"Your home?" Hiroyuki glanced in the direction Jiro was looking in. He saw a demolition notice sign on the front of the apartment building. This building looked to have been built in the 1950's or early 1960's. It was built during a time when apartment buildings had been cheaply mass produced.
At that time, there was an economic boom and workers were needed. Thus, factories recruited those young people who resided in the countryside to come into the city to work.
This apartment building was one such place.
The building was old and the owner didn't appear to have put any effort into maintaining nor remodeling it. At some point in time, the owner realized the property value was more valuable than the actual building. The owner must have sold this property for its land value.
"Did you use to live here?" Hiroyuki asked. He luckily remembered and omitted the words, "with your mother."
Jiro nodded, tears blurring his vision. Although he knew the chances were extremely slim, but somehow he held onto the belief that his mother would return for him someday. Now, with the demolition of this building, his last shred of hope was gone.
"Shall we go and take a look?" Hiroyuki said in the form of a question.
Before the other could refuse, Hiroyuki walked across the street. Due to it being a one way street, there weren't many cars on the road.
After they crossed, Hiroyuki saw an elderly man patrolling the premises.
"Good day," Hiroyuki called out to the elderly man.
"Good day," the elderly man called back.
"Are you the security officer here?"
"Yes, can I help you with something."
"We were on our way to view the cherry blossoms, when we saw the demolition sign. That, it's a bit of a request. My brother and I used to live here with our parents and we were wondering if we could tour it one last time?"
The elderly man smiled, "You can, but just be careful."
He believed Hiroyuki's story because he saw the things they were carrying. At a glance, it would be foolish of him not to tell where they were going.
The elderly man unlocked the gate and allowed them entry. Once inside the building, the elderly man gave them a few words of caution before leaving. Inside the building, the smell of damp, rotting wood grew apparent.
It was easy to tell that the apartment building most likely had a leaking roof. When the owner realized the cost of replacing the roof, the owner was too miserly to do it and most likely sold the place for future development.
In the dim lighting, they made their way to the stairwell. Walking up to the third floor, Jiro stood in front of apartment 304.
"Shall we go inside?" Hiroyuki asked. This time he really did ask because his arms were full and he couldn't open the door.
Jiro nodded. Although his tears weren't running down his face, but his eyes were still moist and red. He opened the door and the sunlight from the window blinded them both.