Chapter 5: Equivalent Exchange
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The task was completed, but at what cost? Staring at the tightly closed door, Kitahara scratched his head. He had a clear conscience, no doubt about that, but this kind of thing was truly mortifying... He could understand Takagi’s slight social anxiety, yet her reaction only made the situation more awkward between them.
What would they talk about when they met tomorrow?
“Your panties actually smell pretty nice.”
That was a bit too much—better not.
Just as Kitahara was feeling helpless, laughter and teasing voices came from next door. Although this was a high-end apartment, the soundproofing seemed rather poor.
Checking the time, it was just past eleven at night.
Disturbing the neighbors so late? Not very neighborly.
If it were his own home, he would have already gone to knock on their door.
But Kitahara didn’t have time to hunt down the neighbors now, at least not at this moment. He lowered his head, pondering how to apologize...
Yes, it was an accident, both understood that. But the truth was, he had seen it.
*Knock knock.*
Kitahara knocked on the door and decided to apologize first: “I’m sorry for this accident.”
No response.
Takagi was hiding behind the door, silent.
She didn’t know what to say.
Kitahara thought for a moment and continued, “If I hurt you emotionally, I’ll find a way to make it up to you... If you don’t want that, I’ll leave immediately and won’t bother you again.”
He wasn’t sure if Takagi had shed any tears, but he put his sincerity on display.
No tricks.
Simply exchanging sincerity for sincerity.
Kitahara always kept his word—if he said he wouldn’t bother her, he wouldn’t.
It was just a pity to lose a friend.
After waiting a while with no movement, Kitahara figured he knew how this would end. He sighed and prepared to leave... but just then, the door opened. Takagi didn’t say anything but tugged lightly on the corner of his shirt.
She remained silent, quietly looking at Kitahara. When he turned back, she gently shook her head.
The meaning was clear...
She probably forgave him.
“Once again, I apologize. To show my sincerity, you can make a request...” Kitahara thought a bit, “Or we can do an equal exchange.”
“Equal exchange?”
“I’ll show you my underwear.”
Takagi, whose mood had just settled, immediately heated up again, grabbing him and shouting, “No way! I choose the request!”
What a shame.
Kitahara hid his disappointment but also felt it was inappropriate. Although he truly considered Takagi a friend, friendships between men and women are different. What he did earlier might have been an equal exchange, but it felt more like sexual harassment.
Next time, he would treat Takagi as a female friend properly.
“As long as the request doesn’t violate laws or public morality, anything’s fine.”
Takagi thought for a moment but had no good ideas for now. Kitahara felt rather abstract in her heart... She suspected that even if she told him to streak naked down the street, he wouldn’t hesitate.
Well, maybe he would hesitate a little.
“Feeling better?”
“Stop talking...”
After this unexpected event, Takagi’s previously foggy mind became much clearer. Just then, singing came again from next door.
“Not them again...” Takagi muttered softly.
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“What’s wrong?” Kitahara finally remembered the noisy neighbors from before.
He generally had no patience for late-night disturbances.
Once, a wild husky named Haruki was roaming, and Kitahara set a humane trap to catch it and get it neutered... Later, when some idiot was racing motorcycles at night, Kitahara scattered spikes in the road.
That guy ended up in the hospital.
After recovery, he went somewhere else to ride motorcycles and mysteriously disappeared... Probably now the bottom of Tokyo Bay has an extra concrete pillar.
To deal with pests, sometimes you have to fight fire with fire.
“Next door are college students sharing the apartment. Every night, they invite people over to drink...” Takagi explained.
Before she finished, the noise and laughter resumed, with both men and women.
“Has anyone complained?”
“There have been complaints, but no one does anything.”
“Is your property management useless?”
“Don’t say that, the old manager isn’t an easy man either...”
Hearing that, Kitahara’s mind automatically echoed, “We’re all trying to live...” He didn’t care about hardships. If they charge fees and don’t do their job, they might as well keep a golden retriever at the door. At least the dog would wag its tail and be friendly.
“I’ll handle it.” Kitahara glanced at his recently acquired master-level oratory skill and decided to give it a try.
