As Akane stepped closer to the sink, Saito shifted aside to make room for her. The kitchen was spacious, but their arms nearly brushed against each other as they worked at the sink. In that moment, for the first time, Saito truly became aware of the fact that he was sharing a house with this girl.
It was a strange feeling. It’s not like they had started living together yesterday, but the frequent arguments and intense clashes had prevented them from seeing each other as members of the opposite sex. Now, Saito’s internal acknowledgment of this fact made things feel oddly unsettling.
Saito could not help but keep gazing at Akane’s face. It was as if he was seeing her for the first time. Akane, her cheeks flushed from focusing on the task at hand, rinsed the dishes intently without speaking a word. As always, Akane was a girl who gave her all to everything she did.
“What?”
Noticing Saito’s gaze, Akane shot him a suspicious look.
“No, I just…realized you really are an expert at housework,” Saito stammered.
“Well, yeah, I guess. My parents were always busy, so I did most of the cooking and cleaning. I knew how to make curry by the time I was in first grade,” Akane divulged.
“That’s pretty impressive.”
Hearing Saito’s admiration made Akane’s ears flush red.
“It’s not that impressive; it’s just chopping vegetables, boiling them, and adding the roux. Even a chimpanzee could make curry.”
“A chimpanzee definitely couldn’t. After all, I can’t,” said Saito.
“So you’re less capable than a chimpanzee,” Akane shot back.
“Ouch, that’s harsh,” replied Saito.
“No, it’s not. Chimpanzees are smart enough to peel bananas, you know,” Akane quipped.
“That’s an awful low bar for intelligence,” said Saito.
As Saito and Akane continued working, washing and rinsing the dishes in sync, the conversation continued. For once, it wasn’t a verbal sparring match. It was just a normal back-and-forth. Saito realized that it might have been the first time he’d ever spoken with Akane like this. When they conversed in this manner, spending time with her wasn’t unpleasant at all. If anything… Saito thought to himself.
Before he knew it, they had finished washing the dishes.
“It really is faster when two people do it together.” Akane nodded in satisfaction, admiring the spotless plates. Saito recalled something—at school, Akane had always been thorough in her Day Duty tasks. At the end of the day, she never left a single smudge on the blackboard, wiping it down meticulously before stepping back to inspect her work with the same satisfied expression. Most students barely erased the blackboard properly, leaving streaks behind, or even shirked their duty entirely, leaving the task to the next person. But Saito had never once seen Akane slack off.
She’s genuinely, ridiculously diligent. It struck Saito how exhausting it must be to be that way all the time. It might even be tiring to those around her, but her diligence wasn’t a bad trait. Maybe Himari, her best friend, had always known these deeper truths about Akane. That’s probably why she always stays by her side, Saito thought.
The dishes done, Saito finally had time to kick back and read for a while. Oddly enough, he found himself choosing to read in the living room rather than retreating to his room. Maybe—just maybe—he didn’t mind lingering in their shared space a little longer.
As Saito flipped a page, Akane approached him. Her hands were clasped behind her back, and she kept shooting furtive glances his way.
“Hey… Do you absolutely have to finish that book tonight?”
“Not really. Why?” Saito looked up at her.
Akane fidgeted, shifting her shoulders.
“Well, um… I found this movie at the rental shop, and it looked interesting, so I kind of…borrowed it on impulse.”
“Ah, you wanted to watch it on this TV? I don’t want to be in your way, so I’ll head to the bedroom,” said Saito, standing up.
“Um, wait…! You don’t need to leave!” Akane added.
“Well, with a movie playing, it’s kind of hard to concentrate on reading,” Saito replied.
“Um, I mean…just, um, here!”
Akane thrust the Blu-ray disc case toward Saito. She pushed it at him with so much force that it nearly broke his nose. Luckily, Saito pulled his face back just in time to avoid disaster. His heart was pounding.
“Um, wait… Do you want to watch that movie together?” Saito asked.
“N-no…” Akane turned away in a huff.
Bewildered, Saito asked Akane to explain herself.
“Then what is all this about? I seriously don’t get it.”
“Well…you know, it’s important that we understand each other, right? I just thought…if you watch my favorite movie, maybe you’ll understand me better, and that might make things less stressful. We’re not watching the movie together, but if we both happen to be in the same room while the movie is playing, that should be fine, right?”
“That’s literally the same exact thing as watching the movie together,” said Saito.
“Ugh…” Akane grumbled.
Her face flushed bright red as she clutched the Blu-ray case tight to her chest. It was obviously incredibly embarrassing for her to invite Saito to watch the movie with her. Still, she was willing to strengthen their bond by spending time together.
Sincerity should be met with sincerity. Determined, Saito shut his book.
“Okay, let’s watch it. What movie did you get?”
Akane handed Saito the Blu-ray case. The jacket read Tracking: A Kitten’s 24 Hours—The Uncut Documentary.
Saito’s face fell.
“What’s wrong? Do you not want to watch it after all?” asked Akane, frowning.
“No, it’s not that I don’t want to…but…it’s not actually twenty-four hours long, is it?” replied Saito.
“Of course it is. It was only a hundred yen too! Great deal, right?” Akane said.
“1,440 minutes!”
A new kind of terror washed over Saito—a terror he hadn’t felt since the time in elementary school when he got separated from the group in an unfamiliar city during a school trip. Back then, he hadn’t owned a smartphone or memorized his teacher’s phone number—finding everyone again had been a nightmare.
Akane furrowed her brows, examining the disc.
“Oh, looks like there’s a ‘Best Selection’ cut too! It’s a three-hour compilation of the best scenes.”
“Can we go with that one?” Saito requested.
For Saito, even three hours was pretty intimidating. The pair settled onto the sofa, pressed play, and soon, the frame of their massive TV screen filled with cats.
Cats, cats, and more cats.
As expected of this kind of documentary, there was no music or plot. There wasn’t even any narration—it was just an unfiltered depiction of feline life. No humans appeared at all.
Does this even count as a movie? Saito wondered, glancing at Akane. Her eyes were sparkling with pure excitement.