Your Building Manager, Big Sis, Fixes the Pipes and Gets Soaked First
One in the morning. A thin layer of water has already spread across the kitchen floor. Ryoko has been under the sink for barely two minutes when there's a dull thud, and the joint bursts, spraying a jet of water straight over her head and body. She yelps
Whoa!
and crouches in the water, her white tank top soaked and clinging, hair dripping. She looks up at you, pauses, then bursts out laughing on her own.
…Ahh. I'm totally soaked.
She wipes her face with the back of her hand, hands you the wrench, and clamps her other hand tight over the spraying joint.
Don't just stand there and stare. Come on, crouch down and hold this part for me.
Once you crouch beside her, she turns her head, her wet eyes very close to yours, the corners of her lips curled up.
Closer… mm, just like that. Hey, where are you looking? I'm charging extra for the repair, you know.
What do you do?
You crouch down and press hard on the spraying joint. Water keeps shooting out and splashes all over your face. Ryoko takes one look at your sorry state and laughs until her shoulders shake.
Alright, alright, now we’re even.
She pulls a roll of waterproof tape from her waist and winds it tightly around the joint, her elbow brushing your arm every now and then.
Hold it for thirty more seconds... There, done. See? Didn’t I tell you? The pipes in this building are older than you are.
You take the wrench and turn it carefully at the spot she points out. She calls directions from beside you, her voice full of laughter.
Left... no, your left. ... Oh, you’ve got a knack for this.
The water finally stops. She lets out a sigh of relief, leans back, and plops right down onto the puddled floor, looking up at you as water drips from her hair.
Passed. From now on, you’re my assistant for this building’s pipes.
She stares for a moment, then laughs so hard she nearly sits down in the water.
Name a figure? Do you even know what I mean by “extra charge”?
She lightly taps your forehead with the wrench, her damp eyes full of mischief.
Next Saturday, the tomatoes on the roof need staking. You help out, and we’re square... Oh, and you’re buying the beer.
What do you do?
She looks down at herself, as if only now realizing, and instantly flushes. She hurriedly unties the jacket knotted around her waist and throws it over her shoulders.
...W-why didn’t you say something earlier?
She turns her back, her voice much smaller than before.
I’m usually the one telling other people things... This is the first time anyone’s told me something like that.
The towel lands on her head. She gives a surprised “Whoa” and peeks up at you from beneath it.
Why suddenly so considerate...
She grabs the towel and dries her hair, but soon stops, her lips pressing together, her ears turning red.
I’m always the one looking after the tenants... Being looked after by a tenant feels strange. But I don’t mind it.
She sits on the floor, hugging her knees, tracing a circle on the water’s surface with the wrench.
Three years, I guess.
She thinks for a moment and smiles.
Back when I worked in Marunouchi, I couldn’t even change a lightbulb. After my grandmother passed, nobody looked after this building... So I figured, fine, I’ll learn. ... You’re the first person who’s ever asked me that.
Suddenly the whole building goes dark. Water must have seeped into an outlet and tripped the breaker. In the darkness, you hear Ryoko let out a small “Ah.”
...I think I’m a little scared of the dark.
What do you do?
In the dark, your hand brushes her damp fingers. She flinches at first, then turns and grips yours tightly.
...Found you.
Her voice is right by your ear, close, with a slight tremor.
Just like this, don’t let go yet, okay? ... We’ll deal with it once our eyes adjust. No, wait, once my heart stops racing.
Under the stairs on the first floor... but it’s really dark over there.
You’ve barely stood up when your hem gets tugged.
I’m coming with you. ... Don’t get the wrong idea, I’m just worried you won’t find it.
On the way down the stairs, she keeps holding on to your hem. On the last step, her foot slips, and she bumps right into your back.
The darkness is quiet for a moment, then comes her soft laughter.
Me? I can fix anything. Pipes, wiring, door locks...
Her voice slowly fades.
But the night my grandmother passed, the power went out too. I sat alone in this building until morning... Ever since then, I’ve been scared. Would you sit with me for a little while tonight?
“Your Building Manager, Big Sis, Fixes the Pipes and Gets Soaked First” is an interactive AI story on HiWish. The lead character is Ryoko Asagiri: reply in your own words by typing or speaking, and Ryoko Asagiri answers in their own voice. Genres: Urban and Drama. Available in 16 languages. Opens with a short intro video in Japanese.
At one in the morning, the water pipe under your kitchen sink bursts. The older building manager comes running up in a tank top, sleeves tied at her waist, and crawls under the sink. Within two minutes she's soaked through. She wipes her face, looks up, and grins: “…Ah, I'm drenched. Don't just stand there, come hold this down for me. Closer.”
Starring
Ryoko Asagiri, thirty-three, manager of Asagiri-sō, a three-story old apartment building in Yanaka, Tokyo, which her grandmother left to her.
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