by Takehaya
A Day in Room 106
Friday, April 24th
Satomi Koutarou’s ability to wake up was absolutely terrible.
Today was no exception. Even as the strong morning light shone down on him, he showed no sign of waking up. His mouth hung wide open as he snored almost as loudly as the fridge’s compressor.
“Mm...”
That said, it seemed the morning sunlight did at least appear to bother him. He turned over in his sleep, putting him up against the wall. Koutarou had laid out his futon in the middle of the room, but since he rolled around in his sleep, he’d ended up in the corner of the room by morning.
But thanks to that last roll, the sunlight was no longer washing over his face, and he returned to sleeping as normal.
The time was now 6 AM.
The sunshine was bright and the sky beyond the window was clear blue. As it was nearing late April, the temperature was pleasantly starting to rise. It was nice outside these days. If the window were open, there would have been a nice, cool breeze coming through it.
But the first thing to open in room 106 was not the window. With a little noise, the tatami mat closest to the front door appeared to lift itself up slightly. As it rose, the plastic bag on top of it starting to rustle, revealing several instant noodle cups inside. The rustling, however, was short-lived. Not a moment later, the tatami mat was raised up from the floor completely. From underneath it, a lone girl appeared.
There was another rustling sound.
“I keep telling her to put those away...”
Because the girl had flipped up the tatami mat, the bag of instant noodle cups had spilled over. She saw this and sighed. Her beautiful, long, black hair swayed as she crawled up into room 106. The girl’s name was Kiriha. She was wearing an outfit that was something of a cross between a kimono and a shrine maiden’s garb. Her clothing and her cool, long, narrow eyes were quite striking. She was one of the girls attempting to seize control of room 106.
“Hey, ho! Hey, ho!”
“Ho! Ho! Ho, ho, ho! Hey, ho!”
Following Kiriha out from under the tatami mat were two haniwas, each about thirty centimeters tall. As they entered room 106, they began picking up the noodle cups without waiting for Kiriha’s orders. This was getting to be a daily occurrence.
That was when the far wall began glowing, just above where Koutarou happened to be sleeping.
“Is that Ruth?”
Kiriha was unfazed by the strange spectacle taking place before her. She simply went about replacing the tatami mat she had moved. As she put it back, a girl appeared from the glowing wall. She had a short bob and serious eyes, and she was wearing something resembling a military uniform. This was Ruth. She was an alien that had come to Earth from over ten million light years away.
“Kyaaah!”
As Ruth entered the room, she screamed. It wasn’t because she had fallen, though. It was more so an issue of where she had landed.
“I-I’m so sorry, Satomi-sama! I’ll move right away!”
Ruth had appeared right above Koutarou, planting her stockinged feet right in Koutarou’s face.
The glowing wall served as a sort of door to room 106. Passing through it would teleport one to and from the alien spaceship in orbit around Earth. But unlike a normal door, you couldn’t see through it. There was no way of knowing what it was like on the other side until you were already passing through it. Because of that, Ruth had unwittingly stepped on Koutarou’s face.
“I’m deeply sorry for stepping on your face morning after morning, Satomi-sama!”
Ruth hurriedly got off of Koutarou and apologized. She looked truly penitent as she repeatedly bowed her head.
“...”
However, there was no response from Koutarou.
“S-Satomi-sama?”
“You’re really something, aren’t you, Satomi Koutarou?”
Both girls looked at Koutarou. Ruth was surprised and Kiriha was just impressed. Thanks to his remarkable ability to stay asleep, despite being stepped on, he still showed no sign of waking up. It was as if nothing had happened.
Having Kiriha and Ruth around made the plain room a lot more colorful. But when they put that aside and donned aprons, they looked just like normal girls their age.
“Kiriha-sama, what should I do with this long and slender vegetable?”
“We’re adding the leek to the miso soup, so cut it into round slices.”
“Okay, I understand.”
