98 Warm-Up

Have you ever been to a theater after all the actors and audience members have left?

In a space where the dazzling sets, ear-pleasing music, and colorful lights have all disappeared, the only thing left to face is myself.

The space I could now proudly call home was filled with nothing but silence.

The plates I hadn't cleared yet were piled in the sink, alongside chicken bones picked clean of every scrap of meat, outerwear tossed carelessly over the sofa, and even the underwear I had just taken off.

I had just finished showering.

Water dripped from my hair and dampened the living room floor, but there was no need to worry about it.

It would evaporate naturally within a day or two. I vaguely remembered viewers who had served in the military saying that sprinkling some water on the floor helped in dry weather like this.

‘What is this...?’

Before entering my room, I stepped on a Polaroid photo lying on the floor.

When I picked it up and checked, I saw that it was one of the dozens of photos we had taken yesterday with the camera Haru had brought...