Sigh... impoverished...
As the morning dawned and Haruko completed her morning rituals, the first thought that crossed her mind mirrored yesterday's: today, she could likely afford only natto with rice, and would have to settle for instant miso soup.
Though there were no pressing matters at hand, she intended to tidy up the remaining layers of the bathroom. As she applied the ointment given to her by Mr. Kogimi, she marveled at its effectiveness; her hand was not only pain-free but the skin appeared significantly smoother than before.
"Yamashita!!! Are you there?!"
Upon hearing Mr. Shinya's voice from outside, she jumped up from the round table, fearing she had done something wrong, and hurried to open the door.
"What's the matter, Mr. Shinya?! Is something wrong??" she asked anxiously, gripping her master key, fearing he might need her to unlock the door.
"Yamashita! I have an unusual request!" Mr. Shinya lowered his voice, his expression turning serious. "This is something only you can do; even if it means a raise or other conditions, I hope you will agree!"
Haruko found herself bewildered by his words.
What could possibly require her involvement? Could it be...?
"...No, I refuse!" she retorted angrily. Although she hailed from the countryside, she was no naïve woman; did he think he could take advantage of her simply by offering a raise?! "Mr. Shinya, please behave yourself!"
"...So it's impossible..." Mr. Shinya lowered his head, contemplating for a moment, but he still did not wish to concede. "How about once a week?"
"Once a week... what do you mean? Shinya... explain yourself clearly."
At that moment, she heard Mr. Kogimi's voice and fully opened the previously ajar door, noticing that although he wore a kimono, he had not donned an outer coat, clearly having come out to assess the situation after hearing Mr. Shinya's voice.
Frankly, Mr. Kogimi looked rather fearsome; even knowing his expression was directed at Mr. Shinya, she dared not meet his gaze.
"Kogimi! You should ask Yamashita for assistance as well! Don't you share my sentiment?"
"...Share your sentiment?!" The pent-up anger within Mr. Kogimi ignited at Mr. Shinya's words, unleashing a dark fury. "You vile creature... Never mind, Miss Yamashita, I assure you this filthy beast shall not disturb you again."
How terrifying!
With a sinister smile gracing his lips, Mr. Kogimi appeared truly frightening. Although she felt she might have misunderstood Mr. Shinya, she found herself speechless upon seeing Mr. Kogimi's face.
"Vile... what do you think I am suggesting? Just to clarify, I meant hiring Yamashita as the apartment's cook." It seemed Mr. Shinya finally grasped why both Haruko and Mr. Kogimi had reacted so vehemently, yet he still found nothing wrong with his choice of words.
"Shinya, you must kneel and apologize to Miss Yamashita."
"I'm sorry, Yamashita…"
"...Uh, please don't kneel, I beg you, Mr. Shinya." Haruko was taken aback to see Mr. Shinya genuinely prepared to kneel, and she hurriedly intervened.
"Setting aside Shinya's coarse demeanor, I indeed hope Miss Yamashita will consider becoming our cook." Mr. Kogimi interjected smoothly. "Of course, we will compensate you at a professional chef's rate."
"No, that won't be necessary." Haruko graciously declined. "I don't have a culinary license, and with my studies starting soon, I may not be able to cook every evening."
"We wouldn't require you to cook daily…" Mr. Shinya began, but was promptly silenced by Mr. Kogimi.
A moment of awkward silence ensued, leaving Haruko puzzled as to what the two were plotting. Then Mr. Shinya spoke up.
"…I have received some very useful information."
"Apologies, may I call you Miss Haruko?"
"Of course."
After all, back in her hometown, everyone knew each other, and her family was large, so they referred to one another by first names. Coming to Tokyo, she was still adjusting to being addressed by her surname.
"Miss Haruko, our proposal is that we cover the costs of future ingredients and cooking tools. You would merely need to prepare larger portions when you cook, which would greatly assist us."
Haruko's eyes widened in disbelief that Mr. Kogimi had accurately identified her concerns.
"Then, can I also have professional chef's knives and an oven? If so, I'll agree!!"
"Of course, I'll accompany you to purchase them tomorrow." Mr. Shinya nodded eagerly.
"Shinya... you do have a sense of propriety, don't you?" For some reason, Mr. Kogimi's expression turned worried.
"Not a problem! We'll head to the nearby electronics store; if we need to go farther, we can arrange another day." Mr. Shinya concluded, ruffling his messy hair. "I can't let Yamashita carry a heap of items back alone."
"Well then, look forward to our apartment dinners! I'll do my utmost to please everyone!"
"Oh! Good luck, Yamashita."
Hearing Mr. Shinya address her by her surname felt rather strange.
"If it's not too much trouble, Mr. Shinya, just call me Haruko, alright?"
"Haruko?... Hmm... then you may call me Shinya."
No, no, no. Although she was quite accustomed to being called by her first name by men (having been addressed this way by various uncles and older relatives), she still felt uneasy about calling a man by his first name, even her ex-boyfriend had always referred to her by her surname.
"Apologies, Miss Haruko. As you can see, Shinya is rather a simpleton who doesn't understand women's hearts..." Mr. Kogimi remarked, casting a fierce glare at Mr. Shinya, who remained oblivious to his mistake and couldn't retort. "But you need not worry; despite his dullness, he is very reliable. He will accompany you to procure the equipment you need tomorrow."
"Alright, then I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Shinya, Mr. Kogimi."
Haruko bid farewell to the two, but could still hear their conversation outside the door.
"Well then, I shall take my leave. Farewell!"
"You're not allowed to leave! Today, I'm going to correct your slow-witted ways!"
"What on earth were you two thinking about just now?" Mr. Shinya shouted aggrievedly through the crack in the door.
.........