Dinner was prepared by Naoko and Naruse together.

By the time Starfish realized that he was referring to helping out in the kitchen, dinner was almost ready.

"Wash your hands and get ready to eat." He poked his head out and said.

"Oh."

Starfish got up to wash his hands, looked at himself in the mirror, washed his face again, and fiddled with his hair.

"Hmm, I really want to take a shower......"

After adjusting in front of the mirror for a while, she came to the dining room and sat down at the table.

"There's nothing in the fridge, it's okay to eat curry rice at night, right?" Naoko asked back.

"No problem." Starfish moved her nose, "I like curry." ”

"That's good."

Placing the vegetable salad on the table, Naruse took the freshly poured curry plate from Naoko and brought it to the starfish.

"Drinks." Shang Zitou reminded without replying.

He answered, took a large bottle of juice from the fridge, and washed three cups.

Pouring juice, Naoko also brought each other's curry rice to the table, and the two sat down opposite the starfish.

“……”

The host and the guest are distinct.

Looking at them, then at the steaming curry rice, the starfish picked up the spoon as well.

"I'm moving."

For the next three or two minutes, all that remained on the table was the sound of spoons colliding with plates.

After eating for a while, the starfish picked up the juice and took a sip, and broke the silence when it was put down: "Do you want to continue cleaning at night?" ”

Both looked up, and Naruse asked, "Aren't you tired?" ”

"A little tired......"

"We're tired too."

He took a sip of his drink, "It just so happens that this place has been cleaned too, so let's get up tomorrow morning and continue." ”

"Oh."

Starfish answered, and suddenly another question came to mind.

Cleaning Naoko's house tomorrow will take about a day, so the so-called 1,000 yen extra for every hour of cleaning is done, but it doesn't really give much at all.

She couldn't help but glare at him.

"What's wrong?" Naruse looked over.

Starfish talk about what they found.

Naruse raised an eyebrow and glanced at the smiling Naoko again.

"Well, in order to finish early tomorrow, the starfish can go over and clean up early in the evening."

He took out a bunch of keys from his pocket, pushed them over, pointed to one of them and said, "This is the key to Naoko's house." ”

“……”

Of course, the starfish didn't answer, so she wouldn't clean it alone.

"Let's eat first." Naoko smiled.

The spoon touches the plate, and dinner continues.

Scooping up a spoonful of curry rice and putting it in his mouth, Starfish glanced at the keychain on the table that hadn't been retrieved.

Is the key to Naoko's house......

Naoko must have the key to his house as well.

Dinner was only curry rice and vegetable salad, which tasted good and ate quickly.

Naoko and Naruse cleaned up the table and cleaned a few plates, and the starfish wanted to help but had nothing to help, so they stood in the back for a while.

Thinking that there was no need to clean at night and nothing else, she said, "I'll go back first." ”

"I'll send you back later." Naruse turned his head and said.

"Eh......"

Starfish was stunned for a moment, and wanted to say no, but he didn't say it.

"Stop by the supermarket and buy some ingredients." He added.

“…… Oh. ”

"At this time, the supermarket shouldn't be closed yet, right?" He said to Naoko.

"Probably not."

"When you close the door, it's like a walk."

"Uh-huh."

After a while, the kitchen was cleaned up, and the two of them sent her back together.

It's snowing outside, much colder than inside. Starfish shrunk her neck and pulled her clothes tight.

Seeing that she was about to get home, she asked, "When will we start cleaning tomorrow?" ”

"What time can you get up?" Naruse asked rhetorically.

"Nine o'clock."

He thought for a moment, "Then come over at nine o'clock." ”

Starfish nodded in response.

Sending her home, the two continued to walk through the snow and went to the supermarket to buy ingredients.

When the two of them were far away, Starfish also turned and went back to the upstairs room.

"Starfish, don't you take a shower first?"

"Hmm...... Wash it later—"

After staying in her room, she heard faint footsteps coming from the quiet street, and she leaned over the window to take a look.

