The lock on the door of Room 404 showed obvious signs of forced entry.
The wooden door, already dilapidated, now swayed like a candle flickering in the wind.
Hayato stepped inside the house.
However, the room was no longer familiar.
The wooden table bought from the second-hand market had completely fallen apart.
The paper door of the closet also had a hole ripped in it, and the entire door lay miserably disassembled on the tatami mat.
As for the poor tatami, it was scorched black, clearly having been burned by fire.
There were also signs of water having been poured on it, with lingering water stains remaining.
Presumably, the person who broke in didn't dare to cause too much trouble or risk the entire apartment complex catching fire, so they promptly extinguished the flames after setting the tatami alight.
Nevertheless, a strong, unpleasant burnt smell still permeated the room; the running water in the bathroom was almost overflowing, and the flush toilet had been smashed to pieces.
"When I came over—"
Yukino Fuyumi, who was following Hayato, said softly, "The faucets inside were all running. I turned them off."
"Thank you," Hayato said.
"Not at all," Yukino Fuyumi replied, shaking her head. She secretly glanced at Hayato: "Did you offend someone?"
"...Tell me about it," Hayato gave a wry smile.
He tried to set the chair upright, but missing two of its four legs, it clearly lacked the spirit required to stand.
Yukino Fuyumi nodded, remaining silent.
"Did you see them?" Hayato asked.
"No," Yukino Fuyumi said, shaking her hands in front of her chest. "I rushed over when I heard the noise, but they had already left by the time I arrived... I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help."
"It's good that you weren't frightened," Hayato said.
Yukino Fuyumi pursed her vermillion lips, seemed to smile slightly, and then quickly asked, "Did you lose any valuables?"
Hayato showed no sign of distress. He replied with a smile, "Is there a possibility that there weren't any valuables to begin with?"
Yukino Fuyumi was stunned.
It was true; she had heard that Mr. Lin downstairs had been living alone since his parents passed away... Yet, even in his situation, he had helped her cover a massive shortfall of 480,000 yen.
Money aside, how could she ever repay this favor?
She looked at the mess scattered across the floor, then clenched her teeth tightly.
Yukino Fuyumi wanted to say something, but before she could open her mouth,
a loud shout burst in from outside:
"Lin! What in the world are you doing!?"
It was Takahashi Administrator: "What exactly have you been doing outside!? How could you offend someone—"
He questioned him, his raised index finger nearly touching Hayato's nose.
Then he looked to the side:
"Hmm? Madam Yukino?... Where is that person?"
"That person?" Yukino Fuyumi frowned.
She despised Takahashi Administrator for such an act of kicking someone when they were down.
"'That person'?" Hayato asked, "Takahashi Administrator, did you see the person who broke into my home?"
"..." Takahashi Administrator remained silent.
Earlier, he had watched 'that person' barge into the apartment complex.
He had tried to stop him, but when he saw that the man's arms were thicker than his own thighs and bore a crown of thorns tattoo, he gave up.
The man then grinned at him, revealing teeth stained yellow by cigarettes.
He grabbed the collar of poor Takahashi, who hadn't even managed to utter a single word, and with a toss, easily sent Takahashi sprawling onto his rear.
"Hayato lives here, right?"
"Y-yes... in Room 404..." Takahashi Administrator squeezed the answer out through clenched teeth.
Takahashi Administrator looked at the man's brutal eyes, thinking that even a dog on the street would probably get picked up and beaten by him.
He sat trembling on the ground, only daring to stare at the man's retreating back... Then, about half an hour later, he slowly recovered his strength.
Just as he stood up, Hayato happened to return.
An evil thought immediately arose in Takahashi Administrator's heart: if Lin had run into Mr. Hayashi, he would have been severely beaten, at the very least.
So he quickly ran over to watch the show, and fearing collateral damage, he questioned Lin to let the man know he was actually on his side... But why was the man nowhere in sight when he arrived?
He had been standing guard at the apartment entrance the entire time; he should have seen everyone entering and exiting clearly.
Could he have been so cowardly that he didn't even notice the man leaving... No, that wasn't cowardice; that was prudence. As the ancient saying in Huaxia goes, "The wise man submits to circumstances"... He looked at Hayato's room, which had been ravaged into what looked like a garbage dump. Although Lin himself was unharmed, Takahashi Administrator still felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
That's what you get for being so arrogant, kid!
However, when he saw Madam Yukino's cold gaze directed at him, and then her passionate look toward Lin, that sense of satisfaction vanished instantly. Compounded by the earlier threat from 'that person,' his existing distress turned into anger that he dared not vent on 'that person,' so he directed all of it towards Hayato:
"What in the world are you doing outside!? As a high school student, studying should be your primary goal! How could you make an enemy of someone like that!? By bringing a person like that to our apartment complex, are you trying to make all the residents live in fear with you!? If it weren't for the fact that your parents bought this apartment before they died, I would tell you to get out!!"
"—Takahashi Administrator!" Yukino Fuyumi couldn't help but cry out sharply. This child was clearly the victim; why was this man treating him like the criminal!?
"Madam Yukino, I am genuinely concerned for your safety," Takahashi Administrator said coldly. "Besides, even if you are willing to side with this kid, I doubt the other tenants would agree, would they?"
He intended to use the 'morality' of 'endangering public safety' to pressure Hayato.
"Then call the police," Hayato said flatly.
"..." Takahashi Administrator was instantly choked up.
Call the police?
He definitely wouldn't call the police.
The matter was neither too big nor too small, and given the nature of the Japan police, it was uncertain whether they would even take the case.
And even if they did accept it, he didn't know what kind of sentence 'that person' would receive.
If the sentence was light, wouldn't the man come out and beat him up?
If the sentence was heavy, wouldn't his friends or associates beat him up?
Takahashi Administrator believed that people like that definitely had a few 'gang brothers' or the like.
Seeing that Takahashi Administrator had no reaction, Hayato spoke again:
"Then what are you barking at?"
"...You kid..."
"Isn't preventing dangerous people from entering the complex supposed to be your property management's responsibility? You're quite ugly, but you sure pass the buck beautifully."
"—You!"
"You know my parents bought this house, right? Then what are you doing in here? Did I invite you?"
"...I—"
"Get out!"
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