Episode 255: The Goddess in the Takanashi Household

Sunday

Today’s the day the new furniture finally arrives.

The movers called a bit ago to say they’d be here in thirty minutes. So right now, I’m doing a bit of light sorting while I wait. Sara-san, who usually doesn’t let me touch the housework, is quietly letting me help out today. Though, to be honest, there’s basically nothing left to do because she finished almost everything by yesterday.

What I’m currently wrestling with is what to do with my old bed: whether to toss it or find a place for it. Since it’s a folding bed, it doesn’t take up much space, but it’s obviously useless for the new double-sized futon. Thinking about it that way, there’s practically zero chance of ever using it again.

But…

「Sara-san, about this bed, do you think it’s a waste to throw it out?」

Even if it was just a cheap thing from a local thrift shop, it’s still perfectly usable. Part of me feels like it’s a waste, and maybe some occasion will come up where I’ll need it. When I think of it like that, I start wondering if I should keep it.

「I haven’t used it since I came to this house, so wouldn’t we be fine without it? Besides, it takes up quite a bit of space, so I think it’s better to just get rid of it, don’t you?」

Sara-san left the final choice to me, but the conclusion was already pretty much decided.

Either way, Sara-san is the one actually doing the housework here, so if it’s in her way, I should probably toss it.

「You’re right. I’ll get rid of it.」

「Yes. Instead, let’s buy a double bed whenever we move out one day♪」

「Y-Yeah, let’s do that.」

Since Sara-san is insistent on us sleeping together, it seems like her real wish is to have a double bed.

Of course, when we went shopping the other day, the topic of getting a bed for the double futon came up. But my current place isn’t exactly big, so we gave up on the idea after realizing how much trouble a permanent, large piece of furniture would cause. As a result, it fell out of our options and we had a bit of surplus budget, which went toward Sara-san’s oven. I think that worked out for the best.

Ding-dong.

While we were talking, our doorbell, which rarely ever rings, finally fulfilled its purpose. Since I wasn’t expecting any guests, it was probably the movers arriving right on schedule.

「Hello! We’re here with your furniture!」

「Coming!」

The person on the other side of the door spoke up before I could even check who it was. Replying back, I grabbed my work gloves and opened the door to find a guy so muscular he didn’t quite match the voice I’d just heard.

「Good work today.」

I was a bit surprised, but I kept my cool and greeted him as I stepped outside. Another guy was getting out of the truck’s passenger seat. He looked just as buff as the first one. They seemed like a pretty powerful duo.

「Sorry for the wait. We’ll carry everything into your room, so please let us know where you want things.」

Truth is, I’d forgotten to check how much they would actually do when I requested the delivery at the store. I didn’t want to make Sara-san do any heavy lifting, so I’d planned on offering to help carry things in. Honestly, this was a lifesaver.

「Thank you! Let’s head to the room right away, then.」

「Sure thing, so… h…」

As the two of them turned toward the back of the truck, they suddenly froze, looking behind me in shock.

Wondering what was up, I turned around to find Sara-san had just stepped out of the house and was walking toward us.

「Sara-san, it looks like the movers will handle the heavy lifting. I’ll stay here and help, so please go to the room and show them where to put everything.」

「I see. Thank you very much, that would be a great help.」

The two of them were staring at Sara-san in a daze, but when she thanked them and bowed, they hurriedly shook their heads as if flustered.

They watched Sara-san as she headed back into the room, still looking like they couldn’t believe their eyes.

「Um… is that your girlfriend?」

「Yeah. She is.」

Technically she’s my fiancée, but I didn’t see any need to tell a stranger that much.

「…Is she like, an idol or a model?」

「No, she doesn’t really do anything like that.」

It’s not unusual for people to be shocked by Sara-san’s looks. Even I think it wouldn’t be strange at all if she was in show business. So it’s only natural for someone meeting her for the first time to think that.

「Whew… I’m jealous of you, man.」

「Seriously, if I had a girlfriend like that… oh, sorry. Let’s get started.」

「Yes, let’s.」

He looked like he was about to say more, but he cut himself off, steeled his expression, and hopped onto the truck bed. They quickly unloaded the drawers and the futon, carrying them inside one after another. I was carrying boxes of smaller items so I wouldn’t get in their way, but after about two trips, a voice suddenly called out to me from behind.

「Hey, Takanashi!!」

Since it came from behind me, I couldn’t see them, but I knew immediately from the voice that it was Yamakawa. Turning around, I saw the usual trio standing there, watching me.

「Did you move in here by any chance?」

「No, I’ve lived here from the start.」

「Oh, really? Wow, guess we were neighbors after all.」

The way he said that meant Kawamura’s house must be nearby. I’d never run into a classmate around here before, but I guess it isn’t that strange.

「We were just passing by and happened to see you come out of your room, Takanashi.」

「I thought you were moving or something. Want a hand?」

「No, the movers are handling everything, so I’m good. Thanks, though.」

It seemed the three of them were just checking in out of the kindness of their hearts. I appreciated the gesture, of course, but the heavy lifting was almost over and there wasn’t anything inside I needed help with. So I politely declined.

「Hey, Takanashi… since we ran into you on our day off, do you think we could talk for a bit? Just a little is fine.」

As far as Yamakawa was concerned, that was clearly the real reason he’d called out to me. Yamakawa’s usually so cheerful, so seeing him look this solemn threw me off.

