Lets go! Chapter 3!
Matias Villalba- Yeah, i also like those.
Haruto walked inside the store, already hearing some song in the background. The first thing he saw was a mannequin of a soldier holding a gun. As he looked around, he saw similar items, ranging from guns to a few gear. Is this a gun store or something? He thought as he noticed someone at the counter.
It was a middle-aged man with gray hair, faint stubble, sideburns and earrings. A tattoo of a gecko was on the left side of his neck near the back. He had a lollipop in his mouth. He was wearing a gray hat with yellow ear defenders, a black turtleneck sweater, a long gray coat with a red peace symbol on it, blue jeans and dark boots. He was reading the newspaper, with his feet upo n the table.
Haruto approached the man. "Uh… Munehisa Iwai?" He asked with caution.
The man stared at him, giving him a hard gaze. "Whos asking?" He said with deep voice.
"I-Im Haruto Adachi." Haruto said, a bit nervous by the glare of the man.
Suddendly, Iwai seemed to relax as he utter an "Ah.", possibly recognizing him. He looked at the clock on the wall on the other side of the shop. "You're late."
"A-Apologies, i got sidetracked with something." Haruto started, before
"Meh, whatever." Iwai said, getting his feet off the table and getting up. "Well, you already know my name and i know yours, so there is no point in introductions." He said, looking at Haruto up and down, sizing him up. "You sure you're Tohru little brother?" He rubbed the back of his head
"Unfortunately." He said. Great, another person comparing me to Tohru.
Iwai seemed he wanted to say something, but he just shrugged before turning around. "Follow me, i'll show you where you'll be staying." He said, going into the back of the store, Haruto following him.
They went up a flight of stairs before Iwai stopped in front of a door. He fished out a key before inserting it, opening the door.
If Haruto could find a word to describe the place, it was: messy.
Hundreds of cardboard boxes on the table with flies flying above them.
A few cans of beer in the kitchen counter, definitely empty.
The windows were so smudged, Haruto is surprised he could even see the outside.
Mountains of unwashed dishes in the sink.
"So…" Iwai said, turning around. "What do you think a bit?"
"It has an…" Haruto said, coughing a bit at the strong scent. "interesting smell."
Iwai chuckled. "First time i heard someone say that, kid." He said before pointing down the hall. "Your room is the one to the right. Since i almost never go there, its probably cleaner than the rest of the place, the only dirty thing in there being dust."
"I get my own room?" Haruto asked. "I thought i was going to sleep on the couch or something…"
"What kind of man do you think i am?" Iwai said with a frown. "No way in hell you're sleeping on the couch like a homeless person"
"Well, back home, i had to share everything with Tohru. The only thing i probably had that was mine was my bed. Then, after he got arrested, everything became mine." He said, before adding under his breath. "Including his label…"
If Iwai heard him, he didn't show it "Alright kid, right now, im leaving the store alone, so lets make this quick. Rule number 1: Unless asked, you don't interfere with my business. If anyone asks you, you say you're a part-timer here. Which FYI, means you'll be helping from time to time around the store, let it be cleaning or other mundane stuff." He said. "Rule Number 2: If you're planning on bringing people over, you tell me in advance. If i say NO, it means NO, got it? Nod if you're keeping up."
"Yes, sir." Haruto said, nodded.
"Rule Number 3: I don't care what you do, but don't get in any sort of trouble. Just live your highschool life in peace and quiet."
"That what i was planning, sir." Haruto said.
"Okay, Rule Number 4: Cut it with the 'sir' crap. Call me anything you want: Munehisa, Boss, whatever. Oh, but call me Lizard, Gecko or anything funny, i'll shove my assault rifle so far down your throat, the tip will come out of your ass. Got it?"
And this meeting just became even more scary.
"Speaking of ass, that reminds me. Here." Iwai said placing something in Haruto hand. Haruto looked at it and widened his eyes. "I don't want to tell your parents you became a dad while you stayed here, so in case you're into girls and get lucky, make sure you use this."
Aaaaand, this just went from scary to weird super fast.
"Well, im going back to the store. Your stuff arrived earlier, so get settled in and i'll come back in a few hours." Iwai said before leaving.
Haruto turned around and went to his room. It was a simple bedroom with a window, a bed for a single person, a desk for him to study on, along with a door that probably lead to the bathroom. In the middle of the room were a bunch of cardboard boxes. Haruto surveyed his new place with a frown. "Yeah no, im not living like this." He said, rolling up his sleeves.
"Holy shit!" Iwai said as he walked back into his apartment after closing the shop. The place was spotless. There were no smudges on the windows, there wasn't a cardboard box anywhere in sight, the smell of alcohol was different from the usual and the only source of filth was the corner filled with garbage bags.
Haruto came from the hallway, holding another garbage bag with one hand and a broom with the other.
"I know i told you to get settled in, but i didn't think you were actually cleaning up the place." Iwai said as he looked around. "It looks better than when i first bought it!"
"Well, i was responsible to do all the chores back home. It was the best way to pass the time in Nowheresville." Haruto explained, setting down the garbage bag. "I cleaned the whole place with the exception of your room as i don't know if im allowed in there."
"Meh, you're not forbidden, but don't go poking around the place." Iwai said, before looking outside. "Well, its getting late. What do you say i order us something before we hit the hay? Tomorrow we're going to see your new school and i don't want you looking like a zombie."
"Late?" Haruto said as he checked the time on his phone. As he looked outside, he noticed the sun had already set "Huh, i didn't realize it got so late."
Iwai laughed. "Come on, i'll order us a pizza." He said, grabbing the phone.
Haruto had a nice dinner with Iwai. It was mostly in silence while they watched TV, though Iwai did ask a few random questions and soon after dinner, he went to his room, claiming he was going to sleep.
Haruto thought of doing the same thing, so he quickly cleaned up, changed into clothes more comfortable for sleeping and laid on his bed
Lets see. Today, i met a beautiful girl who happened to be a cop, we both got along, i got her number and im probably meeting her again tomorrow. My guardian seems like a pretty cool dude, though he looks like if i piss him off, my body will turn up in an alley, covered in blood. I guess im off to a pretty good start.
With that thought, he closes his eyes, dozing off.
Haruto felt something under him change. It was as if someone changed his bed. Long gone was the fluffy cushion of the bed and he felt like he was in leather, like he was sleeping on a couch.
Did i sleepwalk or something? He thought as he opened up his eyes. The first thing he saw was blue. He moved, now sitting up, confused. He looked around.
The first thing he noticed was that he wasn't back in room, and was now in some sort of limo. To his left were a bunch of drinks, alongside a couple of glasses. He looked outside the windows, but al lhe could see was a red fog.
In front of him, sitting on the opposite side was a girl. She has pale skin, chin-length brownish black hair and gray eyes. She was wearing a sleeveless white shirt, a short black necktie with various safety pins and a checkered skirt along with a black belt and a fancy, golden buckle which resembled a heart with wings. Additionally, she had black-striped red fingerless gloves and black-striped white stockings. Her black long, dark gray heeled boots were checkered as well. She carried a deep blue bag, adorned with golden designs and matching her officer's cap with a golden button and a V gravure, along with a special red choker necklace with a lock.
She smiled. "Hello. Welcome to the Velvet Room."
If you are wondering who that is, im not telling, though its pretty obvious by her description. Finally, tomorrow we are going to Shujin.