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Once a Day Keep The Loneliness Away

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Episode 15 

Posted on 5 July 20256 July 2025 By Maigetsu No Comments on Episode 15 

The Beautiful Kuudere Woman Who Always Reads Books While Standing Next to Me at the Laundromat Turns Out to Be the Vice President of One of Our Clients


The warm, slightly sweet atmosphere of the yakitori restaurant. It was the happiest, yet most difficult burden of my life.

Immersed in that lingering feeling, I settled the bill and put my arm around her shoulder as we stepped out into the cold midnight air.

“…Um…Minato san, shall we go home?”

Tsukishima san stretched and said.

“Tsukishima san, stay strong. Which way is your house?”

“Hmm. That way…we live in the same area, so we’re going in the same direction.”

“That’s true…”

“Fufu…you’re pretty drunk, aren’t you?”

“We’re both the same.”

Tsukishima san leaned on me unsteadily and raised her hand to hail a passing taxi. We both got in.

“Where are you heading, customers?” 

The driver’s friendly voice prompted me to give my address, and Tsukishima san to give hers.  

“Then, let’s start with you, sir.”

“Yes, please.”

Once we were seated in the backseat and the destination was set, the taxi quietly began to move. Inside the car, an old-fashioned love song with a female vocalist was playing at a fairly loud volume.

Occasionally, the driver sniffed. Was he crying, or did he just have hay fever? I wanted to believe it was the latter, but I couldn’t bring myself to mention the unusual situation of a Heisei-era love song playing in a taxi in the middle of the night.

Tsukishima san, unfazed by the situation, muttered, “What’s this?” with a sullen look on her face.

“Ah…I was rejected by the girl I liked…she likes Ayu… Oh, her name isn’t Sonoko, though.”

I felt like I had glimpsed a hint of the reason why he was rejected.

“You two are so cute, all lovey-dovey. It makes me jealous just watching you.”  

He was misunderstanding. I glanced at Tsukishima san’s face, and she was also looking at me. We exchanged a silent glance, and both of us ended up with that indescribable, sullen expression.  

“…Ayu? Fish?”  

Tsukishima san tilted her head and muttered.

“Oh, no, I meant Hamasaki Ayumi… Well, it’s like a wish, so I’m just letting it play. Sorry about that, sir.”

The driver’s sorrowful voice and Tsukishima san’s natural humor created a strange harmony inside the car. But before I could dwell on such sentimentality, I noticed something unusual.

The driver’s driving was unusually rough. Perhaps due to the shock of a broken heart, the car repeatedly made sudden starts and stops, and took curves with excessive centrifugal force. The abrupt changes in speed made me feel sick.  

“…Tsukishima san, are you okay?”

I leaned in close and whispered so the driver couldn’t hear.  

“…Hm, for now, I’m still…okay. What about you, Minato san?”

“I’m managing…”

Though I said that, the alcohol from the hot sake and beer, the grease from the grilled chicken, and the irregular shaking were steadily taking their toll on my inner ear.

◆

Eventually, the taxi arrived at the apartment building where I lived.

“Sir, we’ve arrived.”

“Yes, thank you…”

As I reached for my wallet to pay the fare, Tsukishima san suddenly opened the door and quickly got out.  

“Tsukishima san !?” 

After settling the cash transaction, I got out of the taxi and walked around to Tsukishima san’s side. Tsukishima san told the driver, “This is fine. Thank you. Take care.” with a kind tone.

The driver winked and saluted with just his index and middle fingers extended. I thought to myself that maybe that was one of the reasons he was rejected, as I watched the taxi drive away.

“Tsukishima san, were you okay getting out?”

“…Hm. It wasn’t good, but it was okay. That, and being alone with him afterward might have led to a mission-critical situation.”

Tsukishima san said that with a serious expression as she watched the taxi force its way through the yellow light.  

“…I see.”

I couldn’t help but agree with her judgment.  

After the taxi drove off, Tsukishima san and I were left alone in the quiet residential area at midnight. The laundromat was within walking distance from both of our homes. That meant Tsukishima san’s house should also be within walking distance from here.

But Tsukishima san showed no signs of going home and instead looked up at the ordinary apartment building where I lived.  

“Hmm. So this is where you live, Minato san?”  

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“So you’re just going to leave me here alone on the street at night?” 

This was an invitation to come inside. Tsukishima’s upward glance was unfair. I had no choice but to accept.

“No, that’s not what I meant…do you want to come in?”

