Chapter 19 : Jiang Lai - The Upstairs Sounds a Bit Familiar
"What are you doing?"
The sudden voice from behind makes Jiang Lai's thoughts pause slightly. He turns around to see the ghost gentleman who appeared from the pendant at some unknown time.
Fushiguro Toji narrows his eyes, his gaze flowing over the porcelain fragments on the ground, saying with unclear meaning: "...Your technique can make objects levitate, so why did you still have me cooperate to stop things?"
Jiang Lai naturally can't truthfully tell the other party that this is actually an ability he just mastered.
Therefore, he just smiles unhurriedly and says: "Using your ability to stop things is just because you... as a spirit form operation, won't produce cursed energy fluctuations."
Without needing further explanation about why he wants to hide cursed energy, Jiang Lai knows that just touching on this point will leave rich room for imagination.
The living room is quiet for one second.
Fushiguro Toji nods slightly, seeming to understand. He floats over, drawing out his tone: "You're dissatisfied with that vase? Or was there something wrong with it?"
"Anyway, it's been cleaned up." Jiang Lai nods calmly, maintaining his best riddler posture, his gaze falling on the fragments on the ground. "I'll clean it up later and buy a normal one tomorrow to replace it for the landlord."
The moment his words fall, the phone in Jiang Lai's pocket rings with a notification sound.
He opens it and sees a new email.
The landlord? Jiang Lai's gaze falls on the sender's name in the email, his heart instinctively skipping a beat. No way, did they find out about the broken vase so quickly and come looking for me?
He thinks wildly.
Jiang Lai looks down at this new email. The content isn't long, it's the landlord asking if he has time this weekend, wanting to arrange a meeting to discuss some other matters face to face.
Jiang Lai: ...Almost thought I was really discovered for damaging furniture and equipment.
This private meeting arrangement should have nothing to do with renting, since all related procedures have already been completed.
The contract matters were all filled out three days after moving in. When signing the contract, it was handled entirely by the agency, and Jiang Lai didn't meet the landlord in person.
Apparently because the landlord is old with mobility issues and was in the hospital at the time, so didn't come over.
Jiang Lai ponders.
...So this time, what does the landlord want to discuss with him face to face? Could it be to see which brave soul dares to rent a haunted house?
Thinking casually in his heart, Jiang Lai types on his phone keyboard to actually reply: [Alright. I'm free this Saturday, where shall we meet?]
The landlord quickly gives a reply, with specific time and address noted at the end of the email. Jiang Lai notes it down, preparing to keep the appointment this Saturday.
Jiang Lai puts down his phone. The ghost gentleman beside continues leisurely saying: "If the vase has problems, it means the landlord might also have problems. You can bring small knife blades. If you want to kill without using cursed energy then, I can simply manipulate the blades to strike."
Jiang Lai: "?"
Fushiguro Toji: "For the sake of being an old customer, I'll give you a discount on this job."
Jiang Lai smiles: "...No thanks, I have no intention of killing the landlord."
Don't start promoting business anytime anywhere, Toji! It's terrifying!
Time passes quickly, and it's Saturday in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Lai heads to the agreed location according to the time. When he arrives, the landlord is already waiting there.
The landlord of this house is a kind-faced elderly lady, with years leaving deep and shallow marks on her face. Her eyes are filled with honest gentleness. When Jiang Lai arrives, the wrinkles on her face crease as she smiles kindly: "Hello."
"Hello, very pleased to meet you." Jiang Lai replies politely.
Out of cautious habit, he instinctively scans the landlord's forehead:
No traces of suture lines, not Brain, very good, can continue normal conversation.
Then Jiang Lai pulls out a chair and sits down properly. Spirit form Fushiguro Toji floats to one side.
"I presumptuously invited you out today because, to be frank, there's something I'd like to trouble you with." The elderly lady sighs lightly. After simple pleasantries, she gets to the point. "As compensation, I can reduce your rent and refund you part of the money."
Paying money to find a tenant to help? Seems uncommon. Jiang Lai doesn't rush to agree, smiling in reply: "If it's within my capabilities..."
"I'm asking for your help because you live closest." The elderly landlord says. "If you have time, could you please clean the upstairs room every two weeks?"
Eh? Upstairs? Jiang Lai is somewhat surprised, asking: "Is upstairs also your house, in a rental state?"
