Tsun'na Megami-sama to Darenimoienai Himitsu no Kankei Chapter 1 part 3
After that, Yukimiya and I divided the cleaning tasks. She took care of wiping the dust, and I handled the washing at the sink for about an hour.
In the end, the room finally looked clean. Now, this room actually feels like a proper place for a person to live.
It had been a long time since I did this much cleaning. It reminded me of the time I left an oil stain inside the microwave back at home... and the stain stayed there for six months straight.
Yukimiya looked around the apartment like she was seeing it for the first time.
“Wow... I can’t believe it got this clean in just three hours...”
“Honestly, I wanted to do more, but it’s already late. I’ve set your laundry in the dryer, but if it’s still damp, you’ll need to hang it to dry. And don’t forget to fold everything properly, okay?”
“I know... Thanks.”
“We’re neighbors. Helping each other is normal.”
If just doing this could help me avoid more complaints from her, I’d happily do it. I already get enough nagging at school... I don’t need more at home too.
It was already past 10 PM. My stomach felt completely empty. We hadn’t eaten or taken any breaks during the cleaning.
Yukimiya seemed to feel the same. Her stomach growled loudly.
I turned to look at her, and she quickly looked away.
“...That wasn’t me.”
“Nope, that was definitely you.”
“Ugh...”
Her face turned red. She glared at me, but honestly... she just looked cute.
“What? It’s not like it’s my fault. We haven’t eaten anything. It’s normal for your stomach to make noise when you’re hungry.”
“I’m not blaming you... Anyway, wait here. I’ll go heat up your curry.”
“Curry...! ...Ah, ehem.”
She reacted instantly, but then cleared her throat like nothing happened.
This hungry girl was waiting for me. I had to hurry.
I went back to my apartment and reheated the curry and rice.
After it was warm enough, I packed it into a tupperware and brought it to her room.
She stared at the curry like a dog told to “stay.”
“Oh, by the way... I made extra for tomorrow’s breakfast too. Before eating, just microwave it. I guess... you’re not really used to using the stove, right?”
“I can use the stove!”
“Yeah, but if you accidentally start a fire, that’d be bad.”
“I... I’ll just use the microwave.”
“Good choice.”
Should’ve just said that from the start.
Yukimiya seemed like she still had something on her mind.
“Um... one more thing.”
“What is it?”
“President-Yatsuhashi... Please don’t tell anyone about this.”
“‘This’... you mean about us being neighbors? Of course I won’t. I don’t want rumors either.”
Especially the guys from my school... If they found out I lived next to the most popular girl from Shiramine Girls’ Academy... I’d be dead. I want to live long enough to have grandkids, thank you very much.
“Not just that... I mean... about the state of my room...”
Ah... that.
Yukimiya nervously fiddled with her fingers, looking embarrassed.
“You know... at school, everyone thinks I’m perfect. Flawless... no weaknesses...”
Yeah... Even back at Kuroba, there were rumors calling her the ‘perfect girl.’
“You could’ve just told them the truth... that you’re bad at this stuff.”
“I did at first... But then they said things like ‘She’s so humble,’ ‘So hardworking,’ ‘A real princess,’ and stuff like that...”
“So... the more you denied it, the more they praised you?”
Yukimiya nodded slowly.
That’s... kind of sad.
“I get it now. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. You can relax.”
“Really? You swear? If you lie... I’ll gouge your eyes out.”
“What!?”
“Just kidding.”
That’s not funny!!
...Ah, right. I just remembered.
“By the way... Can you stop calling me ‘President-Yatsuhashi’?”
“Huh? Why?”
“It’s not wrong... but I don’t like being called that in my personal life. Just call me ‘-kun’ or ‘-san’... or even just my name.”
“...I see. Then... I’ll call you Yatsuhashi-kun when we’re at home.”
“Thanks. That helps a lot.”
Honestly, that ‘President’ title had been bothering me for a while.
Yukimiya smiled happily and took the tupperware. She went back inside her room... but then suddenly stopped halfway.
Huh? What now?
She turned around like she just remembered something.
“What is it?”
“Um... Thanks for today. For everything. Let’s keep helping each other from now on. Good night, Yatsuhashi-kun.”
“...Yeah, let’s do that. Good night, Yukimiya.”
After her door closed, I let out a long sigh.
...Good night... huh? How long has it been since I last said that to someone?
I can’t even remember saying it back at my parents’ house.
But... it felt kinda nice. Like... like I’m not alone.