“Yeah, I’ll come in.”  

Tsukishima san said that, humming along to the song playing in the taxi, and headed toward the apartment building’s entrance.  

◆  

My room is 1DK. Due to my job, I’m rarely home, so it’s a sparse, lifeless space.  

“…Excuse me.”

Tsukishima san took off her shoes, entered the room with a casual stride, and plopped down on the sofa in the living room.

“Ah… Not good. As soon as I sat down, I felt terrible..”

“It’s not a sofa that makes people feel bad…you know, that one. The one with the beads.”

I couldn’t remember the name of the product and kept repeating “that one.”

“Hmm. That one, right? That one.”  

Huh? Tsukishima san can’t remember either?  

“That one, right?”  

“Hmm. That one.” 

“……Buh….ah, that one, right?”

“Fufu……that one, that one. That’s the one, Minato san.” 

The two of us laughed endlessly just by saying “that one.”  

“………Um, what was it again… Like Gitaro…?”

“Fufu…that’s right. I know it’s three letters. Tomuro?”  

We continued this completely meaningless conversation. But for some reason, that aimless time felt comfortable.  

However, that peaceful time came to an abrupt end.  

While we were talking, I noticed Tsukishima san’s face turning pale. She sat sideways on the sofa, leaning her head against the backrest, looking in pain.

“…Tsukishima-san? What’s wrong?”

“Ugh…ah, no—”

Just as she said that, Tsukishima san couldn’t hold it in and vomited all over my sofa.

“Are you okay !? Tsukishima san !”

I panicked for a moment, but grabbed a few towels from the kitchen and returned. While rubbing her back, I was thinking about what to do with the soiled sofa, when suddenly…

The swaying of the taxi, the alcohol, and the scene unfolding before my eyes, along with the smell. All of these things caused the worst chemical reaction inside me.

“Ugh…”

I got it.

◆

In the end, we stuffed the dirty sofa cover into a large garbage bag and slowly made our way to the laundromat at 4 a.m.

I couldn’t help but feel that coming to the laundromat was a strange twist of fate.

I was also washing Tsukishima san’s dirty clothes, and now I was wearing my room T-shirt, so the hem and sleeves were baggy.

“…I’m really…sorry.”

Tsukishima san, who had completely sobered up, bowed deeply with an uncharacteristic humility.

“It’s okay, it’s just a cheap sofa. The cover can be washed. …..I’ve done it too. At least it wasn’t the bed.”

“But…..the stain has seeped into the cushion…..”

“It’s okay. I have chronic rhinitis, so my nose is always stuffy, and I can’t smell anything anyway.”

When I said that and laughed, Tsukishima san stared at my face and said in a small voice.  

“…Liar.”” 

“…Yeah. I lied.”  

There was no point in pretending anymore. We looked at each other and laughed weakly.  

“…Ah, um, Minato san. I have a proposal.”

Tsukishima san spoke up as if she had made up her mind.  

“What?”

“On a free weekend, let’s go look at sofas together. I’ll pay for it.” 

“Umm…”

I pretended to think for a moment, then made a suggestion.  

“How about we have lunch and stop by a café too? You can just pick out the sofa, and that’s fine with me.”

This wasn’t just a suggestion. It was my clumsy way of asking her out on a date.  

“Hm…”

Tsukishima san lowered her head slightly and fell silent. I was about to give up, thinking it hadn’t worked, when…

“…I’ll pay for everything—lunch, the café, and the sofa. Really.”

Her eyes were serious as she looked up. That stubbornness was typical of her, and it was endearing.

“Eh…okay, okay.”

Tsukishima san reached out her hand.

“No, Minato san, I’m serious. I’m prepared to take legal action if necessary.”

“What do you mean !?”

“I’ll hire a lawyer and prove that I have a legal obligation to compensate you, even if it means going to court.”

“I’ve never heard of the person paying compensation bringing it up first !”

“Hm….but I’m serious.”

Tsukishima san stared stubbornly, showing no signs of backing down.  

“Well…considering the lawyer’s fees, it might be better to just let you treat me.”  

“Hm. That’s right.”

And so, we made our first proper date arrangement under the most inappropriate circumstances.  

The washing machine at the laundromat spun quietly yet powerfully, as if washing away our mistakes.  


Maigetsu


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The Beautiful Kuudere Woman Who Always Reads Books While Standing Next to Me at the Laundromat Turns Out to Be the Vice President of One of Our Clients

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