Chapter 11

At 2 PM, after wrapping up all the tasks, Naoki Nagayama dragged Yuta Nakai, who was supposed to be resting, to an apartment near Waseda.

About 20 minutes' walk from Waseda Station, you could see this six-story apartment building, not far from the famous Waseda University, which could be considered a school district house from the Showa era...

A modernized Japanese-Western style apartment, it even had an elevator installed.

After entering, Yuta Nakai said, "Not bad, this place." To Naoki Nagayama, the old house from the Showa era was still lacking many things, like air conditioning, a water heater, and a washing machine...

However, the space was still quite large, with two bedrooms, a living room, an integrated dining and kitchen area, and a small balcony. It was definitely enough for a single man to live in, and a family could barely manage to live there too.

The previous owner had only left some large cabinets, and everything else was moved out, which was convenient for cleaning.

"Don't look around so much, come help me clean~" Naoki Nagayama called out to Yuta Nakai, who was turning around like a husky.

"How big is this place, and how much does it cost?" Yuta asked as he came over.

"20 pyeong, around 14 million yen."

"ε=(??ο｀*))) Huh? Didn't you only have a budget of 10 million yen? How could you afford it?"

"Ah, didn't I tell you? I was very busy for more than half a month, and I earned it by shooting a commercial during that time." Even good friends don't know everything about each other's financial situations. Yes, the payment has already been transferred, and I was planning to borrow a bit more from the bank if I couldn't make up the difference temporarily.

"Damn, you're really good at making money, aren't you? Who's the one from Hitotsubashi University, you or me!"

"Nakata-san, do you know an old saying?"

"Nani?"

"Being handsome makes life easy!" Naoki Nagayama had a face that looked like he was asking for a beating.

"Shut up, you can be a naked duck..."

While bickering and cleaning, they finished cleaning up in about an hour, and then Reimi Hoshino arrived.

The two guys' definition of cleaning was mopping the floor, wiping the windows, walls, closets, kitchen, and bathroom, and that was it.

They were still teasing, "Reimi-chan, we've already finished cleaning, and you just arrived~"

When Reimi Hoshino arrived, she gave them a look of disdain and then directed them around.

Naoki Nagayama then realized that under the sink, in the kitchen corners, in the cabinet dead zones, and in the drain... the room, which looked clean, still had so much trash to clean up...

Finally, after a while, the room was thoroughly cleaned. They would need to buy some daily necessities to fill it, but that would have to wait until after the New Year.

Next, they had to treat the two to a meal~

...

This was already in the heart of the city, with restaurants as numerous as stars. The three of them walked and stopped, eventually arriving at an izakaya.

After a busy afternoon, they were both tired and hungry, so they ordered the fastest ramen.

After a hearty meal, they didn't think about continuing to wander around and went back to Makino's house together.

Eh? Why is Reimi-san coming too? Kids shouldn't know too much!

"Welcome back!" Mrs. Makino greeted them with a smile as they entered, looking at the two who went upstairs first, and then said to Naoki Nagayama, "Naoki-san, you had a call in the evening. It was from your mother."

Naoki Nagayama's mind went blank for a moment: "Mother?"

Then he quickly reacted and said, "Hi, Makino-san, thank you. I'll freshen up and call back."

"Hi, no problem."

A bit flustered, he went upstairs. After living in the Showa era for nearly three months, although he occasionally thought about his hometown, it was just a label, a memory. Even if he talked about going back for the New Year, it was just a thought, with no real feeling.

The call from his mother in his hometown suddenly broke through this sense of estrangement, catching him off guard.

Naoki Nagayama quickly took a shower, cleaning himself while recalling the family situation of his original self.

His mother, Naoko Nagayama, was a traditional Japanese woman. After marrying into the Nagayama family at 20, she devoted herself to being a housewife, managing all the household affairs and being good to her children. However, Naoki Nagayama was not the eldest son; he had a younger sister who was three years younger, so he received less pampering.

His father, Ken Nagayama, was 42 and the second son of his grandfather. When he was born, his grandfather was focused on expanding the Yamaguchi-gumi, and his grandmother passed away when he was young. This made him timid yet stubborn, and he was naturally not favored by the yakuza boss. He had been living separately from the family for over 20 years, and they only talked once a year at most.

His older brother, Aoki Nagayama, was 21 and did not grow up to be refined. Instead, he had a robust build like his grandfather, with a somewhat impatient and simple nature, embodying the spirit of a Showa man. He planned to inherit a izakaya in Shizuoka and was not yet married.

His younger sister, Tsuruko Nagayama, was 15 and a junior high school student, a top student with the goal of attending a prestigious university in Tokyo and becoming a social elite.

Overall, except for the yakuza background on his grandfather's side, it was a fairly normal family in a small county. Naoki Nagayama came to Tokyo partly to be closer to Yamaguchi Momoe and partly because the izakaya business was too small, and adding another person would be redundant.

Speaking of which, Naoki Nagayama used to contact his family once every one or two months. His introverted predecessor contacted them less frequently. This time, it had been nearly three months without contact, which was a bit longer. However, with a new soul, he instinctively avoided contact with acquaintances. Naoki Nagayama was a bit hesitant... but he still had to call back...

After changing clothes, Naoki Nagayama went downstairs and called back using the living room phone.

After a few beeps, "Moshi moshi, this is the Nagayama household!" a young girl's voice came from the other end of the line.

"Tsuruko?" Naoki Nagayama couldn't help but ask.

"Onii-chan?!" Tsuruko Nagayama must have immediately called out to the other side of the phone, "Okaa-san~ Onii-chan's call~"

This call instantly brought the memories of his family and childhood into his mind, blending into Naoki Nagayama's soul.

"Onii-chan, why haven't you called in so long? Okaa-san was really worried~" Tsuruko Nagayama expressed her concern for her brother in a teasing manner.

"Ah~~ Tsuruko-chan, weren't you worried too?" Naoki Nagayama teased a bit.

Tsuruko Nagayama seemed to be taken aback: "Shut up! Who said I wasn't worried? I was worried about my New Year's gift~"

"Ah, I completely forgot about the gift," Naoki Nagayama was startled, "Luckily, there's still time to make it up~"

"New Year's gift? Of course, I've already prepared it~ I'm just waiting to give it to you when you come back" she boasted.

"You better not forget, or you're dead when you come back!" Tsuruko threatened, and then he heard his mother scolding her, "Tsuruko, what are you saying?" "Hai hai, here's the phone~"

"Naoki? Can you hear me?"

"Hai, Okaa-san, I'm here."

"Have you been especially busy lately? Are you coming back for the New Year?"

"Things are a bit busy at the end of the year, but I can still come back for the New Year~"

"That's great..." Then his mother chatted about his father, his older brother, Tsuruko, and the izakaya... Naoki Nagayama responded from time to time on the phone.

This mother-son relationship had always been like this, with a chatty mother and a reserved son.

Naoki Nagayama, who had not experienced family affection in his previous life, silently felt the warm current flowing through his heart.

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