A kind(?) Stranger

"Oy, kid. What are you doing walking alone in this neighborhood?" Called out an old man from the door of a store nearby. Ryu looked around for anyone else, which was pretty stupid as the road was empty except for him.

"Ah..um I just got here...and"

"Spit it out. I ain't got all day" said the old man with a sour expression. The man busied himself with the closed sign hanging on his door flipping it over but with no advertised name the purpose of the store was unidentifiable.

Taking a deep breath Ryu said"I-I'm looking for a place to stay. I don't have anywhere to go but I can pay!"

He naievely brought out his money waving it around while the old man looked at it with mild intrest. "Stop waving it around or your gonna get mugged. There's a room on the second floor of my store if you want it. The rent ain't cheap tho"

Excited and with his body screaming to put down his bags and rest, Ryu eagerly agreed "That's alright I'll pay, I'll get a job as well!"

"Hmm" the old man grunted. "I'm Greg Col. Go get yourself set up, I'll need 500 up front of you want to stay. There are places around here that are understaffed. Maybe you can get a job as well.

"500$!"

"I told you it ain't cheap. But it's the only place around that isn't gonna make you catch some disease but touching the doorknob so I think it's worth the price."

"Fine" Ryu sighed, handing over the cash and being led inside. Fred led him through his store which turned out to be a pawn shop, with all sorts of stuff from jewelry to clothes lining the walls and racks, and up to the second floor which had a cozy yet dusty room with a single bed, window and bedside table and somehow a fancy full length mirror on the other wall.

"Maintainance is up to you and so is food. Your rent will be 200$ per month cuz I'm genorous and if you fail to pay, I'm gonna spike it up by 10$ each day.

With that Greg unceremoniously slammed the door and stomped down the stairs leaving Ryu to unpack.

Finally putting his bags down Ryu's shoulders burned. His bags weren't heavy but carying them for hours hoping not to be robbed was exhausting, also adding to that fact was that he wasn't very strong in the first place.

Ryu sat down with his duffle bag and backpack, he'd only gotten the backpack because it was a requirement for school and the duffle bag he'd stolen from his mother where she stuffed the laundry for Ryu to get. Ryu didn't have many clothes of his own, just a set for every day of the week and a spare. He'd always imagined being able to afford something more when he earned his own money, his home clothes were from when he was younger, with the shirt being too small and exposing is stomach every time he moved his arms and pants too tight that it clung to his ass making them more pronounced but luckily here no one could see.

Opening his duffle bag Ryu realised that something was strange, some of the clothes inside he didn't recognise. His eyes widened as he pulled out a G-string, half these clothes were his mother's! She must have put some of her own laundy in his bag when she saw him pack it. He was missing 3 sets of underwear 3 shirt and one pair of pants. Instead he had gotten the G-string, two parties 1 crop top and one tube top and a pair of leather pants (why leather pants were given for laundry was a mystery to him).

Now he would need to manage with his ill-fiting clothes for some days of the week, at risk of looking like an idiot. Like that was new.