Tokyo: The Manga Begins with the Funeral of Frilian

Sasaki remained silent for a while.

Looking at Ayami Nitta.

"Team Leader Nitta, firstly, you judged people by their appearance and pushed customers to the newcomer. Secondly, you jumped in to steal the sales after the newcomer closed the deal. Thirdly, even after a customer had refused, you stood between the newcomer and the customer, preventing the transaction. Fourthly, you fabricated stories about a customer backing out in front of the landlord, sowing discord between the landlord and the customer. Which of these four things do you think a team leader should do?"

With each sentence she spoke, Ayami Nitta's face grew paler.

"Manager, I am..."

"Get out of here, I'll settle the score with you after I've dealt with this."

Ayami Nitta stood there, stunned.

Sasaki bowed deeply to Kamiya Yuuma.

"I'm very sorry. This is due to my poor work performance, and it has caused you a lot of trouble."

"You don't need to apologize to me."

Kamiya Yuma pointed out Tanaka, who was standing next to him.

"Let the unfinished work be handed over to the people who are supposed to finish it."

Sasaki straightened up and glanced at Tanaka.

"Tanaka."

"Yes."

"You can sign this contract yourself."

Tanaka was stunned.

"Should I... sign it?"

  

"The customer said you provided him with service throughout the entire process and asked you to sign off. I was right next to him; I could point out any problems. But that's your business."

After receiving the contract, Tanaka bowed deeply to Yuma Kamiya and Shiori Shirakawa.

"Thank you so much, both of you!"

"No need for formalities."

Yuma Kamiya flipped the contract to the side with the signature.

"Give me the pen, we need to sign quickly, the landlord has other things to do."

Tanaka quickly handed over the pen. Kamiya Yuma neatly wrote his name in the signature section.

And it was stamped.

Shiori Shirakawa also signed the papers as a cohabitant.

Takahashi also signed and affixed his seal.

After putting a contract into his briefcase, he extended his hand to Yuma Kamiya.

"Welcome to our hotel."

"grateful."

"You're quite good. You can maintain this attitude even in the face of something like this. If it were me when I was younger, I would have flipped the table long ago."

"I just don't like being treated like an idiot."

Takahashi smiled, took his briefcase, and left.

Sasaki remained in the same spot without moving.

"Mr. Kamiya, we will handle the matter of Chief Nitta seriously. If you wish to offer compensation..."

"No."

Yuma Kamiya put the contract into a folder.

"You have a great employee in your shop. Just make sure people like that don't bully him."

Sasaki looked toward Tanaka and nodded.

"I understand. Tanaka is a full-time employee from today onwards, and his commission will be the same as that of full-time employees."

Tanaka's eyes were red, and he lingered there for a short while.

"Thank you, store manager."

"No need to thank me. Thank you, guest."

Tanaka bowed to Yuma Kamiya.

"Mr. Kamiya, thank you very much."

"That's fine."

Yuma Kamiya waved.

Can I borrow a truck when I move?

"Sure. I have a friend who does moving services at very low prices. I can get in touch with him for you."

"Okay, I'll get on it right away."

When Yuma Kamiya and Shiori Shirakawa came out of the real estate brokerage company.

It was getting close to evening.

Shiori Shirakawa, who was walking in front, suddenly spoke.

"Team Leader Nitta has been in the workplace for many years. Most people wouldn't directly confront someone like that; they'd just turn a blind eye."

"And what about Tanaka?"

Kamiya Yuma countered with a question.

"Tanaka did everything he was supposed to do—finding a house, viewing houses, signing contracts—but someone else snatched it away at the last minute. What can he do?"

Shiori Shirakawa looked at him.

There was no immediate response.

"Besides, if I don't speak up this time, Ayami Nitta will bully other newcomers next time. Tanaka was lucky to run into us this time, but what will happen next time?"

Why are you always so considerate of others?

"I'm not trying to defend anyone. I believe that what belongs to you should belong to you. The person being bullied can keep quiet, but those who witness it shouldn't remain silent."

.........

A few days later, the moving company's truck stopped downstairs at the Itabashi Honmachi apartment building.

The friend introduced by Tanaka was efficient; the two workers each carried a cardboard box.

They moved all of Kamiya Yuma's belongings in just three trips.

Shiori Shirakawa didn't have much stuff, just a few suitcases and some storage bags.

The heaviest item was an old-fashioned recorder.

"Just put it here."

Kamiya Yuma stood at the door of the master bedroom, directing the workers to carry in the largest cardboard box.

The cardboard box was opened, revealing a brand new professional comic book table.

The desktop is wide enough to display four pages of the original manuscript at the same time.

The left side features an adjustable light table, while the right side has three drawers for art supplies.

"Bought it last week."

He placed the dip pen and halftone paper into the drawer one by one.

"It turns out that the folding table was too small; when drawing double-page spreads, the manuscript paper would droop to the ground."

Shiori Shirakawa stood at the door.

After I saw him draw the curtains in the master bedroom.

"Are you planning to stay in a well-lit room all day?"

"There won't be any color deviation issues when painting in good sunlight."

Kamiya Yuma's window was open, and the midday sun shone in.

Draw a light-colored area on the ground, the color of which is golden yellow.

"What are you going to do with the cabinets in the kitchen?"

Shiori Shirakawa asked calmly.

"You have a variety of painting materials, and I have quite a few tablewares. How about we split them in half?"

"You can see the score."

"Give the three squares on the left to the other person, and the three squares on the right to me."

Shiori Shirakawa nodded and left the room.

As evening approached, the sound of chopping meat could be heard from the kitchen.

Kamiya Yuma's new table is ready, and he's starting to draw the storyboard for episode 2 on it.

A whiff of buttered meat wafted in through the crack in the door.

After putting down his pen, he went to the living room.

Shiori Shirakawa is wearing a newly bought beige apron in the open kitchen.

I'm flipping a hamburger steak over in a frying pan.

There are two bowls on the stove.

There was also mashed potatoes and a bowl of hot miso soup on the side.

When did you buy the apron?

Yuma Kamiya was sitting at the kitchen bar.

"Yesterday. The old one was too old, so I threw it away when I moved."

Shiori Shirakawa's eyes are very clear.

Arrange the hamburgers in the order they are and add some sauce.

"Today is our housewarming party, so we bought extra meat to celebrate."

The kitchen lights were on, and ripples spread across the sink.

Outside the window is what Banqiao looks like at night, with thousands of lights stretching all the way to the horizon.

I had a special feeling as soon as I moved into this apartment.

This is how it should be here.