"Thanks for your hard work, Kiryu-kun and Hishinuma-san."
It was past the bar's closing time, and the manager gave us a word of praise as we finished cleaning up.
Ah, it seemed that all the work had finally ended.
As this is my first day at work, I was a little tired already.
"Thank you for your hard work, manager."
When I bowed, Hishinuma-san tapped me on the shoulder and gave me a smile.
"Are you tired, junior?"
"A little. But it's worth it."
"Hahaha, I'm glad you said that."
Hishinuma-san smiled happily, and The manager also smiled.
It's a very warm atmosphere.
"Now, Kiryu-kun go and get changed. I'll show you the room where you'll live."
"Yes, I will go and get changed."
I nodded and headed for the changing room. This time I was very careful not to end up like Hishinuma-san and locked the door from inside.
I finished changing in a flash and followed the manager who was waiting for me.
But when I was about to leave the bar, Hishinuma-san called out to me and said, " Thanks for you for your hard work" and I bowed in return.
"This is your room. It's already furnished, please don't mind that it's a bit old."
"No problem, manager, it's a nice room."
I was taken to the apartment next to the store that the manager had mentioned.
It looked old, but luxury is my enemy now.
And it's not every day you can find a fully furnished room, so I was very grateful.
"If you have any problems, don't hesitate to ask me. Here's the key to your room."
"Thank you very much, Manager."
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."
"Yes, good night!
After receiving the key, the manager laughed and waved as he left.
He is a really good person. I'll definitely return the favor.
"From now this is going to be my new home, huh... Well, let's go inside."
I put the key in the doorknob, turned it to open it, and went inside.
Surprisingly, when I turned on the light, the room looked quite comfortable to live in.
Though it's smaller than the room I used to live in with my ex-girlfriend, Sarasa-san, it's big enough for me to live alone.
"Now then…"
...Guess, I'll go buy the things I need tomorrow, but for today, let's just rest.
As soon as I lay down on my bed, the doorbell rang.
"...Who is it?"
Maybe the store manager? Yeah, he is the only person who will visit me on the first day of moving in.
Thinking that I headed for the door.
But when I opened the door, I found an unexpected person standing there.
"Hi! It's been a while, junior."
"Hishinuma-san?... How come you are here?"
The visitor was Hishinuma-san. She looked very good in long-sleeved pajamas.
"I'm here because I have something to give you."
"Eh!?..."
"Hey, why do you look at me as If I'm annoying?"
"Because you're a pain in the... oops, it's nothing."
"You clearly said I was a pain in the ass! It's too late to rephrase!"
Sigh, I accidentally let my true feelings leak out.
She seems to be very angry at me so I quickly apologized to her.
"Well, well, if you get so angry, it will ruin your beautiful face."
"B..beautiful!?...me?"
"..."
Even though it was just flattery, her face instantly turned red and her eyes were wide-open.
Hishinuma-san, aren't you too easy?
I decided to pretend to be an airhead and didn't say a word about it.
******
"So, what do you want? By the way, there's nothing in the house to serve you."
"I know about that, okay?"
"So, what the… hell are you doing here? Are you trying to sneak into my house at night?"
"Fufu, that's right. This sister is going to attack you while you sleep ... Wait!? No, I'm not here for that! Stop saying such strange things! And if I indeed came here to sneak, why would I ever knock on the door?"
"Yes, that makes sense. I'm sorry, I'm just frustrated and my s*xual desires got the better of me."
"Hey! I don't like it when you say things like that out loud. …. Well, that's okay, you haven't eaten yet, have you?
"Eh? Yes …"
It's true that I haven't eaten dinner after I had finished work.
As it was already late besides my body being too tired, I'm lazy to walk all the way to the convenience store. I simply gave up.
I was planning to eat tomorrow morning, so I told her frankly. But hearing my words Hishinuma-san looked quite annoyed for some reason.
"No, you can't! You have to eat properly!"
"You see. I just came in and there's nothing in the fridge, and as I said before I'm too lazy to go to the convenience store.."
As soon as I said that, Hishinuma-san held out a pot to me with a smile.
"What is this? Don't tell me you put all kinds of evil inside it ?"
"It's not Pandora's box! Stop saying such strange things already... This is the curry I made for you…. No, I mean I made a little too much so I brought you some to share."
(T.L" Pandora box generates many complicated problems, source: Google)
"You're the Goddess...!"
I didn't hesitate to accept it.
After all, it would be rude to not accept it as she brought it by herself.
I took the pot straight away, stood up, and shook Hishinuma-san's hand with full gratitude.
When I did that she looked flustered and her face turned bright red.
"Um, um!...."
I'm not sure if she's embarrassed to have her handheld, but she doesn't shake it off, instead, she looked flustered.
To be honest, it's so cute.
"From now on, may I call you Saint-sama?"
"No, that's too embarrassing."
"Then, how about… Mistress?"
"Huh, is that what I look like? Hahaha… know your place, lowly human…. Wait, no it doesn't suit me. Seriously, stop it already!!!"
I think she looks more like a maid than a queen.
"Anyway! Don't leave any curry behind, okay? And when you're done eating, make sure you soak or pour out the container. If you don't, you'll have trouble washing it."
"...Are you my mom or what?"
"That's harsh! I'm 25 years old and still single!
Wow, she's 25 years old and single!
No, that's not what I'm thinking…. Well, I dare to say that out loud.
But I thought that now, she does look older than me, but she's 25? Moreover, she's single.
Hmm, I'll put that in my mind.
"Whatever, thank you very much. I'll eat it with gratitude."
"...To be honest, I'm a good cook you know? I'm confident that you will definitely like it."
"Oh, are you sure about that? Don't you think you are bragging too much?"
"Can you stop being so harsh to me!"
Well, it does smell good and I can't help but feel my stomach growling. I guess it's indeed not a lie that she's a good cook.
I'm looking forward to eating this.
"I'll take my leave now."
"Oh, Thank you very much for the curry."
"No, no, no. It's pretty normal as we are colleagues and neighbors living in the same apartment."
"Neighbor?"
"Yes, I live in the apartment next to yours."
This is what I call luck, is it? This is God's will.
"I'll see you tomorrow. Brush your teeth after eating, okay? And get a good night's sleep, okay? Good night."
"You sound like an old lady, you know?..."
Ignoring my words, Hishinuma-san went back to the next room.
Whatever, I'm really grateful to her.
I don't have rice, but the curry alone is enough to fill me up.
I took the pot, closed the door, and headed for the kitchen.
"Delicious!
It tasted the same as my mother's curry which had a very nostalgic and soothing taste.