Noa Hoshino stood in front of the apartment door, a heavy suitcase in one hand and a box of neatly packed books in the other. She'd spent the last hour navigating the urban labyrinth of her new city and was finally here—her new sanctuary. The space she'd found was a small, no-frills apartment, but it was hers. She'd managed to keep things simple—just what she needed, and nothing more.
She double-checked the address on her phone. Yes, this was it.
Taking a deep breath, she reached for the door handle and twisted. It opened easily, as though it had been expecting her.
Inside, a single light illuminated a cozy living room. Noa's eyes immediately scanned the space, taking in the minimalist furniture and the sleek lines of the small kitchen visible in the background. It looked just like the listing photos. But then, something caught her eye.
A person.
A woman was sitting on the couch, legs tucked beneath her, flipping through a book with the quiet, comforting air of someone who had all the time in the world. She didn't seem to notice Noa standing at the door, her focus completely absorbed in the pages of her book.
Noa froze. Was this some kind of joke? She glanced back down at her phone. The address was correct. But there was no way this woman was supposed to be here.
"Uh, excuse me?" Noa's voice was shaky but clear, cutting through the quiet.
The woman looked up, startled, her wide brown eyes meeting Noa's. For a second, she seemed to process the situation slowly, blinking as if trying to understand.
"Oh, hi!" the woman said, her voice warm but undeniably casual. "You must be Noa. I'm Emery."
Noa's mouth opened and closed, and for a moment, she wasn't sure if she had heard her correctly. "Emery?"
"Yeah," Emery said, setting the book aside and standing up. "I've been living here for the past month. Are you—?"
"No, no, no. I'm supposed to be living here," Noa said, feeling the knot in her stomach tighten. "I signed a lease for this apartment. I just moved in today."
Emery's eyes darted to Noa's suitcase, and then back to her face. "Uh… this is weird. I've been living here for a month, and I was just getting ready to… Oh, God, I think there's been a mistake."
Noa's frustration grew. "A mistake? What do you mean? I've got a confirmation email right here—" She waved her phone in the air, desperate for answers.
Emery looked sheepish, her hands up in an apologetic gesture. "I swear I didn't mean for this to happen! I thought the place was available for rent when I signed the lease. Maybe the owner double-booked it or something?"
Noa didn't know how to respond. She felt like she was on the verge of a full-on meltdown, and the woman in front of her—Emery, apparently—was just standing there with a sheepish grin, as though this was a minor inconvenience instead of a disaster.
"Okay, okay, I'll figure something out," Noa said, her voice tight. "I can't stay here if someone's already living here."
"Oh, no, no!" Emery jumped in quickly. "I'm not saying you can't stay here. I just… I didn't expect you until later. I thought I had more time to clean up. I mean, there's this weird cat hair everywhere, and the bathroom... Well, it's not exactly 'luxury living,' but it's functional." She laughed awkwardly, trying to ease the tension.
Noa couldn't help but sigh. She was already exhausted, and the last thing she wanted was to be stuck in some sort of weird roommate situation.
"I—" Noa opened her mouth, but words failed her. She couldn't just leave. It was too late to start searching for another place. She was stuck.
"Here's an idea," Emery said, snapping her fingers as if she had come up with a brilliant plan. "We could, like, split the place. I mean, it's big enough for both of us, right? I'll keep to my side, you keep to yours. We can both have our space, no problem. I'll even give you the master bedroom. It's only fair, since you're the one who got double-booked."
Noa stared at Emery. The offer was... absurd. But was it better than finding another place last-minute?
"I'm not sure this is a good idea," Noa said slowly.
"Trust me, you'll love it," Emery said, her grin widening. "I'm super chill. You'll never even know I'm here."
Noa was about to protest, but Emery's smile was somehow contagious. It was crazy, how someone could be so... unbothered by this mess.
"Well, I guess I don't have much of a choice," Noa muttered, feeling both irritated and, for some strange reason, slightly amused.
Emery clapped her hands together. "Great! Welcome to your new home, Noa. Let's get you settled in!"
And just like that, the chaos of Noa's first moments in her new apartment began. She had no idea what she was getting herself into.
But somehow, she couldn't help but feel that maybe—just maybe—this was exactly what she needed.
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