Chapter 120: Chapter 120 – Finding a Good Apartment
Max and Nina walked side by side on the street walk at the center of Lime City. Many high-rise buildings stood, with hover cars running on the main street.
The girl was now wearing beige clothes with knitted cardigans over them, complete with a checkered skirt reaching her knees. She wore a white barret over her head, making her look more cute than beautiful.
Her face was slightly flushed, and she screamed internally.
'Why am I going all out with my clothing?!'
Lately, Nina felt like she couldn't understand herself anymore. She glanced at Max, who looked around curiously and shook her head.
'Yeah, I know what's going on. But why do I… Can't seem to get anything right like the usual?'
"Nina, are you feeling sick?" Max asked worriedly when he saw Nina's red face. "You don't need to tag along if you don't feel well. We can do this another day."
Hearing that, Nina was unexpectedly able to calm herself. She smiled sheepishly and scratched her cheek.
"Hehe, I am fine. It's just rare that we walk together like this. I am just shy with all the attention we are grabbing."
"Ah," He nodded slightly. Indeed, they were standing out in this city.
Some people seemed to recognize him. They probably watched either his clips or videos about him.
A synchronization test's world record holder was bound to attract some attention, even from someone who wasn't his viewer, especially since he also once appeared in the morning news. But the stares were too much even for that.
The fact that they didn't approach him carelessly was something he appreciated.
"My bad. Are you uncomfortable with that? I should've worn a mask." He said.
"N-No, it's okay. I will get used to it soon."
Looking at her, he knew that Nina was lying. He wasn't that dense not to notice something strange with her, the one he knew the longest in this world from his memories. He just pretended to be oblivious so she wouldn't be that embarrassed.
'Well, this is awkward,' He thought, scratching the back of his head. 'I said in my stream that I wanted a girlfriend. Maybe that's what made her act like this. I prefer if she acts normally, though.'
The next few minutes of walk were filled with silence. No one said anything until they stopped at the crossroad, and Nina noticed the bulletin board playing a video.
"Look, Max! That's you, right?"
The video titled 'New Synchronization Test World Record Time!' showed Max's appearance as he dodged lasers skillfully. It was already edited to make him look cooler. There was even a dodging sound effect, inciting excitement to those watching it.
After watching that, he understood where those stares came from. This was the reason.
"Haha… Biozone really goes all out to promote their game." He laughed, "Anyway, let's get moving, or we won't finish what we should do until night. Surely, we don't want to make your uncle wait."
"Right. And Mr. Famous over here needs to work at night." She smiled at him, giggling playfully.
The light had turned green, and people began to cross the road.
Their destination was just across the street, a building with the hologram signboard 'Sam's Real Estate' put on the second floor. It was a multi-building, meaning many people used it for different offices on each floor.
"Excuse me." Nina greeted the one inside after the door automatically opened when they approached. "Uncle Sam, are you inside?"
Entering the office on the second floor, they saw a middle-aged man wearing a suit sitting behind a wooden desk. He had a round stomach, but his appearance was neat, without excessive jewelry.
Upon seeing two youngsters entering his office, the man stood up and spread his arms wide, his lips curled up into a large smile.
"Ooh, my niece! Long time no see! Come, sit, sit. I have heard it from your father. The boy over there needs a new apartment, eh?" He turned to Max and observed him.
The middle-aged man, Sam's eyes were narrowed like an eagle.
After a while, he nodded approvingly and muttered, "Not bad."
Max felt like a predator observing him. It was probably just his feelings, but he didn't dare to speak first without waiting for Nina.
They only sat on the chairs in front of the desk, just as Sam had told them to. A part of the desk opened at the middle-aged man's gesture, and two cups of hot tea appeared.
"Have a drink. You must be tired walking here." He said.
Max nodded at him and took the tea, "Thank you for the hospitality."
"Thank you." Nina held the cup with both hands and took a sip of the tea. Afterward, she smiled and continued. "Max is trying to find a new apartment. Can you help him, uncle?" She raised her chin cutely with her eyes open wide.
Sam's expression melted. He was just like any other uncle who loved his niece.
"I see, I see." He said, turning to Max. "How much is your budget, boy? And tell me if you have any requirements for the place."
"I prefer somewhere near where I lived before, near the 6th block. My only requirement is that the room has a private kitchen, a shower room, and space for a light exercise. Also, if there is security for the apartment, that would be great. My budget is around $3,000 a month."
'That's the most important.' Max added in his mind.
There was no need to specify that he needed a space for a VR capsule. Every apartment in the United Nations was already designed to have at least one VR capsule in the room, as it was the basic requirement all people had.
"Hahaha, every property that we have always had at least 2 security guards." Sam laughed amusedly.
He brought up a hologram screen from his smartwatch and scrolled to find some apartments matching Max's requirements.
"With $3,000 a month, a few options are actually available in Lime City. However, because you specifically asked for the one near 6th block, only two options meet your requirements."
With a flick of Sam's finger, the screen turned into two and went toward Max. It showed the details of the apartment to him. Both looked nice and were still close to his current apartment. When he read the address, Max noticed something.
'One of them is near that park.' He thought, a smile formed on his face.
The first apartment was near the park with those nice pillars he planned to climb. The monthly rent was $2,950 a month, close to the budget he told him. The room was spacious and had everything he needed. It even had two bedrooms.
The second apartment was a bit smaller, with a rent of $2,400 a month. It was located on the 7th block, near Nina's restaurant. Just like the first, it also had a nice room. The difference was that it only had one bedroom.
Both were already discounted, but Max didn't know about it.
"Feel free to save the data written inside. You can tour the apartment from your VR capsule. And if you have decided which one you choose, feel free to contact me again." Sam said. "Of course, if the choice is not to your liking, we can find other apartments."
"Thank you. I will contact you soon."
"Take your time," Sam replied with a business smile.