the entryway.” Kousaka was speechless, and his lip quivered. “…You know that much?” “Yeah. Now won’t you let me in already? I’m freezing out here.” Kousaka hesitated, but finally gave up and carefully released the chain lock. True to his word, the man didn’t set foot beyond the entryway, closed the door behind him, leaned on it, and sighed. He started to take a cigarette out of his pocket, but noticed Kousaka watching and put it away. “It’s not just you, really… Lots of young people these days like to be clean,” the man said as if to himself. “I guess it figures since they’re selling a product, but if you just look at commercials, it feels like everything is dirty. Sofas and mattresses are full of ticks, cutting boards and sponges are full of bacteria, smartphones and keyboards get dirty with use, your mouth after waking up smells worse than a steaming pile…” As he spoke, he took a lighter from his pocket and flicked it. “But since all that stuff surrounds us, I guess that means we’ve always been fine with it? Then isn’t there nothing to worry about? I guess it’s just what companies do. People make up problems that don’t even exist.” Kousaka pressed him to get to the point. “…What did you want to talk about?”