Nyanko da! (ft Natsume): A Brothers Conflict Fanfic

Chapter 41: Appreciation

It isn't long before we pull into the parking lot across from my new place. 

"It's not that far," Natsume notes. Of course, he refers to the trip by car. I have yet to time the distance via train. 

"Thanks for driving us," I say with a bow. "I really appreciate your help."

"You're welcome," Natsume says with a smile. He lets us out of the car and we begin carrying up the boxes. 

The landlord's representative awaits in the lobby. They greet us as we enter the building, eyeing the crowd I've brought with surprise. It seems like they want to say something, but choose the silent business smile instead. Then they hand me the key and remind me which floor and room I am staying in.

"Please contact me if you need anything," they say. As the building manager, they will deal with any requests or complaints that I have and pass any concerning ones to the landlord themselves. 

We are allowed to go up on our own, which honestly makes me feel more comfortable. I would much rather see myself to my own place, especially if I've got this many guests on the first day. While there won't be any time to clean up before they come in, I know they're not the kind of people to mind.

My place is a couple of doors down from the elevator, just a few steps away from the garbage chute. 

This'll come in handy.

When we arrive at the door and the others stop behind me. Taking a deep breath, I turn the key in the lock. 

The door swings open into the genkan. The place looks exactly like it did last time: a narrow kitchen facing the toilet and shower room, and down the hall a large space that divides into the living space and the bedroom. Thankfully, this places comes with a bed frame, as there are plenty of students who live in the building. At the very end is a sizeable window, which will let in some much needed light during the day.

First things first: I let myself in, mumbling "tadaima" as I remove my shoes. We'll have to make do with bare feet and socks for now. My slippers are packed in one of the boxes, buried deep down somewhere near the bottom—a bit of a mistake on my part. 

Most of the room is clean, courtesy of the landlord when the previous tenant moved out, so there isn't a lot I'll need to do later this week. 

"It's a nice place," Ema comments, stepping into the kitchen behind me. The boys follow in after her, removing their shoes and squishing in. I quickly move into the main room so we can spread out.

"Yep." I place my hands on my hips and walk into the main room. The place only really comes with a bed frame, so I'll need to think of how to get a table. I don't need much to live, since I'm only in school and don't even have a TV or monitor. Maybe a second hand store will have one. Or maybe I should just tough it out with the cardboard boxes. I glance over at Natsume and Yusuke, who set their boxes down in the living room. 

Wataru spins around in the middle of the room under the ceiling light. 

"Uwa! It's so small!" he exclaims. 

"Be polite, Wataru," Natsume scolds. "Most apartments in the city are this size, you know."

"Especially for students," Ema adds with a smile. "I used to live in an apartment this small too, you know."

Wataru's eyes widen. "Wait, really?" 

Ema once told me that before moving in with the Asahinas she lived alone in her dad's place. Most of her time was spent with Juli, but even with the two of them they didn't take up much space in the apartment. Besides, one typically spends a lot of time outside the home, be they students or working adults.