Volume 1 - CH 11

Breakfast went off without a hitch. I finished and put away the dishes.

I talked to Himekawa as I washed the dishes down.

“Where’s Himekawa’s house? Is it far?”

I’m going to pick up her luggage later today.

I have no idea where Himekawa’s house is.

“Do you know where the Twin Towers are?”

The Twin Towers is a very famous apartment building that towers over the city where the school is located.

It’s a high-rise apartment building that is home to quite a few famous people, including baseball players and politicians.

She is the daughter of a company president. I took the liberty of assuming that she lived in a mansion somewhere, but I had no idea that it was a twin tower.

“I know. Do you live there?　I bet you have a great view from the top floor or something.”

Himekawa came up next to me as I was washing the dishes.

She rolled up her arms and began wiping the dishes with a rag in her hand.

“You don’t mind if I help, do you?”

Himekawa came next to me and started wiping the washed dishes.

Himekawa, who was standing next to me, wiped the dishes one after another with a skillful hand.

“You seem familiar with it.”

“At home, I washed the dishes myself.”

Himekawa looked a little sad as she spoke, perhaps she was remembering her home.

“I appreciate your help. Thank you”

Himekawa smiles a little as she looks at me.

“You can talk to me about anything.”

Yes, let’s start doing things together little by little.

I’ve been spending a lot of time alone too, so it will be good practice for me.

One day, I’ll be a member of society, and I’ll have to deal with a lot of people. I think it would be good for me to get some practice with people while I’m here.

This is for my own reasons, not for Himekawa’s.

“What should I call you from now on, Tendo-san? Or should I call you Kanrinin-san?” [TLN: Means manager but in this case, it can mean caretaker]

“No, I don’t care what you call me. You can call me whatever you want.”

“Well, can I call you Tendo-kun? We’re not strangers anymore.”

We had never had a connection before, but something weird happened and we started to have a connection outside of school.

We’re just two people living together, but we’re no longer just classmates.

Sooner or later, Himekawa is going to leave this place. It’s only a short time until then, it won’t be a problem.

“Yeah, that’s fine. Just keep doing what you’re doing at school.”

Himekawa, who was puzzled, stopped her hand and looked at me.

“You mean you won’t get involved at school?”

Yeah, that’s right. If you suddenly start talking at school after a holiday, people will look at you strangely, right? Himekawa doesn’t want people to look at her like she’s weird, right?

If anything, it’s me who will be looked at like that. I’m sure there will be strange rumors and curious female students will be asking questions.

I don’t want to get involved in that kind of trouble.

Himekawa looked a little sad as she began to wipe the dishes and looked away from me.

“Yes, you’re right. That might be a good idea….”

Then we worked in silence with each other and began to get ready to leave.

“Hey, are you ready to go?”

“I’m coming!”

I hear Himekawa’s voice from the top of the stairs.

Himekawa is coming down the stairs at a brisk pace, and in her arms is the large Boston bag she was using yesterday.

“Let me just explain something to you before we go.”

I left my luggage at the entrance and explained to Himekawa about the house.

On the first floor, there’s an entrance and a rather large hall.

To the right of the entrance are the janitor’s private room, living room, dining room, and kitchen.

In front of the hall, there is a staircase that leads to the hallway for the residents on the second floor.

To the left of the hall are the washroom, laundry room, and bathroom, with two washing machines in the laundry room.

There are several rooms on the second floor, but one of them is an open room.

One of the rooms is a storage room, filled with furniture, appliances, and other things that the previous occupants no longer need.

I told Himekawa that she could freely use the items in this room and that she could also freely use the washing machine.

“Well, it’s like this. Each room has its own key, so don’t lose it. There’s a master key, but if you lose it, you’ll have to replace the whole cylinder, which can be quite expensive.

“Don’t worry. Even though I look like this, I’m very careful with my things.

“And do your own laundry as you see fit. You don’t want to wash it with my laundry, do you?”

“Yes, you’re right. Thank you for your concern.”

I went upstairs and entered the room next to the one I had shown Himekawa.

It was symmetrical but almost identical in construction.

The room is a loft, and underneath the sleeping area is a combination closet and storage space.

In the closet, the futon, carpet, and cushions used in the room are placed in a compression bag, so they can be used immediately after opening the bag.

In addition, there is a desk and a chair set up in the closet.

There is also a window that can be opened, allowing sunlight to enter the room.

“The rooms I showed you are yours to use as you like. The rooms are all the same, and the wiring for the TV and other things are already in place. Also, I’ve put the Wi-Fi password on the refrigerator, so you can use it later.”

“I thought the house was quite old, but it’s well equipped.”

“Well, yeah. Someone was living here a while ago.”

We went back to the front door and left the house while having an idle conversation.

We headed for Himekawa’s house and were ready to go.

The two of us walked toward the station and passed through the shopping district.

It was a little after 9:00 a.m., and the shopping street was quiet as people were preparing to open their stores.

“Do you usually do shopping in this shopping district?”

“Yeah, I guess so. When I’m in the neighborhood, I get all my groceries and personal items here.”

Fish, meat, vegetables, fruits, and daily necessities can all be found in this shopping district.

This butcher’s Menchi-katsu is excellent. I think I’ll have their Menchi today. [TLN: Menchi-katsu]

Himekawa, who was walking next to me, seemed to be interested and slowly walked towards the station, swinging her eyes from side to side and her head from side to side.

It’s not safe to look around like that, is it? I thought to myself, “I’m going to start a new life, different from the one I’ve been living.

TLN: I’m trying out a lot of new things to pump up more chapters while taking less time, but since I’m just starting to do it releases might be slower. I hope it’ll pay off in the long run.