Damian's move was quick.
First, Liliana's house had a few vacant rooms, and Damian's belongings only consisted of clothes and miscellaneous items that could fit into a large suitcase.
So, the day after signing the bodyguard contract that Pascal had sent via messenger, Damian moved into his new residence.
Naturally, he received contract payments immediately upon signing.
This all happened within just five days of the initial discussion about hiring Damian as a bodyguard.
Since Damian had visited before, he knew that Liliana's boarding house was a ten-story apartment building.
The first floor houses a café, the second floor and above are reserved for ordinary residents, and the two upper floors, the ninth and tenth, are used as boarding houses.
When Damian arrived at the apartment with his large suitcase, Liliana, who had been pacing back and forth in front of the door, rushed towards him.
"Damien, I've missed you so much!"
Liliana exaggeratedly annoyed Damian a little.
“Did something happen?”
"I was dying of loneliness!
I was alone for five days, bored, lonely, hopeless, lonely and even homesick!
Our appointments at the hospital didn't match, so I couldn't see you there either.
I was alone, going back and forth between hospital and home, hospital and home..."
"You could have called me."
“It's just an invitation from you to come with me to the hospital.
How can I contact you for such a trivial matter?”
“But going out to play is okay?”
"That's… well, having fun is important.
The hospital is no big deal."
“Don't you think those two have been switched?”
"No, anyway, let's get inside quickly.
Is this all your luggage?
Give it to me."
“It's heavy.
Why should I give you my luggage, Liliana?”
“Because Damian has one arm, and I have two arms?”
"My arm seems to be twice as thick as yours, Liliana.
I don't think it matters who holds it."
Damien turned and Liliana led him to the boarding house, which would be his new home.
Hearing the sound of the door opening and closing, a woman who did not look old or young came out of the living room.
Her hair was short, light brown, neatly styled, and her cheerful eyes, unlike Liliana's, had violet irises similar to the color of amethyst.
“Oh, are you Mr.
Damien Esterns?”
She approached Damien and extended her left hand, not her right.
"I'm Annette Polo, owner and manager of this boarding house.
It's a pleasure to meet you.
Liliana has told me a lot about you.
She said you're handsome."
She winked playfully.
Damian shook her hand and greeted her in his usual curt manner.
"Ah...thank you for the compliment.
It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs.
Polo."
She looked to be in her early or mid-thirties at most, and had an ordinary appearance.
It was a bit surprising that she had a shared house in the middle of such an expensive neighborhood.
"Oh my God, Mrs.
Polo?
Just call me Annette.
And take it easy.
Liliana and I are as close as sisters."
“I apologize, Mrs.
Polo, but I prefer to use formal language.
If you don't mind, may I call you Annette?
Feel free to speak to me at ease.”
"Mmm...okay."
Liliana laughed and shook her head sideways.
"Damien doesn't even talk to me casually.
Do you think he'll do that to Annette?"
“Damien is very polite.”
“He's not good at dealing with people.
Let's handle him with caution.”
What, were they talking about in front of him...?
"Well, you must be tired.
Let me show you to your room first."
Annette, who was whispering with Liliana, led Damian to the tenth floor.
"There are a total of four guest rooms.
Up until now, Liliana and another person were sharing one room because there was only one guest.
With Damian joining, there will be three guests in this house.
The rooms have private bathrooms, so there shouldn't be any disturbance."
"By the way, I haven't even seen the other person's face.
They're rarely home."
Liliana said with a hint of disappointment, and Annette added a brief explanation.
“I heard they're running a workshop or something and they're very busy.
They're a guy about my age.
I'm sure we'll run into each other one day.
They're good people...”
Annette's facial expression seemed to indicate that she was barely managing to put a positive spin on things.
As Damian tilted his head slightly, puzzled, Annette opened the door to the room he was going to use.
The room Damian would be using was of a decent size, with a tall vertical window, and was generally tidy.
The bathroom had a separate wash basin and shower cabin.
The room was equipped with a bed, desk, and wardrobe, so Damian didn't need to buy any new furniture.
On the desk was a vase with various flowers arranged together.
"This is a thank you gift for the flowers you gave me.
Isn't it beautiful?
Isn't it?"
Liliana pointed to the vase and said proudly, and Damian smiled.
"Thank you".
"Let me know if there's anything uncomfortable about living here."
Damien nodded at Annette's kind explanation.
“I wrote the house rules on a piece of paper on the desk.
There is no curfew, but you will be reprimanded if you disturb others.
You can use the shared spaces freely, including the kitchen, but of course, you have to keep them clean.
I will not be home 24/7.
My main job is teaching.”
"Do you have another job?
Being a teacher sounds impressive."
"Not really.
It's just something I do because I'm a little smarter than others.
Anyway, that's why I'm away from home for long periods of time.
But I'll be back in the evening, so if you have anything urgent to discuss, we can talk then.
I've told you most of what you need to know, so unpack your bags and rest.
I'll be downstairs, so call me if you need anything."
Annette smiled at Damien and Liliana, then went downstairs to relieve herself.
Liliana pulled Damian's sleeve and said cheerfully:
“Our rooms are right next to each other, and I asked her to arrange them that way on purpose.”
“Wouldn't that be uncomfortable for you?
I'm a man, after all...”
"It's okay, it's okay.
Damian's not a stranger.
Besides, do you want me to help you unpack your bag?"
"No, I'm fine.
I only brought clothes, so there's not much to unpack."
“Really?
So... um... what are you going to do after unpacking?”
“I need to go to the workshop to adjust the prosthetic arm they are making.
The surgery to attach it to my upper arm will take place the day after tomorrow...”
Damian said casually, but Liliana frowned and let out a groan at his words.
"Ahh...this must hurt so much."
"It will probably happen."
“Do you need to prepare yourself mentally?”
"a little?".
“Then I will go with you today.”
Damian thought, "Do you really have to do that?" But he didn't stop her.
Liliana followed Damian, who had just hung his clothes in the wardrobe, and left the room.
Damien checked the tram route map at the station and said to Liliana,
"We are not going to Asher's workshop today.
We are going to the hospital where I will have surgery.
I need to do a basic checkup before surgery."
“I hope there won't be any problems.”
Liliana looked at him worriedly, and Damian murmured in an unusually solemn voice,
"It shouldn't be there."
“It cost me a fortune!”
At that moment, whether or not he could use his arm was of secondary importance.
Just thinking about the price of the “prosthetic arm” he had bought from Asher Olun made him feel like everything must be going well.
While Damian was busy with the prosthetic, Liliana took out Nishio's travel guide on the tram.
"We mismanaged our time last time because we lacked information.
I don't want to offend Damian, but even though you know the geography well, you don't know much about the details.
These are tourist attractions with history and traditions, so we should at least know the basics."
“I wasn't interested in them until now...”
“You should know about common sense and culture even if you're not interested, Damian.
Anyway, we need to review our sightseeing plan, keeping our stamina in mind.
Okay?
So we'll be out tomorrow, before surgery.
Clear your schedule!
Do you have any objections, Lieutenant?”
"You're giving me orders now."
"So, do you have any objections, Lieutenant?
I'm your employer."
~~~
Dismissal without scrutiny