Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051598917319858
“Have a drink and calm down. I’ll take care of your luggage.”
“Thanks, Rintaro. You’re such a gentleman!”
I took Ellis, who was pestering me to show her more of my room, out to the living room.
I decided to make some tea to help Ellis relax.
Sitting on the sofa, Ellis seemed to be in high spirits, tapping her long legs up and down.
It seems that habit hasn’t changed since she was a kid.
While Ellis sipped her tea carefully, as if it were a treasure, I carried the suitcases and luggage I’d left in the living room into her room.
Her room is across the hallway from mine… Across the hallway, huh.
Even though we’re separated by the hallway, I bet we could hear each other just fine if we were on the phone.
Ellis has a history.
To make sure she doesn’t do anything out of the blue like she did earlier, I need to set some rules for the two of us living together in this house as soon as possible.
When I returned to the living room, Ellis was still sitting demurely on the sofa.
As soon as she spotted me, Ellis broke into a wide smile, as if just seeing me made her happy.
“Ellis. I’d like to set some basic rules for us living together.”
“Rules?”
“Rules to keep us from fighting or things getting awkward.”
“I’m fine with anything, you know?”
“It’s me who’s not fine with it…”
When I said that, Ellis pouted slightly, looking a bit displeased.
However, she didn’t press the issue any further and immediately sat up straight.
“Alright. If Rintaro needs them, let’s set them.”
She’s so compliant. It’s almost a little scary, actually.
“First off, we won’t enter each other’s rooms without permission.”
“Got it. But Rintaro can come into my room whenever he wants, okay?”
No way that’s okay.
But it seemed like it would be a hassle to argue, so I decided to ignore it.
After all, it’s a meaningless rule if I’m the one not entering without permission.
“Let’s split the housework. We’ll discuss what each of us can do and take turns within our capabilities.”
“…I’ll do it all, okay?”
“No.”
“Why?”
When I said that, Ellis looked at me with a puzzled expression.
She didn’t seem to understand what was wrong. She had this innocent look on her face, as if she genuinely believed that.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but if I let you take it all on, I won’t be able to relax. If we’re going to live here, we need to share the load properly.”
“…If that’s what you say, Rintaro.”
Ellis backed down without a fight.
It felt less like she was convinced and more like she was just obeying because I said so.
I’d better be careful with what I say from now on.
“As for food and living expenses, I’ll check with Mom and Dad later… but we can decide on a proper division of household chores once college starts, right?”
“Got it. If you’re busy, just let me know. I’ll take care of it.”
“Isn’t that actually my line?”
She speaks Japanese so naturally now that it feels completely normal—I almost forget—but Ellis has only just arrived in Japan. The stress from this change in environment must be incomparably greater for her than it is for me.
Since I’ve agreed to take proper care of her, I have to make sure I support her so she can settle into life in Japan.
After that, we went over everything else that came to mind and settled on the basic rules for living together. Ellis didn’t object to most of them, but when we tried to set rules like “don’t touch each other’s laundry” or “don’t go out into the hallway after a shower or while changing,” she hesitated a bit. Did she actually plan on doing those things…? Nah, that can’t be.
Just as the conversation had wrapped up smoothly and a weight had lifted off my shoulders, Ellis suddenly spoke up as if she’d just remembered something.
“Oh, right, a photo. Rintaro, we have to take a picture.”
“…A photo?”
“To send to Mom and Dad. To let them know I’ve arrived in Japan.”
“Oh, I see. In that case, I’ll take it.”
I took out my smartphone and pointed it at Ellis.
But then, Ellis shook her head frantically.
“No. We’re taking a picture with Rintaro too.”
“Me too?”
I braced myself for a moment, but figured, well, if it’s just for a report, I guess I can’t help it.
I know who Ellis’s parents are, but still, I’m looking after their daughter. To show them that I hadn’t turned into the kind of guy who hangs out at drinking clubs, I figured I needed to send them a picture of my perfectly crafted, ordinary appearance.
Telling myself that, I stood next to Ellis.
Ellis held up her phone with a happy look on her face and, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, moved closer to me.
“Aren’t you a little too close?”
“If I’m not close, I won’t fit in the shot♪”
“Well, I guess you’re right…”
Our shoulders touched. Her golden hair brushed against my cheek.
I couldn’t tell if it was shampoo or perfume, but a soft, sweet scent wafted over.
“Okay, I’m taking the picture. Say cheese!”
The shutter clicked, capturing our first photo together in six years.
In the photo Ellis showed me, there I was, smiling slightly awkwardly, standing next to Ellis, who was beaming with happiness.
And Ellis was looking at that photo with an expression that seemed even happier than the one in the picture.
“…Ellis?”
“There are more. Photos with Rintaro.”
There was something odd about the way she said that.
“From now on, let’s take one every day.”
“That’s for reporting, right?”
“—Yeah, it’s for reporting~”
What was that strange pause? She’s definitely lying.
At this rate, she’ll be taking photos of me anytime, anywhere.
I should really refuse—
I thought that, but then I reconsidered and figured I should probably take at least a few.
For the six years I kept my distance on my own accord, all Elis had were old photos. If that’s the case, then the fact that we’ve added one more photo like this now probably holds much greater significance than I realize.
That said, I still think taking one every day is a bit much.
“Well… it’s fine if you feel like it.”
“Then, right now! While I’m in the mood, let’s take more!”
