He Couldn't Deny How Peaceful Those Dreams Were

"What are you doing here?"

Heisuke looked at his friend from head to toe.

Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead down to his chin. He casually brushed them with his sleeve. The hot weather really made one sweat easily.

Shuuya turned around once he heard the familiar voice. He rolled his eyes despite feeling glad to see his friend

"As the landlord, shouldn't I be here? I'm diligently doing my duty to my tenants. What about you? Have you finished your shift?"

"Should finish at eight but, I did some overtime," answered Heisuke, "I'll start my shift again at twelve tonight."

Today, Heisuke worked non-stop since dawn even though his manager and co-workers asked him to take it easy. Because the boss was so generous in paying any staff who worked overtime, he didn't stop until later.

He needed money, more money.

What drove Heisuke to work hard was his mother. If possible, he wanted her to stop tiring her old bones.

Although his mother only reached her late 40s now, the ups and downs she endured all those years before started to take their toll on her body. Fortunately, her job at the inn didn't require her to use much strength.

The decades of her experience allowed her to be promoted to a higher position. Most of her tasks right now involved managerial roles. Her pay also had increased several times.

Actually, their monthly household income should grant them to live comfortably and have some savings. But, not much was left since they needed to pay a certain amount of money to the creditors every month.

The huge debts left by Heisuke's imprisoned father had to be paid by him and his mother no matter how they were unwilling to. Although both of them had left their hometown, the creditors managed to track them down here.

After many heated discussions and the involvement of Shuuya's influential family, both sides managed to come to an agreement.

Heisuke and Mrs. Saeki had to pay a certain amount to the creditors without missing any deadline. Only by doing that, the people wouldn't mess with their daily lives.

Heisuke really hoped to finish paying the debts as soon as possible. Only after that could he breathe easier.

"Wanna have lunch with me?" Shuuya patted his stomach, "I'm hungry ah."

"Why don't you find Aino?" Heisuke threw his friend a meaningful gaze, "Do you have a fight with her again?"

"What? No, ah! I just feel sorry for my single friend so..."

"Shut up, I'm sleepy."

When Heisuke bypassed Shuuya to get inside the yard of the apartment, the corner of his eyes caught something yellow floating in the air. He took a quick glance at it.

'Ah, an umbrella.'

Heisuke could barely see a woman walking under the umbrella. He had a hunch that whoever the woman was, she was in a happy mood by the way she twirled the umbrella.

'Yellow... Like the daffodils.'

Noticing where his line of thoughts suddenly strayed off, Heisuke shook his head.

Last night, he dreamed of the woman and the yard full of daffodils flower beds again. He contemplated going to visit the temple if this silly dream continued until next month. Maybe an evil spirit had really clung to him.

But... Heisuke couldn't deny how peaceful those dreams were.

'I'm going crazy.'

Heisuke ignored Shuuya who kept asking him to have lunch together. He was in need of sleep right now.

Although Heisuke wanted to continue working, his body was already exhausted and aching. He needed to smear the medicated oil all over his body again to provide relief.

"I have a day off this Thursday. How's that sound?" asked Heisuke once he reached the staircase.

Shuuya's eyes lit up. He grinned like a fool.

"Alright! If you stood me up, see how I'd sort you out!"

Heisuke rolled his eyes. He rushed to his apartment unit where he resided with his mother since six years ago right after the building was opened for tenants.

Once Heisuke got inside, he scanned around the small living room.

There was nothing messy here so he began to undress. The sweat made him feel uncomfortable so he wanted to take a shower before resting.

Soon, the sound of a brush scrubbing clothes came from the washroom. Heisuke washed his own clothes together with his mother's. It was his daily routine.

A washing machine would cost a hefty amount. The only electric appliances they had were a small second-hand TV that was rarely used, an iron and a table fan that Heisuke bought with his mother in mind.

They also had a two-door refrigerator provided by Shuuya in every apartment unit. To have hot water, they would need to boil it first on the stove.

'All done. Time to sleep.'

Heisuke hung the clothes in the space outside the kitchen. The summer heat would help to dry them faster.

After opening the windows wide and switching on the fan, Heisuke slept on a futon in the living room. His mother had the bedroom all to herself.

Their life was still hard but, it was actually better than before.

Before Heisuke drifted to sleep, his mind played with the image of the yellow umbrella from earlier.

If only he knew that the wielder of the umbrella would move in closer to him soon...

That night, Hisaki had a discussion with Mrs. Ikeda and Mayuka. She told them of her plan to move into her own place regardless she got the assistant clerk job or not.

"The rent offered by Mr. Kawata is within my range. I also love the place. Shops and stores are all within walking distance."

In fact, Hisaki honestly thought the rent was cheaper than what she had expected. The fee even included the utility bills. She just needed to add a certain amount of money when winter came because of the additional heating.

After paying the house deposit, Hisaki would still have quite a lot in her savings. It was all thanks to her father's checks that she went to clear after lunch at the local bank.

"That lad Shuuya and his family are good landlords. I can attest to that," Mrs. Ikeda accepted Hisaki's idea, "Although we'd love to have you here, I understood why you want a place of your own."

This young lady was too independent. Hisaki had just stayed one night in this home yet, she already thought of renting another place.

Mrs. Ikeda had heard everything about Hisaki from her distant niece. She could only shake her head in regret when she learned how this maiden was stripped of the opportunity to unleash her potential in the academic field.

"That apartment is just nearby. Whenever you need our help, just call us or you can directly come here," Mayuka chimed in. She brought a tray of hot green tea to her mother and Hisaki, "Mari has entrusted you to us. Don't be shy ah."

"Hehehe, I'd surely impose on you," Hisaki laughed teasingly.

The anger and frustration she felt during her phone call with Takuya faded by the time she left the apartment building. The thought of being close to her old man made her happy.

She didn't want to waste her emotions on someone who didn't cherish her although it was her blood-related grandfather.

From that day until the morning of the interview, Hisaki rarely left the house. She spent her time studying, solving the practice questions and even reciting English. Hisaki wanted to impress the interviewer as much as she could.

This was a good chance!