Episode 3: Welcome to My Home
"Himekawa,
hey."
I spoke to her and,
with a glance, conveyed that the police were approaching.
"W-what should
I do? I’m going to be taken by the police…"
"Even if they
call out to you, don’t say a word."
A police officer
walking toward us.
If remaining here,
they will ask a lot of question, worst case there is high possibility they
contact school or parents.
If, for example, we
were taken into custody here, of course not only Himekawa be in trouble, I
would too.
The school would
find out, and who knows what kind of things the people in the class would say.
Moreover, if that
information were to reach the parents, it would be unbearable.
Like “what the two
of you were doing?……” kinda thing.
To get through this
situation, basically all we need to do is disappear from in front of the
police.
After quickly
reaching a conclusion, I called out to Himekawa.
“Himekawa, let’s
get out of here.”
I took Himekawa’s
Boston bag and start heading toward the ticket gate.
We moved away from
the bench at a slightly fast pace, but the police officer was still watching us
from a distance.
Looks like we
should hurry and get to somewhere out of sight.
Himekawa followed
silently, and once it was clear that we had both gone through the station
gates, the officer stopped watching us.
At any rate, it’s
getting late, and we can’t keep hanging around inside the station forever.
“So, what are we
going to do? Do you have anywhere in mind?”
“If I had one, I
wouldn’t be in a place like this.”
What a hassle. I
didn’t want to get involved, yet I ended up getting involved anyway.
She wasn’t a
complete stranger, but someone from the same class. It suddenly crossed my mind
that it might be fine to help her just this once.
“I have a
condition. You mustn’t tell anyone about today, nor speak to anyone about what
comes next.”
“What exactly is
the condition?”
“Follow me and
you’ll understand.”
Half by force, I
took Himekawa’s bag and headed for the platform.
Himekawa, following
behind me in silence, was surely on her guard.
We boarded on the
train and got off at the usual station.
Even after passing
the ticket gates, we didn’t exchange a single word and just kept walking in
silence.
After a while, we
arrived at a single house. The lights were off, and there was no sign of anyone
inside. The slightly old building gave off a Shōwa-era feel.
“What is this
place?”
Himekawa spoke to
me.
I silently pointed
at a single weathered out signboard. It read “Gohashi Boarding House”.
“Boarding house?”
“Yeah, a boarding
house. For now, let’s go in.”
I insert the key
into the darkened front entrance of the boarding house and opened the door.
A side-sliding door
that opens with a loud rattle is uncommon in houses these days.
When the lights
turned on, there is a shoe cabinet in the slightly spacious entrance.
“Welcome to Gohashi
Boarding House.”
I called out to
Himekawa and beckoned her inside.
placed the bag at
the entryway and slipped off the shoes.
“Hurry up and close
the entrance. Bugs will get in, you know?”
Himekawa stepped in
and closed the door.
She stepped just
one pace into the entryway and looked around curiously, her eyes moving over
the shoe cabinet, the floor, and the ceiling.
Inside the house,
it was quiet, and no sound could be heard. That meant there were no human
voices.
“Is no one here?”
I casually set the
luggage I was carrying nearby and put my shoes into the shoe cabinet.
Then I walked down
the hallway and turned on the light in the room at the back.
“Nope, i live alone
here.”
“I see... Why bring
me here?”
I more or less
dragged Himekawa here, who have been alone on a bench outside the station.
If something were
to happen there, I would undoubtedly end up being the last witness.
That would be a
very serious problem that could jeopardize my life at school.
“Ah, there’s no
deep meaning behind it. I’m not thinking of doing anything to you, and I hate
dealing with trouble. If I hadn’t done anything back there, it looked like
things would have gotten troublesome, so I brought you here. If you have
somewhere else to go, feel free to head there.”
I stepped out into
the hallway and headed for the washroom at the far end.
I washed my hands
and gargled. This is the first thing I do when I get home.
“Quit standing
around, go wash your hands and gargle.”
I called out to
Himekawa, who was standing frozen in the entryway absentmindedly.
Himekawa removed
her shoes and, following my lead, placed them in the shoe cabinet.
“E-excuse me.”
Then she followed
my lead, washing her hands and gargling.
It feels strange.
There’s no one else living in this house besides me.
All I feel is a
sense of strangeness from Himekawa in front of me.
“For now, I’ll make
some tea. Coffee, black tea, or water. What would you like?”
“Ah, um, tea,
please.”
Guided into the
living room, Himekawa sat neatly on a chair at the dining table.
The kettle
whistled, indicating that the water was ready.
I put the tea
before Himekawa and placed my own coffee in front of me.
“Itadakimasu”
Himekawa took the
cup in both hands and started drinking slowly.
I took a seat
across Himekawa, and silence filled the space between us.
“So, can you talk?
Or you don’t want to? Well it’s fine if you don’t want to talk though.”
I asked Himekawa
bluntly.
After remaining
silent for a while, Himekawa set her cup on the saucer, placed her hands on her
lap, and looked me straight in the eyes.
“Would you keep
what I’m going to tell you a secret?”
I nodded silently,
holding my coffee in one hand.
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