Tokyo landlord: why is the panties of the lady next door in my house?!

A cute elementary school student's face appeared on the phone screen.

Her innocent, big eyes sparkling with uncontainable joy at the sight of Reiko Onodera.

Equally happy was Mrs. Onodera.

The moment she saw her daughter, her eyes seemed to shimmer with tears. If it hadn't been impossible, who would have thought of coming to Tokyo alone?

Taking a deep breath, Reiko Onodera struggled to calm her excited heart and smiled warmly at the phone screen,

"Rika, have you been behaving these past few days?"

Her voice shook a little, but the other party was just a little girl,

"Yes!"

Soon, a sweet voice came from the phone screen; Rika Onodera looked very energetic.

"Mommy, when will you come back to see me?"

The girl's sweet sentence left Reiko Onodera choked up. Haruka Yuzan could even hear Mrs. Onodera's heavy breathing next to him.

Being away from her daughter for the first time made the already sensitive Mrs. Onodera struggle to adapt, and it also affirmed her resolve to bring her daughter over when the opportunity arose.

"Yeah, Mommy will come back to see you after a while. You need to listen to Grandma at home. Study hard, do you hear me?"

"Mhmm, I will behave well."

The girl in the video nodded vigorously, her cute little head with two ponytails looking like a chibi version of Reiko Onodera.

Mother and daughter chatted there, with most of the conversation being Rika Onodera telling her mother about the fun things that had happened to her in the past few days.

But what could an elementary school student have to talk about?

It was just who she played house with today, or who she watched TV with at home tomorrow.

The simple and innocent topics were the world's most enchanting stories to Mrs. Onodera's ears.

Even Haruka Yuzan found himself interested, pricking up his ears to listen to Rika Onodera recounting her childhood, where even a small dirt pit could entertain an elementary schooler for an entire afternoon.

"Mommy, who's that person next to you?"

Suddenly, Rika Onodera asked curiously, blinking her large eyes.

The person next to her?

Haruka Yuzan was taken aback and upon looking again, realized that a part of his arm could be seen in Mrs. Onodera's small video frame.

"He's the big brother who lives with me!"

Reiko Onodera answered, smiling,

but Mrs. Onodera didn't turn the camera to him. Without getting Haruka's permission and not knowing whether the landlord would like it, she refrained from doing so.

Mrs. Onodera was always considerate and careful in her dealings with others. Read the latest fiction on M-VL-em|p,yr

Seeing this, Haruka Yuzan also came closer with a smile and greeted her, "Hello, Rika."

Since he was supposed to bring the girl over for Mrs. Onodera's birthday, it was necessary to establish a good relationship in advance.

Haruka had been worried about how they could get to know each other, but now the opportunity had presented itself.

Reiko Onodera was taken aback, not expecting Haruka to come closer,

"Hello!"

Rika Onodera said sweetly, looking very lively.

"Rika, you can call him Brother Haruka."

Reiko Onodera reacted and moved the camera towards Haruka to introduce him to her daughter.

"Mhmm, hello Brother Haruka!"

The girl said sweetly again, looking very excited.

Haruka Yuzan, grinning, was also keen on making a good impression with the child,

"Rika, how old are you this year?"

It was a cliché way to start a conversation, but Haruka truly had no experience dealing with little girls.

If she had been an older girl, his arsenal of social cues as a man would have been plentiful. Unfortunately, she was an elementary student.

Should he invite her to play a video game?

That would probably not sit well with Mrs. Onodera beside him.

"I'm nine years old this year!"

Rika Onodera said obediently,

showing a sweet smile. Someone who smiled so much would surely grow up to be a sweetheart.

"If you're nine, did you finish your homework well tonight?"

Haruka Yuzan racked his brains, not knowing what else he could talk about with a nine-year-old elementary school student.

"Hehe, I've already finished!" Rika Onodera said proudly, "It's almost bedtime! I finished a long time ago!"

As she spoke, it was almost as if she were asking for praise,

"Mom, am I amazing or what!"

That remark made both of them laugh, the little girl was quite a character.

"Amazing, amazing, our Rika is the best."

Mrs. Onodera also smiled and offered her praise.

