Chapter 1
"Well, it could be worse... I guess," Yosuke let his bag slip off his shoulder and hit the ground with an echoing thud.
He examined the beginning of his new apartment with a forced smile and pressed the light switch a few times when the light began to flicker. A good start.
"Not by much," Chie dropped a box next to the all too close kitchen counter and scooted back towards the door. "How did you find this place?"
Yosuke perked up. "Dad has a manager that owes him a favor and he knew a guy who has a relative that's a real estate agent that offered to waive her fees cause' she knows the landlady. Pretty sweet, right? No key money, advance rent, deposit, nothing!"
Chie blinked and surveyed the room. "Uh huh, and that doesn't sound suspicious to you?"
"Pfft, Dad just has some useful connections for once. Not gonna argue."
"Right but-"
"No, it's not much to look at, but I won't be in it much anyway. Between work and studying I'm not going to have a lot of time," He interrupted, staring at a weird stain at the corner of the tiny studio.
He'd been lucky to secure the place at all; it was towards the city center, rent was next to nothing, it was close to his work and (hopefully) his future college.
Chie frowned and shook her head. "Come on, let's get the rest of the boxes. I'll help you set some stuff up and take off. It'll pretty late when I get back to Inaba."
"Thanks, I mean it," Yosuke smiled and followed her out the door.
It had been an adventure driving Chie's dad's old car from Inaba to Yosuke's new place. He'd offered to drive up since she'd have to drive back, but it had been five hours of nothing but Chie yelling and threatening to knock Yosuke out and take the wheel. He didn't exactly have any room to argue since she was being gracious (or tolerant, he still wasn't sure) enough to help him out.
The two quickly moved the pitifully low number of boxes up the ancient looking stairs to Yosuke's creepy new home. Looking at the small stack made Yosuke realize just how crazy this whole idea had been; at least back in Inaba he had a safety net, but now he was all alone.
"Look, Yukiko and I will be here in a few weeks to get moved into our apartment. Try not to do anything stupid before then, okay? You really need to make sure you get into college next year so don't blow all your time playing around," Chie lectured as she pulled dishes out and unwrapped them. "Your parents forgave the failed exams this time, and they are giving you another chance to get it right. They're being too lenient if you ask me."
Yosuke glared at her from across the room. "Thanks, but you barely even passed. Yukiko spent way too many sleepless nights helping you. You sure it wasn't the two of you playing around too much?" He had a wicked grin even after Chie chucked a glass at him in response. Luckily it had been plastic.
"Geez, Yosuke! Don't even start! I swear I'll smash every plate you have!" Even from across the dimly lit room he could see her red face.
The two had a weird relationship, but Yosuke figured at least they could be completely honest with one another. Neither of them held any punches... sometimes literally in Chie's case.
"Sorry, sorry! Hey, you're lucky, ya know? At least you've got someone. I'm Mister Pathetic over here, doomed to be alone forever," He laughed awkwardly as he rolled out his futon.
Chie didn't enable it. "You don't have time for a relationship."
"Ouch. Harsh."
"Well, it's true."
They spent the next hour sorting out his kitchen and finally stopped to heat up some instant noodles when they found his singular pot. They had both leaned back when Yosuke turned the water on, neither knowing what might come out of the faucet.
"I wonder who had this place last... smells like it hasn't been aired out in ages," Chie tested the noodles and flinched at the heat.
Yosuke nodded in agreement, making the same mistake with his own. "Yeah, I guess I'll do that tomorrow."
"You're going to freeze."
"I have a heater."
"That thing couldn't heat the inside of a shoe box, and your apartment might as well be that small," She rolled her eyes and took a small bite.
"Now you're just trying to push my buttons."
"Sure, why not?"
They quietly bickered while they ate and then finished up the rest of the major unpacking. Yosuke made sure to sneak one of the boxes behind the few pieces of furniture he had. Chie didn't need to see the contents of that one.
"Hopefully all of the important stuff works and the bathroom seems like it's been updated at least. Well, sort of," Yosuke poked his head into the cramped space and tried to turn the light on. "Looks like I'm picking up some new light bulbs tomorrow."
"You're gonna need a lot of stuff for this place. Do you even have a closet?" Chie pulled the sleeve of her jacket up to protect her hand and felt along the walls. "Nope, just this... is that legal? Whatever, nothing seems right about this place anyway. Maybe the bathroom used to be a closet... the size seems right."
"It has a bath and a toilet. That's more than I expected for this place," Yosuke opened the door next to the room where the tub was located and found the toilet. "I might knock my knees against the door though."
Chie shook her head and swatted at him. "Gross. No need to provide me with a visual."
"Shut up, Chie."
After the two looked once more for some kind of storage space, and failed, Chie yawned and started for the door.
"Thanks again, and tell Yukiko I said hi," Yosuke spoke as he walked Chie back towards her car, noting how late it was. He'd have asked her to stay until morning, but he knew she'd answer with a slap.
"Will do. Try to not take on too much at once, okay? I know how you are," She had what Yosuke might consider a concerned face on anyone else, but Chie normally didn't look at him like that.
