Side: Shizuka
Shizuka’s most prized possession was Corona House itself, as it was a memento of her late parents. So when a certain someone busted a gigantic hole in the wall between rooms 105 and 106, she was understandably enraged. However...
“Sorry for making you help, Satomi-kun.”
“It’s okay. This is my apartment too. Let’s fix it up as soon as possible.”
“Yeah, let’s get to it.”
Shizuka had since come to terms with it. Having the two rooms connected was actually rather convenient, so she and Koutarou were currently in the middle of assessing how to formalize it rather than repair it.
“How do you want it to look? I assume you don’t want any of the insulation showing.”
“I was thinking of evening it out and installing a rectangular frame. You know, so it looks like a normal doorway.”
“Okay. Then I’ll work on getting the frame ready. I’ll leave evening out the hole to you, Landlord-san.”
“Sounds good.”
Fortunately, the hole didn’t compromise the structural integrity of the wall, so Shizuka was able to work with it. Meanwhile, Koutarou measured the dimensions of the hole and the thickness of the wall in order to fashion a frame out of wood in Clan’s workshop. She had plenty of tools and supplies, so the chore was an easy one.
“How’s this?”
“Lift up the left side a little. It looks tilted.”
“How about now?”
“Yeah, that should do.”
After a few hours of work, Koutarou and Shizuka managed to fit the new frame into the hole. It was clearly a DIY job, but it was still far better than having a gaping hole with exposed insulation in the wall.
“I think that covers it for now. Thanks, Satomi-kun.”
Shizuka looked over their work with folded arms, nodding in satisfaction at a job well done. The landlord was pleased.
“You’re welcome... Oh?”
“What is it, Satomi-kun?”
“Come here, Landlord-san.”
Koutarou beckoned Shizuka, who moved closer with a perplexed expression. While working on evening out the hole in the wall, she’d gotten white plaster powder on her face. She was none the wiser, but Koutarou had just noticed it. He thus reached out and gently wiped it away with a towel. Shizuka couldn’t help grinning at the gesture.
“I think that should do it,” he said when he was done.
He carefully looked over her face to see that he’d gotten all the white powder, and more importantly... that Shizuka was smiling at him.
“Thank you, Satomi-kun. Heehee...”
She ran her fingers across her cheek where Koutarou had just touched her, and her smile subtly changed. It was hard to articulate, but it profoundly struck Koutarou. He wanted to know the meaning behind it.
“Is something wrong, Landlord-san?”
“Nothing at all... I was just thinking that it’s been a long time since someone wiped my face off for me.”
She hadn’t said it directly, but in truth, the last anyone had coddled her like that was when her parents were still alive. She recalled both of them lovingly wiping her face for when she got out of the bath or finished exercising.
“But now you’re doing it for me, Satomi-kun... It just made me happy, heehee. That’s all.”
“I’m sure Sanae, Aika-san, or any of the others would do it for you too.”
“Yeah, I’m sure. But...”
There, Shizuka’s smile changed yet again. This time, however, it clearly turned into a playful grin.
“But what?” Koutarou asked.
“But shouldn’t you be saying you’ll always be around to do it for me?” she asked in turn.
“I’ll always be here to wipe your face for you, Landlord-san,” he replied with a playful grin of his own as he touched the towel to Shizuka’s face once more.
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