⚪️Short Story | Listening to the Sound of Rain

　Only the sound of the washing machine spinning can be heard.

　Whir, click-clack, click-clack, whir...

　I put the clothespins into the collection box.

　Whir, click-clack, click-clack, whir...

　The weather forecast says rain.

***

　Like other resident-only facilities, the laundry room has various rules.

　For example, a dress code.

　・You must wear underwear in this room.
　・If you are unable to wear underwear for unavoidable reasons, you must wear clothing that completely covers your private parts.
　・Even if you are using the room in only underwear, loungewear, or minimal clothing, you must wear a coat or gown and not expose more skin than necessary.

　That is what is written in the resident rulebook, but no one violates it.

　The laundry room has a lounge area and a cloakroom, and an android staff member is always on duty.

***

“Hello, Roger.”
“Good evening, Gaku-sama from Room 1103. Welcome to the laundry room.”
“It’s an unfortunate rain.”
“Thanks to that, I am able to meet you like this.”
“That’s true. Is the dress shirt ironing service available?”
“There will be a late-night surcharge, is that alright?”
“Yeah. Please do it.”
“Any waiting for encounters during this time slot?”
“Yukine-sama from Room 202 will be arriving shortly.”

***

“Is a lookup possible?”
“Yes. Both Gaku-sama’s credit and the access rights set by Yukine-sama are cleared. Shall I send it to your information terminal?”
“No. I don’t want to have too many preconceptions. For now, could you tell me one or two pieces of disclosed information?”
“Yes. She has a two-year-old child. She is the founder of a startup that has installed rental strollers with barcode payment at all metro stations.”
“Thank you, Roger.”
“You are welcome. It seems to have started raining.”

***

　A huge tote bag stuffed with laundry, hair tied up in a turban, a simple cotton maxi dress with a stole, ancient Greek-style sandals, and Boston-style glasses.

“You must be Yukine-san?”
“Gaku-kun, right? Wait a second, I’m just going to throw this into the washing machine.”
“Are those clothespins for return?”
“Oh, yeah. Ah, thank you. It looks like it’s raining.”
“Yeah, that’s why I came here just a moment ago, too. Would you like some coffee?”
“It’s already late, so caffeine... I won’t be able to sleep.”
“If you like sweet things, how about cocoa, or maybe hot milk?”
“That sounds good. Then hot milk.”
“I’ll go ask Roger. Wait on the sofa.”

***

　She was a very friendly person, the conversation flowed well, and she had unique, cute characteristics in her facial expressions, and occasionally, though only sometimes, she had a habit of speaking in a tone like a mother with a two-year-old child to everyone.

　Her impression changes when she takes off her glasses.

　Maybe it’s because of her dimples.

“I have a gathering with friends coming up, and there’s a plan for a barbecue on a rainy day.”
“On a rainy day? On purpose?”
“Yes. To listen to the sound of the rain. And the crackling sound of a bonfire.”
“Haha. An unusual hobby.”
“If you’d like, would you like to come with your child?”
“Well, maybe.”
“I’ll make sure to support you properly.”
“Yeah. I’ll think about it.”
“Once the date is set, please let me at least invite you.”
“Thank you.”

　It was only for a short time, but I think we were both able to reveal a little more of ourselves than our public faces.

***

　The dryer stopped and is beeping.

“Looks like it’s finished.”
“Mine still has a little while to go.”
“I’m glad we could talk.”
“Yeah. Thank you for the hot milk.”
“You’re welcome.”
“And to Roger, too.”
“I’ll tell him.”
“Well then, good night.”
“I’m glad we could talk.”
“You already said that.”

　I collected my laundry and received my neatly pressed dress shirt from Roger.

　It is still raining.

　According to the weather forecast, this rain will stop by morning. And it looks like sunny days will continue for a while.

　When will the next rain be?

　When does the rainy season start?

　I hope it rains.

(The End)

🟡1584 characters

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