A welcome(ing) neighbor

Putting all the stuff that had happened yesterday behind me, I woke up rather refreshed. Then, after going through my morning routine, I packed the last few essential items.
There wasn’t much else to do, so I ate a quick breakfast before the delivery drivers arrived.

Who arrived very punctually. I opened the door, and was greeted by two burly men, looking ready for business. I greeted them, but there was not much to talk about.
“Anything fragile we need to look out for?”
“Not really. I made sure to pack everything properly. Just… may I help you carrying stuff?”
“The sentiment is appreciated, but can't do. Not only is this our job and we are getting paid for it, there would be a lot of trouble with insurance if anything were to happen, so we can’t risk that.”
So, with not much else to do, I asked if I could borrow the key to the apartment, as I would drive there before them to check the place out. I received a “Sure.” in response, and got on my way.
I had the address form the lease Chinatsu had sent me, so looking it up and planning a route, getting there proved easy. It was a bit further out, but therefore more in the quite area of the suburbs.

And on my arrival, I was a bit surprised. I had expected a common block building, albeit with a bit more… comfort to it. But this blew it out of proportion.
The walls outside of it were a small, bride red brick wall with shrubs and other greenery growing atop of it. And from in between the bushes rose a firm, sturdy looking black fence, going around its entirety.
The only place it shifted was at the entryway, which featured a large gate with a guard house next to it. Stopping in front of the gate, I turned off my bike. In response, an older man came out to greet me. Despite his kind looks, his eyes were sharp, properly evaluating me.
“Good day.” I greeted him.
“Good day to you too. How may I help you?”
“Well… I am supposed to move in today. Moriya Shuuichi is the name.”
“Ah, yes, I have heard about you from Take. Give me a second.” He walked back into the cabin, and quickly returned with an envelope. “Here, take this. Some documents you mind find interesting. While the most important things like a trash plan, house rules and so on are already in an envelope in your room, this one contains more… security related details, let’s say.”
“Thank you.” ‘Seems he knows Takeshi. In that case, I’d better later check what’s in here.’

“Now, don’t let me keep you. The parking lots are marked with room numbers. Yours would be-”
“811, I remember.”
“Good. Then, don’t let me keep you, take care. Oh, by the way, my name is Miyagi. If there is something you need help with, don’t hesitate to come talk to me.” With a small raise of his cap, he vanished back into his outpost, and the gate opened in front of me from within. Driving in, I rode the short distance to the lot before stopping, and getting off.

Approaching the building drove home that the company I worked for really seemed to make a lot of money. First, the entrance. Before it was a large keypad, that could be used to call rooms and ring them, if you expected visitors. Next, a double glass sliding door gave rise to the lobby. A fully carpeted, large hall with couches, tables and even a few TVs strew around. Then, walking through came three elevators and a flight of stairs. All along the way, I was aware of the cameras installed in the corners to keep a view of all the going-ons. But those weren't the only presences keeping watch. Several of the female inhabitants were keeping a close eye on me, observing what I was doing here.

From there, I took the lift up to the eighth floor, where my room was located. And even the floors were furnished with small tables, flowers and paintings. IF this didn’t already show the building was on a different level, the next point would.
Opening the door to my room, I was greeted by a spacious entryway. A shoe cupboard, a coat rack, and the works. From there, a door to the right led to the bathroom. It featured a tub shower combo, a washing and drying machine, and normal things like a toilet and sink.
Going back out, the way entered to the living room. It had a large glass front, which also served as a way onto the balcony. It had a large TV, a couch corner, a table in the middle, but looked fairly empty for now. By itself it was already larger than my previous apartment, and it had been big for city standards. Not to mention the kitchen that was connected to it with an open counter. Not outrageously big like the previous examples, it still featured everything I could ask for: a stove and oven combo, a large fridge with freezer until, a microwave, several cupboards and shelves. Unsurprisingly, they were empty.
The only thing present was an envelope on the counter, likely the one Miyagi had mentioned on my way in. Putting the one I had received from him next to it, I ventured into the bedroom. Fairly spacious, with a desk and a large wardrobe, I couldn’t find any fault with these living arrangements.

Satisfied with a curious exploration of my new living quarters, I turned to my two notes. Opening the normal one all of the occupants received, I quickly read over it. It contained house rules, like at which times the doors close and you need your key to open them. Garbage plans, the bicycle storage location, care for the general living area. Emergency contacts, escape routes, nearby bus and train stations, etc. Also, a registration for your vehicles that would park on the property to make things a bit easier for organization.
So far, so ordinary. Now, for the more interesting one. … It was from the security devision, who would have guessed.

