Mash-Up: Anything for Money

Around 5 p.m., Ginko bid farewell to Hakuto and boarded the train. With that, Hakuto's work for the week officially came to an end. 

Tomorrow, Sunday, was one of his rare days off.

"I'm exhausted..."

[Bank account credited...]

"Not tired anymore!"

Hakuto walked alone down the street. After seeing Ginko off, he still had some distance to cover before reaching home.

However, he was reluctant to take a taxi—after all, taxis in Japan were notoriously expensive.

"I'll just rent a bike."

He quickly found a shared bicycle on the street and was about to scan the QR code to unlock it when his phone rang.

"Kasumigaoka-senpai? Why is she calling me?"

Although puzzled, Hakuto still answered.

"Hello, Kouhai-kun, could you do me a favor?"

Shiratori Hakuto: ???!

Why is it that everyone who calls me these days needs a favor? Yesterday it was Hiratsuka Sensei, and today it's Utaha.

Since he had just received his paycheck, Hakuto was in a pretty good mood. 

He figured he'd at least hear her out—if it was something small, he might as well help.

"Go ahead, Senpai."

"I'm planning to move out and rent an apartment. I just contacted a landlord, and they asked me to come over to check the place."

"And?"

"Kouhai-kun, would you really have the heart to let a delicate young lady like me walk into a potentially dangerous situation alone?"

"...Dangerous situation?"

"Isn't it? If I go alone and something unexpected happens..."

Hakuto had no idea what Utaha was trying to pull here. If she was that worried, wouldn't it make more sense to have a parent accompany her?

And even if her parents were unavailable, why would she call him specifically?

After thinking it over, Hakuto decided to refuse. It wasn't something he absolutely had to help with, and it seemed pretty troublesome.

"Senpai, I'm still job hunting right now, so I really don't have the time—"

"Ten thousand."

"If you come with me, I'll give you ten thousand."

"Consider it compensation for your time, Kouhai-kun."

"Send me the location."

Utaha chuckled at how fast he agreed.

"Then I'll be waiting for you over there."

She probably hadn't expected to hit Hakuto's weak spot so perfectly by accident.

Her original thought was that since he was job hunting, he was probably short on money—or maybe he just wanted to buy something.

That's why she offered cash as compensation. Initially, she had considered just treating him to a meal.

But now, it seemed that offering money had been the right choice.

After hanging up, Hakuto checked the location she sent. It wasn't too far. If he pedaled at full speed, he could get there in under an hour.

Wait... Full speed? One hour? On a bicycle? A shared bicycle?

"Well, no choice now! Overtime mode: activated!"

…

One Hour Later

"You know... maybe saving that money wasn't that necessary..."

Hakuto staggered off the bike, rubbing his now-numb backside as he arrived at the meeting spot with Utaha.

"Kouhai-kun, you sure took your time. Could it be that you're just too weak?"

Just as they reached the apartment entrance, Utaha suddenly appeared beside Hakuto without warning, immediately taking a jab at his stamina.

Hakuto ignored her mocking. Right now, he couldn't even feel his backside anymore.

"I'm never riding a shared bike again for the rest of my life..."

"By the way, Senpai, didn't you say the landlord was supposed to meet you?"

Utaha shook the key in her hand.

"Who knows how long I would've had to wait for you? The landlord and I already talked."

"Huh? Didn't he show you around the place?"

"Nope. He just handed me the key and told me to check it out myself before leaving."

Hearing this, Hakuto felt something was off. No matter how laid-back someone was, they wouldn't just hand over the key to a stranger they were meeting for the first time.

Sure, she was a potential tenant, but they hadn't even signed a contract yet... Was this some kind of next-level business tactic to leave a strong first impression?

Hakuto looked up at the apartment complex. The one Utaha had chosen was clearly an older building, likely part of an old district.

It was already 6:30 p.m., and the sky was starting to darken. Under the dim, grayish light, the whole apartment complex looked rather eerie.

"Why does this place feel so familiar..."

Even though it was his first time here, something about it felt oddly recognizable.

"Senpai, don't you think this apartment looks a bit creepy?"

"Yeah, I think so too. That's why you have to protect me, Kouhai-kun."

"You're the boss. You're in charge. If something happens, you run first."

With Utaha messing around like this, some of the unease Hakuto had been feeling dissipated.

The building was definitely old. As they climbed the stairs, they saw all sorts of advertisements plastered everywhere.

"Locksmith services, contact..."

"Apartments for rent..."

"Help wanted..."

Just then, Hakuto spotted something unusual.

"Huh? 'Student Discount Visits'?"

"Kouhai-kun, are you here to look at ads or look at the apartment?"

"Apartment. Definitely the apartment."

The unit Utaha found was number 1202. 

Normally, buildings like this would have an elevator, but for some reason, it was out of service. That meant they had to climb all the way to the 12th floor on foot.

It took quite a while, but eventually, Hakuto dragged a completely exhausted Utaha to the door of unit 1202.

"Senpai, honestly, I think we should just leave. There's no need to check it out."

"N-No... I have to at least take a look..."

Seeing her insist, Hakuto had no choice. She was the boss, and when the boss spoke, the employee could only listen.

Supporting Utaha at the entrance, Hakuto studied the old yet uniquely designed door. The more he looked at it, the more familiar it seemed.

And then—he noticed something.

On the wall, there was a small graffiti drawing of a baseball. At that moment, his memory came rushing back!

Hakuto had a habit of checking the daily news, just like how he had read about that volleyball prodigy yesterday.

The reason this apartment seemed familiar was because... he had seen it in the news.

"Senpai, either we leave right now, or you're going to have to pay me extra..."

Utaha raised an eyebrow.

"Price gouging? Kouhai-kun, have you learned some shady business tricks?"

"That's not what I mean…"

"Senpai, what's the name of this apartment complex?"

"Binhai. Why?"

"Senpai, search 'Binhai Apartment 1202' online. Then you'll understand why I said that."

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