Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051597934651646/episodes/2912051599353382262
The room was deathly quiet.
The only sounds echoing coldly were the scratching of a mechanical pencil on paper and the ticking of the clock’s second hand.
Houtarou Achi suddenly looked up from the reference book spread out before him and turned his gaze toward the wall of his room.
From the room next door, he could faintly hear the sound of hurried footsteps and a dull thud, as if something hard had been dropped on the floor.
As always, his neighbor was noisy, even when alone.
Houtarou set his mechanical pencil down on the desk and exhaled softly.
Ever since he’d started living alone in this room due to his parents’ circumstances, “silence” had been a given for him.
No one interfered with him, and he wasn’t dragged into anyone else’s rhythm. It was a streamlined, efficient life. He had never once felt dissatisfied with it, nor had he ever even felt lonely during his time alone.
His meals used to be nothing more than a mere nutritional chore—guzzling down jelly drinks or convenience store sandwiches while staring at his computer screen.
For Houtarou, the time he spent alone in his silent room was supposed to be the most rational and calming space of all.
……And yet.
(Somehow, it feels quieter than usual.)
Ever since Hirugami Seika started forcefully crossing the boundaries of this room, Houtarou’s life had changed completely.
She’d barge in without permission, stand in the kitchen, cook delicious meals, and laugh noisily as she got excited or upset over trivial things.
Whenever she was there, the room was always noisy and bustling.
But there was a definite “warmth” there.
Now, he misses the sound of knives in the kitchen and the sweet scent of broth terribly.
Just the absence of her high-pitched voice, laughing heartily and exclaiming, “That’s so true!” while watching silly TV shows, makes the air in the room feel unnaturally cold.
Now that she’s gone back to her own room and I’m alone again, this space feels terribly vast and desolate.
Is this what the feeling of “loneliness” is like?
It was strange to me that such a human, and terribly irrational, emotion was sprouting within me—someone who had always wished to be indifferent to others and remain emotionally detached.
An inexplicable sense of emptiness, as if a gaping hole had opened up in my chest.
It felt like ripples spreading one by one across a water’s surface that should have been calm.
(It seems I’ve been completely poisoned by her boisterousness.)
Just as he let the corners of his mouth turn up in self-deprecating amusement,
Ding-dong.
Suddenly, the intercom at the front door emitted a cheerful electronic chime.
There was only one person who would come visiting at this hour.
Houtarou stood up, walked slowly toward the entrance, and opened the door.
“What’s up?”
“You helped me out earlier, so here’s a little something in return! Ta-da! It’s a special sukiyaki set!”
Standing there was Seika, holding two supermarket bags that looked heavy in both hands.
Peeking out of the bags she proudly held out were a pack of high-quality beef with beautiful marbling, along with a large amount of green onions and grilled tofu.
“This is really too much. Sukiyaki, of all things.”
Houtarou couldn’t help but grimace.
The incident behind the old school building should have evened things out since they’d helped each other out. Yet, receiving such a lavish gift in return would only make him feel indebted again.
However, Seika showed no sign of being bothered by this; she tilted her head, her milky-blonde hair swaying gently.
“Achi-kun, do you hate meat?”
“…No, I don’t hate it, but—”
“Then let’s eat together!”
Seika beamed from ear to ear, wagging her invisible tail so vigorously it seemed it might snap off.
“You know, food is definitely more delicious when you eat it together than when you eat it alone!”
It was a completely unselfish, 100% pure, bottomless, cheerful smile.
The moment he heard those words, Houtarou felt the dim sense of emptiness inside his chest melt away and vanish, just like snow illuminated by a spring sunbeam.
A clumsy, noisy meal for two was far warmer and tastier than an efficient, impersonal meal eaten alone.
Houtarou could no longer deny that fact.
“…You’re right. I think so too.”
Houtarou naturally opened the door wide and invited her inside.
Gazing at her back, which evoked the sweet scent of sukiyaki, Houtarou let out a small sigh.
The faint loneliness he had been feeling just moments ago had completely vanished.
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