"Yeah, yeah I hear you," He decided to play along, but he had never been good with serious situations. "Text me when you get back so I know you didn't crash into a ditch or something."
"Seriously, I try to actually show genuine concern and this is how I'm treated? I hope you're in the ditch if I somehow crash. Jerk."
There was the Chie he knew.
"G'night Chie. See you in a few weeks!" He waved and stood on the sidewalk next to the tiny lot reserved for the nearby apartments until the car's lights meshed with the blur of the city.
He could do this. He'd wanted this. Inaba had been suffocating with its big open spaces and fresh air, and now he was back in his ideal environment of constant noise, buildings so tall he couldn't see even one street and never seeing the same person twice. He jogged back up the stairs, but stepped lighter towards the top feeling them shake.
"I'm home." He murmured to no one as he walked inside the still foreign apartment. Maybe if he said it enough he'd grow accustomed to it faster.
"Man, Chie wasn't kidding, this place is freezing," He pulled his hood up around his face and searched for an outlet for the heater.
Inaba had been boring. Beyond boring. The city was where he felt the most at home and, even if he wasn't in some fancier apartment like before, he was finally back. He'd managed to find a job at a restaurant that seemed more like a bar nearby, and the manager seemed decent. The pay was crap, but his rent was barely anything so it evened out. He might have to live off instant noodles and convenience store food, but the freedom was worth it. At least working in that Junes hellhole had prepared him for whatever might walk in the door at his new job. Then again, he'd only been there once and it was before they opened for business.
"Alright, don't fail me now..." He held his breath as he switched the heater on and after a few moments of strange noises the coils grew red. "Success!" He grinned and praised it by patting the top a few times. Practically everything he owned was Junes brand and he understood the phrase "you get what you pay for" better than most.
He looked at the floor and contemplated whether or not he trusted it enough to sleep on it, but he didn't have another option. He'd wanted to bring his bed with him, but it just wasn't feasible to try and cram that in a tiny car. His father certainly wasn't going to pay for a moving truck.
"Maybe I should just sleep in regular clothes... I might freeze to death otherwise," He dug around in his duffel bag, but found nothing that was heavy enough to keep him warm.
It was odd to him how the inside of the apartment seemed colder than the actual temperature outside, but had he even cared enough he didn't have a thermometer to test his theory.
"Alright, tomorrow I finish setting everything up and make sure all the bills are sent to me... then work," He swallowed and felt a knot form in his stomach.
He'd always had that comfort of knowing his dad was the boss and, even though he was harder on Yosuke than any other employee, he wasn't going to fire him. Junes had been his first and only job and as much as he had despised it there was a kind of security in that he knew the job. New people and new things to learn seemed scary.
"No! No, I have to be positive. No time like the present to start reinventing myself," He smacked both hands against his numb cheeks in some weird attempt to gain confidence. "I'll be fine. Cleaning and serving people. Easy. No problem."
He pulled the covers back on the futon and tucked them around himself. It felt awkward wearing more layers, but at least he was somewhat warm this way. The exhaustion of the busy day was finally catching up with him and it became harder to keep his eyes open.
"Light bulbs and food... bills and bank... call parents," He mumbled his list over and over again making sure he wouldn't forget anything crucial.
He rolled back towards the kitchen area in an attempt to get more comfortable and sighed seeing that the light was still on.
"Ugh, I just got settled... how badly do I need to turn that off?" He debated on whether or not getting up was worth it, but just as he finished the sentence the light shut off.
Moments later there was a slight rush of cold air, as if a door had opened and shut quickly, and Yosuke sat up to look around the now dark room. He felt uneasy, but both the window and door were locked and he hadn't heard any noises.
"I guess I should count how many bulbs I'm going to need," He sighed and concluded another light had blown. "And I really need to check how this cold air is getting in."
He complained, but still felt the annoyances were minor compared to his old life back in Inaba; three years had been enough to almost drive him crazy, but he was grateful he had met Chie and Yukiko. It would be easier when they moved close by and at least he wouldn't feel as lonely. They were his only friends, but he knew there was a line there and Yukiko seemed to only treat him well because she felt sorry for how Chie acted.
"Maybe I should look for a roommate... where would they even sleep?" He grumbled and pulled the covers over his head.
Being by himself was nice, but having someone to talk to after working all day wouldn't be a bad thing. If he was being completely honest the apartment did creep him out, but having someone else around might fix the lingering paranoia he already felt. Plus, he'd probably stop talking to himself.
"I've got to stop thinking about this stuff," He stretched out an arm to a nearby box and pulled his headphones and MP3 player out.
He tried to position himself in a way where wearing his hood and headphones wouldn't bother him while he slept. He'd often listened to music to quiet his thoughts when he was having a particularly difficult time falling asleep; he felt like tonight was going to be one of those difficult nights. The MP3 player's light didn't penetrate the thick blanket as Yosuke set the playlist to shuffle without looking.
"G'night," He whispered to the darkness, the soft beat of the music syncing with his heartbeat.
Maybe things would feel more normal tomorrow.