Feeling strangely warm inside, I went back to my room.
Alright... time to eat curry, take a bath, and then sleep.
Now that I was alone... it felt a little empty.
Huh? Alone? With who...?
Oh right... Me and... Yukimiya.
Yeah... I was in her room... with her... cleaning... together...
Suddenly, my face burned.
“Ah... Eh... Waaaaah...!”
Uwaaaaah! For real!? I was in her room! With her!
Up until last year, I was surrounded by guys. An all-male environment. A lonely virgin life.
And then today... I was with a girl... alone... in her room...!
“Uoooooooohhh... Uwaaaaaaaaah...!”
God... what’s happening to me?! My brain’s boiling! Like this curry!
...Okay... calm down. It’s over. No point thinking about it now.
Yeah... Eat. Just eat. Then sleep. Then forget everything!
Alright... let’s eat. Let’s eat, sleep, and forget everything! …Even though that’s not really easy. But still... let’s try running away from reality. Yeah… let’s do that.
I scooped some rice and reheated curry onto a plate, then headed for the living room.
And then… I heard a voice from Yukimiya’s room.
Huh...? Are the walls in this apartment really this thin? No… they should have soundproofing. Normally, you wouldn’t hear anything even if someone was talking loudly.
But now… I could hear it, even though it was muffled. It felt like... Yukimiya was doing something she shouldn’t be doing.
Even though I knew I shouldn’t eavesdrop, my curiosity won, and before I realized it, I was staring at the wall.
“～～～～♪ ～～♪”
…A song? I’ve never heard this melody before... Is she... making it up as she goes?
But still... her voice was beautiful. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was a professional singer. Her voice was that good. I got lost listening to her without thinking.
Just a little more… I want to hear more…
I closed my eyes and focused on her singing.
It felt like I was sitting in a theater, watching a live performance.
And then… when she got to the lyrics—
“Curry, curry~♪ Curry’s spicy, oh~ curry~♪ Together with rice~ We’re best friends~♪ La~ la~ la~♪”
“Gah!?”
I choked.
What the heck was that!? What kind of song is this!? I was expecting something emotional... and instead... this!?
I only listened because I thought it’d be something beautiful… But now I regret it!
While I kept coughing from the shock of that original... um, “Curry Song (Lyrics and Composition: Yukimiya Hyouka)”, she suddenly stopped singing.
Oh no… My coughing definitely reached her side. This is bad. If she finds out I was listening, she’ll totally think I’m a creep again.
I held back my coughs. After a while… she started singing again.
Man... just how energetic is she? Even I’m getting secondhand embarrassment here.
“Mr. Meat~♪ Mr. Carrot~♪ Mr. Potato~♪ Mr. Onion~♪ All together... let’s cook... hmm~ mmm~ nnn~ emnn~♪”
Aaaaaahhh!!! This is so embarrassing! Seriously embarrassing! Too embarrassing!!
For her own sake… please, stop! I’m begging you!
But if I tell her to stop, she’ll instantly realize I’ve been listening this whole time!
Please... realize it on your own! If you heard me coughing... you should know I can hear you too, right!? How can you be so careless!?
If I keep listening... I’m gonna go crazy from this ridiculous song. For my own mental health... I need to ignore it.
I pulled away from the wall and sat down on the sofa, clenching my fists.
“Let’s eat.”
“Let’s eat~♪”
From Yukimiya’s room… I could hear her say that too. What a coincidence… Looks like we started eating at the same time.
Even though I told myself to ignore her... I couldn’t help but wonder… Did she like the curry? The one I made this time was just instant curry with a little extra sauce and ketchup for flavor. Still… I was curious about her reaction.
Feeling a bit nervous, I sat up straight and...
“...It’s good!”
I could faintly hear her say it.
Phew... Looks like she’s enjoying it.
Feeling relieved, I started eating my own curry.
Yeah... it tastes good. But still, curry made from scratch with real spices would taste even better.
Once my life settles down... I’ll try making real curry. And when that day comes… I’ll ask her to try it again. Hopefully, she doesn’t hate strong spice smells.
“This is amazing... Wow, so good. Yatsuhashi-kun, you’re really great... But of course... there’s no way I’d ever tell him that directly!”
What’s with her? I already heard you, so no need to act all tsundere now!
Feeling a little embarrassed, I scratched my cheek. But... something warm filled my heart.
When was the last time someone told me my cooking was good? My parents? Or maybe... Junya?
