Chapter 30 The Landlord's Visit
#21MotoKanojoThe Landlord’s Visit
[Kakizaki Hatsune is the daughter of the president of the Kakizaki Farm massive fraud case. Expel the criminal immediately!]
Such cruel words were written in the letter.
Haha… What a joke.
“Th-This… I… I’m s-sorry…”
Switching her gaze between the letter and me, Kakizaki-san burst into tears.
Her deep sapphire eyes reflected both fear of those who stooped to such petty acts—and guilt toward me for being dragged into it.
“Wow, there are some seriously idiot jerks out there. I mean, no matter how much dirt they try to throw at you in a letter like this, I could never think badly of you.”
I shrugged theatrically, glancing at Kakizaki-san to ease the tension.
All the while suppressing the anger I felt toward the jerks who had brought this nonsense into our lives.
“B-But…”
“But what?”
Using the gentlest tone I could muster, I asked her. I didn’t want her to say something that would make her blame herself.
“…B-Because of me… y-you’re in trouble…”
“Trouble? From this letter? Well, yeah.”
I nodded while lazily waving the letter.
“But it’s not because of you. It’s because some idiot out there thinks they can mess with the life I enjoy with you. There’s no way I’m letting them get away with that.”
Yes… in a sense, this was an opportunity.
I had to make sure these jerks learned their lesson.
“So don’t worry. I know exactly who’s causing me trouble. And I also know that you haven’t caused me any trouble at all.”
“Ah…”
Kakizaki-san always tried to take everything onto her own shoulders. I needed to spell it out for her—she wasn’t to blame.
“Ah, haha… I knew you’d say that… I knew it, but…”
Kakizaki-san took off her glasses and wiped her tear-streaked face in one quick motion.
“More importantly, let’s eat dinner. I want to savor this simmered yellowtail and radish properly.”
“Haha… Okay…!”
With that, we pushed past the tension and enjoyed dinner.
“…So, um, that’s the situation, if possible…”
The next morning, the landlord came to visit.
We stood in front of the door defaced by the graffiti those jerks had scribbled.
“Excuse me, but could you be clearer? I’m having trouble understanding what you’re trying to say.”
Annoyed, I addressed the landlord, who seemed hesitant to speak.
It was obvious, though: she was either about to ask her—Kakizaki-san—or both of us to leave.
“…To be honest, having these kinds of incidents at my property is…”
“Haha, right? I’m troubled too, dealing with this baseless graffiti. So, landlord-san, please make sure to file a proper claim for damages against the real culprits, okay?”
“W-Well, that’s…”
“Eh? What is it? Don’t tell me, landlord-san—you’re protecting the perpetrators despite being the victim?”
“N-No, that’s not what I meant…”
To begin with, the fact that the landlord came this early in the morning likely meant she had received one of those letters too.
Otherwise, no matter how much graffiti there was, there’s no way she’d act this quickly.
“Anyway, I just want to live peacefully from now on. I don’t want to get caught up in pointless trouble like this.”
“B-But this graffiti… it’s because of you, Naoe-san…”
“Huh? Me? What did I do? What am I even supposed to have done?”
“N-No, it’s because you’re harboring a criminal… that’s why this happened!”
Finally losing patience, the landlord raised her voice and stepped closer, her tone confrontational.
Haha, what a fool.
“Sorry, but I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. A criminal…? Who, exactly?”
“Isn’t it obvious?! That Kakizaki Hatsune girl!”
“Sigh… Alright, what crime did she commit, then? Go ahead, tell me.”
“She… she scammed people and swindled them out of their money!”
“What nonsense. She hasn’t committed any fraud, and she’s done nothing illegal. And just to clarify, she doesn’t live here. She’s only visiting. Using the term ‘harboring’ is completely absurd.”
I let out a sigh and shook my head. The landlord, clearly frustrated, turned beet red.
“You’re just saying that because you don’t know! Either way, she’s a nuisance, so leave already!”
Haha, what a joke.
Why on earth would we need to leave?
“…I can’t ignore the baseless accusations you’ve made against her, landlord-san. I also have a valid lease agreement to live here. Forcing me out would be a breach of contract and an unlawful act. Sorry, but I’ll have to take formal action.”
I played back my phone’s voice memo, letting the landlord hear her own incriminating remarks.
“Oh, and just so you know, this isn’t a threat. If you really want to evict me, follow the proper legal procedures.”
“…”
Realizing she was at a disadvantage, the landlord left without another word.
Then.
“N-Naoe-kun…”
Kakizaki-san peeked her face out from behind the open door.
“Haha, the landlord’s such a fool, don’t you think? Taking a bunch of trashy letters at face value and showing up like this early in the morning.”
“B-But…”
“Come on, don’t worry about it. You know, times like this make me really glad I studied law in university. After all…”
I looked at Kakizaki-san, who was gazing at me anxiously, and took a deep breath.
“…Thanks to that, I can protect you.”
That’s what I told her.