45 pages without a lot of the typical tropes that cause things to drag will do that. Most other manga would still have the poor guy trying to figure out her identity this early...
That's why you always see him question if he should help though. He recognizes his power can change the tune of any war, but you don't see him running around to every country, do you?
The story has touched many times on that he recognizes he often doesn't see (or recognize) the lasting impact...
In Japan a lot of older or tiny apartments don't have machines, so it's not uncommon for small places to be hidden around. They're also commonly used for washing bigger things a small home washer and drier couldn't, like futons or large duvets.