Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093093152263860/episodes/16818622170980379255
“Make me clean the room!”
“Kuga-kun is so picky…”
“What do you mean? It’s normal!”
Sighing with exasperation, Asahina still looked somewhat pleased. Seeing that, I couldn’t help but smile.
“I want to ask you something. How messy does a room have to be for you to think it’s ‘bad’?”
“When you can’t see the floor anymore?”
“That’s too late!”
It’s overwhelmingly messy! If you live in a room like that, it’s not about being a former star or anything, but you start to worry about them as a person.
“Hmm, but I don’t have time in the morning…”
“Want to come over after school?”
“No, I have plans after school…”
“Then how about next weekend? Though that’s tomorrow…”
“Hee?”
“I’m asking if you’re free tomorrow.”
◇
The next day, I left my house with some cleaning supplies in hand and rang the doorbell at Asahina’s house.
I was invited into the house normally, but does Asahina not care about such things…? I felt a little uneasy, but today my nurturing spirit (cleaning mode) was also ignited.
“Yees.”
With a lackluster voice, the front door opened. Just like yesterday, she came out surprisingly quickly. I was prepared to wait a little, though…
“Good morning, you really came.”
“Well, you’re the one who told me to come, Asahina.”
This morning, Asahina is wearing a gray, baggy sweatshirt, white and pink checkered pants, her hair is messy, and she’s still holding a cushion in her hands. She looks like she just woke up.
“It’s already ten o’clock. You should at least change your clothes.”
“Eh, this is my casual wear though?”
“…Asahina’s casual wear looks like pajamas to me.”
“No, it says ‘room wear’ on it at Uniqlo.”
“That’s another name for pajamas.”
Asahina hugs the cushion tightly and pouts. She looks very unhappy.
“Kuga-kun is wearing similar clothes too! A hoodie and sweatpants!”
“It’s because we’re going to clean up! And I’ve told you many times, at least comb your hair!”
“I was planning to take a bath later anyway~. I was just thinking I’d ask Kuga-kun to do it for me later~.”
“A bath before cleaning? No, you’re just planning to make me do it again… There’s too much I want to say!”
Asahina’s jokes keep piling up one after another! I just came to clean the room, but my pace is being completely disrupted from the morning onward.
“Well, never mind… Let’s just start cleaning for now.”
“Okay! I’m ready to tremble at Kuga-kun’s judgment on what to throw away.”
“Wait, wait.”
What does “judgment on what to throw away” mean? Asahina seems to be more energetic than usual this morning.
“Please come inside. It’s a bit messy, though…”
“I know.”
“Can’t you at least try to follow me out a little?”
“But it’s the truth.”
Asahina shows me inside the room.
First, I need to confirm today’s hunting ground and target.
In the middle of the room is a round rug, with a glass table and a fairly large sofa on top of it. The sofa is black and looks quite luxurious. In the corner of the room is a standard bed and a shelf. There is also a counter-style kitchen, and I think the layout of the room is quite nice.
However, this room is currently inhabited by demons and monsters…! There are plastic bottles, discarded clothes and socks, empty containers from convenience store bento boxes and cup noodles, unopened cardboard boxes, and stuffed animals carelessly thrown around. On top of that, there are slippers sitting on top of a pile of textbooks. I don’t know how good Asahina’s grades are, but this is a clear indication of her academic performance. Looking closely, the living room was a complete mess.
“Alright, Asahina, follow my instructions!”
“Yes, sir!”
This is going to be tough… But I find myself thinking that it’s not so bad to be relied upon like this. I want to clean up as much as possible today. Oh well, I feel like I’m already stuck in the Asahina swamp.
About ten minutes have passed since we started cleaning up.
“Asahina, can I throw this away?”
“That’s a flyer I got at last year’s cultural festival. I’m keeping it as a souvenir.”
“A souvenir… There’s a stain on it.”
“Oh, I might have spilled a little juice on it.”
“It’s a relic.”
The flimsy paper was discolored in parts and had mold-like stains. I wanted to dissect Asahina’s brain to find out why she wanted to keep it.
“Well, I don’t need it anymore.”
“Then throw it away!”
I dunked the flyer into a plastic bag! Okay, one thing taken care of.
“Kuga-kun, you’re like a live-in helper.”
“Labor deserves compensation.”
“Then maybe we can settle with some snacks.”
“Am I a kid?”
While exchanging such banter with Asahina, I didn’t stop working. I stuffed empty cup noodle containers into the bag, sorted through scattered printouts, and put the clothes left lying around into the laundry basket. Please, just don’t let any underwear come out… In a way, it’s worse than seeing a cockroach.
“It’s embarrassing to have a boy clean up my underwear, so please tell me…”
“I was thinking the same thing…”
“Huh? Kuga-kun, were you looking for my underwear?”
“No way! I was just worried it would be awkward if they came out!”
Asahina’s face turned red in an instant, and she looked away. Ugh, that reaction is the most awkward thing ever!
“No, really, it’s not what you think!”
“I know, it’s okay.”
“I’m glad…”
“I’ve heard that high school boys are sex monsters, so it’s okay.”
“You don’t understand at all! What’s okay about it?”
Seeing me desperately trying to explain myself, Asahina’s eyes softened.
“Kuga-kun, today was fun.”
“What part…?”
“I won’t tell you.”
Asahina smiled softly at me. Hmm, I’m not sure what to make of it, but I should clean the room quickly.
“Put the stuffed animals in one place. Put the textbooks on the shelf, and sort the trash.”
“Roger that, Captain.”
Despite all the talk, Asahina was helping me out. We lined up the stuffed animals, peeled off the tape from the cardboard boxes, and checked the contents while saying, “Wow, this brings back memories.”
…I’m starting to feel like I’m not much help.
“Are you good at this kind of thing, Kuga-kun?”
“Well, I do most of the cleaning at home, too.”
“Then maybe I’ll have you stay over at my place and help clean next time.”
“If you do that, this place will become my second home!”
“Should I prepare a futon?”
Asahina started teasing me. She was much more expressive than she was at school, and she seemed to be enjoying herself just as she said.
“…Hm?”
While tidying up around the outlet, something caught my attention. There was something that you could say is definitely present in a normal house, but it was missing from this one.
(Asahina doesn’t have a TV at home…)
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