When I Started Doing Housework For The Cool Beauty In My Class, She Began Asking Me About The Dinner Menu Every Day. - Chapter 8: Fujisaki-san, My Neighbor.

Fujisaki-san, My Neighbor.

Fujisaki lowered her desk beside mine, waving a piece of paper with the number 12 on it.

I never expected we’d have a connection like this…

Earlier in the morning, I hadn’t had the chance to greet her, so I had planned to approach her once the opening ceremony and seating change were over. However, it seemed like we were able to talk much sooner than I thought.

“Alright, looks like everyone’s moved. We have some extra time, so let’s use the remaining time as free time. Chat with the person next to you to get to know each other better and pass the time.”

With that, the teacher left, and the remaining time was designated as free time.

Since this was the first seating change, many students were meeting new neighbors, and it was a great opportunity to interact. I appreciated the teacher giving us this time for exchanges.

I didn’t have many opportunities to interact with Fujisaki, and aside from the housework event, this was essentially our first conversation.

However, since the housework event had been so intense, it didn’t feel like a first encounter at all.

“Um… Should we introduce ourselves?”

“Sure… I’m Shirayanagi Minato. Nice to meet you.”

“Thank you. I’m Fujisaki Kanon. Um… what are your hobbies?”

“That’s a bit formal, huh? Are we on a blind date or something?”

“A blind date…!? No, that’s not it!”

Perhaps because we already knew a little about each other, we both ended up being a bit stiff, almost like we were on a blind date. I couldn’t help but tease her, but watching Fujisaki fluster and scramble was somewhat amusing.

However, I might have overdone it with the teasing, as she puffed her cheeks and gave me an adorably angry glare.

Since this was an opportunity to deepen our exchange as neighbors, I decided not to push it too much.

“Alright, I’m sorry. As for hobbies… I like cooking, and recently, basketball.”

“Basketball? Are you on the basketball team, Shirayanagi-kun?”

“No, I’m not part of any club. My friend Takuma—the guy sitting in seat 19—is in the basketball club, and he often drags me along, so I’ve started to enjoy it.”

During the first semester, Takuma often dragged me to the gym during lunch breaks to play basketball, and even during the summer vacation, we rented a public gym to play. I’m not exactly experienced in basketball, but according to Takuma, I pick things up quickly and my shots are clean.

Because of that, I’ve ended up playing basketball with him a lot, and since Takuma also teaches me different things, I’ve started to enjoy it.

“Basketball, huh… So, you’re good at sports, Shirayanagi-kun?”

“Well, I do like moving around.”

“Won’t you join the basketball club?”

“I live on my own, so joining a club would add up in expenses, and I’m also worried about the time and energy required.”

Actually, Takuma had also suggested I join the basketball club, but like Fujisaki, I live alone, so after-school club activities would make life quite difficult. Joining the same club as Takuma sounded fun, and I don’t dislike basketball, but I had to reluctantly turn it down.

“So, you live alone too, Shirayanagi-kun…”

“Yeah.”

“Um… well, there’s something I’d like to ask you, but…”

“What is it? Did you make a mess already?”

“It’s not that… um, it’s just… it’s a bit hard to talk about here…”

Fujisaki hesitated, seeming to struggle with how to say it, nervously twisting her index fingers.

After a moment of awkward silence, she wrote something on the edge of her notebook and then showed it to me.

It read—“I want you to come to my place after school”—written in round, cute characters.

***

After school.

The first day back from summer vacation was a light schedule—just the opening ceremony and some guidance, followed by an early dismissal around lunchtime. Many students went out to hang out with friends after that.

I had thought about inviting Takuma to hang out if nothing came up, but I had a prior engagement with Fujisaki. Even if that wasn’t the case, Takuma was probably busy trying to make an impression on the girl sitting next to him, Hiori, so I quickly made my exit, wishing him luck.

When I stepped into the hallway, there was Fujisaki.

Maybe she’d been waiting for me to come out. She had written in her notebook that she wanted me to come over to her place, but I wondered if that meant we were going home together.

“Shirayama-kun, let’s go,” she said.

“Y-yeah.”

I never imagined that I’d be invited to a girl’s house so soon after school started again. Well, I had told Fujisaki I would help her out a bit as a friend, so I had expected that there might be a time when she would ask for help, but it seemed like this wasn’t about that.

Most likely, she wanted to talk about something she couldn’t say at school. But, even so, I wasn’t sure if I needed to go all the way to her house for that. Still, I was a little curious about what her house was like… Wait, that sounds weird. I mean, I was curious about whether she was keeping the place tidy after I helped her with cleaning last week.

So, there was no problem with going to her house.

“Sorry, I dragged you along even though school ended so early,” Fujisaki said.

“It’s fine. If I went home, I’d just eat and sleep anyway,” I replied.

“I see. By the way, Shirayama-kun, where do you live? I feel bad for dragging you around without even asking, especially since you’re living alone.”

“It’s fine. I live around here too,” I said.

“Huh, really?” she asked.

“Yeah, I live in an apartment about five minutes’ walk from your place. So, for me, it’s like a little detour on my way home,” I explained.

“Ah, that’s a relief. I was worried you might live in the opposite direction or take the train or something,” she said.

Fujisaki’s apartment was not too far from the school, and it was within walking distance. My place was the same.

However, the reason we’d never run into each other on our way to or from school was probably because our routes were slightly different. Fujisaki’s route home was likely the shortest way from her apartment, and we passed through different school gates.

I figured our neighborhoods were pretty much the same, but the fact we never bumped into each other outside must have been due to things like whether or not we cook for ourselves.

As I thought about this, I matched my pace to Fujisaki’s as we walked. Since I wasn’t familiar with the area, I looked around with a bit of excitement, taking in the new surroundings, and before long, we had arrived at Fujisaki’s apartment.

And now, I was about to enter her house… I felt a bit nervous, wondering what I would see when the door opened.

“Go ahead… Wait, what’s with that reaction?”

“No, I’m just surprised at how clean it is.”

I had half-expected the entrance and hallway to be cluttered, but it was spotless. It was impressive. I couldn’t help but feel a little emotional, wondering if Fujisaki had put in extra effort to tidy up.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Sorry, I was just a little moved. Thanks for having me,” I said.

“To be impressed just by it being clean feels a little complicated…” she replied.

“Well, it’s not like the last time was exactly neat,” I joked, referring to my previous visit as we walked toward the living room.

Wow, it’s so much easier to walk around here without tripping over things!

She gestured for me to sit on the couch, and I expected her to sit next to me. But no, instead, she sat directly across from me, sitting properly in front of the table, her face serious.

Wait, what? Why is she looking so solemn? Is this a really important conversation?

I couldn’t help but feel nervous as I waited for her to speak. After several deep breaths, Fujisaki finally opened her mouth.

“I’ll get straight to the point. Shirayama-kun… would you consider working for me?”