Uncle Hikigaya is Forever Young [55]

To quickly rent out the house, the landlord was even willing to waive the traditional reikin—that customary "gift money" paid upon signing, typically equivalent to one or two months' rent.

This alone saved him quite a substantial sum!

The salary for teachers at Sōbu High was decent, but the problem was he hadn't received it yet… Right now, his financial situation was still rather tight, the largest sum of money still coming from selling the piano.

So caution was still the safest route.

After all, he was currently in a financial crunch.

This was basically a bargain he’d stumbled upon. As long as nothing unexpected came up during the viewing, Ryōhei intended to finalize the deal today.

Move in tomorrow!

Anyway, being poor, there was hardly anything valuable in their current apartment besides the three kids themselves.

Just as Hikigaya Ryōhei, following the perpetually worried-looking middle-aged landlord, arrived in front of the property, a girl with a conspicuous dango-style bun atop her head bounced out from a house diagonally opposite.

Thanks to her hairstyle—and due to meeting Yuigahama-san before—Ryōhei instantly recognized this girl as Yuigahama Yui from Class F, the girl who tended to daydream during lessons.

Also, the daughter of Mrs. Yuigahama.

They certainly looked like mother and daughter, except that Mrs. Yuigahama wore her bun lower behind her head, radiating the gentle charm of a married woman.

The younger Yuigahama had stepped out from her house wearing a loose-fitting dark shirt over denim shorts, revealing slender, fair calves beneath the knees, complemented by pinkish-white sandals, exuding a fresh and youthful air.

Before Ryōhei could even say hello, the girl opened her mouth wide, staring blankly at the teacher who had suddenly appeared practically at her doorstep.

A wild sensei appears?!

Yuigahama Yui had come home after school, taken a shower, changed clothes, and applied some light makeup, planning to head out to hang with Yumiko and the others.

One second earlier, her mind had been filled with plans about which mall to visit with Yumiko and Hayama-kun, and which dessert shop to hit afterward—but seeing her teacher standing here the next second startled her completely.

It felt like a public execution.

Not to mention, she'd gotten slightly reprimanded by Hikigaya-sensei earlier today for spacing out during class...

Masaka!! Masaka!!!

Could Hikigaya-sensei have come for a home visit?!?!

Oh god! She'd only spaced out a little! There was no need to take it this seriously, right?

Alright, maybe she had been slacking off a bit lately and spacing out a bit too often, but she’d already resolved to study seriously starting tomorrow!

Midterms were approaching!

Within a mere instant, Yuigahama Yui’s mind cycled through countless thoughts. Ultimately discarding the option of turning tail and fleeing, she resigned herself, lowered her head, and put on an awkward smile as she called loudly into the house:

“Mom! Mom! Sensei’s here for a home visit! Hurry up and come out... Ahaha, Hikigaya-sensei, hello! I—I just saw you from the window, so I came out to greet you!”

As she spoke, she remembered to hide the stylish little handbag behind her back.

“Eh?! Sensei’s here? Such a sudden home visit… Yui! You haven't been studying properly at school, have you?!”

Mrs. Yuigahama, who remained soft-spoken and graceful despite the passing time, hurriedly opened the door and leaned out her delicate figure.

Perhaps due to the suddenness of events, coupled with her daughter's noisy fuss, Mrs. Yuigahama was influenced by Yui’s nervousness. A faint blush spread across her charming face, with small beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

“Um… Yuigahama-san, it's me, Hikigaya Ryōhei. I'm not here for a home visit today—I have some business with this gentleman.”

Seeing the exchange between this mother-daughter pair leaving no room for him to interrupt, Ryōhei hurriedly waved at Mrs. Yuigahama, quickly explaining.

A few days earlier, Mrs. Yuigahama had called Ryōhei to ask about Hachiman’s recovery. During their chat, Ryōhei had casually mentioned that he'd found a new job teaching at Sōbu High.

Then, Mrs. Yuigahama politely mentioned her daughter was attending that very same school. Afterward, Ryōhei had indeed noticed a girl named Yuigahama Yui in his class who bore some resemblance to Mrs. Yuigahama. But since the matter with Hachiman was resolved, he hadn't expected further interaction with the Yuigahamas.

“Oh? Hikigaya-san?! You’re teaching Yui now? What a coincidence! Hm, and you're acquainted with Nakano-san?”

Only after her daughter's commotion subsided a bit did the big dango finally calm down, recognizing Ryōhei as the friendly Hikigaya-san she'd met previously. Then she noticed their neighbor from diagonally opposite, Mr. Nakano.

“Yes, actually, I came to look at a house today. Perhaps we'll become neighbors soon.”

This Hikigaya-san was a thoughtful man who hadn’t caused trouble during the previous car accident incident. Moreover, he was a responsible man single-handedly raising two kids, which had left a good impression on Mrs. Yuigahama, herself a single mother raising her daughter.

She'd thought they'd have no further interactions after resolving their children's matter, yet now he’d become Yui’s teacher?

This was life, wasn't it?

A series of coincidences piling upon each other—that was life.

Having hidden behind her mother and barely relaxed, Yui's heart immediately jumped back into her throat. “Neighbors”?!

She'd have to live next door to her teacher from now on?!

Uwahhhh!!

Unlike her mother, who smiled pleasantly at the thought, Yuigahama Yui felt completely unwell.

Why hadn't she and her mom moved somewhere else over the past ten years?!

...

As it turned out, the house Ryōhei planned to rent was indeed diagonally opposite the Yuigahama household.

The location was actually very convenient—just under ten minutes’ walk from Sōbu High—which was exactly why Ryōhei had chosen this particular property.

Everything else went smoothly—the condition of the house matched the description exactly, and with the help of the seemingly well-connected Mrs. Yuigahama, Ryōhei quickly secured this slightly small, two-story detached home.

He signed a full one-year rental contract, paying three months’ rent upfront, in cash.

Afterward, rent would be paid monthly.

Mrs. Yuigahama was delighted—everyone appreciated having a reliable neighbor.

Hikigaya Ryōhei, desperately in need of a bigger place, was equally satisfied. He’d secured a good deal on this rental.

And the middle-aged landlord renting out the property was also pleased.

He was currently unemployed himself. Having worked at the same company for over a decade, he'd lost all hope of finding a new job in the Tokyo metro area at his age. To support his family and relieve financial pressure, he’d decided to return to his hometown.

Due to the housing market crash, selling the house wasn’t viable, so renting was his only option.

Life was tough for everyone now. Even renting wasn’t easy.

Many potential tenants either lacked sufficient funds, requesting delayed payments, or had enough money upfront but lacked stable employment—leaving landlords worried about future rent payments.

But renting to a Sōbu High teacher was ideal. There'd be no doubt about collecting future payments.

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This is a fan translation of 比企谷大叔永远年轻 by Stargazer All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!