Chapter 17 Big Cleanup

Big Cleanup

“Ariga-cchi~, even though you have such a cute college girl here—seriously, isn’t this way too messy?”

What’s become almost a regular occurrence now—a drinking session at my place.

Kanade, who had come over with a drink in hand, said that with a teasing tone.

In the direction she was pointing, there was a mountain of cardboard boxes piled up.

“Hehe… it’s a little messy, isn’t it~?”

At my response, she let out an exaggerated sigh and then shot me a sharp glare.

“‘A little’ doesn’t even begin to cover it!! These cardboard boxes are an eyesore. To put it mildly, this is practically a trash heap!!”

“Wow, that was harsh… But yeah, you’re not wrong. It’s just… it can’t be helped.”

“It can be helped! You’ve been living here for a week since you moved in!!”

A working adult getting lectured by a college girl… yeah, this is pretty sad.

But to be fair, it’s not that I didn’t want to clean.

I simply didn’t have the time.

The nature of working at a cram school means that workdays often stretch late into the night.

Sure, I start work later in the day, usually around noon, but recently, I’ve had so much to do that I’ve been heading out in the morning.

Naturally, that means I’m spending more time at work than at home.

Because of that, I haven’t been able to dedicate time to cleaning or organizing.

Well… that’s just an excuse, though. Kanade’s right, and I have no rebuttal.

“Imagine trying to drink in a place like this. Have a little sympathy for me, okay~?”

“But hey, isn’t there something cozy about being surrounded by stuff? Like that comforting feeling of being back home.”

“If you have time to make silly excuses, you’d be better off using that time to clean up, don’t you think? You’re not even bad at cleaning, Ariga-cchi.”

“Haha… Yeah, I know. I get it…”

Back when I was married, I used to have this mindset of, “I have to stay on top of the housework!” so I never neglected cleaning.

But after she was gone, I found myself always putting it off, and that habit stuck, leading to this mess.

“I’ll just handle it all later!” has become my go-to excuse… Honestly, I’d welcome an extra pair of hands right now.

When I sighed and looked over at Kanade, she was staring straight at me. Feeling awkward, I quickly averted my eyes, and she let out a small giggle.

“Well then, shall we start cleaning now? It’s late, so let’s make sure we’re quiet.”

“Wait… you’re going to help?”

“I helped with the move too, didn’t I? I planned on helping from the start~! Also, there were some things that made me a little irritated, so this is like physical labor to relieve stress!”

“It’s rare for you to admit something like that. Did something happen at school?”

“Ah… something like that, I guess?”

“Why does that sound like a question…?”

At my response, she just gave an awkward smile “hahaha…” and started counting the boxes.

Then, for some reason, Kanade pulled disposable masks and gloves out of her bag and put them on.

“Alright, let’s do this~! I came prepared!”

“No, no, no! I can’t just have you do everything. I’ll handle it myself, so you can relax.”

“Look at me—I’m motivated!”

“Seriously, it’s fine. Take a break.”

“Sigh… How can I relax in this mess!? Listen, Ariga-cchi, your problem is that even when things start piling up and getting unmanageable, you try to do everything yourself. You’ve got to stop that!”

“If it gets resolved that way, then it’s fine—”

“No, it’s not fine! You have to use the resources available to you! You can’t keep running yourself into the ground. Even in games, the golden rule is to ‘Protect your HP!’ That’s basic adulting, okay? No overexerting yourself, got it?”

“O-okay… Got it.”

Overwhelmed by her forceful manner, I gave that reply.

But even then, Kanade didn’t seem satisfied.

The thought of someone spreading rumors like “That cram school’s director overworks everyone!” crossed my mind.

Kanade stared at me with an inspecting, slightly suspicious gaze.

“If you’re not going to agree, then I have another plan.”

“…Another plan?”

“If you keep making excuses and refuse to clean up… I’ll start spreading rumors like, ‘That cram school forces people to drink in a trash heap!’ I have connections, you know~?”

“N-No, no, that’s tyrannical—”

“Are you sure you want to test me?”

“P-please help me clean! I’m begging you!!”

Damn. Her eyes were serious.

I ended up agreeing without a second thought.

Well, it’s something I needed to deal with eventually anyway… Guess I’ll just have to suck it up.

I sighed deeply, my shoulders slumping in resignation.

Seeing me like that, Kanade smiled—a teasing yet somehow enchanting smile.

“Alright, let’s get started.”

“…Is this what coercion looks like?”

“Fufu~. Ariga-cchi’s self-sacrificing spirit won’t work as long as I’m here!”

And so, our post-move-in big cleanup began.