I Was Reincarnated as a Mob, and After I Kept Listening to the Losing Childhood-Friend Heroine’s Complaints, I Somehow Maxed Out Her Affection Rating - 19

Chapter 19: Yuuta Does the Cleaning, Kaede Gets the Apology Sweets

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Yuuta’s POV

When I got home and closed the door, I quietly made a declaration.

“Let’s clean.”

It wasn’t something meant for anyone to hear—just a mutter to myself. But in this room, that sentence was practically a “revolutionary proclamation.”

I looked around…

Clothes scattered all over the floor, piles of empty cup noodle containers on the desk, convenience store bags that had mysteriously multiplied. No matter how you looked at it, this wasn’t a human living space, it was more like a wild animal’s den.

“…If Hiiragi-san came over like this, my life would be over.”

No, more like my life would end before it even began. Either way, I had to urgently regain at least the minimum semblance of being a human.

“For now… I guess I should start by hiding the stuff that would be really bad if she saw it…”

I pulled out an empty cardboard box and created a “black-history box.” Inside were mostly those limited-edition goods from a certain anime that I bought during late-night hype years ago.

“…If Hiiragi-san ever found this, I’d die instantly.”

As a form of repentance, I sealed it shut with packing tape. Next, I tackled the floor. I picked up the laundry, gathered the cup noodle trash, and put the plastic bottles into the recycling bag.

“Alright… This is probably much better.”

When I looked back, the floor was definitely more spacious than before. But at that exact moment, a stack of cardboard boxes pushed against the wall entered my line of sight and reality came crashing back. At the very least, I wanted to evolve from a garbage-filled room to a room that looks lived in. Thinking that, I sat down on the bed. The fatigue hit me in a heavy wave.

“…Am I even gonna finish this by my day off?”

I looked up at the ceiling without thinking. It even looked faintly dirty, which doubled the mental damage.

“No, this won’t do… With Hiiragi-san coming, I’m gonna look like some lost cause of a man…”

Muttering that, I stood up again. I pulled out the vacuum cleaner and switched it on.

“BWOOOOOO—”

The sound alone had plenty of enthusiasm. Probably, my real enemy right now wasn’t trash but my lack of life skills. The battle had only just begun.

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Kaede’s POV

On the morning of my day off.

While fixing my hair in front of the mirror, I checked the contents of my bag.

“Okay, got the Blu-ray… Wait, this is totally like I’m getting ready for a date.”

Even as I pointed that out to myself, I couldn’t help but smile a little. It wasn’t like I had any ulterior motives. Today we were just watching a movie.

…Probably.

At that moment—

Ding-dong.

The doorbell suddenly rang.

Huh? Who? A delivery? At this time?

When I opened the door, standing there was Shouma.

“…What is it?”

“Yo. Sorry for dropping by. Got a minute?”

He was holding a paper bag from a familiar brand. The moment my eyes went to it, Shouma gave an awkward smile and said to me.

“I’ve been causing trouble lately, so… Think of it as an apology gift.”

“…Huh. That’s rare. Kinda thoughtful of you.”

“Shut up. Look, you liked this place’s sweets, right?”

Inside the bag he held out was the logo of my favorite strawberry roll cake.

…He remembered. That was a little surprising.

“Thanks. …Well, I’ll take it.”

“Yeah.”

As I took it, his gaze stopped on my outfit. The moment it did, I got a bad feeling.

“Uh, so… Are you going somewhere?”

“Eh?”

“You look like, I dunno, in ‘going out mode’? Your hair, your clothes…”

Ugh. Annoying. He was definitely staring way too closely. But if I said something like “I’m going to a boy’s house to watch a movie,” it would 100% turn into something annoying.

“Yeah, well…Just going out a bit. By myself.”

I let out a small laugh to smooth things over, and Shouma exhaled in relief.

“R-right. …Ahh, I said something weird. My bad.”

He scratched his head with an awkward grin. Watching him, I ended up feeling embarrassed for him.

“Well, I should get going.”

“Ah, yeah. See ya.”

He waved, looking a little reluctant, and left. As I watched his back disappear, I let out a breath.

“…Seriously. Why now of all times.”

Back inside, I peeked into the bag. Inside were two roll cakes.

“Two…?”

Why? Was he being considerate, or was it just a set of two? Either way, not bad.

“Well, since he gave them… I guess I’ll bring them as a treat.”

I gently took out the sweets and slipped them into my bag. Then I stood in front of the mirror again.

Alright, all set. Time to go to Yuuta-kun’s house.

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