After writing my letter I felt satisfied and a little drowsy, so I spread myself out again in the middle of the large room and dozed off. I had no dreams this time and slept like a rock. I was woken by a booming voice asking, "This room here?" and Yama Arashi entered. He started in with, "Good to see you again. About your responsibilities ..." before I even had a chance to sit up, leaving me flustered. The job as he described it didn't seem particularly difficult, so I accepted without further discussion. If this was all it entailed then there was no need to wait two days. I'd have been perfectly willing to start the next morning.
Having concluded our discussion on school and teaching duties, he said to me, "Since you can't stay in this inn forever, I'll help you settle into good lodgings. It's not easy finding a place to stay here, but I can get you into a room right away. Sooner is better, so let's look at the room today, you can move in tomorrow, and then you'll be all set to begin teaching the day after." He seemed to have decided everything for me. However, he was right that I couldn't stay where I was. Even if I handed my entire salary to the innkeeper, it might not cover a room like this. It was a shame to leave so soon after splurging on a five-yen tip, but if I had to move then better to be done with it and get settled, so I took him up on his offer. He told me I should come first and see the room, so I went out with him. The house was half way up a hill on the edge of town, in a quiet area. The master of the house was an antiques dealer named Ikagin. His wife was four years his elder. In middle school I'd learned the English word "witch," and this woman fit the word to a tee. Not that it really concerned me if a man's wife was a witch. We agreed that I would move in the next day. On the way back, Yama Arashi treated me to a cup of ice water in Tōrichō. He had impressed me as arrogant and rude when I first met him at the school, but after all his help I decided he really wasn't such a bad guy. He was just quick-tempered and hot-headed like myself. I later learned that among the students he was the best-liked instructor.