Wash It All Away (綺麗にしてもらえますか。)

Wash It

All Away

Episode 12 Local Cleaning with a Heart

Um, may I ask you to take care of this?

Of course.

Thank you very much. Please allow me to inspect the garment.

You two sure are dressed up today. Are you going somewhere together?

Yes, to Izu.

To stay the night! I'm going to take a bunch of pictures

and draw sketches of capybaras, crocodiles, and bananas!

Huh? Do those things go together?

I'll bring you back a souvenir, so please expect something nice!

All right.

A trip sounds nice. I'd love to go somewhere far away for a change.

Are you plotting to skip town, then?

Ah! Aji-san?

Yeah, just kidding.

Here.

Take care of these.

Thank you very much. Allow me to inspect your items at the counter.

Again? It's the same stuff as always.

You don't need to check every single time. For crying out loud.

No, I must! No matter how carefully you handle your clothes,

they may become worn or discolored, or stretch or shrink over time.

Buttons and seams can unravel, and you might have stains that aren't easy to see.

That is why I must check every single time!

Ugh.

Oh, I'm sorry.

I didn't mean to come across as pushy.

Fine, then. Do it your way.

Orders will be ready on the 26th

How long has it been since you set up here. Two years?

Yes.

Right, right.

And you're still using the same old ironing table.

Yes, I am. I try to take good care of the equipment passed down to me.

I'm glad you're able to make use of such an antique.

It's all because you maintained everything, Aji-san.

I didn't maintain a thing. I just left it all alone.

What's taking so long?

Um, Aji-san, excuse me, but would you mind if I asked you something?

What now? Is it about the rent?

Fine, then. If it's that much of a hassle, I'll just wash it myself.

Uh, that's not what I meant.

I simply wanted to...

Huh?

Orders will be ready on the 8th

And he ran off without saying a word?

Yes.

Huh? What? Kyusho-kun?

I wonder if I did something to make him uncomfortable.

Of course not. Don't even worry about it.

I'm sure he was just embarrassed.

Embarrassed?

Well, sure.

We're talking about a boy who's still making his way through puberty, right?

Oh, come on, Kinme-san!

I wonder if you're right.

I am. So you don't need to worry.

Kinme

Timer

Start

Pause

We are closed for the day.

September Rent

Kinme Wakana Kinme Cleaning

She usually comes to pick it up at the end of the month.

Um, Aji-san, excuse me but would you mind if I asked you something?

What now? Is it about the rent?

Um, Aji-san, how have you been feeling recently?

Huh? What are you talking about?

You know what I say. I've always been healthy as a horse.

Hmph!

I noticed something similar the last time you brought your laundry in,

but there appears to be a stain in the crotch area I hadn't seen before.

Could this mean...

Fine, then. If it's that much of a hassle, I'll just wash it myself.

I must have offended her.

What do I do now?

September Rent

Kinme Wakana Kinme Cleaning

Away for a moment. Be back soon. - Manager

So this is Aji-san's house.

Absolutely NO Solicitors Door-to-Door Sales Prohibited

I know she always says she doesn't want me showing up at her house.

Excuse me, please. It's me, Kinme Wakana.

Are you home, Aji-san?

I wonder if she's out.

It's open?

Excuse me, please.

It's me, Kinme Wakana.

Oh, Aji-san!

I'm sorry to catch you while you're cleaning.

I went ahead and brought this month's rent.

Wash It All Away

Wash It All Away

We pick up and deliver! Kinme Cleaning

All right, move along now.

How am I gonna get any sweeping done? Sheesh.

I guess all these leaves mean it's finally fall.

Yes, I suppose it is that time of the year.

Getting out of the house is gonna be a pain now.

Boy oh boy.

I brought your clean garments for you.

Appreciate it.

I was able to get the stains out completely.

Were you now? Thank you.

Yeah, that sure was embarrassing.

All the while, I kept saying, "I'm healthy as a horse!"

But you read me like a book and knew what was wrong, didn't you?

Well, I wouldn't put it that way.

I am very sorry for upsetting you, though. I should not have spoken so carelessly.

It's all right. If you hadn't been worried about me, I might not have made it.

When I felt myself starting to pass out, I thought that was it for me.

I should've listened to your warning and gotten checked at the hospital

instead of ignoring it until I ended up collapsing.

I wouldn't call it a warning. I wasn't aware of your condition, after all.

It's just, the longer I get to know my customers as their neighborhood cleaner,

I do start to notice when there are slight changes in their garments.

And I'll think, "Oh, it looks like her weight changed a little"

or "He must have gone through something that made him sweat a lot."

I really only wanted to share with you what I had noticed.

You're like a criminal profiler, in a manner of speaking.

Pro-what?

Well, I just mean to say

that people who work as cleaners actually have a pretty important job.

I agree!

Speaking of which, your shop is two years old now, isn't it?

Ah, yes! I couldn't have made it without you.

Oh boy, I remember how stressful things were at first

when you didn't have many customers.

I was so afraid that you might not make rent, it gave me the chills.

Yes, I remember that.

But I was soon able to build a regular customer base thanks to your advice.

You told me that because of all the hills and stairs in this town,

there are elderly folks who can't get to my shop even if they want to.

And with all of the winding, narrow roads,

it can be tough getting around even in a car.

When I heard that, I thought, "Okay,

I need to think of a way to serve this community's needs."

That's why...

I decided the shop motto should be "Local Cleaning with a Heart."

Seems fitting.

So, are you planning anything special for your second anniversary?

Oh, yes!

I was thinking of throwing a special second anniversary event

to show my appreciation to all of my customers.

Oh. Sounds nice.

Well then, I'll be going.

When it's too much trouble to leave the house, I'll give you another call.

Sure! Whenever you need me.

Aji-san, what's the matter?

I never expected that it would be my turn next.

Your turn next?

Well, I remembered I'd heard about something like this in the past

from the cleaning shop that was in there before you.

Oh.

The manager then also noticed a change in a customer's clothes

that meant their disease was progressing.

Thanks to that, they caught it just in time.

Hmm...

So the previous cleaner paid attention to things like that too.

Hello, this is Kinme Cleaning.

Oh, Yagara-san?

Huh? Tonight?

Well, yes, I'm free.

You want me to play?

All right!

Ready!

Go for it!

Asami!

Okay!

I got one!