The Unaccustomed Rat
Hi, sorry for the intrusion.
Hello. Welcome to our room, Drowned Rat, Dry It.
These old room names take me for a spin every time. Are you sure you wouldn’t have preferred to be in the Holy Boar room with Toi-kun and Netaro-kun? Or in a room by yourself?
No, Nagi had his heart set on these specific room assignments…
I want Drowned Rat, Dry It.
There are a few others here. Like Sheep of Flock and—
I want Drowned Rat, Dry it.
I asked him about his reasoning afterwards. Apparently the name reminded him of his alias when he calls into radio shows.
Ah, he likes listening to the radio? That really suits him. I can totally see him listening to some late-night shows…! Like Every Night JPN! Maybe that’s where he gets his unique tastes from!
Does he listen to comedy shows at night?
He does, but I haven’t seen him listening to them myself. That aside, is there something you needed?
Oh, right. I wanted to talk to Nagi-kun…
He just left for work.
Oh… Okay. I was planning on asking about the team’s study trip destination.
Also… I have this for him.
Oh, a pastry box.
Yeah. Nagi-kun wasn’t able to have any of the cake we brought out at the party, so I set a piece aside for him…
But Akuta-kun found it the next day and ate it. I didn’t even know until earlier today.
Ahaha. Well, he is a growing boy, after all.
So Akuta-kun and I bought a new cake just now to make up for it.
What time does Nagi-kun usually come back?
Hmm…
I’ll let him know about the cake and the study trip when he returns.
Okay, I’ll leave it to you. Thank you so much.
(Hmm. Yodaka-san paused for a bit before replying.)
(I assume he knows when Nagi-kun will return, so I wonder why he hesitated?)
(Did something happen…? Like, maybe Nagi-kun isn’t comfortable living here… Or am I overthinking things?)
……
Okay, I’ll leave the cake in the fridge downstairs for now. I’ll make sure to put a note on it so nobody else eats it! Excuse me…
Wait.
Y-Yes?
Are you perhaps worried about Nagi?
Ahaha… Did I make it too obvious? Yeah, I am. Just a bit.
I asked him to join the company myself, so I’m worried that I forced him into an uncomfortable situation.
I see.
In all honesty, I’m quite timid myself. It takes me some time to get accustomed to new environments.
My long history of living alone has been so deeply ingrained into me that I’ve grown introverted. Eventually, you lose the desire to include others in your life.
It’s no simple task to pull yourself out of that habit. You may have to make some sacrifices in the process, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Right…
He reminds me of myself.
Nobody’s at fault here. He’s simply used to his previous way of life. There’s no need to be so worried, Chief.
(Yodaka-san’s consoling me… He’s so nice.)
You’re right. Thank you so much! I’ll look after Nagi-kun until he gets used to everything! I want him to have the best experience possible here.
That sounds lovely.
Okay…
(I left Sonia in charge of the shop. Once I take a quick bath and pick out a change of clothes, I’ll go back to the shop and sleep th—)
Hm?
……
(Toi’s on the terrace. I think he’s looking this way…)
(We already made eye contact, so if I pretend that nothing happened and keep walking, it’ll seem like I ignored him. But it looks like he’s pretty deep in thought up there. Should I really interrupt him?)
(I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. This is a harder situation to respond to than that time I ran into someone I knew on the train. What’s the right decision here?)
(I can’t completely ignore him, at least. I should give him a sign that I noticed him… With a blink.)
……
(…No response. But I can’t turn back now. Someone might be witnessing our exchange from somewhere. The show must go on.)
Heeey…
Hmph…
*door opening*
Hmm…
(He completely ignored me. Well… Okay then.)
Ah…
Wha… What is it? What’s so surprising about seeing me…?
I just didn’t expect to see you here.
We all share the baths, so you’re always bound to bump into someone. Sometimes there are even 10 of us in here when it’s busy.
Oh, okay. Sorry.
Y-You don’t need to apologize for it. And stop acting so distant.
We live under the same roof, so we’re… B-Buddies, right?
…Buddies.
Yeah. Bud… Buddies…
Alright! Stop standing around. Let’s get in the bath.
…Together?
Huh? Well, We… We came in here at the same time, so…yeah, of course we’d go in together.
Oh, that’s true. Sor— *inhale*
You’re a really weird guy…
…Sorr— Uh, ugh…
……
Hmm, I need a basket…
Here.
Huh? Oh… Thanks. But I only need one. Five is kind of overkill.
Oh, okay. Yeah, that’s too many. Even if you separated your shirt, your pants, your underwear, and your socks, there’d still be one left over.
……
……
O-Okay, just gonna get a glass of water before I get in… Huh?
The cooler’s almost outta water.
I’ll go get a new jug. Hold on.
Huh?! No, you don’t gotta do that! That’s not your job!
Oh.
……
Alright, bath time…
You first.
…Y’know, you can go in first. You changed out of your clothes first anyway. And you don’t have to hold open the door for me.
I think you’re doing too much.
……
You even got a hair dryer and a hairbrush for me earlier…
Do you plan on being a servant to the entire house or something?
I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.
N-No… I wouldn’t say that. I’m grateful that you did all of that for me…but!
That’s really gonna tire you out if you keep at it.
I don’t feel very tired.
Aaaghh, no, I mean… Like… You’re not obligated to do all that kinda stuff…
Obligated…
Nah, that’s not the right word. Uhh, what do you call this kinda thing…?
……
Umm… Dammit, I can’t think of anything. If only Liguang were here… These are the only times where he’s useful outside of dishing out comebacks…
……
Okay, I understand. I’ll be careful next time.
Phew…
(I’m not obligated…)
(…I know Renga was just trying to figure out how to express himself, but he looked bothered.)
(I bothered him… Just as I expected.)
(This isn’t the place for me. I’ve known that. Being a ward mayor, living with other people…)
It’s such a heavy burden. It feels like it’s crushing me…
(But can I really leave at this point? I even attended the party and had a meal with all of them.)
Hm?
Is that a note from Yodaka-san?
…Study trip destination, and…
……
Cake. You didn’t have to do all of that.
……
“You seemed to be busy with work, so I refrained from sending you a PeChat message.” “Talk to the chief when you get home.”
……
Hi, Nagi-kun! I hope work went well!
Thank you, you too.
Oh, Nagi-san!
(Toi’s here too. He just ignored me on the terrace…)
(No. That was the correct reaction on his part. He didn’t do anything wrong. Sometimes people just feel too tired to respond to others.)
(It’s not all that strange for people to ignore me in the first place, so…I’m not upset.)
Excuse me.