“I’ll take it!”
As soon as Kasukabe Yui uttered those words,
the “corporate slave”桑 quickly pulled out a contract from her satchel.
This wretched place, she couldn’t bear to stay here for a single moment longer.
“Following the usual procedure, rent is payable quarterly in advance. The deposit is equivalent to one month’s rent. The brokerage fee is half a month’s rent. Water, electricity, gas, and large garbage disposal fees are to be negotiated between the two of you. Details are in the contract, please carefully check and confirm before signing!”
Words, like a rapid-fire barrage, erupted from “corporate slave”桑’s mouth.
She used nearly all her lifetime’s speed.
“I’ll wait outside for the two of you. Just let me know when you’re done!”
With that, “corporate slave”桑 dashed out of the apartment.
The apartment, now only with the two of them, fell silent once more.
Kasukabe Yui quickly scanned the contract in her hand.
After discovering no issues, she took out a pen and signed her name at the end.
The girl’s handwriting was elegant and graceful.
One could say her handwriting reflected her character.
After signing, she tossed the contract in front of the boy.
‘Yukima Yūken’.
The boy left that name on the contract.
The kanji portion possessed a unique artistic flair, but the katakana part
could only be described as unflattering.
“So eager to have me move into your apartment? Yukima Yūken-kun, my ex-boyfriend.”
Kasukabe Yui said, a light chuckle escaping her lips.
“Yes, Kasukabe-senpai.”
Yukima Yūken nodded lightly.
This straightforwardness left Kasukabe’s prepared mockery without a place to land.
She had expected him to offer some explanation.
Their reunion after separation, she was caught off guard yet again.
Yukima Yūken called back the “corporate slave”桑 realtor from outside.
He handed one of the three contracts to “corporate slave”桑, along with the brokerage fee.
“Corporate slave”桑, contract in hand, quickly took off.
After watching “corporate slave”桑 leave, Yukima Yūken casually picked up the large red luggage by the door.
Honestly, it was quite heavy.
But it was normal for a girl’s luggage to be heavy.
Closing the front door of the entranceway,
Yukima Yūken carried the red luggage towards the stairs.
“Kasukabe-senpai, come with me. Your rented room is on the second floor, I’ll introduce you to it.”
Kasukabe Yui’s gaze involuntarily glanced at her own luggage.
She opened her mouth.
Ultimately, she said nothing.
She simply followed Yukima Yūken.
Because Yukima Yūken’s act of carrying her luggage seemed so natural, so effortless, so conventional.
So much so that Kasukabe Yui didn’t want to oppose anything.
Yukima Yūken’s detached house had two floors.
Each floor had a separate bathroom and open space.
The open space on the first floor served as a living room, while the upstairs became an area resembling a reading room, housing two oversized bookshelves.
There was only a kitchen on the first floor.
The two of them walked up to the second floor.
As they passed through the bookshelves, Kasukabe Yui’s gaze involuntarily lingered on the books.
On the corner of the bookshelf closest to the table.
A book titled ‘Love Rhythm’ was quietly displayed.
That section of the bookshelf was exceptionally clean, clearly indicating frequent use.
This unconsciously brought back some memories for Kasukabe Yui.
When she first met Yukima Yūken.
This boy was not a lover of literature.
It was only after she handed him a copy of Murakami Haruki’s ‘Norwegian Wood’
that Yukima Yūken began frequenting bookstores.
During these bookstore visits, the two of them were almost inseparable.
Among the numerous books on these bookshelves, one-fifth were recommended to Yukima Yūken by a girl named ‘Yui’.
Furthermore, one-third were bought together by the two of them.
On the front row of the bookshelf, in the first section.
Kasukabe Yui saw ‘Norwegian Wood’.
The ‘Norwegian Wood’ she gifted him.
Her vision seemed to be stung, rebounding as soon as it touched the book cover.
Kasukabe Yui’s left hand unconsciously pressed against her chest.
It was inevitable, wasn’t it?
The marks she left on him were so clearly visible.
Anyone seeing them would inevitably feel a pang in their heart.
“This is Senpai’s room, the mattress and sheets are brand new, please use them with peace of mind.”
Yukima Yūken stopped at the room on the left side of the corridor.
Kasukabe Yui quickly retracted her gaze, pushing away her thoughts.
“Oh, then please tell me where my ex-boyfriend-kun’s room is? Is it opposite? After all, it’s more convenient for a surprise attack.”
To cover up her flustered state, Kasukabe casually made up… or rather, teased.
“My room is on the first floor.” Yukima Yūken pointed to the floor below.
“All the keys to the room are in the dresser drawer inside the room, one master key and one backup. I don’t have a backup, this is written in the contract, please rest assured, Senpai.”
He said it so formally.
Kasukabe had no way to continue the conversation.
But she still had to be sarcastic.
“Really unlike a high school boy, does my ex-boyfriend-kun have some unspeakable secret?”
Yukima Yūken simply smiled.
That smile, in Kasukabe Yui’s eyes, was as if he was saying:
‘Do you not know whether I have an unspeakable secret, Senpai?’
Grabbing her own luggage.
Kasukabe Yui stepped into the room and slammed the door shut.
Sitting on the white bedsheet.
Kasukabe Yui propped her arms up, her beautiful legs adorned with black tights trembling.
So annoying!
This guy, when did he become so ‘cunning’?
Clearly, in the past, a little teasing would make him blush and get flustered.
‘Thump…’
Kasukabe Yui collapsed onto the soft bed.
“What am I even thinking about, making myself sound like a bitter old woman clinging to the past.”
Shaking off her thoughts, she took out the tablet she always carried.
Kasukabe Yui started writing.
The light novel she had been stuck on for days seemed to have a new spark of inspiration.