Chapter 8: Housemates

Words : 2011 Updated : May 15th, 2025

Earlier, a middle-aged man had also been practicing martial arts nearby, and Keanu had spotted him. But Keanu thought his moves were flashy and didn't pay much attention. Now that the man came over and greeted him, Keanu felt it would be rude not to respond. He smiled slightly and said, "I was just messing around. It's nothing special." Hearing this, the middle-aged man smiled awkwardly. It was obvious Keanu didn't want to get to know him. Still, he was genuinely impressed by Keanu's skills, which seemed at least as good as his own, so he decided to try making friends. "I'm Wesley Farrell. I can tell you've had some serious training. How about a quick spar?" Wesley's words revealed his intention to challenge Keanu. Keanu looked at Wesley and shook his head. "You're not a match for me. Let's skip the sparring." Wesley was stunned. At first, he'd thought this young guy was just being humble, but now he sounded pretty full of himself. His face turned a little red with embarrassment and annoyance. Even though the young man's moves had caught his eye, Wesley couldn't believe he wasn't a match for some guy barely in his twenties. Wesley had joined the army at seventeen and didn't leave until he was thirty-two. He'd never let his skills get rusty even after becoming a driver. The man wanted to spar because he thought their fighting styles were real, and a match might do him some good. "How do you know I'm not your match? Since I left the army, I haven't met anyone who could beat me. If you're that confident, let's give it a try." Wesley was starting to feel insulted. Keanu shrugged helplessly. "Alright, if you really want to, go ahead." "Here? Don't you think we should find somewhere bigger?" Wesley looked around. Keanu smiled. "It's just going to be a couple of moves. No need." "You…" Wesley was almost at a loss for words because of Keanu, and he started to get annoyed. "Alright then, here I come!" Wesley threw a textbook move. He planned that as soon as the young guy reacted, he'd switch things up and show off his skills. But before Wesley had a chance to change moves, Keanu suddenly stepped forward, grabbed his fist, and with a flick of his arm, threw Wesley, who weighed almost 200 pounds, onto a nearby stone stool, as if he'd been sitting there the whole time. When Wesley snapped out of it, the young man was already gone. "That was incredible…" Wesley muttered after a long while. Even his drill sergeant in the army couldn't have beaten him so easily. ***** When Keanu returned to his courtyard, he saw Gwen checking out the flowers and plants he'd been growing. He'd planted many flowers and plants to hide his Silvero Grass. When she saw Keanu walk in, Gwen looked a little embarrassed. She quickly stood up and tried to make small talk, "I didn't expect you to like gardening. Guys who grow plants are usually really detail-oriented. Looks like you are, too. Oh, I bought some groceries today. How about we eat together later? It'll be a good way to get to know each other as neighbors." Keanu usually ate out, so he was a bit surprised by the invitation, but of course, he wouldn't say no. He smiled and said, "Sure, thanks. I see you leave early and come back late every day. Why aren't you at work today?" "One of my coworkers took some time off, and I'm covering her night shifts while I'm on break," Gwen explained, surprised at how observant this homebody was. Gwen's cooking was pretty good, definitely better than Keanu's usual random takeout. "That was really good, thanks," Keanu said, thinking it'd be nice if he could get home-cooked food like this every day so he wouldn't have to go out for meals. "We're neighbors, so there's no need to thank me. You can treat me next time," Gwen said playfully. She felt like Keanu didn't seem like a bad guy. Keanu laughed awkwardly. "I never cook…" "Then let's just go out to eat," Gwen said, finding Keanu cute. When one invited a girl they didn't know well for dinner, they usually took her to a restaurant, not to cook at home. Keanu sighed. "Alright, I'll treat you next time." But he thought, "There really is no such thing as a free lunch." He'd just finished eating, and now he owed her one. "Hey Keanu, let's swap numbers. Mine's 13XXXXXXXX. What's yours?" Gwen pulled out a cute pink phone. "I don't have a phone. If you need anything, knock on my door. I can help with most stuff. Anyway, I'm heading back," Keanu said, then returned to his room. Gwen was stunned. Even construction workers have cell phones these days, but Keanu didn't. He must be really struggling- she even wondered if he'd paid the rent. She couldn't figure out why the landlord let him stay. Keanu seemed a little proud, saying he could help with anything. Gwen shook her head. He didn't seem like a bad guy, just a bit stubborn. Maybe she could help him get a job at the hospital; that'd be better than him being jobless. As a pretty girl, the woman also wondered why Keanu didn't want to stick around and chat with her. It was like he really just came for the food. She figured he was probably self-conscious, since he couldn't afford a phone, and felt awkward hanging out with her. That made her feel a little better. In his room, Keanu thought about getting a phone, but decided there wasn't any point. He didn't know anyone here anyway. After paying rent, buying herbs, and covering daily expenses, he had less than 20,000 left. He decided to go set up a street stall again. This time, he wouldn't sell talismans, which were way too hard to sell. He probably wouldn't have sold a single one if he hadn't run into that desperate woman last time. This time, he planned to set up a mobile medical stall at night, getting the idea from Gwen's job. Another reason for running a mobile stall was that he could move around easily and avoid getting noticed. Plus, setting up at night meant dodging the city inspectors and letting him practice simultaneously. Of course, the main thing was that street medicine was illegal- he could only do it at night. Keanu figured he'd do what he did when selling talismans- either no business at all, or enough in one go to last him a year.

Chapter 8: Housemates

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