“Why does it have to be like that?!”
“Boo!”
Ellis pouted and looked displeased, but she seemed to be having a lot of fun.
She kept looking back at her phone screen over and over, then stood up as if a sudden idea had struck her.
“That’s it! Speaking of photos—”
“Ellis?”
Ellis headed straight for her room and came back carrying several photo albums and picture frames.
She must have brought all that in her carry-on luggage… I feel like there were probably other things she should have prioritized over this…
“This one, and this one~, and this one too!”
With a cheerful voice, Ellis laid out the photos on the coffee table.
Every single photo was one we’d taken together long ago.
A photo walking side by side on our way home from school.
A photo of us eating ice cream in some park.
A photo from when we had dinner at Ellis’s house.
From photos of trips we taken together to snapshots of our everyday lives.
“When was this taken?”
“The day Rintaro complimented a drawing I made.”
“You actually remember that?”
“Of course I do. I remember it all.”
Ellis said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
There was no trace of pride in her voice. She simply stated that she remembered it as naturally as breathing.
Every time I turned a page in the album, the old me and Ellis appeared.
A past captured from angles I didn’t know, far more vivid than my own memories.
I probably have the same photos at home.
But I don’t know if those photos are here in this house right now, or if they’re in Germany.
For me, they were memories I’d put away.
But for Ellis, it’s probably different.
She’s kept them close at hand, looked at them over and over, and brought them all the way to today.
“I was thinking of putting this up too.”
“Putting it up?”
“Yeah. Like here.”
Ellis pointed to a shelf in the living room.
“And the entryway. So I can see it when I come home.”
“No, no, no.”
“The hallway would be nice too. I walk by there every day.”
“Wait, wait, wait.”
“And in Rintaro’s room—”
“Absolutely not.”
I stopped her a bit too harshly, and Ellis looked dejected.
Seeing that expression made me feel a little guilty, but if I gave in now, it would be the end.
“It’s not that I don’t like displaying photos. It’s just that putting them all over the house is too much. It’s not normal.”
“Normal…”
Ellis lowered her gaze, looking deep in thought.
Oh no. I think I used the word “normal” wrong.
“So, where would be okay?”
“Where, you ask…”
I looked around the living room.
Since Mom moved out, there’s an empty spot on one corner of the shelf. I guess we could put a few photo albums there.
“If you keep them all on that shelf, that’s fine. Kind of like an album corner.”
“An album corner!”
Ellis’s eyes lit up.
“Yeah. Our photo album corner.”
Don’t rephrase it like that. When you put it that way, it just… suddenly feels so heavy.
Ellis immediately grabbed an album and headed for the shelf.
I helped her, lining up photo frames and albums in the empty space.
It was supposed to be just one corner at first.
But Ellis quickly brought out the next album.
Before I knew it, an entire shelf was almost completely filled.
“I’ll put the photos we took today up here later too, okay?”
“I guess that’s fine… but do we really need to rush it?”
“No way, I’m putting them up.”
Ellis looked like she was having a really good time.
As she arranged the albums, she’d occasionally glance at the photos and smile. She was trying to place old photos and new ones in the same spot.
Watching her like that, I lost the will to stop her.
It’s not like she’s doing anything wrong. If anything, she’s just cherishing our memories together.
It’s just that the extent of it is a lot heavier than I expected.
“Let’s add more from now on, okay?”
“Add more? You mean photos?”
“Yeah. Like when we eat together, or when we go out, or before I go to college. I’ll take lots of them and display them here.”
Ellis gazed at the top of the shelf and smiled dreamily.
“I want to fill this house with photos of Rintaro and me.”
Even though she was saying something cute, a chill ran down my spine.
A house filled with photos. Everywhere I look, it’s just me and Ellis. A house where our memories are displayed in the entryway, the living room, and the hallway.
That sounds like a horror movie, so please don’t do that.
“No, having too many would be a problem. I wouldn’t be able to invite my friends over.”
“Friends?”
At my remark, Elis’s hand froze in mid-motion.
I felt like the tone of her voice had changed just a little.
“Rintaro, who are these friends?”
“Well, like friends from college? Maybe I’ll make some soon.”
“Are there any girls?”
“No, I mean, college hasn’t even started yet.”
“You’re not denying it.”
She’s really nitpicking my words.
I just said I might invite friends over. I didn’t say anything I felt guilty about. Yet Elis was peering in from behind that door—as if she’d found a door I didn’t even know existed.
“This is Elis’s house too, so if you don’t want me to, I won’t invite anyone.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll make sure to greet Rintaro’s friends properly. ‘Thank you for always looking after Rintaro,’ right?”
“I feel like that’s slightly off.”
Even though I’m the one saying this, I probably wouldn’t invite any friends I made in college over to my place. You don’t even have to think about it—having a girl like Elis living with me is anything but normal. It’s obvious that it would lead to trouble.
Feeling weighed down, I let out a heavy sigh.
We’d set the rules for living together and drawn the lines to keep things normal.
Or so I thought, but before I knew it, there were bags of Elis’s stuff in the living room, photos of the two of us lined up on the shelf, and Elis’s shadow was starting to cast itself even over the friendships I haven’t even formed yet in my college life.
Elis was gazing contentedly at the photo display.
There, the old me and Elis stood side by side, and it seemed like photos of the current me and Elis would be added to that collection from now on.
Ah, my “normal” is crumbling away bit by bit.
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