It felt... kinda ticklish. Wait, no... It wasn’t that.
…Maybe... I was just really happy.
Greeting each other… sharing opinions… exchanging little moments like this…
It all felt so fresh and new to me.
Of course, I’d had this kind of thing at school. With Junya… or with the other student council members.
But in my personal life... this kind of thing was really rare. It had almost disappeared from my life.
The happiness of sharing time and space with someone else... While thinking that… I quietly finished the rest of my curry.
◆◆◆
Ah… So sleepy. I couldn’t sleep at all last night.
No doubt about it... The reason was Yukimiya.
That beautiful girl was right next door… and we spent quite a bit of time together last night. No way I could just ignore the fact she was behind that wall. Even with her personality being... like that.
...But her smile... was cute. No, wait, wait, wait! What am I even thinking!? Crap… I need to focus!
It was almost 8 AM. If I didn’t leave the apartment soon, I’d definitely be late.
I checked my hair one last time, put on my loafers, and stepped outside.
The morning sun felt too bright, making me squint.
Ah... This is bad... I... yawned—
“ “Huaaahhh...h?” ”
Huh? An echo?
I glanced to my left… and there she was.
Yukimiya had come out of her room at the exact same time, yawning with her mouth wide open and then froze in mid-yawn.
This... is awkward. I should just pretend I didn’t see and go back inside—
“You saw that, didn’t you.”
“...Nope. Didn’t see anything.”
“Liar.”
Dammit. I tried so hard to act normal but she called me out herself.
Giving up, I stepped out again. The cute, sleepy expression from her yawn was already gone. With a sharp glare, she brushed her hair aside and stared at me with cold eyes.
Her face was a little red... Honestly, it made her look more cute than scary.
“Good morning, Yatsuhashi-kun.”
“...Good morning, Yukimiya.”
Even at times like this, she still greets people... What a polite girl.
“Yatsuhashi-kun. Forget what you just saw. If you don’t... I’ll punch you until you forget everything.”
“Stop making scary threats like that so casually. I wasn’t planning on telling anyone anyway.”
Besides… if people found out that the famous Ice Goddess Yukimiya was my neighbor, they’d totally hate me. Guys like that always gang up on me in times like this.
“Yeah, well... fine. Also, let me remind you again... Don’t tell anyone about yesterday.”
Yukimiya lowered her eyes, trying hard not to meet my gaze as she said that.
...Is it just me, or did she sound kinda desperate?
Maybe she really didn’t want her “perfect girl” image to be ruined... Or maybe... she just didn’t want people knowing certain sides of her.
Looks like... even she has some weak spots.
Suddenly... I felt a strange sense of closeness with her.
Feeling a little playful, I decided to tease her about yesterday.
“Man... your cooking, your laundry, your cleaning… Yesterday was a total disaster. Your place seriously looked like a dump.”
“I was trying to put it nicely... but you just had to go and say it like that.”
“S-sorry.”
I apologized immediately. Please stop glaring at me like you wanna kill me! I’m scared!
“Relax. Even if I said it, no one would believe me anyway.”
“Heh… So people don’t trust you, huh.”
“No matter how much I explain... Your ‘perfect girl’ image is just way too strong for anyone to doubt.”
So sad… but true… sniff...
“W-well... I’m sure something good will happen for you too. Someday… Maybe...?”
“Don’t give me that weak sympathy... It just makes me feel worse.”
Seriously... it’s breaking my heart.
Even though it was still morning, I already felt mentally exhausted.
Then Yukimiya suddenly checked her watch and gasped. I looked at mine too... It was already past 8.
“Oh no! We’re gonna be late! Yukimiya, let’s go!”
“Yeah... But keep your distance. I don’t want people seeing us leave together. I’d rather die.”
“That’s too harsh… You’re breaking my heart, you know?”
“Just kidding.”
That’s exactly why your jokes are so hard to get… Whatever… I don’t wanna be late, so let’s hurry.
“Oh, right. Yatsuhashi-kun... After school, I’ll return the tupperware from yesterday. So... wait for me.”
“Hm? Sure. See you later, Yukimiya.”
I waved goodbye to Yukimiya and ran out of the apartment building.
At first... I thought meeting Yukimiya would be the worst thing ever...
But now... maybe not.
Maybe… I kinda like these silly little moments with her.
With light steps, I ran toward Shiramine High School.
The sky was bright and sunny.
Yep… looks like today’s gonna be a good day.
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