Accident apartment, as the name suggests, refers to a room where an accident has occurred in the past.
In most cases, it's considered an accident apartment only if someone died there, also known as a haunted house.
"Accident apartment?"
"Yes, accident apartments here are usually priced like this. What, do you mind?"
To be honest, Suzuki Byakuya did mind a little. He stood there in silence.
Seeing that the customer wasn't speaking, the real estate agent pointed to the spot where Byakuya stood: "The landlord here was beaten to death with an ashtray by her husband for having an affair. It happened right here where you're standing. But look, the scene was cleaned up very well, there's no trace left."
This made Byakuya even more uncomfortable. He subconsciously moved a few steps to the side: "That... agent, can we see other properties?"
"Sure, let's go back to the shop then."
Suzuki Byakuya walked towards the entrance, glanced back, and couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.
What a nice house.
It's a pity it's an accident apartment, no wonder the price is so low.
With a heavy heart, he took a taxi back to Miwa Real Estate.
The agent walked into the counter, took out a rental register, and looked up, asking: "Mr. Suzuki, are you looking for a non-accident apartment?"
Byakuya stretched the corners of his mouth, smiling sheepishly: "Yes, the budget should be kept within 50,000 yen."
The agent put down the rental register and looked straight ahead: "Mr. Suzuki, to be honest with you, it might be difficult to find something within that budget."
"No whole rentals, but shared apartments are fine too."
"Alright, let me have a look."
Suzuki Byakuya noticed that there were many documents on the display shelf behind the agent, including a lot of dark-colored documents labeled "Accident Apartment," with a total of thirty or forty. On the other hand, the light-colored non-accident apartment rental list was only a thin, pitiful volume.
Come on, this is ridiculous!
So many accident apartments made him feel increasingly uneasy.
Byakuya pursed his lips and said half-jokingly: "Is the security in Miwa City so bad? There are so many accident apartments?"
"Yeah, I don't know when it started, but there have been a lot of murders in Miwa City. The accident apartments that can't be sold off are also increasing every year."
The agent took the thin non-accident apartment rental register from the display shelf and continued: "Like the house you saw just now, someone died there recently, so the rent is at its lowest. In a few days, the price will gradually recover, and you won't be able to rent it even if you wanted to."
He put the register on the table and pushed it towards Byakuya: "Here, this one fits your requirements the most."
Byakuya looked down at the document and felt terrible.
A shared apartment less than ten square meters, barely enough to fit a single bed and a small chair, not even a decent sofa, almost no space for activity.
Such a small room, the monthly rent is actually 66,000 yen!
According to the market prices in Miwa City, the one where his original body lived was likely an accident apartment too.
Ugh, this is tough.
"Mr. Suzuki, don't be so superstitious. It's really nothing, just clean it up properly, the price is absolutely reasonable."
"I know that, but... let me think about it again."
The agent understood the meaning behind those words and continued to persuade: "Miwa City is the city of death, non-accident apartments are rare goods. I can assure you, even if you go to another agency, you won't find anything better than this."
Suzuki Byakuya scratched his nose, feeling a headache coming on.
City of death, huh?
This place where people die every day, it's naturally a breeding ground for murder cases.
No wonder the system's requirement is to accumulate points by solving cases.
Byakuya couldn't help but laugh and cry at this, not knowing if it was a good thing or a bad thing.
After much deliberation, he finally surrendered to reality.
Living in such a small room is worse than choosing a spacious accident apartment.
If it really bothers me, I can just avoid it.
Or maybe I can buy some paper money and incense to burn, shouldn't be a big problem.
"The one in the city center, can you take me to see it again?"
"No problem, Mr. Suzuki, please follow me."
Byakuya has the system backing him up, that's why he has the courage to live in an accident apartment.
Those intangible ghosts and spirits, they are unscientific.
Maybe I'll even trigger the system and gain the ability to catch ghosts later.
If you're brave enough, even female ghosts take maternity leave. If you're skilled enough, Sadako can celebrate New Year's Eve.
"Is it really deposit-free, and does it include utilities?"
"Yes, you can rest assured about that, it's all in the contract."
Despite his misgivings, Suzuki Byakuya still chose this place.
After checking everything, both parties signed the rental agreement.
"Just put your fingerprints here, yes, right here."
The agent picked up the contract and blew on it, revealing a relieved smile.
He handed over the house key and a spare key, and left: "I'll go then, Mr. Suzuki, I wish you a pleasant stay."
Pleasant stay, my ass...
Suzuki Byakuya went back to his old residence to pack his bags.
Besides his black and white clothes, the rest were all skin care products and hair care items.
It's clear that the original body used to pay great attention to his appearance.
It took almost two hours to pack and hire someone to move his luggage to the new residence.
By the time everything was ready, it was already late at night.
Since utilities are included, Byakuya simply turned on all the lights in the house.
This rich man's house is different, I heard that the bed even vibrates.
He lay on the soft big bed, staring at the ceiling in a daze.
Now, to become strong enough to protect myself, I need to rely on the system.
But all the items and skills available for exchange require points.
And the only way to obtain them is to participate in cases.
Besides being unlucky enough to stumble upon a murder case, the best way is to cooperate with the police.
The question is, how do I infiltrate the police force...
At this point, the image of Kudo Shinichi flashed through Suzuki Byakuya's mind.
Got it!
The top priority is to find a part-time or full-time job to support my living expenses.
I'll spend my free time hanging out in front of the police station, helping solve cases.
That kid is still in high school, even if he doesn't take any extra classes, he still goes to school five days a week.
I definitely have more time to help solve cases than he does.
As long as I get close to Detective Mouri, and help solve a few murder cases.
If I'm lucky, I might even be hired as a criminal consultant.
Solving cases while getting paid, wouldn't that be amazing?
With his mind at ease, Suzuki Byakuya quickly fell asleep.
...
The next day at noon, twelve-thirty.
After lunch, Suzuki Byakuya went to the Miwa Talent Market.
He had been here a few times and was familiar with the place. He didn't stop outside and went straight to the back.
There's a hall deep inside the market, designed like a stock exchange.
This is different from a job fair, they specialize in posting various commissions.
It functions somewhat like a jack-of-all-trades, even offering homework assignments.
Because the posted content is displayed on a large screen that rotates continuously, it's certainly less secretive than a private detective agency.
Suzuki Byakuya chose a corner and carefully looked through the postings.
Not long after, a man's voice came from behind: "Hello, are you looking for a part-time job?"
Suzuki Byakuya turned his head and caught sight of a man in a white lab coat and round glasses.
"Yes, do you have any recommendations?"
"I'm an inventor, you can call me Dr. Agasa. I'm currently researching a new flying machine, and I need someone to test fly it. Three thousand yen a day, what do you think?"
"Test flight? It sounds a little dangerous."
Dr. Agasa also knew the risks, he scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly: "I'll do my best to ensure safety, it won't fly too high. If I really can't find anyone, I can do it myself."
Byakuya stroked his chin, seeming to hesitate: "If it's just test flying, it's not impossible..."
Dr. Agasa saw that he was agreeable, so he asked eagerly: "Then what do you want?"
Suzuki Byakuya tilted his mouth, revealing a mischievous smile: "You gotta pay more."