"Is there anything I can help with?" the male owner of the tavern asked Yoshimura for his needs.
Yoshimura still looked nervous when he was about to speak in front of this man. He had wondered why the people nearby were so kind to him but, he felt a little uneasy because when he was talking to Mr. Takizoe and the man in front of him looked different.
Mr. Takizoe who spoke to Yoshimura chose a relaxed style of language while the owner of the shop who rented this inn used the formal Tokyo language.
Yoshimura looked down for a moment with a straight face, he slowly looked seriously at the owner's face.
The shop owner waited for Yoshimura to speak while crossing his arms in front of his chest while his wife returned to the kitchen putting down the placemats and then returned to her shop to serve the customers.
It was just the two of them, this was a one-on-one conversation.
"…." They looked at each other in silence.
"I'm Yoshimura from Tokyo, I'd like to rent your inn, sir," Yoshimura said seriously without looking away for a second.
"Okay, how long are you going to rent for?" the owner of the tavern asked a question to make sure the boy was comfortable staying here for how long because judging from his face he was still a minor and he came alone.
"...." Of course Yoshimura couldn't answer it, he was looking for a definite answer. Although he still thinks it's a bit strange the father didn't explain what the inn was like but, what was clear was that it was an apartment.
"I will stay here until I graduate from school," Yoshimura answered spontaneously even though he had no plans to continue his education since he fled his hometown, he just wanted to live a peaceful life.
"Hmm… is that so, huh?" it seems the owner of this shop is considering it. He frowned seriously as he stared intently focusing his gaze on the brown wooden table mat. The index finger on his hand was also tapping lightly on the table.
"Okay," he answered without saying much. He gave her the key to his lodgings which he kept in the cupboard behind where he was sitting. He said before Yoshimura received the key, "There are 3 primary keys here, of which two are spare keys. The inn that I rented was not a luxury apartment but a small apartment that could fit up to 1 or 2 people. Since you came alone I gave you enough for just 1 person." It was clear that the key to the apartment was handed over to Yoshimura.
Yoshimura understood the explanation and was about to pay the rent in advance but, he remembered that he didn't bring any money, he only brought a MasterCard containing some money. So, how can he pay for it if he doesn't take the money from the ATM first?
"Why are you hesitating?" the tavern owner immediately asked as soon as he saw Yoshimura's expression which was silent and restless.
"Um~ how about the payment?" Yoshimura asked with an unconvincing face while the tavern owner looked at the boy with a disdainful look for a moment. However, he immediately changed his gaze to a friendly smile back as soon as Yoshimura was looking for something in his backpack.
The tavern owner thought the boy in front of him wouldn't be able to pay his rent for a year so he finally offered him some services, "If you don't have enough money to pay for it, you can pay it at the end of the month. But, if you have no money at all, you can apply for jobs around here."
Hearing the tavern owner's words, Yoshimura was moved to get a part-time job like a diligent student. "Uh, is that possible?" he asked to be sure.
It's not that he doesn't have money but, he doesn't have cash, and the cash he carries now is not enough because it has been used for a long trip.
"Yes," he answered simply with a friendly smile.
Yoshimura who was interested in a 'job' tried to ask when he saw the people working well around him, his eyes were no longer focused on what he was looking for in his bag, "Then let me work here." He seemed to have no other choice but he also thought, 'Isn't this too much trouble for the tavern owner? Because he also rents out his apartment.'
The feeling of emptiness is unstoppable.
"Hmm... that's fine, we just happen to need some maids here." The shop owner replied casually.
Yoshimura who felt that his courage to communicate and ask this was successfully implemented, and received a fairly good answer, he immediately put on a big smile.
However, moments later.
"Eh, finally found it!" exclaimed Yoshimura who spoke quietly in his mumble.
Just as the tavern owner was about to stand up and end this one-on-one conversation, Yoshimura stopped him, "Wait! I have some money here to pay for it."
The shop owner turned his head when he heard Yoshimura's words but, suddenly he was shocked to see this underage boy holding a black MasterCard, it was clear that usually the debit card was only held by rich people.
The tavern owner was silent for a moment after widening his eyes for a moment.
Yoshimura reluctantly said, "I will pay now, and may I ask for the time to collect money at the nearest ATM?"
Seeing Yoshimura who was full of enthusiasm, the shop owner could only reply, "Yes, please." He also gave details of the payment.
*Unexpectedly, apparently the boy she met was a rich person, otherwise, how could she be traveling alone!?
....
After talking one-on-one for quite a while, the shop owner suggested that Yoshimura take a look at his apartment first.
Yoshimura immediately left the tavern and walked to Hannanchou block 3 to see where he lived.
He was now standing in front of the simple flat-like building, "Is this what Apato is?" yes, usually the Japanese call it the inn with Apato.
________
Info at a glance: Apato is short for an Apartment, in Japan this is a rental house with 2 floors or less. Buildings are usually made of light wood and steel, therefore resistant to earthquakes, building durability and building soundproofing are lower than mansions, this is one of the drawbacks. However, Apato is the most common rental house for those who live alone.
Room plans, generally 1 room + kitchen, and some have 1 room + dining room, kitchen, some include household appliances, some don't. For the old Apato building, there is only one room with a toilet and bathroom without any other area. But these days, at least every Apato has a mini kitchen. What's more, nowadays Japanese-style rooms using tatami are rarely found in modern rental homes, apart from old mansions and Apatos. Currently, generally use carpeted wood floors.