They opened the door to the apartment and stepped into a small entryway and bathroom area.
The floor was covered in warm-colored hardwood. It was clean and comfortable even barefoot.
A bit further in was a bright and simply furnished living room with a small, plastic-covered couch and a wall-mounted TV.
The living room led to a bedroom through a door. It was small, with a bed, wardrobe, and desk.
The bed was by a bay window—Yoru really liked that design.
The other side of the room had a separated kitchen and shower area. Outside was a small balcony with a washing machine.
It was compact but had everything.
The location was great, the apartment was good, and the price was cheap.
Yoru chose the unit at the far end of the second floor and signed the contract with the old landlady.
He even gained a cute blonde neighbor—Gabriel, who lived right next door.
After signing the contract, the landlord mentioned that there were still plenty of vacancies. If Yoru referred anyone, she'd give him a rent discount.
Then she left.
Yoru and Gabriel stood on the second-floor balcony, about two meters apart, in front of their respective doors.
"By the way, I still don't know your name."
"I'm Tenma Gabriel White," she said cheerfully, introducing herself.
Since she had just arrived in the human world and wasn't familiar with much yet, and considering they'd soon be neighbors and got along well just now—
"Oh, I'm Yoru, Katakami Yoru" he said nervously, giving Gabriel a glance as he introduced himself.
"You can just call me Gabriel," she replied with a polite and adorable smile.
"Alright…" Yoru felt like he was in a dream. He quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, Gabriel, did you come from abroad to study here?"
"Yep, I just transferred to the nearby Shuchiin Private Academy," she said, nodding slightly as she recalled.
'I definitely can't say I'm an angel. I have to keep my real identity hidden,' she added silently to herself.
"Shuchiin? So we're schoolmates?"
Yoru was surprised. Then he realized he was able to talk normally with a girl and unconsciously raised his eyebrows in shock at himself.
"A schoolmate? That's unexpected."
Gabriel nodded, then asked in a gentle tone, "Yoru, want to go furniture shopping together? I just got here and I'm not too familiar with things around here..."
Her big blue-gray eyes stared at Yoru as she spoke. He couldn't bring himself to refuse and nodded stiffly.
They could probably catch some deals if they shopped for small appliances together.
Of course, Yoru wasn't delusional enough to think Gabriel might actually fall for a fat shut-in like him.
He'd heard that foreigners were more tolerant of fat people. Apparently, it was true.
He arranged a time with Gabriel.
That afternoon, Yoru didn't stick around but returned home.
He told his parents about the apartment, stayed the night, packed his things, and had his dad drive him back.
The next day—
Yoru and Gabriel went out shopping again. There were a lot of things they needed.
From rice cookers, pots, and a fridge, to tissues, cold medicine, and other miscellaneous necessities.
Whenever the two of them walked together, they'd often draw strange looks from passersby.
Yoru looked like a wild boar from the mountains, while Gabriel was an elegant princess. The two together seemed like an odd mismatch.
Thankfully, no one called the cops thinking a fat shut-in had kidnapped a cute foreign girl.
Gabriel didn't seem to mind—or maybe she didn't even notice.
Yoru felt comfortable around her. She was polite, graceful, and very cute.
Over the next few days, the two went shopping together a few more times and became more familiar.
Tomorrow was the first day of school.
That afternoon, the sky remained gloomy.
The weather forecast said it would be rainy season for a while. It wasn't unusual for the morning to be sunny and then pour by noon.
Yoru and Gabriel had lunch together outside and returned to their apartments.
...
"Let me check—what haven't I bought yet?"
Yoru looked at his fully stocked fridge with a strange sense of accomplishment.
To be clear, the fridge was filled with clean, high-protein, low-fat foods, fruits that helped metabolism, and quality carbs.
"Got the yoga mat, vitamins, joint supplements, desk lamp..."
He muttered to himself while recalling.
"Oh right, I still haven't bought review books!"
Clapping his hands, he turned and rushed out.
For the past few days, he'd been stressed about that requirement to rank in the top 30 of the grade—he hadn't been sleeping well.
Moving out was so he could focus on both studying and losing weight.
Even though he knew the odds were low, Yoru still wanted to try.
Thinking of that, he clenched his fists again, a fierce expression flashing across his face as he thought of Shinomiya Kaguya and Kasumigaoka Utaha.
...
Review books weren't sold nearby. He had to take two train stops to find a large bookstore and buy them.
After that, he remembered he didn't have any seasonings at home. He only had salt and oil.
So on his way back, he stopped by a convenience store to pick some up—and also bought dinner.
Just after stepping out of the store, the sky darkened and it started drizzling.
Yoru hadn't brought an umbrella, so he could only pray the rain didn't get worse and ran toward the station.
Luck wasn't on his side. The rain got heavier.
There was nowhere nearby to take cover, so he was forced to hide under a roadside tree.
"This day just keeps getting worse..."
Crouching under the tree, he shrank back as the rain blew in sideways and soaked his clothes, leaving damp spots and a chilly feeling.
He looked around for a better tree to hide under, but none were ideal.
Then he spotted a black cat perched in the branches of a nearby tree.
The rain and dark skies made it hard to notice at first.
"Perfect!"
Yoru quickly shielded his books and ran over.
Standing under the tree, he looked up.
The cat was round and fluffy, with smooth dark fur. Though its coat was mixed with some dirt, its eyes were a striking amber color. It stared down with an air of dominance.
"Looks just like me."
Yoru laughed, glancing at his own belly.
The plump black cat watched him cautiously.
Yoru decided to coax the fat little cat down and take a better look.
He pulled out the dinner he'd bought from the convenience store—a fresh sushi box.
He took out a slice of salmon and waved it enticingly at the cat.
The cat stood up in its nest—likely a large bird's nest it had claimed—and its amber eyes followed the fish closely.
"Come on down... fresh salmon here..." Yoru stood on tiptoe, waving the fish.
But the cat was wary. It meowed twice but didn't budge.
"Phew..."
Yoru gave up, tossing the salmon slice onto the sushi box and placing it below the tree.
Then he made up his mind.
He'd climb the tree.
It wasn't that tall. Climbing it wasn't too hard in theory.
But it was his first time climbing, and with his weight...
Good thing no one was around. If someone saw him clinging to a tree like that, they'd definitely get the wrong idea.
After several failed attempts, he finally managed to pull himself up, clinging tightly to the trunk.
Only to immediately fall back down with a thud.
"Meow meow—"
The cat meowed twice, almost mockingly, and jumped down.
It landed perfectly, snatched the salmon, and began eating.
"Gotcha!"
Yoru shouted with excitement and quickly grabbed the cat by the scruff of its neck.
The black cat struggled for a moment, then looked at Yoru—and stopped.
Seeing it no longer resisting, Yoru gently petted its head.
He realized it was a female, with a tiny tag around its neck hidden in the fur.
"Must be someone's pet that ran off."
"No wonder it's not that scared of people."
Holding the black cat in his arms, Yoru was about to check the tag when—
A soft, youthful girl's voice called out behind him.
Startled, Yoru twisted his waist with difficulty and saw a cute girl in casual clothes standing behind him.
She held an umbrella and a long net.