The house Mr. Suzuki recommended was a unique, modern-style ikkodate.

It was a two-story structure, generally square in shape but with interesting asymmetries, including an L-shaped balcony that extended from the second floor. The dark glass walls of the balcony shone with an attractive luster in the sunlight. The building's exterior was simple yet aesthetically pleasing, its light-colored walls creating a fresh, clean feeling that contrasted sharply with the dark, wooden front door.

"This house was built eleven years ago. The total floor space is 96.5 square meters. While there's no yard, it does come with a dedicated parking spot. It's only an eight-minute walk from the nearest station, and there's a 7-Eleven convenience store nearby, so the location is excellent," Mr. Suzuki explained tirelessly as they stood in front of the house. "Additionally, the house is southeast-facing, so it gets sunlight all day long, and the soundproofing is very good…"

He had already mentioned all of this yesterday when he recommended the property, and had even sent them photos of the interior. Today was mainly for a site visit; if they liked it, they could sign the contract on the spot.

"Shall we have a look inside?" With a welcoming gesture, Mr. Suzuki quickly stepped forward, took a key from his pocket, and opened the door. He then produced three pairs of disposable slippers from his briefcase.

After handing pairs to Ryohei and Yurine, he looked at Jashin-chan's tail and fell silent.

"Huh?" Jashin-chan looked at the slippers in his hand, then down at her own tail, her eyes turning into little dots. She, too, fell silent.

"Maybe you should just wait outside, Jashin-chan?" Yurine suggested, hiding a giggle behind her hand. "We'll check it out for you. You saw the pictures yesterday, anyway."

"What?! Why?! I came all this way just to stand outside? And I have to pay the same amount of rent as you guys!" Jashin-chan was not happy. This was blatant discrimination against demons!

"Hehe." Before anyone could react, she zipped past them and into the house. She stood firmly on the wooden floor, planted her hands on her hips, and looked back at them triumphantly.

"..." Mr. Suzuki's professional smile twitched at the corners.

Ryohei couldn't help but put a hand to his forehead. He suddenly felt like he was house-hunting with a bratty child. Isn't she over 7,000 years old? Why does she act like a seven-year-old?

Yurine's smile faded. She took a pack of wet wipes from her bag and tossed them to Jashin-chan. "Wipe your tail. Now," she said, her voice dangerously low. "Or I'll butcher you."

"...Why didn't you just say you had these in the first place!" Jashin-chan grumbled as she caught the pack. She sat down and began sulkily wiping her tail.

After that brief interlude, Mr. Suzuki continued the tour. The entrance was a classic sunken genkan. To the right was a walk-in shoe closet—a small room just for storing shoes. It was a great design for keeping things tidy. To the left of the hallway was a bedroom and a toilet. The bedroom had excellent lighting and ventilation and even included a small walk-in closet. To the right was a spiral staircase, with a second bathroom tucked underneath it.

At the end of the hall, a left turn opened into an open-plan kitchen, living room, and dining room. The kitchen was relatively large, something Ryohei had specifically requested. Working in a cramped kitchen was depressing and restrictive, like the one in Yurine's current apartment.

Yurine and Jashin-chan were very pleased with the living and dining area. It was more than twice the size of their current living room and had great natural light, with a huge floor-to-ceiling window facing the street.

"Shall we head upstairs?" Mr. Suzuki prompted when they had seen enough.

The second floor contained another bathroom, a toilet, a shower room, and three more bedrooms. The master bedroom was on the first floor; the three upstairs rooms were smaller, around 10 square meters each, but two of them had access to the balcony.

"What do you guys think?" Ryohei asked, having walked a lap around the balcony. Personally, he was very satisfied.

"I think it's fine," Yurine said reservedly. It was much better than her current apartment, but the rent was also much more expensive. You get what you pay for.

"Yes, yes! Let's take it!" Jashin-chan declared, beaming with a wide, toothy grin.

This idiot! Ryohei and Yurine both thought, shooting her a look for showing their hand so early.

Mr. Suzuki, however, was pleasantly surprised. He had been mentally prepared to show them several more properties before they made a decision.

"Alright, Yurine, you handle the negotiations," Ryohei said, turning away from his noob teammate.

"Okay," she nodded, and turned to face Mr. Suzuki and his professional smile. Renting in Japan involved all sorts of miscellaneous fees that needed to be negotiated upfront to avoid trouble later. The rent itself could also be haggled. Ryohei found it particularly annoying that foreigners often had to pay extra fees or face stricter requirements from landlords. To avoid any potential issues, they had decided to rent the property under Yurine's name.

Man, the paperwork and prejudice against foreigners here is no joke, Ryohei thought, leaning against the balcony railing and looking up at the blue sky.

"Subject."

"Hm?"

"Are you homesick?" Jashin-chan's voice piped up beside him. Ryohei looked at her, surprised. Yurine also turned to look at him.

"No," he sighed. "I was just thinking that I'll have to work even harder now. We've rented a house, but we have no money for furniture."

Renting a place in Japan meant you got an empty box. No bed, no fridge, no washing machine, no tables or sofas. And when you moved out, you had to take everything with you, leaving the place exactly as you found it.

"Um… Mr. Ryohei," Mr. Suzuki interjected with a smile, "if you don't mind second-hand furniture, I have a friend who could give you a very reasonable price."

Ryohei figured a real estate agent would have connections like that. "No, thank you," he said, waving his hand. "I think I'd rather work a bit harder and buy new things." He wasn't keen on using things that strangers had used. Besides, he was confident he could earn the money quickly.

"Very well," Mr. Suzuki nodded, and returned to discussing the lease with Yurine.

Jashin-chan, however, crossed her arms and gave Ryohei a wicked smile. "Sorry to break it to you, Subject, but you're probably never going home! Even if you find the return spell, I won't let you go back!"

"Is it because you'll miss my cooking?" Ryohei asked with a smile, not taking her seriously.

"Huh? Who'd miss it?! Let's just say the Great Jashin-chan requires your offerings! And if you're smart, you'll offer up some money, too. That would make the Great Jashin-chan even happier!" she said, making a "give me money" gesture.

"I'm sorry," Ryohei said, raising a hand to his face and pretending to wipe away a tear. "I just don't see what's so 'great' about you." His voice was filled with mock sadness. "I'm so sorry!"

"..."

Jashin-chan said that this was the first time she had ever heard such a sarcastic "sorry." She gritted her teeth, fighting the urge to leap up and give him a Jashin-chan Dropkick.