I Planned My Escape Because I Knew Her Secret - Episode 14

When I think about Madoka and the new house, my heart inevitably aches.

On the contrary, thinking about the place to move to is fun.

Forgetting the unpleasant things, my spirits start to lift.

So, about the place to move to.

The first thing that came to mind was to avoid snowy or cold places. A warm place would be nice.

Based on those conditions, I narrowed it down to Okayama, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka.

And, a land where I have no acquaintances.

Fukuoka is where my friend from university used to live.

It’s a densely populated city, so I don’t think there’s any chance of running into each other by coincidence, but you never know.

So, I’ve narrowed it down to Okayama City and Hiroshima City.

The impression I got from researching online is that Okayama is a transportation hub.

It is a city that serves as a hub connecting the Kansai region, the Sanyo region, the San’in region, and Shikoku, with a concentrated transportation network.

In other words, it can be said that it is a city with a lot of people coming and going.

The image of Hiroshima is so strongly associated with okonomiyaki that no other impressions really remain.

And, I have been to Hiroshima on a trip before, but I have never been to Okayama.

So, I decided to move to Okayama City.

The moment I decided that, I got excited about going to Okayama soon.

The next thing to decide is where to live.

When I looked up rental information in Okayama City, I was surprised to find that it’s cheap.

Right now, the city we live in has a much smaller population than Okayama City, but Okayama is way cheaper. I don’t really understand the location and since we’re planning to bring a car, I’ve narrowed down a few options based on having parking and the age of the building.

I promptly decided to go to Okayama on foot for a preliminary visit and adjusted the store’s shift schedule with the manager’s authority.

I scheduled my shift from morning to evening the day before my next day off, and from noon to night the day after my day off. This way, I can leave here late at night the day before my day off, and even if I come back late on my day off, it won’t affect my work the next day.

Now that the schedule for the visit to Okayama has been decided, I made an appointment with just one real estate agent for the shortlisted apartments.

As soon as I finished work the day before, I went home, ate, went to sleep, woke up at 3 AM, and set off in the car.

I got on the Tomei Expressway, switched to the Ise Bay Expressway, then to the Shin-Tomei, and finally to the Meishin, and got off at the Okayama IC on the Sanyo Expressway.

We took a couple of bathroom breaks along the way, but since it was late at night and the roads were empty, we arrived in about four hours.

However, I got a bit fed up with the morning rush hour traffic in Okayama City, and since I was sleepy and tired from the long drive, I stopped at a nearby convenience store and took a nap for about an hour.

After waking up, I bought rice balls and tea at the nearby convenience store, had breakfast in the car, drove aimlessly around the city for about an hour, and then visited the real estate agent I had an appointment with before 10 o’clock.

At the real estate agency, I mentioned that I was coming from out of town, that I wanted to move in from May, and that a parking space was essential, and they checked the availability of the properties I found online.

Since there were a few vacancies, I promptly asked if I could view the property, and they said yes, so I requested it.

By the way, since the agent introduced me to two other properties with similar conditions, I asked to view those as well, and then immediately got into the agent’s car and set off.

While moving around, I listened to stories about Okayama’s delicious food and the summer and winter climates, and my dreams of a new life after relocating grew even bigger.

Regarding the apartment, in the end, I liked the property I found online the most, so I decided to go with it. However, since I won’t be moving in right away and I don’t have the necessary documents or seals, I will check the availability again later and handle the contract-related documents by mail.

When I left the real estate agency, it was past noon, so I went into a nearby tempura rice bowl restaurant, had lunch, and looked up tourist information about Okayama City. Since there wasn’t anything particularly interesting, I decided to head home early.

I got on the Sanyo Expressway from Okayama IC just after 2 PM, got stuck in traffic along the way, and returned home just after 7 PM.

On the way home, it seems I received a message from Madoka, and I noticed it after getting home.

“Today is a day off, right? Can we meet?” They came before 6 PM.

I hurriedly send a reply.

“Sorry. I went a bit far and just got back. I was driving the whole time, so I didn’t notice and ended up being late.”

“I see. Even a little would be good, but what do you think?”

Honestly, I’m super tired and it’s a hassle.

But until now, no matter how tired I was, if you said you wanted to see me, I would come over to meet you.

Sigh

It’s tough, but should I go?

“Got it. I’ll come pick you up in about 30 minutes.”

“Thank you. I’ll be waiting.”