Esper Harem in the Apocalypse

1049  To Joeʼs Apartment

”Excuse me,” Rudy called out to the girl at the desk.

The receptionist jolted in surprise and almost dropped her phone. Rudy caught it and gave it back to the receptionist.

”...thanks…” she murmured with a slightly flushed face.

”I think you should pay more attention to your surroundings. I have been standing here for like a minute, but you had no idea. Is this how you do your job?” Rudy asked in a little annoyed tone.

However, he couldnʼt blame the receptionist since he was aware how boring the job was.

ʼI did many jobs in the past Worldline, so I know how it feels. The most boring job was the job of a receptionist where I had to sit on the desk and do nothing. Moreover, I had gotten night shifts so there was less traffic of people.

I mostly spent that time studying, and it was an excellent opportunity. I was basically making money by studying. Honestly, I wouldnʼt be bothered if this girl was sleeping or doing something else, but she was using her phone on the job. Basically wasting her precious time.ʼ

The blush from the receptionistʼs face vanished as soon as Rudy scolded her. She no longer seemed impressed by Rudy, rather, he became hostile.

She furrowed her brows and responded, ”My job is to sit at the desk. I am a receptionist, not a guard. If you were standing here for a minute, then you should have called me out a minute ago.”

ʼWhat a bitch. Itʼs because of people like her that employers make shitty policies.ʼ

”What are you here for?” She asked arrogantly. ”And I have never seen you around here.”

”Oh, you would know if you actually pay attention to who enters and leaves this building. But for someone who is busy with their phones, I doubt you would even know how many apartments are occupied in this building.”

Rudy didnʼt coat his words and said what was on his mind. He had a simple rule in his life, which was to treat someone how they treat you.

”Look, man.” The receptionist let out a weary sigh and looked Rudy into eyes, as though she was about to say something serious. ”I am looking.”

”I donʼt want to deal with you and itʼs because of people like you I opted for the night shift. Just tell me what you want and I will see what I can help you with. If you are here to teach me manners, then go somewhere else,” she said with an exhausted look on her face.

ʼWhoa… she suddenly looks like she is fed up with her life. If I say anything, she might kill herself or something.ʼ He looked at her body and thought, ʼPerhaps I was too harsh to her. Judging by her appearance, she seems to be in her early twenties. She is most likely a university student… or a dropout.ʼ

”I am looking for a person named Joe Viben. He lives here.”

”Uhh… so you donʼt live here? I am sorry, but I canʼt just tell you about the residents here.”

”Well, of course. He should be expecting me, and he told me his apartment number, but I forgot the exact number. I simply want to confirm,” he said calmly.

”Why do you ask him then? Call him or something,” she shrugged.

”I could if I had my phone with me. Can you just hurry up? It wouldnʼt even take you ten seconds to find out.”

”You are making a lot of excuses. Not to mention, how suspicious you are.”

”...”

”If you donʼt want me to call the guard, leave. I will let you go without causing an uproar. Think of it as a thanks for saving my phone— I am still paying monthly installments on it.”

SIGH!

ʼI donʼt understand why people would buy stuff on installments when they canʼt afford it? Of course, if itʼs house or medical related, they have no option. But why would they buy expensive phones when cheaper options are available?

Is having a debt more lovable to them than showing off? They donʼt want to show off to their friends since they are most likely aware of the financial condition of the person— if they are their true friend. ANd if they want to show off to the world who doesnʼt care about them…ʼ

”What a messed up world are we living in?” he muttered.

”Excuse me?” the receptionist raised her brow after hearing that. ”Did you say something?”

”If you truly feel thankful to me for catching your phone, how about you let me know what I am looking for?”

”My phone or money is not more valuable than someoneʼs life,” the girl responded in a serious tone.

”Why would you assume I am a bad guy? What if the person I am looking for called me for help? What if itʼs an emergency? Wouldnʼt that make you responsible for anything bad that would happen here?” Rudy asked with a curious look on his face, seemingly amused to see her reaction.

The girl took a moment to think about it and began doing something on the computer.

”If you are here as a visitor, you would need to sign in that journal here and provide an ID. You can have it back once you leave,” she uttered without looking at Rudy.

”Sure, no problem.”

Rudy could have easily extracted information from her using hypnosis, but he wanted to try doing that without using his abilities.

ʼI donʼt want to become a worthless person who canʼt do anything without his powers…ʼ he said to himself.

”What was the name again?” the girl asked Rudy.

”Joe Viben.”

After a few seconds, the girl looked at Rudy and said, ”There is no one named Joe Viben here.”

ʼSo he doesnʼt live here after all. Well, I wasnʼt here for him, anyway. I need the location of that motherfluking landlord.ʼ

”Weird. Then who called me from here?” Rudy muttered.

”...” The girl had become suspicious of Rudy and it was evident from her face that she was on high alert. ʼI expected this reaction, but it doesnʼt matter. It took me about a minute to hack into the server and another minute to get all the day. Now, I know everything. I have the address I need and itʼs time to pay a visit to Mr. Landlord.”