You’re Right, They’ll Expel Me if I Run into the Store with a Weapon!! - Chapter 25: Limited-Time Quest

Phone Ringing

“…Hmm… Haaai? Hello?”

Awoken by the ringing of the phone, a sleepy voice answers the device.

“Hey! What time do you think it is? We’re getting calls from customers! They’re complaining that you haven’t arrived on time!”

“Huh? What are you talking about… Oh no!?”

Realization dawns on a delivery person as they check their wristwatch.

(I stepped on something… No, that’s not important right now! Where is the package? Why is the slip here!?)

“Get moving fast! The complaints are serious!”

“Yes, yes!”

A hapless delivery person rushes off in their truck.

Roughly opening the curtains in a dark room, sliding the window open wide.

Letting in the outside light reveals an unimaginable scene.

The living room is a mess with futons, cloths, pillows, heaps of trash bags, and scattered clothes… hardly looking like a woman’s room.

The time it took to get from the entrance to the window, stepping over countless trash bags, was uncertain.

(Doubtful if this is even a livable space)

Hiroki looks with a blank stare at a girl lying among the trash bags.

(But I guess I have to do it. If anyone complains later, the situation clearly favors me.)

Pushed down, dirtied with clothes, seeing a room like a garbage dump.

He was confident society would side with him.

“Guess I’ll clean up. And while I’m at it, I’ll have some food here too.”

Hiroki begins cleaning.

Sounds of something simmering, and a pleasant aroma.

(Such a nice smell…)

(I haven’t smelled this since… since I graduated elementary school…)

(When was the last time I went back home?)

(I want to eat my mom’s cooking…)

“All the seasonings were spoiled, so I had to buy everything anew.”

(Seasonings? When did I last use them… Three years ago?)

“Living on instant noodles and takeouts, what are you thinking?”

(Quiet)

“Your scattered clothes are covered in spore-like stuff.”

(Quiet!)

“Liquid is dripping from the trash bags.”

(Quiet!)

“The kitchen is like a cockroach nursery.”

“Quiet!!”

“!?”

The sudden shout silences the murmuring.

(Where am I?)

(Was my room this spacious? No, it feels familiar. Right, my room used to look like this when I first moved in.)

A man?

“……………….!?”

She leaped up from the sofa she was sleeping on and run to a corner of the room.

The man watches with a blank expression and slowly begins to speak.

“First off, I’ll say this. I did nothing wrong.”

“…”

“I’ll explain everything from the beginning, so listen closely.”

“…”

“…I’m sorry.”

“…”

The girl in front of him, though her voice was small, properly apologized.

But Hiroki had a demand to make.

“…I have a request for you… no, it’s an order.”

“!?”

The girl’s shoulders trembled visibly, and she hugged herself tightly, as if fearing something.

“I see how you view me. But don’t worry, what you’re thinking is absolutely impossible.”

“…?”

“When was the last time you took a bath?”

Hiroki asked, looking at the girl as if she were something unpleasant.

“…Three weeks… ago?”

It was as if something snapped inside him upon hearing her words.

“The bath is ready! Get in! You’ve been smelling awful, like something rotten!”

Hiroki dragged the girl by the arm and pushed her into the bathroom.

“It’s clean…”

She couldn’t remember the last time she cleaned, but it was clear that it had been done.

She took off all her clothes and immersed herself in the bath.

It was a familiar scent, the smell of a bath.

She enjoyed the bath slowly.

After a while, she stepped out to find clean clothes prepared for her. Had they been there when she arrived? She wondered.

The clothes smelled of laundry detergent and ironing, a fragrance she had almost forgotten.

Dressed in the prepared clothes, she walked towards the living room.

“You’re out?”

The mossy hue washed away by the bath, the girl’s complexion had brightened.

“…!?”

Startled, she saw Hiroki and was visibly shaken.

“Ah, sorry, I got bored and started playing a game… Hey!?”

Hiroki was pushed aside as the girl focused on the computer screen.

“That hurts, you know. The computer has been on since I arrived.”

Hiroki explained why the computer was on, but the girl seemed uninterested, her eyes fixed on him.

“…How did you do it?”

The trembling girl asked, pointing to the screen which displayed a monster Hiroki had defeated in the game.

“Well, I used to play this game too. But I haven’t logged in recently, so it’s like I’ve quit.”

“…”

The girl fell silent, but her stomach growled loudly, betraying her. She blushed at the sound.

“This…?”

“Do you want to eat? I made something.”

“…I’ll have some, thank you.”

The girl timidly accepted Hiroki’s offer.

“I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Ogino Hiroki, a first-year in high school.”

While serving freshly made curry, Hiroki realized he hadn’t introduced himself.

“…Uchimoriya Suzuko… also a first-year.”

Suzuko, a shy girl, was evident from her demeanor. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and her mouth formed an inverted triangle, conveying her mood.

“Here, curry.”

“…Thank you.”

Suzuko cautiously took the spoon, wary of Hiroki’s cooking.

“It’s made by a guy. I get the caution, but there’s nothing in it to worry about.”

Saying that, Hiroki took a bite of her curry, showing it was safe.

Seeing his actions, Suzuko slowly began to eat.

“…”

“Is it good?”

“…”

“Silence is… which side?”

“…”

Frustrated by her continued silence, Hiroki reached for her plate.

“It’s not good? Fine, I’ll eat yours then. Give me the plate!…?”

He tried to pull the plate towards him, but it didn’t budge. Suzuko was gripping it tightly.

“…It’s delicious.”

Her voice was small but clear.

“I didn’t hear you. What?”

Hiroki, without changing his expression, decided to be a bit cruel.

“It was delicious!”

With that loud declaration, she began to eat the curry voraciously, her eyes glistening with tears and her nose making sniffling sounds.

Hiroki, having cleaned the room and understood a bit about the girl’s past life, knew why she was in this situation.

And with that, he simply said,

“Good, I’m glad to hear that.”