Cleaning Lucky Sukebe (2)
"Alright, this is the laundry room~ The detergent's on that shelf over there, so just grab whatever you need! Oh, and since your uncle usually washes up early in the morning, feel free to use the bathroom whenever!"
"Y-yes… Thank you…"
"And what else was there~ Ah! I'll stock the kitchen fridge with snacks, so if you get hungry, just tell Shun anytime! Even though he takes after his dad, he can cook pretty decently."
"Ueda-kun is really capable…"
My head was completely spinning. Following Himari auntie's enthusiastic house tour had left me feeling utterly drained, like a flashlight with dead batteries. She wasn't just youthful-looking on the outside—she genuinely possessed the high-tension energy of a teenage girl. There was no way my fake high-school-girl stamina could keep up with that level of energy.
"Well then, I'll head down to the first floor to help your uncle close up the tea shop! Tell Shun to rest once he's done cleaning~"
"Yes, have a good one."
Once the whirlwind that was my aunt disappeared downstairs, I finally sank onto the living-room sofa and let out a long breath.
'Haa… Today really has been a spectacle.'
The trip from Korea to Shizuoka. My first day at a strange Japanese high school. And now, the long-awaited cohabitation flag event. Experiencing all these massive developments in a single day made it stranger that I wasn't exhausted.
[Ring— Ring—!]
While I sat dazed on the sofa staring at the ceiling, the smartphone on the living-room table began vibrating loudly. My own phone was in my pocket, so that had to be Shun's—he must have set it down while moving his things. Hmm? What's this? Shun's an iPhone guy, right?
"Um, Ueda-kun! I think you have a call!"
I stood up and called toward the hallway. But there was no reply—Shun was probably running the vacuum in the guest room. 'Ugh, he said he'd just tidy up enough to sleep, so why is he cleaning so thoroughly?' My voice probably couldn't reach him over the vacuum's roar. Staring at the persistently ringing phone, I hesitated. In Korea I would've just picked it up and answered or handed it over, but this was Japan. Casually touching someone else's smartphone or answering their calls without permission was considered a serious breach of privacy and etiquette. Even if this was a romcom world, we were still awkward around each other—crossing that line on the very first day felt wrong.
'Still, if it's ringing this much, it might be important…'
Finally, I carefully picked up the phone and hurried toward the guest room. "Um… Ueda-kun? You have a call."
When I peeked through the doorway, the scene inside came into full view. "……Ueda-kun?"
Shun had already climbed onto a step ladder, a white cloth tied tightly around his head, and was scrubbing dust off the high shelf of the old wardrobe with a worn rag. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Both hands were pitch-black with grime. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing toned forearms with visible veins and defined muscles. This was not the posture of someone "just tidying up." He'd acted so casual about doing a weekend deep clean, yet here he was sweating bullets over spots no one would even see. What an unnecessarily diligent male-lead type. Did he really think this would make me develop feelings for him?
"Ah, Raon. Sorry, I couldn't hear you earlier because of the vacuum. You said there's a call?"
"Yes. It keeps ringing even after hanging up a few times, so I thought it might be important…"
At my words, Shun raised his hands with an awkward expression—his palms were completely blackened with dust. Touching the phone with those hands would leave fingerprints that looked more like ink rubbings than smudges.
"Haa, talk about timing… Raon, sorry, but could you check whose name is on the screen?"
"Um, just a moment." I glanced at the display. "Suzuki…? I think that's what it says."
"Ah, that guy. We were supposed to meet tonight and I stood him up, so he's probably mad."
Shun gave a troubled smile, then asked carefully, "I'm really sorry, Raon. My hands are like this so I can't touch the phone. Could you swipe the answer button and put it on speaker for me?"
"Ah, sure. That's no problem."
It wasn't a difficult request, so I nodded readily. I swiped the call button, tapped the speaker icon, and held the phone toward the ladder. The moment I did—
[Hey, Uedaaaaaa!! Why aren't you picking up?!]
Suzuki's loud, complaining voice boomed through the speaker amid background noise.
[Kenji and I have been waiting at the restaurant in front of the station for thirty minutes! If you were gonna be late because of the transfer-student helper thing, you should've messaged us on LINE first!]
