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“And just step through here…”
Douman was thankful that his place was clean. He led the young boy through his apartment, humming quietly. He set the bag in his hand on the ground and let Sano take a look around. He scanned the room before making a small noise and turned to Douman.
“Um… your apartment looks nice… sir.”
Douman smiled softly. “Thank you, Sano. …It’s alright to call you, Sano, right?”
“Yes, sir…”
He made a small face. “Hm… you can call me Douman-san, okay?”
“...” Sano shook his head. “I think I’d prefer to call you sir.”
“...Alright.”
He led him to a blank room with a bed and dresser. As Sano took a glance around the room before turning to Douman.
“This… is my room?”
“I know it’s probably a downgrade, but–”
“It’s… fine. I like it.”
Douman nodded and patted his shoulder. “You can get your stuff set up here, okay? I’ll be in the living room.”
He walked out and made his way to the living room before sighing heavily. He wasn’t like Suzaku, he couldn’t just take in someone. Not to mention the people who Suzaku lived with were adults themselves and they’ve been living together for a long while now. But this was… a child . Douman was an educator, but that didn’t suddenly give him a degree in knowing how to take care of children.
“Why did I agree to this…” He picked up his phone and flicked through different options to find any food to pick up. He considered going to ask Sano what he might want, but figured the young boy wouldn’t have the foggiest idea and probably wanted to be by himself for a bit of time right now.
“Um… sir…”
He turned to the doorway and saw Sano peeking his head from behind the wall. He gave him a soft smile and stepped a little closer.
“Yes, Sano?”
“...Where’s, uh… where’s your bathroom?”
“Ah, here, I’ll show you.”
He led him to the room and as Sano walked in, he finalized his order. He made his way to his own room and placed his phone on his charger. As he began to think about more things with Sano, he remembered something and quickly walked to his refrigerator, pulling out two cans of beer. He quietly swore to himself as he quickly tried to figure out a way to remove them from his apartment.
“...Get your ass over here.” He held up a thousand yen bill and felt it leave his fingers as someone saddled up beside him.
“To what do I owe the pleasure, Acchan?”
“Take these and leave, now.”
The man took the cans and looked at them before scoffing slightly. “Is there a catch?”
“Nope. Just take them and leave.”
The man looked at him before hopping out of his apartment. Douman sighed, he really hated calling that man over. When he heard the doorbell ring, he went over to answer it, picking up the food he ordered and set it on the table. He took out the various boxes and hummed, separating them based upon what’s inside.
“What’s that, sir?”
Douman held up one. “Dinner. Come on, let’s eat.”
Sano kept himself in the doorway, holding his arms close to himself. Douman watched him and stepped a bit closer, humming.
“Come on… you need to eat. You’re still growing and such, yeah?”
“...Yeah…” Sano walked closer to him and sat at the table, watching Douman push the boxes toward him. “Um… you got a quite a bit sir.”
“If you can’t finish it, then that’s okay. Just eat your fill, alright kid?”
“...Yes, sir.”
The two ate in silence, and Douman kept glancing at him. The boy, however, did not choose to talk any longer to him. He hummed to himself before setting his utensil down and looking over at him.
“So… I feel like there’s a few things to talk about.”
Sano slowed down and looked up at him. His eyes widened and he glanced away for a moment.
“Um… well… I– I don’t really like talking about–”
“I mean, more stuff that will go one here.” He knew a thing or two about not wanting to talk about how you got to where you are. “...You’ll be attending a middle school here, I just need to submit some paperwork. Oh, and also curfew around here ends at 11pm. No need you being up at ungo–... no need you being up so late, yeah? Oh, and also, you’ll have to help with a few chores around here. That all sound fine?”
Sano stared at him. “Um… yes, sir. That sounds… yes, that sounds okay.”
“Alright!” He clapped his hands. “I’m going to go wash up, okay?”
Sano nodded and watched him as he left the room. He kept himself in the chair and took all of the boxes and placed them in the fridge before wiping down the table. He wasn’t sure… why he what was truly going to happen to him or why his sister seemed keen on letting this youkai take him in after he was banished, but he simply went along with it, thinking that was the easier way.
When he was finished, he wasn’t exactly sure what to do. The apartment seemed so different from any of the buildings in Takamagahara. Despite how small and simple it was, it was far more intimidating than anything he’d ever seen. He decided to walk around, observing everything there was.
“Hmm…” He stepped over to a TV on the counter and clicked it on. After it flashed its start-up screen, there was suddenly a man sitting at a desk on his screen. Words surrounded him in various different ways. “Huhh…”
“Watching the news, huh?”
Sano startled back and shrieked, making Douman jump himself.
“Ah… sorry for scaring you. Just noticed you were watching the news broadcast.” He walked over and observed what was there. “...Jeez, he tried robbing a place? I just gave him a thousand… whatever.” He looked at Sano. “How are you doing?”
“...I’m fine, sir.”
“Alright… you watched much TV in heaven?”
“Not too much…” He hugged his legs. “...Um… I’m going to go take my shower, sir.”
Douman nodded and watched Sano leave the room. The young boy made his way to his room to grab his pajamas and walked to the bathroom. He washed himself up and redressed before looking in the mirror. His hair was dark and shaggy, different from the fluffiness that it usually looked like.
It nearly reached his shoulders and he gave it a slight tug, scowling at the length. He pulled at his face a bit, poking at the eyebags under his eyes. He recalled how long it took him to sleep the previous nights and sighed deeply.
“...”
He walked out of the bathroom and popped his head into th living room. “I’m going to sleep, sir.”
“Oh, alright.” He smiled at Sano. “Good night, kid.”
“...Good night, sir.”
He shuffled to his room and pulled a small tanuki plush from one of his bags. He shut off the lights and lied in his new bed. It was… surprisingly soft, softer than his old bed. Or maybe that was simply the new comfort he had. He had comfort at his old home, but that was stripped away. Now he had Douman.
He snuggled further into his covers and held his plush a bit tighter. It was his first night in what was likely his new home.