Chapter 2: Asada Shino
Putting my groceries on the kitchen table, I went to cook the rice in the rice cooker.
It takes about half an hour to cook.
So, while waiting for the rice to be cooked, I went to clean up my messy room.
My apartment is quite complete for a fairly small place like this one.
With facilities such as a kitchen, a bedroom that blends with the living room, and a bathroom as well as a small space for the warehouse next to it.
Well…living here isn't so bad, that is if you have everything, including money.
No money, can't pay the rent. No rent, no apartments. No apartment or shelter, you're homeless.
I started my morning by cleaning my place. Honestly, when I saw it, it felt like I was living in ruins.
All my dirty clothes were scattered, bottles and food wrappers were scattered, and there were even food stains here and there.
"Hah…Yosh! Cheers up!" I said it and clenched my fist up to encourage myself.
I started by opening the glass door to the drying balcony to let fresh air in.
Then I put all the dirty clothes into the washing machine and then took the trash bag for the scattered trash.
After that, I took a vacuum cleaner and cleaned the whole room, and mopped the stains on the floor.
There's still a lot more to do, and it's hard to believe that 20 minutes have passed and it's finally finished.
I moved to take the laundry to the washing machine and dry it. Luckily, the sun today is very bright and quite hot.
"Huh, hah, the heat." Okay, maybe too hot for me. I went back in and saw all my hard work with pride.
"Umu, it's finally finished." With a space that is not too large, cleaning it does not require a long time.
Next, I went to the bathroom to clean myself. To be honest, when I smelled my body, it didn't smell good, and my body was sticky with sweat.
After finishing the shower, I changed my clothes and wore shorts, shirtless. I looked at myself in the mirror and looked at my body.
"Damn, man. I envy those people who have good bodies out there. They have nice abs, nice biceps, and some muscles here and there." I looked in the mirror jealousy on my face when I saw my thin body.
But if you guys take a closer look, my body has athletically built muscles underneath these skins. So, I just lack muscle mass only.
Maybe it's because I haven't exercised in a while? Yep, it's really nostalgic.
The last time I exercised was maybe 4 or 3 years ago. So it's no wonder that now I'm like this because I didn't take care of my body.
Moreover, I still remember that incident. The exact incident that caused my left eye to go blind so I had to cover it with my hair.
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I started cooking breakfast this morning. I made it equal to a portion for 3 people because I was really hungry right now.
I just cook normal home cooking with stir-fried vegetables and omelets and a few other dishes like tempura.
"Mmm, that smells really good." Just by smelling it, my stomach is rumbling again.
"Next, just the final touches, and it's ready," I added the last addition to my plate, which is sprinkling salt on my breakfast.
Okay, I know I added salt when I cooked it. It's just that I like salty food, and my taste is pretty weird.
Well, I hope I don't have hypertension because I consume too much Iodine.
"Hmm~Hmm~," While I was preparing my dish, suddenly a bell rang from the front door.
"Huh? I don't remember inviting anyone or ordering something."
Despite my curiosity and confusion, I took off my apron and put on the proper attire for receiving guests.
When I opened the door, a girl with glasses who had bumped into me early was at my door.
She was surprised for a moment and acted strangely, fidgeting nervously while I just stared at her with a straight face.
What's wrong with this girl?
After waiting for a few moments from this staring situation and neither of us started the conversation, I broke this awkward atmosphere, "Eto, what's wrong?" I said it in a flat tone.
"Ah, good morning. A-ano, I-I want to apologize. For the incident earlier, I'm sorry I bumped into you, sir, and I should have apologized properly, but instead, I ran away. Again, I am deeply sorry!!!"
She stammered and said the last sentence aloud while bowing apologetically.
Oi, oi, what are you doing? I started to panic because if someone saw this, it would be weird, and my peaceful life would be messed up if the other neighbors found out.
"Hey, there, there, that's enough. I understand. Alright, I have forgiven you, so there is no need to bring it up again."
I lifted her shoulders to stand up straight. When I saw her face, she was crying and strangely, she looked in pain.
Woah, woah, am I that rude or scary, "Eh! Alright, don't cry, ok? Um…how about we get some fresh air first. You need to calm down first, got it?" She nodded.
She took a deep breath and exhaled several times.
Seriously, does she have a chronic disease or something? It can be troublesome if I'm the one who is asked to be responsible later.
My goodness, my Sunday break seems to have gone already. I said it with imaginary tears.
Bye-bye, my lovely weekend.
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"Uhm, ano…"
"Hmm, have you calmed down?" I asked her while eating my breakfast with gusto.
"Eto, I have a question... Why are we here?" She asked me still with her head down.
Then I looked around us and checked if there was anything strange, "Why? Is there something wrong?"
She immediately answered in a hurry, "Ah, no. It's just...I wondered why are we in the playground?"
Then, I chewed the food that was in my mouth first and swallowed it.
I thought for a bit and then said, "Hmm, I think this is a good place to calm your mind, and if you want to be alone, you know."
"And also this is the place I usually use when I'm bored and have a lot of things on my mind. It's my favorite place."
"So, after I found out you don't have any serious illness and just have bad past trauma, maybe this could be the right place to get rid of those bad thoughts for a while,"
I said casually while looking up at the clear blue sky.
At first, I thought she found me scary so she cried when she face me.
But when I asked her what make her cry, It wasn't because of me...well, theoretically it is, but the cause was her past trauma, and one of them is fear of meeting an unknown man.
That must be really hard for her.
We sat on a park bench under a shady tree while eating my breakfast.
When she heard what I just said, she still looked down sadly.
Seeing her like that, I said again, "You know, if you have any problems in your life and have a lot of thoughts, you can tell me."
"Ah! I didn't mean to pry on your personal matter, but it doesn't do good for you if you keep it yourself."
"It's not like we're a stranger now, aren't we? After all, we're now neighbors, right?" I said while glancing at her with a warm smile.
The girl also looked at me and stared at my face for a moment, but then she turned her head around.
For real, I saw her face turn red for a moment. Well, maybe it was just my feeling.
A moment later, I forgot something important, "Oh yeah, by the way, I don't know your name, yet." I said to her in a friendly tone while spooning my food into my mouth.
"Shino, Asada Shino."
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