Hikaru led Koremitsu to his upper class apartment which was a mere twenty minute walk from the school.
It was said that the apartment complex was owned by Hikaru's father; Hikaru used to live alone in one of the apartments.
The entrance was equipped with an automatic lock, and the caretaker was a man well into his years.
"I'm Hikaru's friend. Can I go to his room? There's something I lent him."
The caretaker eyed Koremitsu's disheveled hair and uniform circumspectly.
"Nope, I can't let in anyone I don't know. Besides, how would I know that you're Master Hikaru's friend?"
As expected, he was refused.
Oh damn, what do I do now?
Koremitsu grimaced and speculated over his next move when he his thoughts were interrupted by Hikaru.
"Tell him you'll bring him the limited chestnut-steamed Yōkan from Taiseido next time."
What's that? Koremitsu lowered his head in wonder.
"I'll bring you the limited chestnut-steamed Yōkan from Taiseido next time as a gift, if you want."
He secretly lifted his stare, and saw the caretaker's eyes widen as he shuddered.
What's going on! Does he have a heart attack!?
Just when Koremitsu was panicking, tears welled up in the caretaker's eyes.
"Is that so...Young Master Hikaru said when he went to the villa that morning 'I'll bring you that limited edition chestnut-steamed Yōkan from Taisedo'. That's because he saw this recommendation on television a few days ago and said 'It's looks really nice. Let's go and try it together, Mr. Maezono'...Young Master Hikaru was very emphatic with others around him ever since he was young..."
He inadvertently choked on his words as he said this.
"It's really great to see that Young Master Hikaru has a male friend. He always talked about how he wanted to have a friend of the same gender."
He said delightedly as he let out snot, opened the lock, and brought Koremitsu to Hikaru's room on the highest level.
"The room is kept in the same condition as when Young Master Hikaru was alive. Just give me a holler when you want to head back."
The caretaker said this, and went back to his room.
"Mister Maezono used to be my father's chauffeur, and I've been well taken care of by him ever since I was young. Even when I started living alone, he kept coming over to talk with me like a real grandfather, and he would worry about me whenever I returned home late."
Hikaru spoke with a reminiscing voice.
"When did you start living here?"
"Since the first year of middle school."
He answered without hesitation.
First year of middle school, huh? Wasn't he still a kid back then?
Koremitsu felt a little shocked.
The room with the wooden-tiled floor was extremely wide, and there was no carpet laid out.
There were practically no furniture, let alone a television. There was a sofa, a large dining table that was inappropriate for someone living alone, with 4 chairs lined around it. The table looked like it had not been used before, and one could get a feeling that nobody lived here before.
YOU ARE READING
"Aoi" - Hikaru ga Chikyuu ni Itakoro......(Volume 1)
Romance> High-school student Koremitsu Akagi finds himself attending the funeral of Hikaru Mikado, who had died in an accident during Golden Week. He's not sure why he's there, as he only exchanged a few words with Hikaru at school. However, Hikaru doesn't...
