Our Life That Begins with a Convenient Relationship - Chapter 14

A few days had passed since then.

After finishing the various paperwork and tidying up my room, I handed my belongings over to the moving company I had hired. The day to say goodbye to this room had finally arrived.

As I watched the truck loaded with cardboard boxes turn the corner and disappear, the air suddenly felt very still. When I went back inside and looked around, the space I was so used to seeing looked strangely large.

Aside from the furniture that originally came with the place, every single thing that made up my daily life was gone. The rattling desk, the faint tan lines on the floor, the stain on the stove that wouldn’t come off no matter what I tried—these were the leftovers of the time I had spent in this room.

In the empty room, even the sound of my own footsteps echoed back at me. Though it was a familiar sound, I felt a restless sensation, as if I were standing in a stranger’s room.

About seventeen years, I realized I had spent nearly half my life in this room. From the time I started living alone as a university student until now, this tiny space had held everything.

But now, that time was quietly coming to an end.

“Thank you for everything,” I whispered, bowing toward the empty space.

I took one last look out the window. The laundry hanging at the apartment next door, the narrow alleyway, the stray cat that occasionally peeked into this room—all of it would belong to someone else’s world tomorrow.

I locked the door firmly and returned the key to the landlord along with an envelope containing the prorated rent. The landlord, receiving the key with aged hands, smiled and said, “Thank you for being here so long.”

It was just a formal phrase, but it made my heart ache just a little.

“So, this is really goodbye.”

My quiet murmur dissolved into the slightly damp sky. Then, I put on a large backpack containing my work apron and a few things for tonight, and headed toward the izakaya as I always did.

Today might be the last time I walk this path. But there was no use being sentimental. Once I started work, I’d be back to my usual self.

I told myself that and looked up.

“Good morning, Kyoko! Let’s work hard and stay cheerful today!”

As I stepped through the curtains, the manager called out in his usual tone. He was a muscular man, wearing bold eyeshadow and a bright pink apron today. He truly was the face of our izakaya.

“Yeah!”

When I replied with more spirit than usual, the manager gave a satisfied thumbs-up and said, “Great energy!”

Steam rose from freshly cooked rice behind the counter, and the scent of stew drifted from the kitchen.

Ah, smelling this naturally makes me feel like working.

The usual shop, the usual work. But when night comes, I will start a new life with Sakura at that apartment. Just thinking about it made me feel restless and fidgety, like I was too old to be feeling this way.

It was like the night before a school trip when I was a student—no, my heart was racing even more than that.

The lunch shift ended, and the break time I had been waiting for finally arrived. The shop grew silent, making the lunchtime rush feel like a lie, and some of the lights in the dining area were turned off. Only the low, steady hum of the kitchen fan remained.

I wiped my hands at the sink and poured some warm tea into a cup. The rising steam felt soothing to my tired body.

Well, it’s now or never.

Steeling my resolve, I spoke to the manager sitting across the counter.

“Um… Manager, I actually have something to report.”

“Oh? What is it, Kyoko? You’re being so formal.”

The manager crossed his arms and grinned. That “grin” was usually a sign that he was ready to tease me about whatever I said.

I straightened my back a little and spoke.

“I’ve changed where I live, so I thought I should let you know.”

“Oh my, you moved? I’m not paying extra for travel, you know!”

I couldn’t help but let out a wry smile at the predictable joke.

I set my tea cup on the counter and took a folded piece of paper from my pocket. On it was the address of my new home.

“Here it is. It won’t cost anything for travel.”

The manager narrowed his eyes to look at the paper. A few seconds later, he raised an eyebrow.

“My, you’ve moved into a very fancy place. The rent must be quite high. Can you afford it?”

“Ah, about that…”

Scratching my cheek, I explained the “fake marriage” story with Sakura as calmly as I could. Of course, I had consulted Sakura beforehand, and she had agreed immediately, saying, “It’s fine to tell the manager.” Even if she was a regular, she wouldn’t want her address known to just anyone, so I had checked just in case.

When I finished talking, the manager clapped his hands and laughed.

“Well! Kyoko, you’ve caught yourself quite a catch. Don’t you dare let her go until you’re officially dating!”

“Good grief… what are you talking about? It’s a fragile relationship that ends the moment she says it’s over.”

As I hurriedly denied it, the manager leaned on his elbows with a smirking face.

…I don’t know what it is about that “I know exactly what’s going on” look of his. But whatever.

“Hmm. But you didn’t say, ‘It’s impossible for us to date because we’re the same gender,’ did you?”

I was left speechless by that one comment.

Since I have no intention of anything happening between us, it would have been normal to answer that way first. But strangely, my throat felt tight, and those words wouldn’t come out.

…Ah, I see. The answer is simple.

“If I said that, wouldn’t I be rejecting you, Manager? I don’t think like that at all.”

The person in front of me was a muscular “onee” manager with a boyfriend. I had worked here with him for a long time regardless of gender or orientation, so there was no way I would think such a thing. To me, this was normal and natural.

“Oh, I’m so happy! Well, if that girl ever dumps you, I’ll take care of you.”

“You already have a boyfriend. Please spare me the love triangles or cheating drama. This isn’t a soap opera.”

When I poked fun at him with a laugh, the manager burst into laughter. The sound echoed through the wide shop and melted into the steam.

“It’s a joke, a joke. But Kyoko, seeing you live with someone else is quite moving. It’s been a long time since you were living all alone.”

“…For me, too. It hasn’t quite sunk in yet, though.”

We laughed together, and after the break ended, we went back to our prep work.

Tontontonton. The sound of the knife hitting the cutting board echoed like a signal that the break was over. Inside the stew pot, the ingredients danced and bubbled.

The usual scene. The usual sounds. But deep inside, something was starting to change little by little.

When work is over, I’ll go back to that new room. What waits for me isn’t living alone, but living with another person—it was just that, but my heart felt strangely warm.

Staring at the tip of my knife, I let out a small breath.

My new life was just around the corner.