The first-year school building has a hill behind it. There is a somewhat maintained path, but the sides are overgrown with grass, and I occasionally spotted some animals.
Although the scenery is far removed from the modern school building, I don’t dislike walking through nature. In fact, I quite like it.
“…Is this it?”
After walking for a while, I saw a wooden building beyond the trees.
There was a sign in front of the building that read “Shizunami-sou.”
“Shizunami?”
“Finally, you’re here. Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting?”
Just as I was about to read the sign, someone called out to me. A woman wearing an apron over her tracksuit and holding a broom was standing there.
It’s not the first thing one should notice, but her chest was so large that it distorted the apron’s pattern. This is a type of spatial distortion—but this is no time to be thinking about that.
“Nice to meet you, I heard I would be taken care of here, so I… I mean, I…”
“Haha, you’re super nervous, aren’t you? It’s fine, you don’t need to be so formal. I’ve heard about you, Tsukasa Fujiwara.”
Before I could ask who this person was, my eyes were drawn to the name tag on her apron.
Dorm Manager Akizuki. It only has her surname, but that means she’s in charge of this dormitory, supervising the students—so I deduced.
“Whoa…!”
Before I could brace myself, she had me in a headlock—I couldn’t move at all.
“What are you looking at? My name? From today, this Akizuki Akizuki-san is going to be your boss.”
“Ugh… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”
(She’s slender, but her strength is… incredible!)
I didn’t feel like I could break free from the headlock—as if my life force was draining away just from being held like this.
This is bad. But there’s no way I can break free from someone this strong—just as I was thinking that.
“Mm…”
For a moment, the grip loosened—rather, Akizuki-san seemed to have frozen as she exhaled.
“Phew… I somehow got free…”
“Huh?”
Akizuki-san looked at me, then at her hands, and then—she smirked for some reason.
“Oh ho, I see. Tsukasa-kun, you don’t have muscles, but you seem to have some unexpected skills.”
“Skills… I’ve never been told that before.”
“Not many can break free from my hold. Though, I don’t do this to everyone.”
Asking why she did it to me might open a can of worms. For now, I need to get into the dorm; otherwise, I won’t have a place to sleep tonight.
“Well then, before showing you around, I should tell you a few things. Some of the others aren’t happy that you’re joining, so be prepared for that.”
“There are others living in this dorm?”
“There’s another new student, but they haven’t arrived yet. I’ll have to go pick them up later.”
“I see.”
“Tsukasa-kun, there’s something you need to do before dinner… Since your arrival was sudden.”
Akizuki-san seemed hesitant to say something—and I had a sense of what it might be.
“Your room was being used as a storage or common area, so it hasn’t been cleaned yet.”
“So, I can arrange it however I like?”
“Oh… I thought you’d say the dorm manager should do the cleaning. I’m not against helping, though? That’s why I have this broom.”
“Akizuki-san, please go pick up the new student. I’ll manage on my own.”
I intended to answer normally—but for some reason, I felt like Akizuki-san was about to tackle me again.
However, she restrained herself and gave me a thumbs-up.
“That’s the spirit. But, you know, our dorm is both homely and strict. How comfortable your life here will be depends on your effort.”
Akizuki-san patted my shoulder and went inside the dorm. The place looked like an old wooden house. At the entrance, we took off our shoes and put on slippers before heading to the living room.
“Welcome to Shizunami-sou. It’s old, but it’s pretty nice, right?”
Akizuki-san said this as she led me to my room. Passing through the living room and down the hallway, there were several doors to individual rooms—at the end of the hall, one door had a “Do Not Enter” sign.
“Your room is here. Don’t go into that room at the end, it’s off-limits. Someone lives there, though.”
“What… someone lives there?”
“Everyone has their own circumstances. Here’s your room key, don’t lose it. And this.”
“Huh?”
She handed me the broom and a bag with something inside—it contained a mask and other items.
After opening the door slightly and uttering a small “whoa,” Akizuki-san looked at me with an indescribable expression.
“Good luck. If it’s too much, let me know. Well then!”
Akizuki-san left, her slippers pattering away, her ponytail bouncing. I found myself drawn to women with their hair up, but thinking about that would probably get me headlocked again.
More importantly, I needed to see the state of my room. Expecting the worst, I opened the door—inside, the tatami floor was covered with cardboard boxes, toys, and household appliances.
(It’s not as bad as I feared… let’s get started.)
One of the basics of being a baggage carrier is to always keep your surroundings organized—even with just a broom and a mask, I should be able to manage.
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