It detailed a bit more for my work. While it was true that I got moved here for easier time with PA work, I should also help out with security around the place. …Well, it had been stated in ym new work contract that I was officially still part of security.
Anyways, I was to assist with ‘all kinds of security related matters as they arose’. Pretty broad in my opinion. Furthermore, I was to report to Miyagi, or other people he declared my contact point.
…Which made me think if there were other reasons I had been chosen. And not just boss trusting his instincts. Perhaps there would be another time where I could bring it up with him.

Thinking all of this through, I soon heard a buzzing and ringing sound. I got up to the intercom, and saw the two men from before, standing in front the door. Quickly opening it, I welcomed them in.
“So, where should we put it?”
“Ah, there's no need for you to do that too.”
“Still-”
“Let me put it this way. I will put it away anyway, right? This way it would be easier for me to sort things through. And since I will carry it around in my apartment anyway, there’s now ay insurance could say anything as long as you bring it up here, right?”
There remained a few seconds of silence, before they agreed. I already had felt sorry for making them carry my stuff up here, so it was the least I could do.

Once everything had arrived, I wanted to offer them a drink. …Though I didn’t have much at the moment, I could at least fetch something from a vending machine. And after a bit more coercion, they accepted.
“Thank you.”
“You are welcome. And thank you for your work.” While it was their job, one should never simply accept certain things as given. A bit more small talk passed, and I waved them goodbye.

Now, it got to the harder part: unpacking. While I wasn’t the kind to get sentimental while packing, and thereby got it done quickly, the same couldn’t be said for the reverse. Unpacking took me a long time. When I took things out, I started to think not only about where to place it, but also the story behind it.
Meaning, even as we were approaching evening, I was nowhere near done.

When I was about halfway through with it, I headed out on the balcony for a short break. It was a nice addition to have.
“I knew it.”
Hearing a familiar voice, I looked over to the other side. There, I could see Yuuko, looking past the divider that separated the two private spaces.
“You mean, the part where I would move next to you?”
“Naturally.” She sighed. “And there are more free apartments, but they had to choose this one.”
“…” I had first thought to ask if she was dissatisfied with it, but decided against it. We had already talked about it previously, so asking again seemed insincere. So, I wanted to change the topic. Which she was faster at than me.
“So, how is the unpacking going?”
“Pretty good, I guess. I mean, I am not the quickest, but I am getting there. But still, that the rooms here are so big.”
“I know. A bit too much for one person if you ask me. But at some point, luxury had become simultaneous with unnecessary things.”
“Hmm. Is that an excuse for not cleaning up?”
“Huh? How did you get there?”
“Nothing to be embarrassed about. While I am still a bit busy, I should have time tomorrow. So I could head over and take care of a few things.”
“…” She stayed silent, and looked away.

‘Was she embarrassed?’ “Don’t worry, even if it is a bit messy, I can do it. It is my job, after all.” “It isn’t messy! Just…”
“Don’t worry. I won’t do anything untoward or creepy either.”
“I know that, otherwise I wouldn’t have agreed to you becoming my assistant. It’s, just… still embarrassing.” The last words were uttered very quietly.
I smiled a bit at that. ‘Well, no need to force anything.’ I moved closer to our shard side, and stretched my hand out. “Even if I am not fully moved in yet, I look forward to getting along with my new neighbor. Nice to make your acquaintance.”
She sighed briefly. “…You had just said that a few days ago.” Despite these words, a smile appeared on her face. “Welcome Shuuichi.” And we shook hands once more.

“Well then, I guess it’s time to get finished. By the way, I planned to bake something as a greeting thing. Look forward to it tomorrow.”
Yuuko looked at me as if I was an exotic animal. “…You don’t need to.”
“Then I can cook for you.”
“That’s even less useful.”
“Then baking it is.” While I wasn’t as good nor trained at it than cooking, I still had some confidence in it. Not only that, I wanted to show my goodwill by being accepted here.

So the next day, after doing all the unpacking, I headed out and shopped for daily necessities and some ingredients. The evening, I got Yuuko to try some cookies. She seemed to like them.
On a side note, my baking ended up being popular with the other neighbors on the floor. Thereby, without my knowledge, I had gotten a good reputation with the occupants of the complex, and a decent amount of popularity.

However, I wouldn’t be around here a lot for the week, as the work trip came up. The new exciting things wouldn’t die down for a while from here.