"No, upstairs isn't mine." The elderly landlady shakes her head. "I just once promised to help look after the house..." She shows a reminiscent expression on her face, saying gently: "The house I live in now is quite far from here. After getting old, I rarely come back to clean, so I can only ask you."
"I see." Jiang Lai nods. This isn't a difficult matter, cleaning every two weeks is just a small favor.
But he still asks one more question: "However, if I happen to run into the homeowner returning, wouldn't that be somewhat awkward and might cause misunderstandings? Perhaps you need to explain to them in advance."
"Actually..." The elderly landlady sighs again. "I haven't seen him for a long time, ten years maybe?"
Jiang Lai: "Ten, over ten years??" He momentarily suspects he heard wrong.
"Yes, I didn't expect so much time to have passed either." The elderly landlady's voice is full of sentiment. She says in a reminiscent tone: "Back then I watched him grow up, don't know where he is now."
"Um... what about his parents?" Jiang Lai asks. "If you have his parents' contact information, perhaps you could reach the homeowner."
"His parents disappeared." The elderly landlady shakes her head gently, her cloudy gaze falling outside the window. "Still no news even now, probably..."
"..." Jiang Lai doesn't know how to respond.
Seemingly touched by memories, the elderly landlady can't help but continue slowly: "I still remember that incident. His parents disappeared on their way home from work and never returned."
"After reporting to police, officers came to search, but because there were no clues at all, the case could only be shelved. After all, missing person cases are really too common."
Hearing this, Jiang Lai can't help but frown inwardly. Missing cases can actually be called common?
"He wasn't very old then, seemed like he'd just started middle school not long ago, suddenly lost both parents. Sigh, those few days I saw him constantly holding his schoolbag, stubbornly sitting at the front door waiting, don't know if he went back to sleep at night. Poor child."
"...Very sorry to hear about this." Jiang Lai goes along. "Did he go live with relatives afterward?"
"He seemed to have no relatives, or they weren't close. Fortunately, the Regulatory Committee took over then, providing money to support his continued living and schooling." The elderly landlady says admiringly: "Thank goodness for the Regulatory Committee."
Regulatory Committee? Hearing the keyword, Jiang Lai's heart stirs. How does it appear here again.
Spirit form Fushiguro Toji to the side snorts coldly upon hearing the landlord's praise, but doesn't say much more.
"Because we had a good relationship before, that child was also modest and polite in character, we neighbors would help look after him from time to time." The elderly landlady says. "Later he went to high school, seemed to go to a rather remote place, said to be a religious school, where he boarded."
"Though he lived at school, he still insisted on coming back every two weeks to clean and tidy the house." The elderly landlady's expression is kind and gentle. "In high school he probably made good friends, when he came back during holidays he smiled much more... though I can barely remember clearly anymore."
Modest and polite character, rather remote religious school, made good friends in high school... honestly, these phrases somewhat remind Jiang Lai of a certain someone (Geto Suguru).
But the earlier parts don't match up. He thinks. Parents disappearing in middle school, plus the Regulatory Committee taking over. Probably not him?
"That's good." Jiang Lai continues following the landlord's words, not showing any particular emotions on the surface. "Did he lose contact after graduation? Perhaps he went to work in other cities."
"I can't remember the specific time clearly either, only have a general impression." The elderly landlady thinks hard for a moment, finally shaking her head in reply. "Only remember that over ten years ago, one day he came back, gave me the key, said to trouble me to help look after the house in the future... never saw him again."
"I see." Jiang Lai nods, returning to the original topic. "I can help look after the house, clean it once every two weeks, right?"
"Ah, yes, thank you very much. I'll reduce your rent by half."
Jiang Lai declines: "Actually you don't need to reduce it that much... it's not troublesome."
"Half reduction is fine. After all I'm troubling you, and my house doesn't always have bad rumors? It's hard on you to live there." The elderly landlady smiles kindly, taking out a key from her cloth bag. "Here, this is for upstairs."
The elderly landlady pushes the key forward. Jiang Lai looks down and sees the label paper stuck on the brass-colored key head.
Because of the long years, the label paper has faded and is damaged, the writing also blurred. But you can still vaguely see the notation on it:
"Geto"
Jiang Lai: "??!"