[Short Story] 'Filter' @Writing Habit 2025.09.09

"You're slacking on cleaning the filter again, aren't you?"
My sister said that the moment she stepped into the living room.
"Eh, you caught me...?"
I laughed involuntarily as I dropped my bag onto the living room floor.
"The air feels heavy. Don't underestimate an adult's sense of smell."
My sister walked to the back of the room and threw the curtains and windows wide open. Sunlight streamed in from high up, and a cool breeze flowed throughout the room.

Half a year had passed since I started university, and I had gotten a little used to living alone. But whenever I returned to this room and opened the front door, I still felt a sense of loneliness in that dark, deathly quiet atmosphere.
I would sink into my bed in a state of emptiness and start mindlessly scrolling through my phone. Time would pass by in an instant, and I would greet the next morning with sighs and guilt. That was becoming my 'daily routine.'
I had never gone out of my way to tell my sister about that, but she probably saw right through it all.

My sister removed the cover of the air purifier placed in the corner of the room. The exposed filter was duller and grayer than I had expected.
"Look at this."
Seeing what she was pointing at, I couldn't help but wince.
"Whoa... you're right..."
My sister said this while reaching for the vacuum cleaner placed right behind her.
"Go get a wet rag. And an old toothbrush, too."

From the back as I headed to the washroom, I could hear the sound of the vacuum cleaner running. Occasionally, it changed to a loud roaring sound as if it had sucked up something large.
I took a relatively old towel out of the drawer and wondered what to do about the toothbrush.

When I left the washroom, my sister was in the kitchen holding a trash can. The filter was propped up against the sink, and the vacuum cleaner was back in its place.
The convenience store trash that had been left on the table since last night was being tossed into the bin by my sister's hands.

"It's okay, I'll do it later..."
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I scratched my head slightly and handed her the towel and toothbrush.
"Mom would definitely freak out if she saw this..."
My sister muttered a complaint that sounded just like our mother.
"Also, keep at least one old toothbrush. They're more versatile than you think."
My sister immediately realized that I had brought her the toothbrush I was using until this morning.

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"There, it's clean."
After my sister struggled with the filter cleaning for a while, she said this in a voice filled with a sense of accomplishment.
When I turned the switch on, the air purifier began cleaning the air as if it could breathe much easier than before. I felt like the green light even looked more refreshing.

"Hey—" My sister sat down on the bed."Are you properly refreshing yourself?"
"Refreshing?"
When I repeated her words, my sister pointed at the air purifier with her chin.
"Yeah. Your heart is the same as this thing; if you bottle up complaints or anxieties, it'll turn black in no time. You have to clean it out once in a while by going out or venting."

As expected, she sees right through everything. I felt a complex mix of emotions—embarrassed, frustrated, yet happy—and I shook my head while dropping my gaze to the floor.
"...Should we go to the cafe in front of the station after I tidy up a bit more?"
When I said that shyly, my sister grinned and said,"You cute little sister!" while ruffling my hair.

Afterwards, we went to the cafe in front of the station together and had a great time talking about trivial things over cake and coffee.
I don't know how long it had been since I laughed this much. As if my heart's filter had been washed, the heaviness that had been accumulating in my chest had disappeared before I knew it.

That night, I felt refreshed, and the time I spent drowning in my smartphone felt shorter than usual.
With the quiet operating sound of the air purifier as my lullaby, I fell into a deeper sleep than usual.

#Filter

*This work is a short story posted to the 'Writing Habit' app on September 9, 2025.
*I have also posted it on Instagram with visuals (AI-generated). Please take a look if you'd like.

Please follow me on Instagram as well if you'd like 🙇
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