text; [you tried] sticker goes here

[ourtomorrow]

My name is Ken. I need a job and a roommate.

[ ...that's it, right? Those were the first steps recommended to him, and they make sense. If this world can only be saved by people touching, then first Ken has to find people he's comfortable enough around to touch. He needs to form relationships.

He has no idea how. But he has to.

The world depends on him. ]

Thank you.

[ ....incidentally, anyone walking by Ainea's temple might notice a kid sitting outside of it, absently yet intently people-watching. ]

Comments

[breathoflove]

[Ha, she probably should have said something when she walked inside, but oh well! She leads Ken up some stairs and then gestures fondly around the common living area of her little home.]

Tada~ This is where you'll be living, Ken-kun! This is the sitting area, and the rooms are there, and the bathroom over here, and downstairs is where the kitchen and dining room are!

[She points around to everything as she talks about it, then points to a specific room.]

That's my room, so you can have whichever of these other ones you'd like~

[ourtomorrow]

[ It's a whole house.....Not just an apartment, or anything like that. And he gets...to pick... ]

This is - all yours?

[ And any one of those rooms...can be his? Mr. Downtown Tokyo Living is impressed by the square footage. And the generosity. ]

[breathoflove]

[Awww, he's so cute~ Mitsuir giggles and nods.]

Yep! I had a few other people living with me until recently, but... um, they... all went back home.

[Ah, there's a hint of sadness in her tone, but she tries to shake it off quickly.]

Oh! And the kitchen has the thing that makes food. It's not the best food, but it's quick and filling!

[ourtomorrow]

[ "Went back home"....So that is the prevailing theory about what happens to people when they leave. He wonders, though he supposes it's her business, whether she offered him a room because she's....

In any case, Ken better start peeking in bedrooms. If he really can choose any, should he pick the one he likes the most, or leave good ones in case she gets more tenants...? ]

I see. So we're provided for.

[ which of these has the biggest window

he may want

a big window ]

[breathoflove]

[Mitsuri nods energetically.]

Yep! All the basic necessities. But you can earn money easy to be able to get better things~

[All the rooms are preeeetty much the same, but probably an end room has two windows instead of just one!]

If you get enough, you can even buy a house, but I kind of like being here where all the newbies wind up and there's lots of people around all the time.

[ourtomorrow]

Ah....

[ Two windows. Dare he. Is that imposing. Oh, this is a tough decision.

Ken is stuck in this bedroom staring out at the city beyond it, in the throes of his inner conflict. ]

[breathoflove]

[In the midst of her rambling, Mitsuri peeks in to check on Ken and notices that he's kind of frozen. She giggles.]

Do you like this room? You can have it if you want~

[Poor kid seems to not like making anything difficult for anyone else. :c]

[ourtomorrow]

[ He doesn't want to cause problems! So many of those are his fault already.

But the encouragement does its work, and Ken turns with a somewhat breathless smile. It's okay? It's really okay? ] Then - thanks. I'll take this one.

[ Wow this feels weirdly good. He got to pick a place. This is a place that's just his. Even at home, he's staying in a room he used to share with Osamu-niisan, deliberately kept the way his brother had left it to honor him.

But this is a room just for Ken. A room Ken has been granted. Where it's okay for him to stay.

He looks around it and his smile widens. Wow. ]

[breathoflove]

[Mitsuri can't help but watch him for a moment. He looks so happy and it makes her chest feel tight. What had happened to this poor boy to make him so uncertain of himself? She takes a deep breath and pushes the thought away for the moment.]

You can move things around however you want~ I'm going to get some rice cooking, so you can come to the kitchen for some when you're hungry, okay?

[She wants to give him some time to acclimate himself if he wants it.]

[ourtomorrow]

Okay. Thanks.

[ He can do whatever he wants with this room. And he can take his time. Right now, it's enough that it's a space someone wanted him to have. It's enough that this is a welcoming place. ]

This is a good world, isn't it.