The winter wind was biting, adding even more chill to the season.
A new year had arrived in the blink of an eye. In previous years, it would not have meant much, but now...
"Please continue taking care of me this year. Sorry for the trouble!"
After seeing off the tenant from the first floor, Sato closed the door and looked at the envelope in his hand with a faint smile.
Now he could officially be considered a landlord.
Honestly... this feeling was pretty nice!
While he was still sighing emotionally, before he had even left the entranceway, the door was suddenly knocked on again. He subconsciously turned and opened it.
Click!
Kobayashi stood outside the door, her expression freezing instantly. She stared blankly at Sato, clearly not expecting the door to open so quickly after she knocked.
"Kobayashi-san?"
Only after Sato called out to her did she finally snap back to reality.
"Oh, Sato, this is the rent for the next three months!"
Kobayashi hurriedly handed over the envelope in her hand, though the look in her eyes toward him had become rather complicated.
The rent for Aoyama Apartments was paid every three months. January, April, July, and October were the designated payment months each year.
"Mhm."
Sato accepted it and nodded, then noticed Kobayashi seemed hesitant, as though she wanted to say something.
He could not help but smile and ask, "Is there something else, Kobayashi-san?"
"Ah, well..."
Having her thoughts exposed made Kobayashi scratch her head awkwardly, but after hesitating for a moment she still looked up cautiously and asked, "Sato, did you really buy this entire apartment building?"
Her eyes were filled with disbelief.
In truth, it was not just her. Many residents of the apartment had been stunned after receiving the notice from the previous landlord.
After all, Aoyama Apartments was not some huge complex. Everyone living upstairs and downstairs would inevitably run into one another, and even if they were not especially close, they still had a rough idea of who lived in each room.
So the tenants all knew who lived in Room 302.
Sato had only moved in last year. Last year he was still just another tenant living alongside them, and this year he had suddenly become their landlord.
Countless people had nearly dropped their jaws in shock!
More importantly, they had heard that Sato bought the apartment outright in full payment. That alone made many people lament the gap between people.
Kobayashi was one of them.
She herself was just an ordinary office worker. Even after working for several years, she still had not managed to save enough for a house down payment, while this guy bought an entire apartment building at such a young age!
Comparisons really could kill people.
"Mhm."
Faced with Kobayashi's question, Sato did not try to hide anything and admitted it openly.
Being a landlord was not exactly something worth concealing. At least there was no need to hide it from the apartment residents.
"You really are something..."
Kobayashi could not help sighing in amazement.
Of course she was envious, but her current life was not bad either. Aside from the annoying bald boss at work, everything else had been going smoothly.
After all, she had Tohru as a maid at home now, so she no longer had to worry about many things herself.
On top of that, the Hero Association sent her a substantial "Dangerous Otherworldly Creature Care Fee" every month. This unexpected income was several times higher than her actual salary.
"Ah, whatever. I'm leaving first! If I stay any longer I might actually die of envy!"
Before leaving, Kobayashi sighed jokingly, waved her hand, and said goodbye with a smile.
Sato smiled and waved back before returning to the living room.
On the low table in the living room were four neat rows of envelopes. These were the rents he had already collected.
As for now...
Sato stared at the one empty spot among them, and helplessness gradually spread across his face.
Gabriel... I knew this girl would never behave so honestly.
With that thought, Sato stood up again and headed toward the entrance.
...
Knock knock knock!
After knocking on the door, Sato stood calmly just two steps away and said:
"Gabriel, open the door. I know you're in there."
Inside the room, there was complete silence.
But Sato had no intention of leaving. Through his Observation Haki, he could clearly sense three life signatures inside.
Three?
One of them was probably Vignette. As for the third one, it was not important.
Meanwhile, inside the apartment...
Gabriel was sweating coldly as she covered the mouths of the two girls beside her. Her eyes remained fixed tightly on the door, and she swallowed nervously.
He's here!
He's here!
That evil landlord has arrived!
The two girls whose mouths were being covered looked at her in confusion.
After waiting for a while and hearing no movement outside, Gabriel began wondering whether Sato had already left.
But suddenly, there was a click from the lock.
The door actually opened.
Gabriel's heart instantly sank.
It's over!
As the door slowly opened, Sato's figure gradually came into view.
At that moment, several pairs of eyes landed on him.
Sato also clearly saw everything inside the room, including Gabriel covering the mouths of the two girls.
He raised an eyebrow, slowly withdrawing the spare key in his hand, and gave Gabriel a meaningful glance.
Gabriel's expression gradually turned horrified as she stammered tremblingly:
"Y-You're trespassing!"
Sato merely glanced at her calmly before leisurely changing his shoes at the entrance.
Then he slowly walked over and sat cross-legged beside the table in front of them. Looking at Gabriel, he softly said:
"This apartment... belongs to me."
"And you are a tenant who has not paid rent. Understand?"
The two girls whose mouths had been covered by Gabriel broke free from her hands. Vignette looked at Gabriel speechlessly, while the white-haired girl beside her curiously sized Sato up as though she had discovered something interesting.
She suddenly extended her hand with a smiling expression and said:
"Hello, I'm Shiraha Raphiel Ainsworth!"
Sato looked at her somewhat unexpectedly before also extending his hand and shaking her delicate pale hand.
"Hello, I'm Nohara Sato!"