Around noon the next day Shion heard the first signs of one of her new housemates arriving. Judging from the noise they were making about needing to take a bath as soon as possible, it was probably Osaki Nana-san.

"See? Didn't I tell you I'd found a good place? You worry over nothing, Yasu." Osaki-san said.

The man she had been speaking to had a deep voice. "Are the others not here yet?"

"Shion-chan said she'd be staying here overnight. I wonder if she's still here." Footsteps approached the room Shion had been staying in and she backed away from the door where she'd been listening intently. Thankfully Andou-san had been true to his word and had finished installing the locks on the bedroom doors earlier that morning, but even behind a locked door she still felt awkward.

The anxiety she felt compelled her to keep that door locked at all times.

"Oi~ Shion-chan?" Osaki-san called out. "Are you in there?"

Don't reply. You musn't reply. Pretend to still be asleep! She'll never know!

But she hated lying - it ate away at her.

Eventually she managed to squeak out, "H-hai!"

If Osaki-san noticed her nervousness she didn't show it. "I'm gonna be taking a bath now but Yasu is gonna be sticking around for a while to sort some things out. Don't feel awkward about it, 'kay?"

How did she know? Shion felt blood rising to her cheeks. "Yeah. Okay."

When she heard Osaki-san disappear into the bathroom and begin running the bath, Shion turned around to study her new room properly. She'd spent the morning while Andou-san had been there dusting and cleaning everything down. It hadn't been a very comfortable night and she'd barely slept at all with the lack of heating that night and no bed or futon to sleep in - but she'd huddled up in the corner, bundled in layers of clothing until she'd finally dozed off for a couple of hours.

Her father had called her that morning as well confirming that he'd settled the deposit for her apartment and had transferred some extra money into her account to cover anything she might need to get settled.

As her father and stepmother would also be moving to their new flashy apartment very soon, they'd arranged to have a van deliver all of her old bedroom furniture in the next day or so.

She'd chosen the smallest room of the three in the apartment, not wanting to cause a drama if Osaki-san and Komatsu-san were the type of people to care about that kind of thing. It suited her just fine because she liked the way her bedroom window overlooked the river that ran alongside the road to the red-brick building. The beige walls were looking a bit aged but it was nothing a coat of paint couldn't fix. All in all, she was just relieved to have a roof over her head.

So with a home settled, her next mission would be to find a job. Just the thought of it made her stomach churn with anxiety. People. She'd have to deal with people.

Why is that so impossible for me?

Shion had been collecting flyers and newspaper articles that contained job positions that she was interested in applying for. The one that stood out the most to her, and the one she thought might be easier to deal with was a small record store downtown. It seemed like a nice enough place and the manager was looking for a full-time assistant.

"I guess I can start with that first." She told herself. "I'll go out, see if they're interested in hiring me, grab some groceries and then come back. It'll be fine."

With her plan all set, she began to get ready - pulling a sweater over her head and wriggling into black jeans. She swung her backpack over her shoulder and, taking a deep breath, unlocked the bedroom door.

A tall, bald man sat by the window - a cigarette dangling in the corner of his mouth and sunglasses covering his eyes. He looked like a secret agent, someone you would find in a Hollywood movie with his black suit. He looked cool but also…

Scary! Shion averted her eyes and bowed in his direction respectfully as she emerged from her room.

"I'm Nishimura Shion. It's nice to meet you."

The man gave her a small smile. "Takagi Yasushi. I'm friends with Osaki Nana."

Before she could speak again, the doorbell went off and Shion flinched. She lived here so… getting the door was her responsibility, right?

You can't! You need to hide! She must have looked like a rabbit caught in headlights because Takagi-san stepped towards the door instead. "It's okay. I'll get that."

He opened the door only to find a small gathering outside. It was Komatsu-san, and listening to the people with her it seemed as though she brought her boyfriend and some other friends along.

More people to escape from.

Surprised by Takagi-san's sudden appearance Komatsu-san stuttered out her apologies for getting the wrong room. Just as the chaos and shouting seemed to get worse, the bathroom door burst open and Osaki-san - wrapped only in a towel - came out raging about no hot water.

With the appearance of Osaki-san, Komatsu-san was over the moon. It was a good enough commotion that Shion could probably slip out without anyone taking notice of her.

Komatsu-san's boyfriend Shoji, and her friends Junko and Kyousuke were introduced. Takagi-san was in the middle of introducing himself as well and explaining to Osaki-san about the need to call the gas company first.

This was her chance! Shion sidled past everyone seemingly successful until someone - Shoji - suddenly pointed at her with a sudden, "Ah!"

Komatsu-san smiled brightly at her again. "Nishimura-san? Did you sleep well?"

Her friend Junko studied Shion carefully. "Nishimura-san? I thought your other housemate had just finished high school."

Komatsu-san smiled sheepishly. "Well, ah~ I don't know her full name yet."

Shion bowed again. "Nishimura Shion desu. Please take care of me, Komatsu-san."

And before she knew it Komatsu-san had thrown her arms around Shion, giggling happily. "I'm so glad the three of us can live together~! It's going to be so fun! And on top of that you're such a cute girl Shion-chan! I can call you Shion-chan, right? Is that okay?"

If she was hugged any tighter her lungs would burst. "It's… okay…"

"Great!" Komatsu-san released her grip and bounced back, eyes shining. Her demeanor definitely resembled that of a puppy.

"So you've just finished high school, Shion-chan?" Junko regarded her carefully. "What are you going to study now? Are you going to university? Technical school?"

Shion fiddled with her hands. "I'm… looking for work actually."

"Eh? Really? You really seem like the type to study hard." Komatsu-san said.

Junko eyed her friend. "And what would you know about studying hard, Nana?"

Komatsu-san gave her friend the same innocent puppy eyes. "They have an aura~ You know, you and Shoji and Kyousuke all have a 'ganbarimasu!' aura."

"'Ganbarimasu' aura? What the hell is that?" Shoji chortled, and then he stopped himself. "Although, it is true that I work incredibly hard."

"Don't encourage her Shoji." Junko sighed.

Shion couldn't help but stifle a giggle. Then she realised that Komatsu-san was staring at her with pride.

"You laughed! I'm so glad~ I thought that secretly you were really uncomfortable living with both of us. Let's really get along, ne Shion-chan?"

Well hold on just a second - I really am secretly uncomfortable with this arrangement. Shion just bowed her head again. "Please take care of me, Komatsu-san."

"Komatsu-san?" She laughed. "Call me Nana! It's fine - everyone says I act like a high schooler still anyway."

"Then, Nana… -san."

Nana-san patted her on the back cheerfully. "We'll work on it. Are you going out now?"

Shion nodded. "I'm job-hunting today."

The other woman smiled. "Good luck! Later, let's exchange email addresses, kay?"

"Y-yeah."

She bowed again and bade goodbye to all of their visitors, and her two housemates. As soon as she'd descended down the seven flights of stairs her head was whirling and not just from the exertion.

It was starting to set in. Being kicked out. Moving in with strangers. Being independent.

I'm not ready for this at all. Not at all.