Unit 301.
So, this was it. His new home.
Tamaki Ogawa stood before the front door, rooted in place for what felt like an eternity, as he contemplated knocking first or just letting himself inside his new apartment. Despite having his own key, nerves got the best of him. It felt only right to introduce himself to the other tenant before claiming what was officially going to be their shared living space. After all, the person living behind that door had moved in much earlier than Tamaki, and barging in unannounced wouldn't sit well. So, a polite knock it was.
He rapped on the door thrice, stepping back and waiting, his eyes scanning the hallway. The unit sat at the end of the carpeted corridor, diagonally opposite apartment 302. Even if, by some misfortune, the building's elevator decided to act up, daily trips to and from the third floor wouldn't be a hassle, unlike the residents on the sixteenth floor. Then again, this did look like the kind of place that received maintenance on a regular basis, a comforting thought.
With just a suitcase, a duffel bag of essentials, and his trusty messenger bag containing his gadgets slung over his shoulder, Tamaki was ready. The apartment seemed to have most necessities covered, except maybe groceries. And if his new roommate wasn't a difficult person, they could even share groceries and take turns in buying stuff. Maybe set up a roster...
His hand found the door again, giving it a louder knock before stepping back.
Tamaki had been here before with Mrs. Eguchi, the agent who had briefed him on the place. His house buddy hadn't been around at the time, but they were supposed to be a young man of around the same age as Tamaki. He hadn't learnt much from the middle-aged woman except that one of the tenants, the one he was replacing, had left due to personal reasons two months prior, and that the remaining guy was a college student from a well-off family. Tamaki hoped they'd get along; he was quite the extrovert.
"Huh," he mumbled in confusion, pressing an ear against the door, but silence greeted him. Checking the time on his cell, he wondered if he was early.
After sorting the paperwork, Mrs. Eguchi had advised Tamaki to reach out to his roommate to "break the ice."
"It'd be best to let him know you were coming in advance," the woman had told him, after assuring him that she'd already mentioned his existence to said tenant. And Tamaki had done just that.
The first text he'd sent had been a little over two weeks ago; a simple self-introduction and confirmation about their new living arrangements. It had earned him a simple 'okay' before his roommate had promptly vanished from their chat interface, never to be heard from again. The guy hadn't even bothered to introduce himself back.
If Tamaki hadn't been specifically introduced to Mrs. Eguchi by his older sister, he'd have started to think that this was all a scam.
I'm pretty sure I told him I'd be coming, he thought, staring at the chat he'd saved under the name Roommate as he adjusted the strap of his bag. Not that any of his other messages had earned a response apart from his very first one. They were certainly getting 'read' though. Tamaki wasn't one for judging people prematurely, he couldn't help but feel a bit ignored.
[Hey there, Ogawa here, the new tenant. Maybe you forgot, but I said I'd be arriving today...?]
He sent the text before feeling stupid for making it sound like a question. He'd been about to fix it and resend when that familiar read receipt popped up.
And even more astoundingly, a response came right after. Tamaki hadn't actually expected one.
[Were we supposed to meet?]
Tamaki thought about it. Were they? [No.]
[No key, then?] came the second response.
Ah, well... He did have one. But he couldn't have just barged in—
[If that's all, you can let yourself in. I'm not around.]
And just like that, Tamaki promptly deleted his words of reason and responded with a 'thumbs up' to indicate that he understood. Well then, there went the proper introduction he had in mind. He briefly considered asking when the guy would be back but actually remembered that wasn't any of his business, and thus he left it at that. They'd meet eventually.
Tamaki couldn't help but offer muttered apologies as he ventured into what had been someone else's personal sanctuary for a brief period. The expanse of the place still left him in awe as he navigated through. Considering the typically steep prices of apartments like these, his rent seemed surprisingly affordable, even for a shared space. It had seemed too good to be true when he first stumbled upon the listing for this apartment. Even now, it felt somewhat surreal to him.
Making his way towards where he recalled the bedrooms were situated, Tamaki noted the layout. Three bedrooms in total; two facing each other with doors on opposite sides, while the third faced the bathroom. At the end of the hall lay a washroom. He remembered which room his housemate occupied, the one on the right, leaving him to choose between the other two. The decision wasn't difficult. The smaller room opposite the bathroom caught his eye, but its size made him opt for the one facing his roommate's door.
After settling his belongings in his room, Tamaki decided to explore the premises more thoroughly, acquainting himself with the layout. There wasn't much he hadn't already seen. The kitchen, though not overly spacious, was functional, while the dining and living areas made up for it. A sleek smart TV adorned the wall across from the comfortable light gray sectional sofa resting on the even grayer rug in the center of the living room. Four matching off-white dining chairs were neatly arranged around the table, topped by a slender black vase containing water and delicate floating petals, a subtle touch that caught his attention.
