Corruptions Are Best Exposed In The Autumn!

Chapter 7 - The Loveliest Landlord

Pigeons chirped away on a tree branch outside my window; their songs were so loud that I could even hear them chanting away in my slumber. Maybe placing my bed right against the window was a bad idea. Even the occasional drilling from nearby construction was stronger than my own alarm clock. Today, however, I needed as much noise as possible.

Ring ring!

"God, just shut up..." I muttered while reaching for my phone, which was charging on the table next to my bed. My vision was as groggy as a dense forest fog, and my energy was nonexistent.

The ringing persisted as I struggled to unlock my smartphone. After weeks of using the standard alarm ringtone, perhaps it was time to switch it to something different - its melody always lingered in my head for the entire morning.

"Well, I guess I'm not going to that hotdog stand anymore..." I mumbled while remembering the words of the hotdog man. "Fuck, what time is - oh shit!"

I flopped out of the bed, causing my blanket to fall on the floor. It was already 8 AM, only half an hour before my scheduled shift at Muller's Blend. Rushing over to my closet and grabbing my work clothes, I then slammed my toe into the bed frame.

"Ow! Shit!" I yelled, jumping about like a kangaroo against the old wooden floor. The thumping I caused probably gave my lower floor neighbor a headache.

"Shut up!" an old man's voice screamed from down below.

"Okay, okay," I hopped back onto bed while grasping my toe, but there was no time to waste. I sat back up in my pajamas and quickly threw my top off as if my life depended on it.

"Wait..."

Thinking back to just a few days ago before I left the shop after my shift concluded, Julian did mention something:

"Dude, you're overworking yourself. Take Saturday and Sunday off this week. Consider it paid time off."

I checked the text messages in my phone, and sure enough:

"Don't forget you have this weekend off. See you Monday."

- the words were right on the screen, giving orders right to my face. Sighing and slipping on my outdoor clothing anyway, I fixed the bedding and picked my pajamas off the floor. Just what was I supposed to do now that I had the whole weekend off? I glanced around my apartment room; it featured only a small kitchen, my bed, and a small table. One could probably think my place was still vacant.

Ding Dong!

Huh?

"Who could that be?" I murmured, and paced over to the door, which was only a few feet away from my closet and bed. Never did the doorbell ring so early during the day. "Coming!"

Sliding my feet into the slippers I purchased from the dollar store, I then poked my eye into the peephole, and to my surprise...

"What are you doing here?!" I shrieked, swinging the door open in a jiffy. The balcony exit, which led to the stairway to the streets, was easily accessible for anyone. My room was just one door-swing away.

"Because I wanted to know where you..." Lily, who arrived at the door with her hands tucked away in her long black coat, paused her greeting. Nothing but an open mouth of questions was leftover. "What the fuck are you doing half-naked like this?!"

I watched her cheeks flush a peach pink while covering her face with both hands.

"W-What?!" I asked, but then gazed down to find the answer. "O-Oh, shit, my bad..."

The dress shirt I was meaning to put on wasn't even buttoned - leaving my entire front torso exposed. It only took another second from being tickled by the icy breeze outside for me to hide my skin with the dangling front panels of my shirt. I wrapped them around tightly and shivered.