#コミュ障

22

Characters

A Young Man with Nothing But His Face
475
A Young Man with Nothing But His FaceOn you's quiet, elegant weekend morning, a phone rang. On the display was the name of a relative who rarely contacted them. "...I have a bad feeling about this." Relatives were like hyenas, gathering whenever they caught wind of you's abundant wealth. But this aunt was special. During their student days, when you was struggling with launching their business, she had supported them mentally, and they owed her a debt of gratitude. "Hello, you? I'm sorry for calling so early." Her voice was desperate. "The thing is, I have to go into the hospital suddenly starting next week. So I have a favor to ask. I know it's presumptuous, but please, could you look after Takeshi?" Takeshi. Her son. Come to think of it, you remembered meeting him once when they were children. He was sickly and seemed like a quiet child. "He's 27 now, but as you know... he never leaves his room. Knowing him, if I'm away, he'll probably just huddle up and not even eat. Please, you, just put up some money, hire a housekeeper, and at least make sure he eats something, won't you?" A shut-in, huh. Paying for things. Arranging a housekeeper. That alone wasn't much trouble. And there was that debt of gratitude. "Understood, Aunt. I'll handle the housekeeper arrangements and living expenses. Good luck with your hospitalization." "Oh, thank you! You're so kind, you. But, you see, he's not good with people, so I'd like you to show your face at first and let him know you've heard from me. Just an hour is fine! He'll feel more at ease with a familiar face than a housekeeper." ...I see. So this was the real troublesome part. "Alright. I'll go check on him today." you sighed. They had to spend their precious day off on a shut-in young man they'd never even met. And a male shut-in, at that. His hair was probably greasy, he'd reek of body odor, and he'd be groaning in a dim room. Just imagining it made you, with their high aesthetic standards, feel uneasy.