After practicing for the rest of the afternoon, we all went home. Whilst laying down on my bed, Umi's request for a salary advance finally came through my email. I read the particularly short but straight-to-the-point letter she had written and accepted it. I sent her the money right away. The next day of work started and I spent an hour with the girls before heading to the building where Umi had her studio. There was a huge screen right next to the entrance advertising which units were available to rent. Coincidentally, the unit next to Umi's was available. It wasn't that expensive—which I had already imagined since my low salary was enough for Umi. A bit hesitant, I selected the unit and rented it. I had fewer and fewer savings as the days passed and the expenses were far from over, but I knew they were worth it. Last Updated : 2022-03-23

"Aki, you gotta move! Professor Fuku's knocking!" I whispered. She didn't react at all; I simply felt her calm breathing. Then, Professor Fuku knocked again and asked for Aki, this time more worried. Calm down, Kaito. She surely doesn't have permission to unlock the door. "I don't know if you're there, but I'm going to open the door to make sure you're fine, okay?" she said. Shit! I'm sorry, Aki. I have no choice. Quickly, I pushed Aki aside onto the bed. I jumped out of it and lay on the floor to hide. Not even a second later, Professor Fuku opened the door and stepped inside. She then sighed. "You're still sleeping? It's eleven o'clock already. And what a