Sure enough, it was him and her.

It's all gone.

Starfish open window.

The two walked side by side, both carrying bags in their hands, looking heavy.

“…… Come early tomorrow and you should be able to buy it. ”

"Hmm. And ......"

The cold wind blew small fragments of sound, and it was not until it was out of sight that the starfish withdrew its gaze and closed the window.

It's time to take a shower.

"I'm going to continue cleaning tomorrow......"

The next morning, just after nine o'clock, the starfish came to the door.

Naruse and Naoko had just gotten up for a while, opened the door for her, and the two of them brushed their teeth and washed their faces in a little haste, preparing breakfast.

"I thought that when Starfish said nine, I meant the kind that was almost ten o'clock...... It's a bit of a surprise early today. ”

Naruse flipped the fish pieces in the frying pan, "I'm going to look at you differently." ”

“……”

Starfish didn't speak, glancing at the cleanly cleaned kitchen ceiling.

"Have you eaten it?" He asked again.

“…… No. ”

He smiled.

"Let's be together, then."

After breakfast, the three of them put on their headscarves, and each found a set of old clothes to change into at Naruse's house, and began to clean Naoko's house.

"It's still the same as yesterday, starting with the least cleaned area......

Naoko explained the course of action, but only she knew the cleaning situation of the house here, and finally took the two of them directly to the room that should be cleaned, assigned their respective areas, and began to clean.

Naruse is tall and is responsible for cleaning the window sills.

After sweeping the dust up and down first, and when it was almost done, Naoko also brought the water and rag.

"Is this room usually being cleaned, it feels quite clean." Starfish, who was in charge of sweeping the floor, asked.

"Well, once in a while, I clean it up."

"What is this room for?"

"It's just empty."

"Do you have to clean a room that no one lives in?" Starfish couldn't help but ask.

Naoko just laughed.

Naruse stood on the stool, turned his head to look at her, and suddenly remembered what Kazuko Hanasa had told him when the couple came back last time.

["Let Naoko let go of her burden and learn to accept everything she has received easily. ”】

Is this house also within the burden of her name "gratitude"?

Grateful for the adoption of this flower couple...... And before the adoption, it was the sudden death of the biological parents, the Shinonome couple.

Naoko would be overly considerate of the late Naruse Punctual when Starfish mentioned him, and so did he.

How would he open his mouth about such a thing?

"—Do you want to wash the rag?" Seeing him looking at himself, Naoko asked.

"Ahh......h No, you don't have to wash it yet. ”

She looked at him, not knowing why, and then smiled again, "Let's wash it up." ”

Naruse didn't say much and handed over the rag.

Whoop -

The rag unfolded in the basin of water, gradually removing the stain as she scrubbed.

"Alright."

"Hmm."

Naruse took the wrung out rag, and the three of them continued to clean.

Because it was already relatively clean, it was much more efficient than expected. It didn't take long to clean up the empty room.

The next thing to clean is Naoko's room, then the corridor on the second floor, and then the first floor......

Except for a short break at noon, the three of them never stopped.

By about three o'clock in the afternoon, the cleaning of Naoko's house was finally over.

"I haven't wanted to clean all year long...... starfish slumped on the floor of the living room, unkempt.

There are only a few days left this year......

Naruse thought to himself, but his body was tired, and he opened his mouth and closed it.

"Thanks, starfish...... Without your help, Chunhai and I don't know how long we will have to clean. Naoko walked over and sat down between the two.

"Hmmm......"

The starfish answered, and looked at Naruse again, a little twisted.

"So be it."

Naruse nodded to her, "I've worked hard for you today." Do you want to stay for dinner, or just go home? ”

“……”

The starfish opened its mouth, squirmed for a few more moments, and then suddenly lay on the ground, squeezing out a little sound from his throat.

"The money hasn't been given yet......

Zero manuscript update, little time to check, missing words and typos to comment.

(End of chapter)