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Chapter 4 ā Persuading Mother Enami\nVolume 2\n<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\nāEnami-san, do you mind if I throw this away?ā\n
āHold on a second.ā\n\n
The next day, we were at Enami-sanās house again. Enami-san came to school as she had said yesterday. After discussing it with Nishikawa, we decided to carry out the rest of the cleaning.\n
Right now, Iām cleaning the area around the sink, which I left until last in the living room, wiping away the stuck-on mold and other debris. The trash was gradually cleared away, with Enami-san bravely exterminating the occasional cockroach.\n\n
Enami looked at the ladle in my hand and said, āNo, I donāt need itā.\n\n
āMost of the stuff in here isnāt very good. We might as well throw out all the utensils.ā\n
āEven the pans?ā\n
āAh yes. Better buy all of them again.ā\n\n
I couldnāt put all the other garbage together, so I packed them in a separate bag. Itās been about an hour since I started todayās cleaning, and Iām surprisingly on target. To begin with, all the trash here is an avalanche of stuff that came as an extension of the living room. I guess the kitchen hadnāt been used for a while.\n
The only thing I wish theyād do something about is the cockroaches.\n
Nishikawa was completely reluctant after one cockroach appeared. At present, she is looking around and collecting garbage with tongs. The frightened expression on her face was new to me since I usually see her so cheerful and energetic.\n\n
āHa, theyāre not around, are they?ā\n
āItās okay, itās okay.ā\n
āWhy are you so relaxed, Risa-chan?ā\n\n
She was almost going crazy. I was not in a good state of mind either. Iām not good with cockroaches as well. The only one who remained calm was Enami-san.\n
As expected, Mother Enami reacted to the loud shouting. She looked at us for a moment and then quickly averted her gaze. To be honest, she didnāt seem to be very interested in cleaning the kitchen either. However, she might complain later about the kitchen utensils we were about to throw away. I had to be careful about that.\n
Thanks to a lot of cleaning, the smell in the room has faded a lot. Itās a big change from the first time I visited this room. Since Weāve been ventilating the room regularly, I feel like thereās less dust flying around in the air.\n
The only thing that hasnāt changed is the temperature. Perhaps the filters of the air conditioner have not been cleaned well. Or perhaps there is something wrong with the machine at the root.\n
There was a constant rattling noise.\n\n
āLetās take a break!ā\n\n
Nishikawa declared, having reached her limit. There was no particular reason to refuse, so both Enami-san and I agreed.\n
Nishikawa and Enami-san retreated to Enami-sanās room. Well, I guess thatās about the only place one can relax in this house. Even though the living room had been rearranged, there were still broken pieces of furniture lying here and there. I donāt even know where the pieces of the broken dishes are, so itās hard to sit back and relax.\n
But I decided to stay in the living room. I made up a lie that āIād take a break after I got as far as I couldā.\n
The reason for that wasā¦\n\n
After I made sure that they were gone, I approached Mother Enami. She looked a little better, but she still didnāt seem to be in perfect physical condition.\n
Mother Enami looked up.\n\n
āOhā¦ whatās wrong?ā\n\n
She seemed to be puzzled that I had come alone. Until now, Enami-san was also in the same room. Perhaps being alone with a complete stranger made her nervous.\n\n
āI came here to talk to you.ā\n\n
I said clearly.\n
Iāve been curious about Mother Enami. I donāt think I can do much for her. But if I donāt talk to her at least, I donāt know if I can go any further. Itās not that I wanted to corner this person or anything.\n\n
āTalk? What do you want to talk about?ā\n
āNo. I just thought weād have a little chat.ā\n\n
I didnāt want to alarm her. I was not trying to get everything out of her either. I just wanted to get a glimpse of the story behind them.\n\n
āYou donāt seem to have recovered yet, how are you feeling now?ā\n\n
Mother Enamiās cheeks relaxed a little.\n\n
āFufu. Iām fine. Itās just that sheās exaggerating. My sore throat is already better.ā\n\n
When she smiles, her face resembles Enami-sanās.\n\n
āIām sorry that things have been hectic lately. Weāre almost done with the cleaning.ā\n
āAh, thank you. I feel like itās much cleaner now.ā\n\n
She understands the changes in the living room and is not as angry as she used to be because she knows that the changes are not a problem for her. I wanted to find out where that line was as much as I could.\n
And thatās not all.\n
That picture. Something happened in this house once.\n
I donāt want to know what happened. I just wanted to understand what this person cherished here.\n\n
āUmā¦ā\n\n
As I spun the words, the scene from that time flashed through my mind. She was dragging the table and shouting at Enami-san. The hallway leading from the front door still bore the scars of that moment.\n\n
<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\nTN: Two more episodes till end of this chapter. \n
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