Chapter 16
"Listen, our funding for sewage management has decreased by over 23% over the last 2 months, so I'm not sure if you'll be able to live here for much longer."
Lancy proclaimed to Oboro, who sat on the opposite side of the table, his arms folded placidly.
"Well, maybe I could fix it myself?"
He asked, his voice optimistic and cheery like usual, he always had the idea of influencing others by keeping a smile on his face, but not in a way where his face would cave in, otherwise he was a pretty optimistic guy.
Lancy sat for a few seconds, staring at the packet of information with reports and complaints regarding the apartment complex's maintenance.
He then looked back up at Oboro before smiling slightly.
"I'll think about it."
He reached behind him, digging his hand into a large wooden bookcase, before pulling out a series of large books, blowing off the dust that accumulated.
"If I do let you, these would be helpful."
He said, his smile growing a little. Oboro looked down at the books before grabbing them all and stuffing them into the sack that lay on the stool next to him.
"I thank you very much!"
He said, nodding politely to the other man before stepping out of the complaint office and into the hallway.
The apartment complex where he lived in wasn't very good with maintaining a good plumbing system, but being good with machines overall, Oboro concluded that he should be able to repair the pipes under his cabinet next to the toilet himself.
"Now, where are my keys?"
He murmured, shifting his hand through the many pockets on his jacket before pulling out a pair of old, rusty keys.
He stuck the key into the keyhole before turning it until he heard the affirmative "click", letting him know that the door could be opened.
He pushed it open before stepping in and collapsing onto his bed, sighing heavily.
"Damn, I'll repair the plumbing later, maybe I'll go out to town tonight."
He perked up after hearing the idea he made himself, going out to town wasn't something he did often for personal reasons, but because he inherited the Shirakumo family's wealth, he was pretty stacked.
He immediately rose from his bed before looking in the mirror, noticing how run down his usual outfit looked.
"Maybe I'll try something more casual, I'm sure all the restaurants on Cornick street welcome all visitors."
He said to himself as he dug through his multiple drawers before he pulled out a white collared dress shirt and some pale jeans, a pretty makeshift combo.
"This'll do nicely."
He quickly undressed before putting on the dress shirt and buttoning it up, and the jeans on too.
He looked himself in the mirror while spinning to get a whole view, cautious about any flaws in his appearance, but overall there weren't any.
He took off his gatsby cap, tossing it onto the bed in the corner of the room, before stepping back out into the hallway 5 minutes after he entered it.
Proceeding down the stairs he watched all the goers pass outside, going about their daily business before the sun set over the Cardigon mountains in the east.
He stepped outside and was greeted by the sounds of townspeople chattering about and children running in the streets, street vendors clamoring as they sold steaming pork and delicious sweets.
Oboro walked past them and looked up at the worn metal signs hanging on lamp posts, the one he stared at read Westward Street, Oboro stood there for a few seconds, attempting to recall the route to Cornick street in the least amount of time. He didn't have the time to wait for a carriage, so he insisted on walking there.
"I believe Cornick Street is 3 blocks from here, damn, I guess I should get there before the lamps ignite."
He thought as he proceeded faster down the streets, turning around corners and allies until the more urban part of the kingdom started to shine with bright yellow lights.
He noticed the abundance of food, people and most importantly more expensive items sitting inside windows, with price tags exceeding 3 digits.
He shivered upon seeing those prices, with the rent that was due, he didn't have the money to afford such specialities regardless of how much he inherited. Even if he had all the money in the world he still wouldn't buy such useless items.
He took a big sigh as he pressed on, the air around his cloudy hair began to grow progressively cooler, giving him a shallow relief, with the burning days of the summer months came the cooler evenings, which just about everyone found pleasant one way or another.
He eventually read Cornick Street on the overhead iron signs and chuckled to himself before looking down at his pocket watch.
"Only 9 minutes? I think I just set myself a new record."