Following the navigation, Anon Chihaya took the train to Akabane Station, then walked quite a long distance.
After all, cheap rental apartments usually weren't close to train stations.
Places with convenient transportation naturally had higher rent.
Conversely, the farther away from the station, the cheaper the housing tended to be.
The sound of trains grinding along the rails gradually faded behind her, and the road beneath her feet became rough with cracks from years of neglect.
…It said near Akabane West Exit, but how near was "near," exactly?
Just as a bit of resentment began to form in Anon's mind—just as she started to wonder if she might wander around forever without finding the place—
She saw it.
An old rental building that looked completely out of place compared with the surrounding houses.
"…."
Could it be here?
…Yes.
Without much effort, Anon found a small nameplate that read "Togawa."
Dim yellow hallway lights.
A worn-out path and battered doors.
Did Sakiko really live here?
It looked… so shabby.
Completely opposite to the elegant aura that Sakiko Togawa always carried.
Rather than a place for someone like Sakiko, it looked more like the sort of place an alcoholic might live in.
"Um…"
Glancing around cautiously, Anon knocked lightly on the door.
She wanted to call out, but the poor soundproofing of the building made her worry she might disturb the neighbors.
Just as she stood there awkwardly, unsure what to do—
A dark shadow appeared behind the frosted window of the door.
"Is that… Sakiko?" a middle-aged man's voice came from inside.
Then the door began to open.
Creeeak—
A rotten hinge groaned.
Through the opening, Anon saw a middle-aged man whose steps were unsteady and whose body swayed slightly.
He had:
messy stubble across his face
dark, heavy bags under his eyes
the smell of alcohol clinging to him
"Um… Sakiko isn't home, right?" Anon said with an awkward smile.
From the way he had called out earlier, she could already tell—
This really was Sakiko's home.
The man in front of her was almost certainly one of Sakiko's relatives.
Her father?
Her uncle?
Either way, they probably lived under the same roof.
So… Sakiko hadn't come home yet?
It was already past six.
School should have ended long ago.
"…."
The man stared at her silently for a moment.
Then suddenly the drunken haze in his eyes vanished.
Without warning—
SLAM.
He moved to shut the door.
"Wait wait wait wait—!"
Luckily, perhaps because alcohol still slowed him down, he wasn't fast enough.
Anon reacted instantly.
She shoved her hand against the door and wedged her shoe into the gap to stop it from closing.
"Don't close it! Don't close it! I really need to talk to Sakiko!"
She pushed with all her strength while shouting through clenched teeth.
"You've got the wrong place. There's no Sakiko here—"
The same man who had just called for Sakiko immediately denied it.
"I—HEARD—YOU—!"
Struggling against the door, Anon gritted her teeth.
"You called Sakiko just now!"
"Why are you pretending you don't know her?!"
"I didn't say anything. You heard wrong. Leave now, or I'm calling the police."
The man threatened her coldly.
So—
Anon suddenly let go.
She pulled back her foot.
BANG.
The door slammed shut.
"…."
Looking calmly at the closed door and the shadow behind it, Anon spoke in an even tone.
"In that case, I guess it's fine if I go around school telling everyone that Sakiko lives here."
She had figured it out.
Regardless of who this middle-aged man was, the moment he saw her he immediately denied Sakiko lived here.
That meant only one thing—
He didn't want other people knowing Sakiko lived here.
There was no way she could overpower a man physically.
Even a middle-aged alcoholic like him would easily be stronger than her.
To be honest, standing alone here at this time with such a man was dangerous.
Especially when he smelled like alcohol.
Normally, a high school girl would have run away the moment she saw his shadow behind the door.
Heart pounding, fleeing in panic.
She had intended to do exactly that.
But his reaction made her realize something:
He wasn't actually drunk.
A real drunk wouldn't react like that.
Nor would he threaten to call the police.
So instead of leaving, she had fought him over the door for a moment—
And now she had even blurted out a threat of her own.
Of course, that was as far as she dared go.
Once she calmed down, she still didn't have the courage to step inside and be alone with a middle-aged man.
After all, she was just a weak and helpless high school girl.
"…."
The door opened again.
The man stuck his head out, his expression complicated.
"Are you Sakiko's friend?"
"…No. A friend probably wouldn't say something like that."
He sighed.
Letting go of the door, he turned and walked back inside.
"Anyway… want to come in?"
"No. I'm not going inside," Anon replied immediately.
The man's footsteps paused briefly.
Then he sighed even more heavily.
"…Then stay there."
He said,
"Don't worry. It won't disturb anyone."
"The other tenants won't come back until midnight."
People living in cheap rental apartments like this didn't have the luxury of getting off work at six in the evening.
Leaving the door open, he stepped over scattered beer cans on the floor and walked to a small refrigerator.
He took out a can of beer.
Click. Hiss—
Gas escaped as he opened it.
He tilted his head back and gulped it down.
"Haah—!"
Letting out a satisfied breath, he finally turned around and sat cross-legged facing the doorway.
"I'm Kiyokazu Togawa," the middle-aged man said, raising his head.
"Now tell me your name, little girl."
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