Page 13 of Sixty Meters Under

The couple got into the taxi, and Ayame thanked the driver for waiting. She told him the address of the hotel they were staying at, then turned back to her fiancé. “Well, how do you like the place?”

“It’s not bad…” Ryosuke said but avoided looking her straight in the eye.

“Only not bad?” Ayame brows slightly furrowed. “Well, I’m delighted! And the owner seemed serious to me, well, if he is the owner. He is probably just an agent. Anyway, I would really like to buy a room after this visit.”

“Mr. Hansson told us that a lot of people are interested in this place. I think it would be best not to hold high hopes, since there’s a good chance we won’t pass their selection.”

“I know, but I can wish, no? I still can’t believe that they’re selling it at such a low price,” Ayame said and sighed.

“Maybe this is a scam after all. It’s still a possibility.” Ryosuke tried to be rational. “Although it didn’t seem to me that way, and Mr. Hansson looked trustworthy, but we can’t know for sure. Maybe they have already sold these rooms to thousands of clients, and only certain people will have access in the end. Like overselling a flight, you know? Because once the real end comes, no one will care to solve such things. The whole system will go down and no one will be there to help us with it.”

Ayame nodded. “I know, but how many people already know the location? Like us now? I don’t think many will just buy a room, pay a full price and not come there to see the place first. They will demand to enter.”

“That’s a valid point, but still…” Ryosuke didn’t seem convinced.

“They will riot. Maybe a couple of people wouldn’t be able to do something, but a hundred or even a thousand? It’s risky to play with so many people like this.”

“Yeah. But have you seen the gate? It’s not so easy to enter.”

“Oh, people would find a way, believe me.”

“Fine.” Ryosuke sighed. “Let’s say it’s real. But we still have to wait to get selected.”

“Sure. We’re going back to the hotel, and we’ll work on it. And then hope for the best.”

“Yeah,” Ryosuke said, but he still had mixed emotions. He turned to the side and fell silent, looking out of the window as they drove away.

?

Lennart opened a new email he received from Hugo and skimmed his eyes through the short text.

I had a tour with another couple today. They came all the way from Japan. A very cute pair. They seemed quite nice.

Hugo’s job was to make a rough selection of potential residents, and Lennart’s task was to do a thorough research before taking anyone in.

Lennart clicked the attachment, a file with the personal data.

At the top page was a photo of a young woman with long red hair, but Lennart scrolled to see how many family members the questionnaire actually contained. Hugo said they came as a couple, but in most cases, potential residents wanted to get space for their close family members as well.

The next photo that appeared in his field of vision was a picture of a young man. Lennart’s finger was ready to scroll further but his hand froze. His eyes remained glued to the screen without a blink.

His pupils dilated as he took the man’s features in. Perfect contours of his face, warm look in his chocolate-colored eyes, and a small smile on his beautifully curved lips. All that took his breath away.

His gaze automatically went to the part with the text. Curiosity arose immediately.

“Ryosuke Kato,” Lennart muttered under his breath while scanning the stranger’s personal information.Date of birth: 25. February. 2025. Relationship status: Engaged.

“Of course.”

This woman above is probably his fiancé.

“And he is an architect. From Tokyo.” Lennart continued to read all the information that came through the questionnaire. He ran his thumb over his bottom lip and unconsciously played with his piercing.

Don’t be silly. He is from Japan. The opposite part of the world.The thought came from the back of his mind.And who knows if there will really be a war. And if so, who knows when.

Lennart leaned back in his chair and let out a heavy sigh, then his lips stretched into a smile and he shook his head.

At this point he knew what his answer related to this family would be. But, of course, he still had to do a research first. Just in case.