arc2 · 052-ch52

Chapter 52: Going to Look at Houses ②

After finishing our tour of the thirty-story tower mansion in Hachioji, we took a taxi to the next property.

"Hey, that last room was incredible! I've never seen such a huge, fancy room before!"

Even in the taxi, Umi was still buzzing with excitement. Makes sense—no matter how mature she tries to act, my little sister's still in elementary school. The prospect of buying a new house must have her pretty hyped.

"Fufu, it feels like a dream that we can actually afford to buy a house. This is all thanks to you, Souta. Thank you."

Mom was already thanking me, even though we haven't bought anything yet.

"A-ah, well, I'm gonna keep working hard, so don't push yourself too hard, Mom."

I said it a bit more bluntly than I meant to, trying to hide my embarrassment, but Mom just smiled and took it in stride.

▽▽▽

"Welcome! You must be Soramine-sama, who made a reservation for a viewing! My name is Nikaidou, and I'll be your guide today! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"N-n-n-nice to meet you."

When we arrived at the tower mansion in Nishi-Hachioji, it was the complete opposite of before—an energetic lady approached us first with a bright greeting. Because of that, my Passive Skill activated for the second time today.

"Oh my, what a cute little girl! Are you in elementary school?"

She was kind and friendly to my little sister Umi too. That Ichinomiya guy from before had been giving Umi dirty looks.

"Yes, I'm in fourth grade!"

Why? Why can Umi talk so confidently with a total stranger!? I'm so jealous!

"And this must be... your older sister?"

"Oh my, don't be silly. I'm Souta's mother! Thank you for taking care of us today!"

Incredible—this Nikaidou-san even knows how to flatter people! Mom looks so happy. ...Huh? Now that she mentions it, Mom does look kinda young, doesn't she? Before her hospitalization, probably due to exhaustion, she looked way older, but looking at her now, hasn't she de-aged enough to pass for someone in her twenties? Could this be the effect of the high-grade potion?

"You look so young! Later, if you could share the secret to staying so—cough Ah, excuse me. Well then, let me start by giving you an overview of the building!"

She almost let her real thoughts slip out just now, but honestly, that made her seem more trustworthy. Plus, this guide Nikaidou-san hasn't made a single unpleasant face at me—she's been all smiles the entire time. I'm actually starting to enjoy myself. Is this what professional customer service looks like?

We entered the lobby and got a quick overview, then headed to the elevator hall.

"Now then, let me show you the actual unit! Which floor would you like to see?"

"T-the top floor, please."

"Of course, the top floor it is! The view from the top floor is the absolute best! If I had the money, I'd want to live there myself! Ah, sorry about that. My inner thoughts just slipped out... Right this way, follow me!"

Oh nice—I said top floor and she didn't look down on me. This is how it should be. That Ichinomiya guy was just a special kind of awful.

With Nikaidou-san leading the way, we got in the elevator and headed to the top floor.

"There's only one unit on the top floor. It's pricier than the other floors, but I guarantee it's worth every yen!"

The room we were shown was just as wonderful as the one in Hachioji. A spacious living room with three bedrooms. The latest-model counter kitchen would make Mom, who loves cooking, really happy. The bathroom was big and clean too—there's even a window so you can relax in the tub while gazing at the night sky. On top of that, there's a wide balcony, an auto-wash toilet—Umi was having a blast checking everything out.

"So, how much does this place cost?"

After we'd gotten the full rundown of the room, Mom asked Nikaidou-san about the price. Thanks, Mom!

"Yes, this unit is one hundred and fifty million yen. It's a little on the expensive side, but I'm sure you'll be completely satisfied!"

Hmm. The room itself isn't all that different from the one in Hachioji, but somehow this one feels way better. Is it because of the person helping us?

"U-um, is it p-possible to buy the rooftop as well?"

Since Nikaidou-san hasn't shown any sign of looking down on us, I found myself speaking a bit more smoothly.

"The rooftop? Let me check on that for you. One moment, please."

Nobody actually asks about buying a rooftop, right? The way that Ichinomiya guy reacted made that pretty clear. But Nikaidou-san didn't say a word—she just went ahead and checked right away. She's seriously a good person.

"Thank you for waiting. I confirmed with the building's management association, and it turns out the rooftop can be purchased—subject to certain conditions."

Wait, really? You can buy it? For real?

Nikaidou-san explained the conditions in detail. Apparently, the rooftop has equipment related to the building's maintenance and upkeep, and we'd need to leave those alone. Other than that, we could use the space however we wanted within common sense, and if we purchased it, no one would be allowed on the rooftop without our permission.

That's actually a pretty great deal. I want to build a drone landing pad on the rooftop. Somewhere nobody can see.

The exclusive rights to the rooftop would cost a cool fifty million yen. Combined with the top floor, that's two hundred million total. Funny how it ended up being the same price as the top floor in Hachioji.

"F-for now, we have one more place to see, so c-could you hold this one for us?"

"Of course! We can hold it for one week, so please get in touch before then!"

I'm basically ninety percent sure I'm gonna buy this place, but since we already made plans to see one more, I figured I'd check it out before committing.

We thanked Nikaidou-san for the wonderful tour and headed off to see the last property.

▽▽▽

"Welcome. My name is Mita, and I'll be guiding you today. A pleasure to meet you."

The guide for the last property—a detached house—was a man in his forties named Mita-san. He had a gentle demeanor and spoke politely. That said, he didn't seem like the pushy type like Nikaidou-san.

"The building itself is a bit old, but the size is more than adequate. There are no neighboring houses, so for anyone who doesn't care for the noise of city life, I think the quiet here is ideal."

The house definitely looked a little... no, quite old, but the environment was incredible. Especially the lack of nearby neighbors—for someone like me who's hiding his identity, that's a huge plus. Maybe it'd be better to just tear the whole thing down and build something to my liking from scratch.

"H-how much would it c-cost to tear this down and b-build a new house?"

"Oh? You're considering a new build rather than purchasing as-is? In that case, depending on the scale, if you'd be satisfied with something roughly the same size as this house, I'd estimate around fifty million yen."

Hmm, fifty million yen for this much space. But if I'm going to build something, I'd want it to be a bit more impressive. I'd want a drone landing pad in the yard and tall walls around the perimeter. If I factor all that in, maybe around a hundred million should cover it.

Alright, decided. I'll buy the Nishi-Hachioji apartment and the rooftop for two hundred million, and make that our main residence. And then I'll build my workspace here.

"S-so, I'd l-like to build a new house here—c-can you help me with that?"

"Eh? Just like that!? Ahem—excuse me. In that case, I can introduce you to an architect affiliated with our headquarters. Would you like to consult with them?"

"Y-yes, please."

Alright, got my workspace sorted. I'll use the other place as a landing pad too, but if I kept launching drones from a tower mansion rooftop every single time, it'd be way too obvious.

At the end, I got the architect's email address, and with that, today's house hunting was wrapped up.

As soon as we got home, I called Nikaidou-san and told her I'd buy the top floor unit and the rooftop of the Nishi-Hachioji tower mansion for two hundred million yen. "Thank you so much! My bonus this year is definitely going up!" she said—her inner thoughts leaking out as usual, but that's just part of her charm.

Anyway, it sounds like we can move into the Nishi-Hachioji place right away, so I should go furniture shopping sometime soon. Mom and Umi both seem really happy, so I'd say it was a good purchase.

Thinking about how we'd be living in that new home soon, I felt a little sentimental as I ate dinner and sat down in front of my computer.