Moving in 

Afternoon rolled around and Ayame finally woke up due to the heat making it too hot to stay under her bed sheets.

"Urghh, what's the time?" Reaching for her phone she saw the time causing her to freak out.

"Oh shit, I've got work!" Remembering she had shrine work to do, stumbled out of bed and quickly got changed. Walking out of her room, she entered the kitchen to grab a bite to eat as she felt her stomach eating itself.

However, when she opened the door Tomoe was already there cooking up some food.

"Oh hey Ayame, did you sleep well? Also, why are you dressed for work? It's a silent day." Tomoe smirked seeing Ayame all ready for work, but it was a day when there would be hardly anyone visiting.

"Wait… What day is it?" Ayame hadn't checked the date, but she left her phone in her room in a hurry.

"It's a Monday." When tomoe said what day it was, it clicked in Ayame's head and felt a wave of embarrassment.

"O-oh." Realising her mistake she slowly walked back out to go change into some loose clothes.

*

Returning in just a white tshirt and stockings, she sat down at the table and waited for Tomoe.

Bringing out some breakfast, they enjoyed their meal While Ayame thought back to the call with Kasumi.

'Should I ask now? What if she says no? I still have to work at the shrine.' Ayame tossed and turned in her mind if she should ask about the dorm since it is a massive ask.

'And what about Anna? We just became friends and I'm already leaving… well it isn't like we can't hang out, but still working at the shrine felt like hangout time.' Agonising over the decision it sounded like all the cons outweighed the benefits.

"What's the matter Ayame? Looks like you have something to ask me?" Tomeo guessed it would be about the move, especially since she saw all the different agonising faces Ayame was making.

"O-oh umm well I talked with Kasumi last night and umm she asked me to… Move in the dorms with her… Soooo I wanted to know if I can, but it's fine if I can't because of the shrine and all, plus the job I can-." Ayame panicked being asked, but she bit the bullet and went ahead anyway. Although she started to get ahead of herself thinking Tomoe would get angry, instead she raised her hand making Ayame stop talking.

"Relax, I'm not angry…" Tomoe paused for a moment to let Ayame breathe and once she was calm gave an answer.

"I think it will be great if you go live at the dorm, gets you out of this shrine and don't worry you will still get jobs. I will be able to handle it for you still as well as the shrine duties, so don't feel like you have to stay." Tomoe felt a stinging pain in her heart when speaking, but she knew it was necessary for Ayame to grow.

"Really?" Ayame couldn't believe it since Kasumi was virtually a stranger and they have only known each other for just over a week.

"Yes, but please stay in contact with Anna that's my only request… for the time being." Tomoe wanted to make sure they stayed friends so she made that the only condition.

"Of course! I was worried I wouldn't be able to hang out with her, but it seems like that won't be an issue." Ayame was glad to hear that even Tomoe wanted them to still be friends, so the worry of not seeing each other again vanished.

"Great, well how about you start to prepare and let Kasumi know." Tomoe loved seeing Ayame's face brighten up and made the sadness melt away.

"Mhm!" Ayame getting the confirmation needed, texted Kasumi her answer putting in motion her move to the dorm.

Kasumi receiving the text went ahead and went behind her father's back and signed up for the dorm with Ayame. He had no idea this was happening as he was still in the hospital giving Kasumi a lot more freedom. The guards did try to step in but really couldn't do anything since she is so much stronger than them.

***

<1 week later>

Surprisingly Kasumi heard back from the university relatively quickly and they were allowed to start moving in.

It was rather short notice and Ayame didn't expect to move so soon, but thanks to Tomoe's pre-preparing Ayame was ready to go by the time the notice came through.

[The address is 128 Reia rd] Kasumi texted Ayame the address which wasn't too far from the shrine. It was a 30-minute walk, but with the waystones, it didn't matter in the end.

Tomoe helped Ayame carry her things to the dorm which was a tall apartment building. It wasn't owned by the university, but rather by a third-party housing company that provided living spaces for students.

Arriving at the apartments Ayame wore the orange long-sleeved crop top and shorts paired with stockings that she brought on her trip to the capital mall. While Tomoe was in her usual kimono which made no sense to Ayame, but she didn't question it.

Looking up at the building Ayame thought the rooms looked rather small and didn't think 2 people would fit.

Walking inside, they approached the front desk where a man was sitting typing away at a computer.

"Hello, may I get your name?" The man didn't waste any time and got straight into business since it looked like they were moving in. Ayame found it a bit rude, but she preferred it this way as it allowed her to avoid talking as much.

"Ayame." Saying her name, the man typed it in and pressed a button before reaching into a draw.

"Alright, can you tell me your roommate's name?" The man asked as a way to verify that it was indeed the right person.

"Kasumi?" Ayame hoped Kasumi used her real name as it would be rather awkward.

"All good, here is the key to room 829, did you need a hand moving stuff in?" The man nodded seeing no problems and entered something else on the computer.

"No, we will be fine." Ayame took the keys and then made her way to the elevator with Tomoe.

The place was rather quiet giving them the lift all to themselves with plenty of room for Ayame's suitcases.

"Excited?" Tomoe nudged Ayame as she was fidgeting the whole time showing how nervous she was.

"I don't know, feels weird moving out let alone so quickly… Will I even be able to survive?" Ayame started having a crisis in the elevator as the crushing responsibility of taking care of herself dawned on her.

"I believe you will be fine, I taught you how to do all the house chores and how to cook, just need to make sure you don't get lazy." Tomoe pulled on Ayame's ear lightly as she had a tendency to be lazy when it comes to cleaning her own room.

"I knowwww, plus Kasumi will be there and I rather not have that kind of embarrassment." Ayame was motivated by the fact she would be living with someone to make sure everything was clean since the shame would kill her.

"Good, plus if you ever need a hand you can always call me, it isn't like I am disappearing." Tomoe patted Ayame reassuring her that even if they live apart Tomoe will always be there to help.

"Thanks Mum." Ayame smiled feeling more comfortable about the move and even if it has its challenges she could still fall back on Tomoe.

The elevator suddenly stopped on the 8th floor signifying that they arrived. Walking out of the elevator, they were greeted with a long hallway lined with doors.

No one was present in the hallway which gave it an eerie feeling, but since people were only just moving in it made sense why it was quiet.

Walking to the end of the hallway, Ayame found that she was in a corner room that seemed to be bigger than the other rooms as the door was further away from the rest.

Ayame stood in front of the door with the key in hand and felt the nerves build up as her hand got closer to the lock.

"Don't be afraid, embrace it sweetie." Tomoe lightly held the outside of Ayame's hand and guided it to the lock. Inserting the key she turned it unlocking the room. Taking one last deep breath, Ayame took the key out and opened the door to the apartment.

Walking in, the place was that of a typical studio apartment, but it was bigger than the pictures she saw. The room they got was the most expensive one which was fitted like a proper home, unlike the smaller ones where it's one room with a small kitchen and bathroom.

"Wow, Kasumi didn't slack on the choice." Tomoe was impressed and wondered if it was bigger than their house at the shrine.

"This place is great and we even got a balcony!" Ayame's expectations were blown out of the water and couldn't wait to start living here.

"Ayame?"