arc2 · 051-ch51

Chapter 51: Going to Look at Houses ①

(Oh, morning, huh. Let's see, today is... right, I'm going to check out some houses.)

Aside from when I'm editing stream videos, I've been living a pretty regular life lately. I've been waking up early, eating proper breakfasts. It really does seem like going back to university and starting work has been moving things in a good direction.

"Morning."

"Oh my, morning, Souta. You're up awfully early."

But by the time I woke up, Mom was already up and had made breakfast. Not to brag, but Mom's cooking is amazing. Before she got sick, she used to work making food at a restaurant, so that makes sense.

"Morning, Onii-chan, Mama."

Oh, looks like my little sister Umi's up too. Maybe because the plan today is for the three of us to go look at the new house—everyone's excited and got up early.

"Let's eat."

The three of us sat around the table for breakfast. Man, having our normal everyday life back—I couldn't be happier.

"So Onii-chan, what's the plan for today?"

Even though we're in the middle of eating, Umi's eyes are sparkling as she asks. Well, having a fun conversation over a meal isn't bad at all.

"After we eat, I'll get ready to head out. I want to leave by eight. First, we'll go to a thirty-story tower mansion near Hachioji Station, then check out a twenty-five-story tower mansion near Nishi-Hachioji Station. After that, we'll grab lunch somewhere, and then go see a detached house a little ways into Mount Takao."

"Seriously!? We're going to see three places!? This is gonna be great!"

Yep, today's plan is to visit three properties. Each one has its own pros and cons, so let me explain real quick.

"Umi, let me go over the good and bad points of each place, so listen up. First, the tower mansion in Hachioji—if we go with this one, you might have to transfer to a different elementary school. If you don't wanna switch schools, you'd probably have to commute by train or bus. But it's way more developed than where we are now, so there are tons of shops and stuff."

Umi stopped eating and listened to my explanation with a serious face. Man, she's adorable.

"Next, the tower mansion in Nishi-Hachioji is closer than the Hachioji one, but there's still a chance you'd have to transfer. Though if you commute from there, I think it'd be easier than from Hachioji. Fewer shops and restaurants than Hachioji, though."

Umi nodded along to each point of my explanation. Yep, definitely cute.

"Last is the detached house, but this one's pretty close to where we are now, so no need to change schools. But it's a little ways into the mountains, so the commute might be rough. Also, the house itself is old, so rebuilding is an option. If we go that route, I'd say it'd take somewhere around six months to a year."

Both Umi and Mom looked deep in thought after hearing my explanation. Well, it's not like we have to decide today, so there's plenty of time to think after we actually see them. I told them as much and urged them to finish eating breakfast.

After breakfast, I checked my email. Whoa, tons of messages came in, but they're all neatly sorted by rank. Since there are no S-rank explorers in Japan, the A through F mailboxes are all loaded with messages. Since I set the filter to the greater Tokyo area first, there aren't as many as I expected.

And considering the number of explorers, I figured most requests would be low-rank, but it looks like C and D rank make up the bulk. I'll close submissions for now and pick through them carefully when I have time.

Just for kicks, I searched the name "Sword Emperor"—nothing came up. Good, that guy hasn't formed a party yet. Or maybe he can't even register as an explorer. He did seem kinda dumb.

After finishing up my email check, I changed into going-out clothes and headed downstairs, where Mom and Umi were already fully ready and waiting.

"Huh? Onii-chan, you're going out dressed like that?"

Umi suddenly hit me with that after seeing what I was wearing. What's that supposed to mean? Is my outfit really that weird?

"Onii-chan, let's go clothes shopping together sometime, okay...?"

For some reason, Umi was looking at me with exasperation. Mom just laughed at the whole thing. Well, whatever—the taxi's here, so let's get going.

The three of us climbed into the taxi, a little nervous.

▽▽▽

"O-Onii-chan, is this really the place?"

The taxi took us to our destination, and it turned out to be a way fancier mansion than I'd imagined. Feeling a bit intimidated, we headed toward the entrance.

"U-um, I-I-I'm the one who c-called about a v-v-viewing today—S-Soramine."

Just as we'd arranged over the phone, there was a man standing at the entrance with a nameplate hanging from his neck, ready to guide us. He looked competent, but there was something about his vibe that made him hard to approach—so my Passive Skill: Social Anxiety kicked in.

"Ah, yes, I was informed by phone. My name is Ichinomiya, and I'll be your guide today. A pleasure to meet you."

Hmm, this guy's polite with his words, but he definitely gave off a vibe like he was looking down on us. Sure, we probably don't look rich, but if you're a professional, don't show that kind of attitude. I kept those thoughts to myself as I followed Ichinomiya-san into the tower mansion.

This tower mansion is nearly complete, so there are no residents yet. For someone with social anxiety like me, having fewer people around is a blessing.

Since it's brand new, everything is incredibly clean. The entrance hall has a huge aquarium with tropical fish swimming around gracefully.

"Now then, which floor would you like to see first?"

"T-the top floor, p-please."

When Ichinomiya-san asked, I answered immediately. Since I need to fly drones, if I'm going to live in a tower mansion, there's no option other than the top floor. Ideally, I'd even want to buy the rooftop.

"The top floor, you say? The unit on the top floor is the most expensive in this building—is that all right?"

What does he mean by that? Does the price matter for a viewing? Or does he just think we're tire-kickers?

"Y-yeah, th-that's fine."

Getting out that single "fine" took a ridiculous amount of mental energy.

Our guide Ichinomiya-san turned on his heel and started walking. But I didn't miss the small sigh he let out. Kinda rude, honestly.

We got in the elevator and headed up to the top floor—the thirtieth. He gave us a brief rundown of the building in the elevator, but even that felt kinda cold.

Ding.

The elevator reached the thirtieth floor, and I followed Ichinomiya-san out.

"This is the thirtieth floor. There's only one unit on this floor. The layout is spacious, and the view is the best you'll find. However, the price does reflect that."

As Ichinomiya-san said, the view from the thirtieth floor was absolutely stunning. Plus, having only one unit on the top floor is a huge plus. For someone with as many secrets as me, fewer chances to run into people is definitely better.

"So how much is it?"

Maybe Mom noticed I was having trouble talking to this guy, because she went ahead and asked the price for me. Honestly, talking to this person was exhausting, so I was grateful.

"Yes, purchasing this unit would come to two hundred million yen."

Hmm, two hundred million yen. I can easily afford that, and the environment is top-notch, but something's bugging me. It's this Ichinomiya guy's attitude.

"B-by the way, c-can I buy the rooftop too?"

When I asked my follow-up question, he made a face that practically screamed "What is this guy talking about?" before answering.

"Um, I'm sorry. The rooftop is a bar lounge, so I'm afraid it's not for sale."

"O-oh, I see."

We got to see the room and I got all my questions answered. Having only one unit on the top floor is a big plus, but not being able to use the rooftop and this Ichinomiya guy's attitude are definitely minuses. With that assessment in mind, I decided to move on to the next property.

After viewing the room for about ten minutes, we thanked our guide Ichinomiya-san and left the tower mansion behind.