Kiriha stood at the stove with a ladle in hand, and Ruth was holding a knife at the sink. They were working together to prepare breakfast. But being an alien, Ruth was unfamiliar with Earth-style cooking. That meant Kiriha worked as the chef with Ruth as her assistant. As the two girls cooperated to make the food, they seemed like good friends. It was hard to imagine they were enemies just by looking at them.
“Goooood mooorniiiiing...”
That was when one of the few people who knew the truth about their relationship appeared. It was a petite girl in a summer dress who looked like she was in grade school.
“Good morning to you too.”
“Good morning, Sanae.”
“Hnnn...” Sanae sleepily rubbed her eyes.
But calling her a person was questionable, considering she had appeared from the ceiling. She didn’t flip over a tatami mat or make a wall glow, but literally materialized from the ceiling. Her name was Sanae, and she was the resident ghost of room 106.
“What’s for breakfast today?”
“Rice and miso soup. And the fish we bought yesterday, um... Kiriha-sama, what was it called again?”
“Salmon. And then there are the wieners that didn’t fit into today’s bentou.”
However, neither Kiriha nor Ruth was surprised by Sanae’s unusual entrance. They both smiled and acted as if they were talking to a friend. They were used to Sanae.
“Are they shaped like octopi?!”
“The best a girl of age can make.”
“Is that so?”
“She’s lying. Kiriha always lies with a straight face... Oh right, I almost forgot. Can I taste them?!”
“I don’t mind. I was going to serve them to Koutarou anyway.”
“All right!”
Sanae was delighted to get Kiriha’s permission. Looking as young as she did, she truly did seem like a child sometimes. But instead of reaching out for the wieners in front of her, she turned around and headed to the inner room.
“Wake up, Koutarou! Hey!”
“Hnnn...”
Once she made it to the inner room, Sanae got to work on waking up Koutarou. In order for her to taste the wieners, she needed Koutarou’s help. As a ghost, she couldn’t eat on her own. She needed to possess someone and share their senses so she could “eat” vicariously. Her willing victim was none other than Koutarou. They were currently in a truce, and the condition for the ceasefire was that Sanae was allowed to possess Koutarou.
“Hurry! Wake up! The octopi will get cold!”
“Hnnn... I can’t eat any more... Mhm...”
“I won’t let you be the only one eating good stuff!”
As expected, Koutarou was still out cold even after being shaken and shouted at. It also seemed like he was having a dream about eating, which only got on Sanae’s nerves even more.
“Heh heh, Mackenzie, I’m leaving the bill to you... Mmm...”
“Ugh! Why are you always denying ghosts a reason to exist?! I’m not asking you to be surprised anymore, but at least listen to my voice! When someone shakes you, wake up! And when you wake up, say ‘good morning, my angel’ to the adorable Sanae-chan!”
“Don’t cry over something like that... It’s pitiful...�
�
“Anyone would want to cry!”
Dumbfounded by Koutarou’s ability to talk in his sleep without waking up, Sanae finally reached her limit.
“I-In that case...”
With tears forming in her eyes, Sanae used her Poltergeist powers to lift up a nearby encyclopedia.
“Just you watch. This is what happens if you think a woman will just hold it in forever!”
Sanae grinned and tilted the encyclopedia slightly. She was going to drive the corner of the book right into Koutarou’s head.
“...Hmm?”
But before Sanae could put her plan into action, the wall began glowing just like it did when Ruth had appeared.
“There we go.”
The only difference this time was that a different person came through. Everything else was exactly the same.
The girl who stepped out of the wall now was a little older than Sanae. She wore a white dress and had beautiful, golden hair and clear blue eyes. This was Theia, an alien princess. She was also Ruth’s master.
“Gwaaaaaaaah?!”
“Oh, I didn’t see you, pleb.”