Haruka laughed a couple of times and continued, "Next time you come to Tokyo, Rika, I'll take you to the amusement park."

"Oh yes, please!"

The moment she heard she could go to the amusement park, the girl became incredibly excited, and could not help but lift her hands up while holding the phone.

Watching the two of them chat so happily, Reiko Onodera couldn't help but smile slightly, "Haven't you thanked your brother Haruka yet?"

"Thank you, brother Haruka!"

Rika Onodera obediently said.

After chatting with the young girl a bit more about her school situation, Haruka Yuzan cut the conversation short, leaving more time for mother and daughter.

"Let's end it here for today, little Rika, we'll see each other next time."

"Mmhm, see you next time, brother Haruka!"

Rika Onodera said goodbye to Haruka, reaching out with both little hands towards the camera lens.

Haruka Yuzan smiled at Mrs. Onodera and then went down to the first floor to take a shower.

The moon shone sparsely with stars; the weather tonight seemed exceptionally beautiful, with a few faint stars twinkling in the pitch-black night sky.

When Haruka Yuzan came out of the bathroom, Reiko Onodera had just finished the video call with her daughter.

Drying his hair with a towel, he pushed Roast Meat, who was lying beside Mrs. Onodera, to the other side. The plump body rolled like an oval-shaped rugby ball,

Except that this rugby ball was a bit damp, and after rolling twice on the couch, it simply sprawled out there.

"Meow..."

Roast Meat let out an unhappy meow, seemingly sulking or too lazy to move, just lying there and twitching its tail to cover its private parts.

Ignoring it, Haruka Yuzan turned to Mrs. Onodera with a smile and said,

"Sister Reiko, why not bring Rika to live together in Tokyo?"

Hearing this, Reiko Onodera put away her phone and sighed softly,

"I simply don't have the ability to take care of Rika on my own in Tokyo right now. Instead of leaving Rika alone in Tokyo without friends, she might as well stay in the village where she can be a bit happier. With my mother there to look after her, I can be at ease."

Her voice was somewhat downcast, as if she was blaming herself.

Upon hearing this, Haruka shook his head, unconsciously wrapping his arm around Mrs. Onodera's delicate shoulder and comforted her softly,

"It's okay, things will definitely get better in the future."

Reiko Onodera leaned on Haruka's shoulder, even though they had known each other for only about a week, and the boy was so young, but for some reason, she felt very reassured by him.

Perhaps it was because when she had only 500 yen left on her, he generously offered her a place to stay and food?

Or perhaps... he bought her a suitable nightgown? An apron?

She wasn't sure, but in the short time since Reiko Onodera arrived in Tokyo, during her most confused and helpless moment, he had stepped forward and reached out a helping hand, and this had nothing to do with age...

"My hometown is in Mihai Fishing Grounds, where the village relies on aquaculture and fishing for a living. But every family has plenty of manpower, while our family only has the three of us women left, without a man's help, we simply can't go out to sea. My mother makes a living by selling local products to tourists by the seaside... and that's barely keeping the family afloat..."

Seemingly a bit melancholic, Reiko Onodera felt like talking a little more tonight, as Haruka Yuzan listened silently beside her,

"But, our place isn't a tourist attraction, so there aren't many tourists every day. It's completely manageable for my mother alone. Then, I thought about coming to the big city to see if there were more opportunities to make money. But after arriving, I realized that without any educational background, I can't do anything..."

As she spoke, Mrs. Onodera looked very disheartened. Haruka Yuzan sighed and comforted her,

"It's fine, things are pretty good as they are now."

Reiko Onodera turned her head to look at Haruka, her plump lips slightly parting,

"Thank you, Haruka."

With that, Mrs. Onodera took the initiative to wrap her arms around Haruka Yuzan's neck and willingly gave him her sweet kiss.

It was the first time she had been so forward.

It was sweet, tender, delicious.

Yes, things were indeed fine as they were now. There was no need to spend money on food and shelter, the two most expensive aspects of living were already taken care of, and as long as Mrs. Onodera didn't spend recklessly, the amount she could save each month would be quite substantial.

It was not that the salary was high, but rather that expenses were low.

For Mrs. Onodera, everything was already very satisfying.

......