Soyo bid a simple farewell and prepared to leave.
"If Mom gets home and finds I'm not there, I wonder what kind of jokes she'll make this time."
Soyo clearly understood that her mother knew she was a homebody after school.
Soyo was the center of attention in her social circle at school, but she didn't like the feeling of mutual flattery. What she hoped for were friends who could get closer to each other's hearts, and in her eyes, Sakiko was such a person.
After only a few steps, Soyo looked back at Kamiyama Rikuo.
Rikuo was waving at her.
"He seems like a very thoughtful boy. No wonder Saki-chan is so close to him."
Soyo sighed softly.
"How enviable. I feel like Saki-chan never showed me that kind of smile when we were together before. Someone Saki-chan trusts so much probably isn't a problem… No, I still need to observe more."
Soyo also waved goodbye to Rikuo and left without further hesitation.
"Speaking of which, even though the lighting was dim today, why did Kamiyama-kun's face look so green?"
…
"Rikuo-kun, does it take that long to use the restroom?"
'I heard that when boys are stressed, they do some xxx things in the restroom, but Rikuo-kun shouldn't be that kind of person, right? Probably…'
Sakiko looked at Rikuo, one hand crossed over her chest, the other propping up her chin, her amber eyes full of questions.
"Nothing, I just saw a special-grade cursed spirit. I couldn't defeat it with all my strength, so in the end, I had to use my ultimate move, 'You're so self-centered,' to repel it. But I estimate it will still linger, so Sakiko, you need to be careful."
"Rikuo-kun, can you speak Japanese?"
A vein popped up on Sakiko's forehead, and Rikuo felt that if he didn't say something, he would encounter Doctor Octopus.
"I just met a friend, chatted for a few minutes, and he had to leave early because of something at home."
Rikuo chose to use the male pronoun, fearing that Sakiko would ask too many questions and he would make more mistakes.
"Is that so? A friend of Rikuo-kun's? Can you introduce him to me next time?"
'I've lived next door to Rikuo-kun for a month and have never seen or heard of him having any friends. Is he trying to hide something from me? Could it be that Rikuo-kun really…'
Due to her psychiatrist's advice, Sakiko didn't ask any more questions, but she left Rikuo with a big problem.
'Speaking of which, I really don't have any friends here. Japanese boys who are older have to be called senpai, and younger ones have to be flattered. Among peers, because the anime and tokusatsu here are more than ten years behind, there's nothing to talk about. And everyone in this world plays music, but I never had time to play music before. I still need to find a male friend.'
"Of course, Sakiko, I'll introduce him to you when we have time next."
Although there were some detours along the way, the two didn't waste too much time and arrived at the new apartment.
Although the new apartment wasn't much different in size from the old one, it was much better in terms of environment and closer to the train station.
'Sakiko-sensei probably won't be late for work even if Soyo pulls her around, probably.'
Sakiko-sensei was once again targeted by unknown malice, but Sakiko-sensei didn't know; she just looked back at Rikuo.
"This is our new apartment. You're still living next door to me, so we're still neighbors. Please take care of me."
Sakiko bowed slightly, and Rikuo returned the bow. Although their way of speaking had become more intimate, this was actually only their second day of officially knowing each other.
"You too, Sakiko. Although our previous month as neighbors was distant, now that I officially know you, I won't be distant from such a cute young girl."
Rikuo ran his hand through his hair, having said one of his few serious remarks, though only half-serious.
"By the way, Sakiko, the difference between these two apartments is too great, isn't it? How did you extort… get so much compensation from the landlord?"
Rikuo knew that Sakiko wouldn't rely too much on her family's power; the hospital treatment was already the limit, and it was impossible to use family resources to rent an apartment.
"You don't have to worry about that. The landlord is a good person."
"After confirming the gas explosion issue, it seems his homeowner's insurance, valued at 10 million yen for each apartment, took effect, and the tenant's liability insurance also covered your treatment costs."
Sakiko said, then smiled, her eyes curving like a newly risen moon. Speaking of which, the new moon controls gravity, so that's why!
"The landlord said that this is also an apartment under his ownership. The old apartment was originally waiting to be demolished, but now it's all good, and he even got an extra insurance payout, so he rented this apartment to us at half price. By the way, your apartment key is still with me, and your compensation money is also in the apartment. Let me take you in to see it."
Sakiko said, pulling Rikuo's sleeve, walking towards the apartment, and opening the door.
Although the apartment was still only about 30 square meters, only slightly larger than the previous 20-plus square meter apartment, it was basically fully furnished, feeling like a hotel's junior suite. Upon entering, a small box was placed on the small wooden table in the living room.
"This is the compensation the landlord gave you. Because it was the direct site of the accident, and also because you were the main victim, the landlord said he compensated you 400,000 yen. My father and I received a total of 300,000 yen in compensation." (The landlord tearfully made a profit of 20 million yen. By the way, the doll Sakiko's mother left behind is still there.)
Seeing Sakiko's excited expression when talking about the compensation, Rikuo couldn't help but feel a little heartache.
'The old Sakiko would only be this happy when she was in the band.'
'After so long of part-time jobs, during such a long period of suppressed days, how could she not be happy to receive a compensation amount comparable to working for a long time and receiving many scholarships?'
"Is that so? That's really great."
Rikuo also responded happily, as he was currently penniless, and his phone and all his belongings from the old apartment were gone.
Rikuo opened the small box on the landlord's wooden table, which contained a mobile phone and a bank card.
"The landlord is quite thoughtful. Speaking of which, the landlord also received compensation from the insurance company. This is a win-win situation!" (Insurance company: You're right!)
"Even though I have a phone, I don't have a SIM card…"
"It's no trouble. There's a phone store nearby. It's getting late, so I'll head back first."
"Okay, goodbye, Sakiko-sensei."
"Goodbye, Rikuo-kun."
A simple farewell, and the dark sky marked the end of the day.
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