly, though, I never had the right to object from the start.
Because I’m a money-guzzler who went to private middle and high school and ended up attending a private university.
“…By the way, when does it start?”
So, I gave up.
Realizing resistance was futile, I decided to shift gears and focus on minimizing the damage.
Honestly, considering the schedule leading up to enrollment, I don’t think there’s anything I can do from now on, but I’d like to make at least a little bit of preparation.
“Um, well, four days from now—the day after I move. She said she wants to get used to Japan before the entrance ceremony, so please show her around.”
“You’ve already decided all that?”
My complaints fell on deaf ears. Mom just kept saying things like, “It’s no big deal,” while stuffing her belongings into cardboard boxes.
“You used to be close, so you’ll get along again in no time.”
“It’s not going to be that easy.”
Mom, who has long since forgotten our childhood memories, probably doesn’t understand, but for a child, a single year is infinitely bigger and heavier than a year is for an adult.
It’s been six years since I came back to Japan from Germany. I haven’t seen Ellis once since then. After six years, the sense of closeness we had as kids is practically meaningless. And on top of that, we’ve gone through adolescence in the meantime. We’re practically different people now.
I’ve been through a lot since I came back to Japan, too.
I can’t think anymore that I can just muddle through with sheer momentum, even if we don’t speak the same language, like I did in elementary school.
The atmosphere of the moment, the eyes of those around me.
How should I act so I don’t stick out in a group?
I’ve started thinking about those things first.
So in college, I tried not to stand out too much, not to be an outsider, and not to become the center of any weird rumors.
I planned to get my social distance right from the start, make just enough friends, and secure just enough time to myself.
That was the plan, but now that I’m here, things are suddenly starting to go off track.
“Oh, right, since you’re going to the same university, you should show her the ropes.”
“Huh?”
“I guess you’re in different departments, but you’re on the same campus, right?”
“No, that’s a bit…”
Isn’t this a dead end?
An ordinary, unpolished guy living alone with a beautiful international student.
No matter how I look at it, if this gets out, I’ll be the subject of rumors.
About how the ordinary college life I was aiming for collapsed before it even began.
“No, going to the same university is really bad. Living together is one thing, but we’ll end up interacting outside the house too, right?”
“It’s fine. It’ll be more reassuring for Ellis-chan to have someone she knows, won’t it?”
“What about my peace of mind?”
“You can communicate, so you’ll figure it out somehow.”
I’m actually having trouble communicating right now.
In the end, this wasn’t a discussion or anything—it was just a notification of a done deal.
It seems Mother is telling me, as a mere foot soldier, to just follow orders and get moving.
I had a feeling that if I kept talking, she’d start ordering me to do all sorts of other unnecessary things, so I decided to make a strategic retreat to my room.
Mom doesn’t seem to care much, but for me—someone who had absolutely no intention of making a “college debut”—this was a matter of life and death.
★ ☆ ★
The next four days were spent with a knot in my stomach worse than when I was waiting for my college acceptance results.
I moved the cardboard boxes I’d shoved into the guest room, wiped down the desk, and cleared out the closet.
I aired out the unused futon and changed the sheets.
I put new towels and a toothbrush in the bathroom and stocked the fridge with water and tea.
If you just looked at what I was doing, it was simply preparing for a guest.
An old acquaintance was going to stay for a while until she got used to life in Japan.
When I thought of it that way, it wasn’t really that strange.
So I decided to look on the bright side.
I was glad it was Ellis coming to stay, rather than some other casual acquaintance.
Ellis was my closest friend, and our families were close too.
We used to go out together, and we spent more time together at school than with anyone else.
We’ve both grown up, and our values might have changed, but Ellis is still Ellis.
So, I just need to treat her normally.
I’ll welcome her back after all this time and help her settle into life here.
After that, as housemates living under the same roof, I just need to keep a moderate distance while being careful not to make her feel uncomfortable.
At that time, I truly believed that.
★ ☆ ★
And then came the day Ellis moved in.
The day before, Mom had left the house, and in the now-silent home, I spent my time preparing to welcome Ellis while clearing my mind.
Then, in the evening, the intercom finally rang.
I took a deep breath and headed for the front door.
I had already decided what I would say first.
“Long time no see. You must be tired from the long trip. I’ll carry your bags, so you should rest a bit.”
Just some safe, ordinary small talk, so we could start this unusual living arrangement as normally as possible.
Telling myself that, I opened the door.
“…Rintaro.”
When I saw Ellis, I was speechless for a moment.
Her golden hair and blue eyes still held traces of her former self. But she was completely different from the Elis in my memories. Back then, she was shorter than she is now, spoke with a certain reserve, and would look up at me from beneath her bangs.
But now, the gaze of the Elis standing before me was almost at the same height as mine.
She was looking straight at me.
“Elis…?”
When I called her name, Elis’s eyes flickered slightly.
“Yeah. It’s Elis.”
Her Japanese sounded natural.
Her pronunciation and choice of words were much smoother than I’d expected.
Yet, the sound of her voice calling my name was exactly the same as it had been back then.
No, I shouldn’t have let my surprise make me say something I hadn’t planned.
I decided to put my joy at our reunion aside for now and say the words I’d prepared—
“It’s been a—”
I couldn’t finish the sentence.
As if rejecting my resolve to accept the past as the past and draw a line under it, Elis threw herself into my arms.
Her soft hair brushed against my cheek.
Her slender arms wrapped themselves around my back.
“E-Elis…?”
I couldn’t move, even if I wanted to push her away.
With her face buried in my chest, Ellis took a small breath.
As if to confirm that she was really here.
“I’m home… I’ve finally made it back. To Rintaro’s side.”
From the back of the entryway, I heard the faint sound of a suitcase falling over.
That was probably the sound of my normal life shattering.
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