Chapter 8 - New House

The next day, I went to the address in the ad.

The neighborhood was... impressive. The houses were well-kept, imported cars were parked in front of them, and the streets were eerily empty — a rarity in Tokyo City. 

It didn't look at all like a place where someone would rent a room for fifty thousand yen.

I pulled up in front of the house listed in the ad. It was huge. It had a traditional Japanese façade, a well-maintained wooden gate, and plenty of privacy for the backyard.

'Great... It's obvious that as soon as I walk in, someone will hit me on the back of the head with a baseball bat, and if I wake up at all, I'll be in an ice bath missing my kidneys.' 

It was a wonderful home for such a low rent, so I could only expect the worst.

But honestly? My options were running out. I shrugged and rang the doorbell.

Seconds later, the gate opened, and a tall man with short, dark hair, dressed in an impeccable white shirt and slacks, appeared. 

"You must be Nishida-san."

"Yes. I've arranged a visit to the room."

He scanned my appearance briefly, as if assessing me, and then opened the door a little wider.

"Come in."

I hesitated for a second before stepping inside. The garden was phenomenal, but it was the inside of the house that took my breath away. Polished wooden floors, minimalist furniture, and, again, this was definitely not the kind of place I'd expected to find a cheap rental.

The man closed the door behind me and walked into the living room, gesturing for me to follow.

"My name is Hayato. I'm the landlord." He sat down on the sofa, crossing his arms. "Before I show you your room, I'll explain a few things."

I sat down in the armchair opposite him to listen.

"I work long hours away from home, and my daughter is now an adult and spends most of her time at university." He paused, as if choosing his words carefully. "The house is too big for just the three of us, so we rent the room at the entrance."

'Right... But that still didn't explain the low price.' 

"The rules are simple. You only have access to your room and the bathroom next to it. You can't move around the rest of the house or bring visitors."

I nodded slowly. "Okay. That's not a problem."

Hayato leaned forward a little. "There's one more thing. The rent is cheap because we want someone discreet and reliable."

"Why exactly?"

He crossed his fingers and stared at me. "Because my wife is a public figure."

My expression must have shown my confusion.

"She's a famous writer. We have problems with inconvenient fans and people trying to find out where we live. The low rent is to make sure we get someone who needs the place and won't bring trouble, and who can also keep people away. Think of it as a part-time job." 

"I do it myself, but I travel a lot for business, and she gets stuck at home sometimes. So when she needs to go out, you should be her security guard."

Right. Now it made sense. As well as paying rent, I'd have to work for free. That explained the discount.

"It doesn't bother me. I just need a place to stay, and I don't care about anyone's personal life."

Hayato smiled. "Then come and see the room."

I got up and followed him back to the corridor to the first door on the left. He opened it, revealing a small but clean space. A tatami mat covered the floor, a single bed in the corner, and a built-in closet. Nothing fancy, but much better than sleeping outside.

"If you're interested, we can sign the contract today," Hayato said, watching me. "I published the room on the website two days ago, but everyone declines when I tell them my conditions. I know it won't take long to find someone interested, but to be honest, I like you, Nishida-kun. You seem trustworthy."

"Trustworthy?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you know... Tidy hair, innocent look, no dyed hair or piercings. You don't have any tattoos, do you?"

"No, sir."

"There you go! All the characteristics of a good boy."

I looked around once more.

"Done. We can sign the contract."

Hayato liked what he heard, and we went to the living room to sign the contract.

After a few minutes in the office, Hayato came back, put the contract on the coffee table, and handed me a pen.

I took it without thinking too much and read the clauses of the contract. It was a simple contract, with no apparent catches. Just clear rules about where I could go, what I could do, and, of course, my role as "occasional security guard" for his wife.

I rested the sheet on the table and leaned over slightly to sign. But before the tip of the pen touched the paper, I heard the front door open.

"I'm home!" A woman's voice called out from the hallway, followed by the sound of bags being placed on the floor.

"Welcome back, Ryo," Hayato replied casually, without getting up.

When I heard that name, I stopped moving the hand that was holding the pen that was about to sign the contract. 

"Ah! I thought I slept badly. My back has been killing me since yesterday," the woman said as she walked into the living room. 

And then, I saw her.

And she saw me.

Her eyes met mine, and in that instant, a shock ran through my body as I recognized those familiar features. The green eyes, the black hair, the pink lips slightly parted in surprise... It was her. The woman I spent the night with. I hadn't even asked her name. She was married to Hayato?

Her gaze flicked between me and the contract I was about to sign. One of her hands, still holding a bag, tightened around the handle.

'This has got to be a joke.'

In her eyes, it might have seemed like more than just a coincidence. 

Luckily, however, the rental agreement was in front of me. She must have known that one room in the house would be rented out, so maybe she didn't scream immediately when she saw me.

But something made little sense here. 

If Ryo was married to Hayato, and she was in the natural insemination group, and they chose me as the donor, Hayato should have recognized me, right? Did I look so different in that photo?

No. There was only one reason for that: Ryo hadn't told Hayato about what she was doing, so Hayato didn't recognize me.

Well, that didn't make my situation any better. I was at the house of a woman I'd had sex with — a married woman — and I was about to sign a lease to live here.

She said nothing, but I felt an icy stare that could have frozen my soul.

Hayato, oblivious to the tension in the room, just smiled at her.

"Ryo, this is Nishida, the new renter. We've just signed the contract, and he's going to live in that room that..."

"Honey, can we talk for a moment?" Ryo asked Hayato with a fake smile.