"Ah, sorry, sorry. Something came up at home, so I've been cleaning and didn't notice the phone."
Shun answered casually from the ladder, rag still in hand. But the word "cleaning" only made Suzuki more suspicious.
[Huh? Cleaning? You deep-cleaned your room last weekend too. Why are you suddenly cleaning again?]
"Come on, do you only clean on special occasions? Cleaning's supposed to be done every day."
[Suspicious. Don't tell me you ditched us to go home alone with Raon and now you're holed up somewhere together?]
I flinched. The moment I heard that, my shoulders twitched involuntarily. Shun on the ladder also looked momentarily flustered, but he quickly feigned calm and raised a finger to his lips in a "shh" gesture toward me. Apparently even he didn't have the confidence to explain to his friends that the stunning Korean transfer student was now living in his house. Honestly, I would've done the same in his position.
"What nonsense. It's not like that. We suddenly needed the guest room, so I had no choice but to clean."
[Really…? Ah, whatever. Still, you should've at least told us you'd be late. Kenji and I can't even order because we're just sitting here drinking water and looking suspicious. The waitress keeps glancing over!]
"Got it, got it. Sorry. I'll wrap up as fast as I can, so just order some drinks for now."
Shun wiped sweat from his forehead with his wrist. Just as the call seemed to be wrapping up nicely—
Swish~ Swish~.
"Then I'm really busy so I'll hang up—"
A tiny speck of dust that hadn't been wiped away drifted down from the top of the wardrobe and landed right on the bridge of Shun's nose. Then—
"……Achoo!!"
Shun sneezed violently, his body lurching. The foot he'd been balancing on slipped.
"Whoa—"
"Ah!"
It wasn't a very high fall, but unfortunately he was tipping straight toward me. Before I could even think to dodge, my reflexes kicked in—I reached out to catch him. But a slender high-school girl's physique had no chance of supporting a sturdy boy's weight.
"W-watch out!"
"Raon?! Dangerous—!"
Thud!!
Shun and I tumbled to the floor in a tangled heap.
[Hey, Ueda? That was a huge crash just now. You okay?!]
Suzuki's panicked voice came through the phone that had fallen to the floor.
"Owww…"
"Ugh…"
Good grief. After finally clearing the spinning yellow stars from my vision, I opened my eyes to an unbelievable sight.
"……?"
To put it bluntly: Shun had landed right on top of me, using my soft back as a cushion. In subculture terms, it was the classic romcom "lucky sukebe" position—the heroine flat on the floor with the male lead collapsed on top of her.
He's handsome… Wait, no! That's not the point! Uh, his face is way too close!
"S-sorry! Raon! I slipped—did you get hurt anywhere, uh…?"
Shun's words cut off abruptly as he tried to push himself up. His gaze dropped downward. The right hand he'd unconsciously braced on the floor to stand—the large palm still covered in black dust—was resting directly on…
"……"
"……"
My school blouse. Specifically, on the soft curve of my left chest, right through the thin autumn-weight fabric.
Because my head had been spinning from the fall, I hadn't fully registered what was happening to my body. I'd just been frozen, dazed by how close our faces were. The real problem came next. Realizing the surface he'd grabbed wasn't the floor but something oddly soft, a flustered Shun reflexively pressed down harder as he tried to push himself up.
Squish♡
That large, veined hand I'd seen earlier sank into the soft flesh beneath the thin cloth.
"……Hik?!"
A jolt of electricity shot up my spine, and a strange sound I'd never made in my life escaped my lips. Having a place I'd never allowed anyone to touch before suddenly grabbed by a sweaty, well-built boy my age sent an intensely sensitive, unfamiliar sensation through me. My shoulders jerked upward involuntarily.
[Hey! Kenji! Did the call cut off?!]
[Huh? Wait, but just now… Didn't I hear a girl's voice through the speaker?]
[Must've been your imagination. You've been going on about wanting a girlfriend so much you're hearing things now. Ueda said he'll be here soon, so let's just order drinks.]
Silence fell. Once the sound from the speaker cut off completely, the only thing echoing in the room was the thunderous pounding of my heart.
Thump—! Thump—!
Shun was the first to grasp the situation. "Ah."
His face flushed bright red from forehead to neck in an instant, like a volcano erupting.