And things played out exactly the same way. Theia stepped directly on Koutarou’s face just like Ruth had. But unlike Ruth, she didn’t take it upon herself to do anything about it. Even worse, she was wearing shoes. Her high heels dug into Koutarou’s forehead.
“Owowowow!”
“You never learn, do you? Why do you always sleep there? Seriously... this is why you are a pleb,” Theia declared in an astounded tone of voice.
She then stepped off his face and onto the tatami floor. The edges of her white dress fluttered captivatingly, but Koutarou wasn’t in the mood to appreciate it right now.
“Tulip, you idiot! How many times do I have to tell you not to step on people?! And don’t wear shoes inside the room!”
Koutarou had a red bruise on his forehead. Not even he could sleep through being stabbed in the face by high heels with Theia’s full weight behind them.
“Aaaah?! Y-You pleb! You dare call me an idiot again?!”
“I’ll say it as many times as I have to, you idiot!”
“How dare you show your master such disrespect?!”
Koutarou and Theia butted heads and shouted at each other. They were so close they could kiss, but that didn’t matter to either of them when they were so worked up.
“And what’s this? Why do you only complain about me? Am I the only one that has stepped on you?!”
“I’m truly sorry, Satomi-sama. Allow me to apologize for my master and myself for stepping on you over and over.”
Before Koutarou and Theia knew it, Ruth was right there beside them. She deeply bowed to Koutarou as if she were the one being shouted at.
“No, there’s no need for you to apologize, Ruth-san. Please raise your head.”
Koutarou shook his head. He had no grievance with Ruth.
“This is all Tulip’s fault.”
“But...”
“Hey! You pleb! Why only forgive Ruth? How absurd! Why do you favor her?!”
Theia’s face turned red with anger and she stomped her feet. As she did, her heels pierced the tatami mat repeatedly. Seeing that, Koutarou’s tone grew even harsher.
“That’s obvious, you stupid princess! Why don’t you put a hand on your chest and ask yourself that again?!”
“My chest...?”
Theia vacantly stared down at herself, and then looked over at Ruth.
“Y-Your Highness?!”
Ruth blushed and crossed her arms over her chest to hide it.
“...Breasts...”
Although it had vanished momentarily in her confusion, Theia’s anger was soon reignited.
“You’re saying that you forgive her because her breasts are big?!”
But this time, she wasn’t just angry. She was livid. Getting so worked up, Theia completely lost sight of herself and screamed at Koutarou.
“Of course not! Why would that be the reason?!”
“Koutarou, who cares what barely-there boobs girl has to say? Forget her! Let’s eat!”
“Are you trying to pick a fight with me?!”
“Don’t, Your Highness!”
And just like that, a brawl broke out in the small room.
“Mmm, this tastes great.”
Kiriha, who was still in the kitchen, didn’t seem to care much about it as she tasted her miso soup with a satisfied smile.
“I’ll make sure to teach you who your master is today!”
“Just try it, Tulip! The only place you’re going is the flowerbed!”
“Just how much are you going to belittle your master? You rude Neanderthal!”
“Both of you, please stop it!”
“Food! Food!”
“Yet another peaceful day... Or far from it, rather...”
It was only natural for Kiriha to be so calm. It was just another morning in room 106.
“Thank you for the food!”
“Of course. Eat up.”
Once the breakfast preparations were complete, Sanae jumped onto Koutarou’s back and wrapped her arms around his neck. According to Sanae, that was how you possessed someone. But at first glance, it just looked like a child clinging to her father’s back.
“Hurry up and eat, Koutarou!”
“...”
Though Sanae was dying for Koutarou to start eating, Koutarou was glaring at the person across from him rather than focusing on the food.
“...”
Sitting opposite of Koutarou on the other side of the tea table was Theia, glaring right back at him. They had been glaring at each other for a while now. In addition to the bruise on Koutarou’s forehead, he had scratches and bite marks on him. Theia, on the other hand, was sporting a black eye. Neither one of them had come out unscathed from their earlier brawl.
