Nakamine was lying on the floor panting. It had only been few hours since he entered the apartment and he had already learned a number of valuable lessons in living alone.
Cleaning was not easy, it was actually hard labor. And body soap does not function the same way as regular household cleaning product. He learned that one after his wardrobe was covered in a soft layer of white foams. Aesthetically pleasing but not something you would place your clothes on top of. There definitely is a reason why people bother to go out in the cold to buy cleaning product instead of improvising.
However, he had managed. Everything was clean, albeit smelled too much of lavender and cost a full bottle of body soap, and the luggage bag was now empty. He hadn't felt this proud in a while. He wasn't sure if it was a good thing to feel a sense of accomplishment from cleaning a small flat but he let himself enjoy it.
His little happiness was interrupted by a arithmetic knocking on the flat door. Still high in the feat of war against filth, he decisively flung the door open. A middle age man stood there, with a tower of boxes behind him.
"Hi, I got some packages for Nakamine Yukinori." He said with his eyes glued on his PDA, already operating it to the signature page.
"Ye-" Before Nakamine could finish his single word the PDA was shoved in front of him.
"Sign here"
Nakamine blinked at the PDA and all its grease and stain marks. But staring did not magically create a sign on the cracked screen. With a quick flick of wrist movement he filled the blank and prodded the PDA back to the delivery man. The man took the PDA and shoved it carelessly into his back pocket. Not bothering to check the signature.
"This" The man said while he slide the boxes into the room. "Is yours."
The delivery man left without another word, leaving the shadow of the box tower to loom over Nakamine. The boxes had felt so much smaller when he was packing it and sending it away. Now, he felt so much smaller. Whatever was left of his self confidence from before was drained down the same sink that he had clean only an hour ago.
Cold afternoon air brushed past Nakamine as he stood frozen at the tower's size. Reminding Nakamine that if he did not want to sleep inside a fortress of cardboards, he better start working.
Grudgingly he pulled the boxes inside the flat and began unpacking.
* * * * *
Perfection is impossible while compromise is effortless. It was a principle Nakamine had come to appreciate recently. Boxes lied spread out on the floor. Most of them with their top opened to show their inner most content. Screaming out their existence, like baby birds crying with their mouth open for their mother's attention.
Nakamine deliberately ignored them. There simply was too much. Unpacking of these many number of boxes were surely against ILO regulation or at least not a task fit for human conduct. He had dug out all the essentials anyway.
The new school uniform for school tomorrow, futon to sleep in for the night, and the foldable desk he had bought from Wal-mart. Other items were all non-necessities. And besides, cardboard boxes were a great source of insulation from the coldness.
Having accepted his new way to life, he decided to order takeout for dinner. He had already missed lunch and unfortunately, his silverwares and pans were included in the non-necessities of life. He was about search the nearest restaurant when another knock came from the door.
"Hey Yukinori! You in there?" Aunt Hikari's voice boomed from behind the door. "I forgot to give you the keys to your room."
She obviously was not a fan of waiting for the door to open to deliver her piece. Nakamine wondered if it would be better to pretend that he wasn't here. But the lights to the flat were open and at the worst case, she might come in to turn off the lights. And leaving the apartment without even locking the door would be just absurd.
He was walking towards the door when suddenly the doorknob turned. Alarmed at the development he instinctively rushed to keep the door shut. He narrowly missed his grip as the door opened outwardly. With the missing target, the hand flailed aimlessly in midair and Nakamine's body tilted with it in momentum. He only barely managed to stop himself from charging into Aunt Hikari by gripping on to the door frame. Mere inches away from Aunt Hikari's face.
He quickly up himself right as Aunt Hikari blinked at him in confusion. However it did not take long for the confusion became a sly smile.
"I get you're happy to see me, but isn't this a bit rushed? I'm not sure how to take this in"
"By.. pretending it never happened?" Nakamine replied with an awkward laugh, try to hide his fluster.
"Hmmm." She rubbed her chin, pretending to muse. "Nope, not gonna happen. Unless…"
"Unless..?" He repeated the words wearily.
"Unless you have dinner with me down stairs!" She exclaimed and burst into laughter. "Don't be so stiff" She patted Nakamine on the shoulder "Ease up, I wouldn't asked anything weird. So what do you say?" Her grin was too blinding and he wasn't sure if he could swallow food while something like this was beaming at him.
"That sounds great but sorry, I already ordered food so maybe next time?" He tried to lie.
"That's great! I also ordered food. We can share." Ignoring Nakamine's implied refusal she grabbed him by the wrist and began to drag him out.
"Wait but the boxes-"
"The boxes won't go anywhere."
Feeling that the argument was pointless, Nakamine abandoned all further protest and followed her down. Quickly ordering food online using his phone when Aunt Hikari was not looking.
What was the worst that could happen anyway?
It turned out the worst was rather on the 'worst' of worst sides. Aunt Hikari's room was a mess. Bags of garbage on the entrance was what first greated Nakamine when he first followed Aunt Hikari in. She didn't seem to understand that was a problem either, she told Nakamine to throw his shoes anywhere he want when he stood frozen .
And the entrance had only been the beginning. The room was bigger than Nakamine's flat but it felt much more cramped as it littered with empty boxes, plastic packages, some cup ramcup rolling, and what seemed to be her old clothes. Nakamine wasn't exactly the most clean person on the earth or a germaphobe but even he knew there was a limit. This place was not meant for resident.
"I hope you like thai food." She said from the kitchen.
"It's… it's fine." He managed to mutter out. Still in shock from the room. He had managed to find a relatively undefiled spot and was standing there, afraid to move.
"Well then don't just stand there. Come inside the kitchen" Aunt Hikari beckoned from a miles of garbage away, holding two white packages with the logo thailife on it.
"Coming." Nakamine replied before carefully tiptoeing his way through. He took a seat at the table as Aunt Hikari passed him one of the packages and a fork.