I could tell it was a serious conversation… a consultation, obviously. And I could guess with ninety percent certainty that it was about Hanako-san.

That said, when it comes to Hanako-san and those kinds of things, I’ve already decided not to do anything unnecessary or take matters into my own hands. So to be honest, I wasn’t exactly eager to have the talk.

「Sorry to interrupt, but we’ve finished the job.」

While I was talking to Yamakawa and the others, it seemed the delivery work had all wrapped up. The mover brought over a delivery slip and a pen, so I signed it and handed it back.

「Thank you very much for your purchase. We’ll be on our way, then.」

「Thank you. Good work today.」

I hadn’t been able to help much, so I offered a polite thank you as an apology. The two men gave a nod in response and hopped back into the truck. There were still other items in the back, so they probably had another house to visit. As I watched the truck drive off, the four of us guys were left standing there looking at each other.

Well, what now…

Setting the contents aside, it seemed obvious that Yamakawa was serious, so I felt like I should at least listen to him. But there was still work to be done inside the house, and I’d likely just get in Sara-san’s way. Moving to a convenience store or a park might be the best bet.

「Takanashi, we won’t take much of your time, so if it’s okay, maybe we could go to your…」

I knew immediately he was about to say my place. The three of them knew I was living alone, so I’d expected him to say that.

But Yamakawa froze before he could finish the sentence, staring toward the house. As if caught by it, the other two froze too. All three of them had their eyes wide open, staring at something in the exact same way, looking shocked.

Since it was a similar situation to earlier, I already had a guess, but when I checked my room… sure enough, Sara-san was poking her head out, checking to see what was going on.

「Kazunari-san, is something the matter?」

As Sara-san walked over to us, the three of them looked like they were terrified, stepping back a little. They looked quite tense, and if I had to guess, they were probably scared.

Since Sara-san obviously didn’t know these three, I figured I should introduce them.

「Sara-san, these three are friends of mine from the same class.」

When I introduced them as friends, Sara-san’s expression softened slightly, and she gave a fluid, graceful nod.

「I see. I apologize for the late greeting. Kazunari-san is always in your debt.」

I had a feeling she’d say it, and sure enough, her greeting included the phrase「Kazunari-san is always in your debt.」But unlike before, we’re engaged now, so maybe a greeting like that doesn’t feel out of place… maybe.

「Na… na… ah…」

「W… hoa… seriously… no way…」

「Sa… sa… Satsukawa… senpai…」

It was obvious they were shocked, but they should have known about my relationship with Sara-san after seeing everything in class yesterday.

And yet, as if they couldn’t believe Sara-san was actually here, all three of them stood there frozen with expressions of pure shock.

「…? Is something wrong?」

Watching the three of them, Sara-san tilted her head in confusion…

Since we don’t have enough chairs for everyone in my house, I had everyone sit on cushions on the tatami mats. The items that were just brought in weren’t put away yet, but the large pieces were already placed in their designated spots. So they weren’t in the way.

Actually, I’d thought about taking the three of them to a park or something, but Sara-san suggested:

「It’s a bit much to talk while standing, so why don’t you have your friends come in?」

So I took her up on the offer and invited them inside.

The three of them, looking completely overwhelmed, sat down on the cushions and, for some reason, straightened their backs and sat in seiza. They were acting as quiet as kittens while staring blankly at Sara-san as she prepared tea in the kitchen.

「H-Hey… Takanashi…」

「Yeah?」

「That’s… S-Satsukawa-senpai, right?」

「Yeah, so?」

「Why is she… in your house?」

「What do you mean why… you saw us in class yesterday, didn’t you?」

「「「 ………… 」」」

As if they couldn’t believe what was happening right in front of them, the three stared blankly at Sara-san.

Looking back at yesterday, Yamakawa especially shouldn’t have been that surprised, though…

「No, yesterday I was just preoccupied with the fact that Hanasaki-san wasn’t your girlfriend…」

「I’ve… been forced to realize all over again that this is reality…」

「Same here…」

I see.

Because Yamakawa was thinking about Hanako-san, the part about me and Sara-san had faded into the background. And the other two probably didn’t feel like yesterday’s events were real. So seeing Sara-san here in my house made them finally realize that yesterday was the truth…

「…I still… can’t believe it…」

「…That Satsukawa-senpai… is in Takanashi’s house…」

Even though they supposedly understood it was reality, the shock still wouldn’t wear off. They kept murmuring the same thing over and over like they were talking in their sleep.

「Come on, just accept it already.」

I knew they didn’t mean any harm, of course, but it’s true that hearing such negative things didn’t make me feel great. I ended up saying it as a bit of a warning, and the three of them offered apologies while looking a bit sheepish.

「Sorry, we didn’t mean it like that. We just simply can’t believe Satsukawa-senpai is here.」

「…Me neither. I mean… come on, it’s Satsukawa-senpai!? The Goddess!? And she’s making tea in a buddy’s house…」

「Sorry, Takanashi… but after all, yesterday’s story and this, it’s all real, isn’t it… the Goddess… it’s like a lie…」

It wasn’t so much about me as it was simply the fact that Sara-san had become someone’s girlfriend that they couldn’t wrap their heads around.

Their reaction made it very clear how they viewed Sara-san, but maybe everyone else feels the same way. Since even these guys, who are friendly toward me, are like this, there’s a good chance everyone else finds it even more unbelievable…