All in all, it wasn 't the most

awful

place, considering the dirt-cheap price.

Toji certainly could 've done worse for himself after being sacked from his job - some nonsense about recessions and workforce reduction, go figure - and racking up a mountain of arrears on his last home.

Sure, a few questionable mildew stains here, and perhaps a broken floorboard there. But this unverified property wasn 't

completely

run-down; at the very least it had running water, a dingy kitchen, tolerable enough neighbors, and '

'

you.

It was only a few hours after moving into his new apartment that Toji understood exactly

why

the rent was cheap enough even for

him.

Exactly why the jittery landlord was oh-so-insistent on signing the contract right away. And exactly why he 'd kept looking over his shoulder all throughout their rushed 'tour ' - as if dreading for something to pop out of thin air any second now.