As time passes after starting to live here, I begin to recognize the faces of the neighbors. When a person with an unfamiliar face walks by, I start to take notice. If they are good-looking, even more so.

After school, as I was heading home, a man was walking on the road next to my apartment.

He was handsome. To put it in plain terms, he was a handsome guy.

A small face with cool, delicate features. Golden hair. It's tied back.

The outfit was simple, just a T-shirt and jeans. Nevertheless, it looked absolutely great.

In the end, good-looking people look good in anything they wear. Both extravagant outfits and simple ones. It seems to be showing the world such a cruel truth.

I was surprised to see him. And then I was doubly surprised to see where he was headed. Because it was the rundown apartment I live in.

Could there have been a resident like that? I don't remember ever seeing him before, though. As I thought that, I climbed the rust-covered stairs and reached the second floor.

I stopped in front of the door to the room. That was Twenty-five-san.

After making a gesture as if to ring the intercom, the door was slightly opened. Through that gap, the handsome man in a T-shirt entered the room.

―Is he an acquaintance of Twenty-five-san?

What kind of relationship could it be?

University friend. A colleague at the part-time job. Or, it could be a long shot that it's her younger brother. In any case, there's no doubt that they are on such friendly terms that they would visit each other's homes.

The reason I immediately dismissed the word boyfriend that first came to mind was perhaps because I didn't want it to be true.

But when I think about it calmly, that line seems to be the darkest.

Twenty-five-san is a beauty. If I ask ten people, ten of them would answer that way. To say otherwise would be to go too far in contrarianism.

Of course, there must be countless people who are trying to hit on her.

Even if there are countless suitors, she is never within reach. The brilliance of the small stars is swallowed up by the radiant glow of the moon.

However, just at a glance, the man in the T-shirt seemed to suit her well. It seemed like he wouldn't look out of place even by her side. At least much more than I.

After a brief pause, I returned to my room. I wanted to wash off the sweat before going to my part-time job.

After taking a quick shower, I dry my hair and body with a towel. I opened the refrigerator and was drinking water from a 500-milliliter bottle when I heard noise coming from the next room.

It sounded like a conversation.

I can't even hear what they're talking about.

I could just sense the cheerful atmosphere.

When I listened to that voice, my heart stirred deep inside.

If I had turned on the TV, I could have drowned out the voices, but there is no TV in the room. Moreover, I didn't have a hobby of listening to music either.

Since there's no way to deceive, I have no choice but to keep listening to the fragments of conversation I don't understand.

Normally, my home should be the most comforting place, but today, it felt somehow unsettling. I felt uncomfortable. I even thought about wanting to go to my part-time job quickly. I had never felt that way before. I cursed the thin walls of the rundown apartment.

Before long, the cheerful voices stopped.

Instead, a damp voice could be heard. A suppressed voice. That voice was enveloped in a dark, heated shroud.

I wasn't so naive that I couldn't imagine what they were doing, nor was I indifferent to them.

A young man and woman are alone in a room. It's not surprising that the atmosphere becomes that way. If they are in a romantic relationship, it's even more so. It might even be said to be natural.

I certainly understand it that way rationally.

But still, why do I feel so awful? It feels like my heart is being tightly grasped.

After thinking for a while, I came up with my own answer.

Twenty-five-san wanted me to be lonely. So, I also wished for her to be lonely in the same way. I thought it was an equal right.

However, she had someone. She had someone, and she brazenly brought him into the house in broad daylight. Even though they must have known the walls were thin, they carelessly went ahead with it.

I think I was annoyed by their selfishness and insensitivity.

Demanding not to have connections with others while seeking connections for oneself. I felt betrayed by that contradictory attitude.

I crushed the empty plastic bottle I had finished drinking from and left the house. I walk quickly down the hallway towards my part-time job at the convenience store.

I wanted to leave this place quickly.

☆

It was convenient that I had a shift at my part-time job. As long as I focus on working, I don't have to think about unnecessary things.

When my part-time job ends, I head home with slower steps than usual.

I didn't plan to go out onto the balcony today. However, if I don't bring in the uniform that was drying outside by tonight, it might get rained on.

As I hurriedly brought in the laundry, Twenty-five-san, who was smoking on the balcony of the neighboring room, called out to me.

"Good evening. Shall we chat again?"

She spoke as if it were nothing, always nonchalant and cool as usual.

"...Has that person already gone home?"

Before I knew it, I had said it out loud. The thoughts that had been troubling me throughout my part-time job. It was as if that cork had suddenly popped out.

"That person?"

"He came over to hang out today, right? I saw him going into your room."

"Ah."

"He was such a cool person, wasn't he?"

"Hehe. Is that right?"

She looked as happy as if she had praised herself. The moment I saw that expression, a bitter feeling welled up inside me, and before I knew it, I had said it.

"But I wish you would refrain from being all lovey-dovey with your boyfriend during the day. I want you to remember that the walls in the apartment are thin."

After saying it, I am overwhelmed by intense self-loathing. Damn it. What am I doing? I didn't mean to say something like this.

"Were the two of us being all lovey-dovey?"

"...Well, I heard a voice. From Twenty-five-san's room. The two of you are creating a steamy atmosphere."

Noticing that my tone has become slightly accusatory, my self-loathing increases. Bitter. I think I am utterly miserable right now.

It's not that I want to blame her. This is just a jab. It's precisely because I know that I feel even more miserable about myself.

"That's a misunderstanding."

"Huh?"

"We were watching a movie in the room. I think the sound of the intimate scene might have been heard by Clerk-san."

The audio of the love scene in the movie?

Looking back on it. Now that she mentioned it, I feel like it was different from her voice. I had reflexively assumed it was hers based on the situation.

"Even though the overall film was bland, the love scenes were unusually intense. The runtime was so long that it was almost nauseating. We were watching it at a relatively high volume, but really, the sound was even reaching Clerk-san's room?"

Twenty-five-san said that, and then continued with something that was hard to respond to, saying, "Besides, I wouldn't make that much noise."

"Also, the friend who came over today is a girl."

"Huh?"

I couldn't help but let out a voice.

"A-a girl?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, but she was really cool. Her outfit was just a T-shirt and jeans."

"She usually dresses like a boy. Her hair is short too. Because she doesn't have much of a chest, she often gets mistaken for a boy."

Twenty-five-san continued, "If you're interested, I'll introduce you to her next time." Does saying that mean she really is a girl?

"Did you really think we were lovers?"

"...Well, yes."

"I see. So that's why Clerk-san was in a bad mood today."

"It's not like that or anything."

I said, trying to brush it off.

"It's just that, how should I put it, I thought it was a bit unfair."

"Unfair, you say?"

"Even though Twenty-five-san said you wanted me to be alone, did you have proper connections with other people yourself?"

"Did Clerk-san want me to be alone?"

"...That, yes. If you are asking me for that."

"Then, isn't it interesting that I have friends?"

"To be honest, yes."

"You're so honest."

Twenty-five-san let out a small chuckle, propped her chin on the railing, and said this without a hint of remorse.

"I'm a cunning woman. I'm selfish, self-centered, and demanding. I put my own issues aside and demanded a lot from Clerk-san."

It was a light and airy tone, as if she had sprouted wings.

And while staring at me, she asked.

“Are you disappointed in me?”

“...Not really.”

I replied.

I thought the defiant attitude was rather refreshing. At least it was much more preferable than pretending. Because there are no lies.

"That's great."

Twenty-five-san murmured that and lit a cigarette. A red light flickered in the night. I slowly exhale the smoke she inhaled.

After that, we had a meaningless conversation. As usual.

Chapter 7: Apartment Visitor