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"I assure you, sir, you won't find a better offer in this whole — no, not even in any of the neighbouring towns! You definitely won't regret it, I swear on my honour as a merchant."
Gareki smiled, watching the broker almost jump out of his pants trying to sell the deal as best as he could.
Truth is, he knew that there were good deals — much better than this one, honestly, but there was no better offer for the amount of money Gareki had to his name. So, it's not like he had much choice here.
"Yes, I'm sure," smile still present on his face, the adventurer tugged at the purse attached to his hip, seemingly ready to seal the deal.
It was hard not to laugh even a little, though, because the sight of the overeager man was a little bit funny. Maybe more than a little.
Thankfully, the broker himself was too busy focusing on the purse to notice the traces of mirth in Gareki's gaze. Poor man couldn't sell the run-down property for the longest time, and the state saw little use in this particular piece of land, so his hands were basically tied. All these factors combined, the adventurer before him seemed almost like an angel at this point, so the deal had to go through. He couldn't allow this one house affect his reputation as a broker, after all.
"Here, this should be everything."
As soon as a hefty sum landed on his hands, the man quickly counted the banknotes with a professionalism of an experienced merchant and just as much eagerness.
"It is. Well," the now grinning broker stuffed the money into his purse and almost pushed the keys to the adventurer, "with this the deal is sealed. This land is your now…"
For better or worse, he mouthed after bidding goodbye as he ran down the steps, quick to head off to the next potential client… and potential profit.
"Thank you", not minding the rushed goodbyes, Gareki headed into the building. Now, he could finally admire his new home in its full, arguably dubious, glory. All in all, it was not a bad house by any means. It was bright and well-lit, and a spacious two-storey building was perfect for combining business and residence. The location was pretty quiet and peaceful as well: a bit far from the main street, yes, but it also meant that clients won't get distracted by the bustling noise of the city. The exterior did require some work, too, however, it was nothing Gareki couldn't handle, and a somewhat challenging roof repairs were only welcomed — luckily, the current season didn't come with too many rains.
The interior didn't seem to change much since his last visit, either. Maybe it was a bit dustier, but the little inspection concluded that there were no new holes or scratched wallpapers. A little clean-up would make the kitchen usable, and the same went for other rooms as well. The second floor, however…
The wooden floor creaked quietly under the weight of a human's body, but otherwise appeared sturdy. A good sign that it will still be some time before Gareki has to replace the planks. A bad sign was the noise inside the stairs, similar to rustling.
Rats? Gareki certainly didn't want any food stolen from him by the unwanted neighbours, but, thankfully, he didn't have any food there yet, and catching the source of the rustling could wait until after the inspection. Besides, the rustling stopped the moment Gareki finished climbing the stairs, as if content with the disappearance of their disturber.
I guess they were the first residents here, not that it would matter if they were, indeed, rats: sharing was not an option, for several reasons.
The second floor comprised several rooms, including a bathroom, a bedroom, a guest room and, finally, a study. The first three were in a passable state, excluding a slightly damaged ceiling in the guest room, which Gareki was already aware of. Actually, the only room he was concerned about, was the study room. During the initial home inspection, the broker didn't have the whole set of keys to the house, so they weren't able to see it. As such, Gareki didn't know what to expect and could only hope for the best as he opened the door with a sigh.
As expected, the study room was a mess. Even though it was mostly empty, few forgotten books and papers were either scattered or destroyed. The old desk was even worse for the wear than it could be, clawed and scratched and bitten, drawers open at random. If he didn't know the story of this house, Gareki would likely assume that some kind of house demon settled in there and caused the previous owner to run, unable to chase the monster away.
But there were no monsters and no owners running for their life. Which meant that someone else decided to occupy the empty building aside from rats, unless the broker lied about the building.
"Just who could that b— oof!"
The culprit of the chaotic state of the study didn't wait long before announcing its presence — and aimed straight for Gareki's face in an attempts to defend its territory. Thankfully, the creature seemed more alert than actually angry, so it only tried to scare the uninvited guest without seriously injuring them at first.
"A... cat?" Gareki didn't have to try too hard to detach the animal from his face, and what he saw was a rather peculiar animal that looked just as puzzled as he was.
It was a pretty white cat with a rather short, soft fur. However, what made the adventurer pause, was one detail: the cat's paws were encircled by the vines, and pink, tropical flowers were growing from its body. At first, it seemed like the vines were a parasite, but, at a closer inspection — as close as the cat's claws allowed — it appeared to be either a symbiosis or even a part of a creature.
"A... flower cat?" It took Gareki a moment to remember that he heard about cats with flowers some time ago. Because they were no common sight, however, common folk knew little about their existence.
As expected, the cat didn't reply and just continued to stare at the man, unmoving and alert, before letting out a whiny mew.
Cute. Not wanting to agitate the fluffy creature any further, Gareki put it down and offered a piece of dried meat in an attempt to make peace. He wasn't entirely sure that it would work but, apparently, the cat enjoyed meat as much as any other ordinary cat, and, after some inspection, graciously took the offering.
"Do you have a name, kitty?" perhaps, it was somewhat foolish to try and strike a conversation with a cat. However, Gareki had an inkling that this particular cat, at the very least, could understand him, even if it didn't reply until it finished the treat.
It was okay. Gareki could wait.
"Mew", sadly, the answer wasn't any different from what you would expect from a cat. But with the time Gareki was given, he could confirm that there was no collar or any other sign pointing to the potential name of the animal.
"You don't, right? Then, how about..." the man paused. In truth, he wasn't good at coming up with names on the spot, but he doubted that the cat would just patiently wait there all day. "Miyu? It sounds like your mews, and easy to remember."
"Mew", the cat didn't seem displeased and, on the contrary, replied with another, more relaxed meow.
"Do you like this house, Miyu?"
With another short mew, Miyu lied down on the floor and looked up at Gareki with an expression of someone owning the place. Contrary to the cat's expectations, though, the sight of a fluffy cat trying to look all bossy simply made the man smile.
"Then, what do you think about us being neighbours?" this time, Miyu simply continued to stare without a sound. "I can leave the study to you, if you want."
This arrangement seemed to please the cat enough, and, with a content mew, Miyu put a paw on Gareki's hand.
The paw was so soft and fluffy, it would be a crime not give it a little, careful squeeze.
"Nice to meet you, Miyu. I hope we can become good neighbours and—"
Ah. Apparently, the paw wasn't an expression of agreement, and Miyu hoped to get another treat. A request Gareki had no problem granting, happy to find a new friend so soon.
"And I hope we can be good friends from now on, Miyu."
Little did he know, it wasn't the only surprise waiting for him in this house.