Siri, I’m not asking you to manifest and lead us Germans into battle again.
At least let me handle some college students.
Kitahara opened the window and shouted: “Are you deaf? Shouting so loud, I’m sending your whole family to the grave!”
Someone appeared on the balcony: “Why are you yelling so loud?”
“Because I want to sleep.”
“Then go complain to management!”
“Screw your mother.”
Takagi watched dumbfounded.
Looks like cursing doesn’t work.
Kitahara continued swearing while adjusting his tone, shifting his target from just next door to all the apartment residents.
“To everyone living in this building, I’m an ordinary owner, just like you—an ordinary person being harassed by a bunch of filthy swine...”
His speech flowed smoothly.
Kitahara seemed naturally gifted, knowing exactly what to say, when to show emotion, and how to conclude.
“Patience, wisdom, kindness shape our character, but these are not reasons to be oppressed...”
“These swine parasitize our living space while we become the oppressors...”
“I say, our only means is resistance, to use the fists of us owners to reclaim our peaceful lives...”
Though it was his first try and a bit awkward with vocabulary, he finished.
No response?
The college students next door paused, then opened the window and laughed heartily.
Then the building began to tremble.
Kitahara and Takagi peeked outside to see a group of middle-aged residents blocking the neighbors’ door, demanding an explanation.
“Oh no.”
“This won’t be easy to resolve.”
Takagi’s building was in a nice area; the owners had some money.
They usually endured the noise to avoid confrontation, but now that their anger was roused, it wouldn’t settle easily.
Takagi looked up, surprised at him: “How did you do it... Your eloquence is amazing.”
“Just so-so, I usually like to read.”
*My Struggle.*
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“Then your literature grades must be excellent.”
Kitahara felt a sting in his heart, suspicious that Takagi was mocking him, but her admiring expression suggested otherwise.
With the matter settled, Kitahara didn’t intend to linger.
He wasn’t some pervert who would loiter at a female classmate’s place late at night.
Before leaving, he washed the tea cup and returned the manga to Takagi, being polite.
He put on his shoes and said, “It’s late; I’m heading back. If those people bother you again, call me.”
“Okay.”
As Kitahara pressed the elevator button, the door behind him opened.
The security door cracked open, revealing half of Takagi’s face. She whispered, “Be careful on the way.”
So cute, like a hamster.
He wanted to keep one.
Kitahara smiled: “I will.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
...
On the last bus, Kitahara leaned back in his seat and sent a friend request.
*Ding dong—*
His phone notified: *You have successfully added “Young Master Qian” as a friend.*
What kind of weird name was that?
Not as good as mine.
*Top Breakthrough Player of Flip Garden.*
Sounds powerful.
Top Breakthrough Player of Flip Garden: Still awake?
Young Master Qian: Woken up by my phone noise...
Top Breakthrough Player of Flip Garden: Mine.
Top Breakthrough Player of Flip Garden: Go sleep, I won’t bother you.
Young Master Qian: Are you home yet?
Top Breakthrough Player of Flip Garden: Yes.
Young Master Qian: Good.
Conversation ended.
Kitahara pulled out a small Daliyuan bread from his pocket—this was a system reward, supposedly similar to the kind of gadgets pulled from Doraemon’s pocket, and the real culprit behind tonight’s panty incident.
Whether it worked, he’d find out at home.
At half past eleven, he got off the bus and walked for about ten minutes to reach home.
Kitahara lived in the old district of Ikebukuro. The houses here were aged, rows of apartments standing side by side, their plaster cracked and weathered, mostly inhabited by elderly people.
Across the river lay a high-end residential area, also a bustling district close to the commercial center... Though separated by a river, the price difference was vast, just like him and Takagi—both born naturally, yet inherently belonging to different classes.
He pushed the door open.
Closed the window in the living room to block the late cold, then changed clothes and returned to his bedroom.
He took out an English dictionary from the bookshelf, swallowed the small bread in one bite, and focused intently on reading.
By the time he finished, it was just past two in the morning. Kitahara closed the dictionary and fell asleep immediately.
In his dreams, today’s story played out like a Western drama.