TJTPBFB 03

Chapter 3

“Ruri’s Dilemma”

Taichi had once said,

“Technically, this shop doesn’t really need a designer,
but since we sell accessories,
it’s nice to have one professional designer on staff.”

That’s how Haruki was hired.
He joined the company five years after Ruri,
and now he and his wife both worked while raising one child.

“If we don’t try something new,
this store won’t survive.
We’ll just keep fading away,”

Taichi said with a laugh.

The other employees frowned at his easygoing tone.

“It’s not something to laugh about, you know.
We’re too old to find new jobs if this place goes under,”

Ruri said with a sigh,
and Haruki nodded in agreement.

“You’re right. We really do need to boost sales somehow.
Maybe I should come up with some new designs.”

“I’ll try thinking of something too,”

added Midori (Sui), gripping her mug.

“Oh right, Ruri—didn’t you say you inherited a house?
You’re still living in that apartment, right?
Are you going to start commuting from there instead?”

Taichi asked, remembering something.

“What? You inherited a house? That’s amazing!”

Midori and Haruki said, clearly envious.

“It would be—if it were a fancy condo in Tokyo.
But it’s just a small house in the next prefecture.
It’s not impossible to commute,
but it’s far enough that I’m not sure what to do.”

“In that case, why not sell it?
Then you could buy a cheaper apartment around here,”

suggested Mitsuko.

“That’s the thing. These days, they call it negative property—
it’s practically worthless.
There’s no way I could buy a condo with that.
I have about ten months left to decide,
so I’m consulting with a real estate agent right now.”

“I see. Well, property in this area still has some value,
so maybe you’ll manage to sell it.”

“If only it were a plot in Ginza,
that would’ve been nice,”

Ruri joked,
and everyone laughed.

Two Weeks Earlier —

A phone call came out of the blue.

“Um… is this Ruri Aokawa speaking?”

At that first sentence, Ruri froze.

(Don’t tell me… I’ve finally become the target of one of those scam calls?!)

But the caller knew her full name and number—
and the voice was far too polite for a scammer.
Could it be… some new kind of scam?

As Ruri hesitated in silence,
the voice continued from the other end.

“Ah, I’m sorry to trouble you.
My name is Godai, from Godai Real Estate.”

It was the voice of an older woman.

“Actually, I’m calling about some property
left by your late grandmother.”

“What…?”

Ruri was so shocked that she was momentarily speechless.

Apparently, she had a grandmother—something she’d never known.

The woman explained that her grandmother had entrusted
the management of her property to their agency.

“Your grandmother, Ms. Eris Aokawa,
had asked us to handle all related contracts,
as well as the funeral arrangements.
However, there are still matters regarding the inheritance
that we need to discuss with you.”

“Wait, are you sure she was really my grandmother?
My parents never mentioned that I had one.”

Ruri’s parents had died in an accident
while she was still a university student.
She had to drop out of college after that.

Thanks to two term insurance policies,
she barely managed to pay for their funeral.

With no surviving relatives,
and no degree, finding a stable job was nearly impossible.

The only reason she managed to survive
was because she’d been working part-time at this shop.
The former president had kindly become her guarantor,
allowing her to move into a cheap apartment.

She’d had to sell almost everything she owned.