It Wouldn’t Be So Bad Being An Apartment Complex Manager! I Was Optimistically Thinking That, But There My Life Started To Go Downhill!

Chapter 2: Room 421, Tanaka Rumi

Moving in was one thing, but the manager’s room was already furnished with most of the furniture, household items, and appliances, so my job was just to store my clothes and personal belongings in the wardrobe and do a quick clean-up.

(From today, I’ll be living here… but this room isn’t as bad as I imagined…)

I had this image of a dilapidated manager’s room with tatami mats, like you see in dramas, but the kitchen and dining area had wooden floors, the bathroom and toilet were separate, and the 6-mat living room was modern, with a carpet and a semi-double bed, and a large TV was installed. It looked more comfortable than the rabbit hutch I had at home!

(Plus, the neighbouring 4.5-mat Japanese-style room is like a consultation room where residents can discuss things…)

After finishing the room-related work, I decided to go shopping for daily necessities, appliances, and ingredients, so I got on the mama-chari [manager’s bike] that was left in the bike parking area and started cycling, relying on my smartphone map.

(There aren’t many traffic lights, so it’s easy to ride, but the distance from the apartment complex to the city centre is still far…)

I finally arrived at a supermarket with a name I had never heard of, after passing a home centre and an electrical store. I decided to focus on securing processed foods, cup noodles, and canned goods.

This was because the distance from the supermarket to the apartment complex was 40 minutes even by mama-chari, so I judged that fresh and frozen foods would be quite risky. (T/N: Mama-chari is basically how people in japan usually refer to Bicycles besides Jitensha.)

(In this season, fresh food is tough… I’ll have to get frozen food online…)

“Ara? Manager-san!”

“Oh, hello…”

The woman who spoke to me was Tanaka-san, the first resident I met at the apartment complex!

She was pushing a cart and seemed to be shopping, just like me.

“Are you shopping alone”’

“Yes, I’m starting to live alone in that manager’s room from today…”

“Oh… alone… it must be tough for someone so young… did you come all the way here from a car?”

“No, it’s quite a distance afterall, but the company provided a bike for the manager, but given the distance from the apartment complex here, it’s going to be a bit difficult to buy fresh food in this season…”

“Yes, it’s tough on a bike… well, I came by car, so if you like, you can buy some fish and frozen food… I’ll deliver it to your manager’s room later♪”

“Eh! Really?… That would be a big help♪…”

And so I started shopping with Tanaka-san!

However, one thing that caught my attention was that, given she had children, I assumed she had a husband, but the shopping basket had fewer items than I expected…

(Milk, snacks… small-sized mince, two onions… one loaf of bread… sausages… one portion of retort pasta sauce… and a few frozen items… is Tanaka-san divorced?)

Regardless, I was very grateful to be able to buy fresh food, which I had given up on earlier!

“Well, I’ll deliver the ingredients to your room later!”

“I really appreciate it, thank you!”

Tanaka-san and I parted ways at the supermarket exit, and I returned home, feeling cheerful, and put away the processed foods in the kitchen cupboard. Then, I was setting up my computer after connecting the newly purchased Wi-Fi router from the electrical store when…

♪ Ding-dong-ding-dong!

(Ah! It’s probably Tanaka-san…)

I stopped working, went to the entrance, and opened the door, and there stood Tanaka-san, holding a plastic shopping bag.

She was wearing a white V-neck sleeveless top and a denim mini skirt that only reached her knees, and she looked different from when I had met her earlier.

(Tanaka-san, was she wearing that outfit before?)

“Sorry for being late, I took a shower and changed after getting home because it was hot today…”

“Oh, no… thank you for carrying my bags!”

No one would think she was a mother with children, judging by this outfit!

And from the white sleeveless top, two large bulges were clearly visible, which any man would be drawn to look at!

(I must not look around too much!)

I held out my hands to receive the shopping bag, but she shook her head from side to side and smiled, opening her mouth softly.

“Oh, if it’s not a bother, I can put these in the fridge for you, as housewives are more efficient at these things than men♪”

“Er, yes… I don’t mind… go ahead…”

From the first day of me moving in, a woman had entered my room, which was a man’s domain!

I had only ever lived with my parents before, so I felt a strange sense of tension, and a little bit of my male instincts stirred…

“Pardon the intrusion♪”

This was my first time being alone in a room with a woman in such a situation, and I was proud to say that I had no experience with women, except for a kiss, even at this age!

Yes, and I had been dumped by her before we even had sex, and so I was still a virgin!

“Um, the kitchen is… oh, here it is… wow♪ nice counter kitchen!… The space is spacious and looks easy to use!”

“It’s too good for me… apparently, the company renovated it for the previous manager…”

“Oh, Yoshino-san?… She was quite a nagging old lady… she was rambling from how to dispose of garbage to where to park the bike… oops, slip of the tongue… hehe, sorry!”

“No, I don’t know the previous manager either… I only know that she resigned due to poor health…”

Well, from my perspective, it was good that the previous manager was a bit quirky, because she gave me this comfortable space!

“… there are also various other interesting people here besides you Manager-san so…”

“Eh?…”

“Oh, nothing!… oh!… this fridge is nice too♪ it’s a larger capacity type than mine!… I’m envious… I’ll put the ingredients in right away♪”

Tanaka-san sat in seiza in front of the fridge and first took out the vegetable drawer and started storing the vegetables. I was watching her from the side, but I couldn’t get her words out of my mind…

(There are various interesting people here too… does that mean there are some dangerous people too?… and the previous manager resigned due to poor health… no, from what she said, it sounded like Yoshino-san had a more dangerous personality so she couldn’t have been…)

Come to think of it, when I invited Tanaka-san into my room, I saw a middle-aged woman riding her bike on the outer road of the apartment complex, looking at me… a housewife from the same building was visiting the male manager’s room! If such a rumour spread immediately, I would be fired and left homeless!

(No, Tanaka-san is not like that, she’s helping me out of kindness!… If any rumours come out, I’ll testify that they’re not true!… But…)

But, down below my line of sight, a white bra was peeking out from the V-neck of Tanaka-san’s top, and it looked strangely seductive. Even though I knew I shouldn’t, I couldn’t help but look at it…

(A-a glimpse of her bare bra…! This is way too stimulating for a virgin like me! …N-no, this won’t do! I need to maintain my cool as the manager!)

“Er, next is lettuce♪…”

Does she even realize that her underwear is visible from her neckline? …As I wondered about that, my gaze involuntarily drifted to her thighs as she sat in seiza.