The first rays of sunlight slipped through the shoji like golden arrows… straight into the middle of Harumi's forehead.
She didn't flinch.
Not because she was tough.Because she hadn't slept a wink.
"I think… I think I got a little allergy…" she mumbled, her voice muffled under the blanket.
Next to her, Izumi was snoring. Rare, since she usually slept like a princess. But right now? She was snoring like she was competing with a tractor. How could someone sleep so deeply when the entire room looked like the cursed storage room of an antique shop?
Harumi sniffled. A lot. She had sneezed all night—dust, mites, pollen, the very soul of the old house… it was an all-out attack.
But the day had begun.
Harumi pushed herself upright, channeling all the energy of a dramatic Asian drama heroine—hair sticking out in twelve different directions, deep panda-like eye circles, and a determination that didn't match the raccoon-face she was making while rubbing her eyes.
"YOSSHAAA!!" she shouted in the middle of the room, wielding a wooden spoon like a sword, radiating the kind of confidence only someone completely delusional could muster.
She put her hands on her hips, took a deep breath… and sneezed so loudly that she woke Izumi up.
"Today, I will make this house shine… ATCHIIIM!!"
Izumi sat up, startled.
"Who died?!""You did," Harumi sniffled. "You died, and I woke you up to help me."
Izumi yawned, taking in the chaos around her: stacked boxes, dust, a fallen door, three broken brooms, and tatami mats with suspicious stains.
"You didn't sleep either?"
"Sleep is for the weak," Harumi declared, her nose so red it could rival a clown's.
She got up, splashed her face with water, tied her hair back, and stepped outside to open the front door. The morning breeze rushed in like it was saying, "Good luck, dear. You're going to need it."
Then… she saw the whole house.
The entire house.
Gigantic. The size of an entire city block.
Harumi froze.
Izumi froze.
A leaf fell.
Harumi swallowed.
"Izumi…""No. Don't even start.""Izumi…""I said don't start.""I BOUGHT A HOUSE WITH MORE ROOMS THAN THERE ARE PEOPLE IN TOWN!"
Izumi threw her arms in the air.
"Congratulations! You officially bought a mini-inn without even realizing it!"
"Well… that explains why it was so cheap…"
The two of them just stood there at the gate, staring at the endless side of the house, stretching all the way to the horizon. Then an old man walking his dog waved.
"GOOD MORNING, HARUMI-CHAN!""Oh, good morni—" Harumi smiled automatically. Only afterward did she realize:"Who was that?""No idea," Izumi said.
Then a lady appeared on the veranda of the house next door.
"Harumi-chan! Finally arrived!""Aaaaah… yes! I'm here!" Harumi waved, pretending she remembered.Izumi whispered:"Do you even know her?""I think not…" Harumi muttered, disappointed in herself.
Three more people walked by, calling out "Harumi-chan." One even asked:
"You're going to live alone in this mansion?""No!" Harumi replied quickly. "I… I… have Izumi!""Don't even try it, I'm leaving tomorrow morning!"
Izumi timidly raised her hand to wave. The old man smiled."Ah, yes! She's your little sister. I think I remember you two when you were younger!"
Harumi froze.Izumi froze.
They looked at each other.
"Wait… we lived here before?" Izumi asked."I don't remember that," Harumi said, panicking.
But Harumi did what she always did when she didn't want to think too hard: she smiled and ran inside.
Cleaning began with high hopes.
Lasted exactly eight minutes.
"AAAAAAH!""WHAT?!" Izumi dropped the box."I found an old doll in the closet and thought it was a ghost!!""…Harumi, that's a ceramic tanuki."
Harumi put the tanuki back, half of her soul leaving her body.
Ten minutes later:
"AAAAAAH!""Again?!""I ste—ste—STE… stepped—""Stepped on what?!""…a loose tatami mat and flew three meters forward."
Izumi was laughing so hard she could barely breathe.
Harumi cleaned a room.Sneezed 23 times.Found two polite spiders who seemed to be paying rent.Dusted a shelf that would never stay dust-free.Bumped into a vase that miraculously didn't break (but almost broke her dignity).And somehow, managed to trap her foot in her own bucket.
"Help… help, I've become part of the furniture…" she whimpered, struggling to free her ankle.
Izumi rescued her like a firefighter saving a cat from a tree. After three hours of comedic tragedy, Harumi collapsed onto the tatami.
Sweaty. Allergic. Frustrated. Dirtier than when she started.
"I… thought it would be easier…""Harumi, this house has more rooms than you have brain cells," Izumi said, affectionately.
Then a knock echoed on the door. Harumi opened it cautiously, trying not to knock over anything else—and there she was:
Sakura, the neighbor across the street. Short, elderly, smiling, wearing a flowery kimono, radiating "grandma who secretly gives out candy."
"Good morning, girls!" she said sweetly. "I brought tea. And… help."
Harumi nearly cried.
Literally.
"Thank youuuu…" she grabbed the tea like it was a Nobel Prize.
Sakura stepped inside, saw the monumental mess, and laughed kindly.
"Oh my goodness… you really took on a big house, huh?"
Harumi, sitting on the floor with a crooked dust mask on her face, gave a thumbs-up.
"It's just… a little bigger than I imagined. Just a smidge. Like… three times bigger."
Izumi pointed down the endless hallway.
"Harumi. This house has echoes."
Sakura smiled gently, resting her hands on her knees.
"If you need help, just call me, okay?"
Harumi waved, sweaty, dusty, trying to look presentable.
"Thank you so much, Sakura-san! I'm… just a little lost right now."
"I can imagine," Sakura said. "Small towns are intimidating at first… but you'll get used to it. Everyone knows everyone."
Izumi crossed her arms.
"Yeah, I noticed. Everyone greeted Harumi like she was childhood friends with them!"
Harumi smiled proudly.
"See? People are friendly!"
Izumi rolled her eyes.
"Or maybe you just forgot that you already met half this town at some point in your life, and we just don't know how."
"I don't forget people!" Harumi shot back.
Izumi stared at her for three seconds.
Sakura laughed, gently holding Harumi's hand.
"Come on, dear. The house will wait. The sun's already going down. Leave the rest for tomorrow. Today, I want to show you the town—it's your home, after all."
Harumi felt her chest warm. The house was enormous. The mess was enormous. The allergies were bigger still. But Sakura's smile radiated such tenderness that everything felt… right.
Harumi took a deep breath.
"Then… let's see the town!" And for the first time that day, she felt like she was exactly where she was supposed to be. Even if she was completely lost. And very, very dirty.