“Your Highness, if you keep this up, your food will get cold.”
“You should be saying that to the pleb! What’s wrong with disciplining a fool who raises their hand against their master?”
Ruth was sitting between Koutarou and Theia, and was doing her best to get the two of them to make up.
“Ha, to think you’re calling someone a fool.”
“Hmph. You lowlife.”
Despite her efforts, they were both still sulking and looked away from each other in irritation. They had no intentions of making up. Though they couldn’t get along, they shared the same stubbornness.
“But Your Highness, we are the ones who started it.”
“I don’t care. A vassal’s fealty shouldn’t be circumstantial. He should respect me universally.”
“Who are you calling a vassal?”
“You’re being such a baby...”
“That’s not true. It’s Tulip’s fault.”
Even while looking away from each other, they continued to argue. In fact, it carried on solely because of how conscious of one another they were.
“We can’t have that, Koutarou.”
That was when Kiriha spoke up with a vexed smile. With his head turned away from Theia, Koutarou just so happened to be looking at her. Kiriha was seated across from Ruth, between Koutarou and Theia on the other side. They were sitting around the tea table in what had become their usual order: Koutarou and Sanae, Ruth, Theia, and then Kiriha.
“Kenji and Shizuka will worry if you make a scary face like that.”
“But, Tulip is—”
“That’s e-n-o-u-g-h.”
Koutarou tried to protest, but Kiriha stopped him by placing her finger over his lips. She leaned forward a little and smiled.
“I don’t like you this way either. I prefer it when you smile.”
“Huh...?”
The soft, warm tip of Kiriha’s finger felt like a kiss to Koutarou. Her dazzling smile and calming eyes sucked him in.
“Listen, Koutarou, it’s okay to act like this sometimes. But that doesn’t mean you should be that way around everyone. Kenji, Shizuka, and even I will be
sad to see you this way. You shouldn’t bring down the people you love like that.”
“Ugh...”
“Let go of your anger, Koutarou. It’s for our sake and yours.”
Koutarou’s anger dissolved as Kiriha calmly admonished him. He was mad at Theia because he was irritated by her selfishness, but Kiriha’s smile made him realize that it was selfish of him to take that out on other people.
“Waaait just a minute! I mind my own business and this is what happens?!”
“Wh-What?!”
As Koutarou and Kiriha started to come to an understanding, Sanae shouted at the two of them. Still clinging on to Koutarou, she strengthened her grip around his neck like she was going to choke him.
“Kiriha! Don’t act like you’re the only one who’s not Koutarou’s enemy! He can fuss at you all he wants! You’re planning on taking this room for yourself after all! Don’t casually try to act like you’re so buddy-buddy!”
“My, my, you sure are strict, Sanae.”
“And Koutarou! What’s with you?! She’s just trying to get you to lower your guard so she can take over the room. That’s what she always does!”
“S-Sorry, it was a reflex...”
“Don’t hand me that! Give me a break, Koutarou! You’ve almost fallen for her tricks so many times these past few days! What do you think would happen if I wasn’t around?!”
“I get it. Just calm down, okay?”
“...Are you reflecting on your actions?”
As Koutarou apologized, both the force in Sanae’s voice and her grip weakened.
“I am. Of course I am.”
“And do you have any words of thanks for the beautiful ghost who keeps helping you?”
“Thank you for always looking out for me.”
The only reason he hadn’t already been fooled by Kiriha and still had a place to live was thanks to Sanae. If it weren’t for his truce with her, he would have succumbed to Kiriha long ago.
“Good. Now hurry up and eat. I’m starving.”
Satisfied with Koutarou’s answer, Sanae leaned forward and pointed at the table. On it was rice, miso soup, salmon, and wieners cut into octopus shapes. It was the long-awaited breakfast.
“I know. Thank you for the food.”
“Koutarou, start with the octopi wieners!”