The roommate didn't mind flowers then, good to know.
His phone buzzed just then, and even before checking the caller ID, he had a hunch about who it was.
"Hey, sis."
Mayumi Yamamoto's cheerful voice filtered through the phone, slightly muffled. "So, I'm guessing you've arrived at your new place and met your roommate. How's it going?"
"The place is alright. Roommate's not around," he replied casually, making his way back to his room to locate his wallet. "I'm heading out to grab a few things. The place feels barely lived in."
"What do you mean?"
How could he explain it? The apartment was nice and all, but it lacked that... that human touch. He'd thought it looked so pristine because his roommate was generally a smart person, but maybe that wasn't the case. Can't dirty a place up if you don't live in it. No dishes in the rack to suggest recent use, the bathroom devoid of personal items, and most importantly... the fridge was completely empty!
Not that Tamaki planned on mooching off of anyone, but still, the barren pantry spoke volumes. He even checked the silver pots tucked away in the cupboards, untouched. Nothing.
"Maybe he keeps his stuff in his room," his sister sounded far too amused over the receiver after hearing his discoveries.
He didn't miss the implication there. "Yeah, yeah, despite what you mind think, I actually do have money. And a job," he added as an afterthought.
"Part-time."
"It pays," he huffed good-naturedly before straightening to leave the room. Glancing at the empty bed tucked in the corner, he sighed at the thought of shopping for bedding. "Seriously, sis, couldn't you just handle the bedding and have it delivered? I'll send you the money," he suggested, locking his bedroom door. He still needed to buy essentials and groceries.
"I could," his sister replied, lacking conviction. Her next words confirmed Tamaki's suspicion. "But I can't guarantee that you'd be having a very comfortable and warm night today."
Tamaki waited for a second, then two, before, "... Is that a no?"
"An emphatic no."
"Wow."
"I have things to do."
Tamaki laughed, "I've barely left the nest and you're already treating me like a stranger? Cold." He double-checked the front door before heading to the elevators, exchanging nods with a departing lady.
His older sister had been staying by herself for quite a while, having officially left their family house as soon as she started working and could afford the living expenses. At the age of twenty-eight, she was financially stable while working in bank administration, and the job paid extremely well. So well in fact, that she had been the one to cover most of Tamaki's expenses for the apartment.
He planned on paying her back of course, with time. As a college student who only worked part time, he could only do so much. He'd have officially graduated by this time next year, so maybe if he found a job soon enough, he'd pay her back easy.
"Family dinners every other Sunday, remember," she reminded with a hint of warning, earning a chuckle from Tamaki.
"Mom would never let me off the hook if I skipped those," he said as the elevator doors opened, greeting the security guard on his way out. "She practically mandated it when I was in the campus dorms."
Though back then, their mother insisted on weekly family gatherings. It had only been after a lot of talking and assurances that her kids wouldn't run off into the world and forget about family quality time, that she'd been reluctantly convinced, though all major holidays were still non-negotiable. Holiday ditching was simply not up for discussion. Well… maybe except for Valentines and White Day.
"Keep us posted in the group chat, then. Just wanted to hear if you got there alright, so I'm going back to work," Mayumi's tone was nonchalant, before she added, "And call Mom after your shopping spree, yeah?"
Their father would undoubtably also be there, but it was mostly their mother who worried. "Oh, you do care…"
"Heh, you wish," and the line went dead.
Tamaki let out a sigh as he slipped his cellphone back into his pocket, strolling down the streets with a hint of distraction. He cherished his family, no doubt, but their fuss over his recent move seemed a bit (just a tiny bit) excessive to him. Just twenty minutes before he'd arrived at his new place, his younger brother had called to know whether he'd settled, or if he needed help since he was apparently very available for the job.
"I mean, I haven't got lectures till afternoon, so," the nineteen-year-old had tried to sound uninterested but it was clear he'd have found the next subway to Nakamura Station and gotten to Tamaki's place in record time.
Like the responsible older brother he was, Tamaki had declined since he knew for a fact that Yasuo had lectures the entire day today. He wondered if he was to expect one more call from his second sister as well.
It felt like the Yamamoto family hadn't fussed over him this much since his initial move away from home to Meishin University's dorms during his freshman year. One would assume they might have a tad more faith in his ability to look after himself, especially now in his senior year with a wealth of solo-living experience under his belt.
Another buzz from his cellphone drew his attention, and unlocking it revealed a message from his younger sister. Smiling at the simple [You good?] staring back at him, Tamaki wondered if a family group call was in order just to address everyone's concerns and curiosity at once.
After his errands, of course.
~***~