The Tenant Is a Little Jumping Spider - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Maybe tiny creatures are easily filled up by the smallest bit of happiness.

The tears vanished from Little Jumping Spider’s eyes, and eight brilliant moons lit up amid its black-and-white fuzz.

“I’m very useful! I can pay more rent!”

Whoa. Could jumping spiders really jump that far?

It must have been about a meter. Little Jumping Spider leaped onto the desk lamp, then after a moment dragged over a huge mosquito.

“Can catching all the mosquitoes in the house count?”

I wagged a finger.

“Not enough.”

Little Jumping Spider jumped down from the high table again. Fifteen minutes later, it dragged over a big clump of hair.

“Then what if I also clean up the hair on the floor every day?”

I shook my head.

“Still not enough.”

Only then did Little Jumping Spider start to panic, its little claws tapping helplessly against the floor.

“Not enough! It’s still not enough…?”

“That’s right. This apartment is in a very expensive area.”

I showed it the deposit records. One transfer after another lay pitifully in the account, each marked “rent,” and each only 300 yuan a month.

Then I opened a rental app. In this same area, rent was about 30,000.

It stared at the short little 300, then at the long 30,000, and fell silent for a long time.

“So… I really was overestimating myself after all…”

At last, Little Jumping Spider truly looked defeated. It lowered its head and quietly packed up a tiny bundle, then slung it over its body on a cactus spine.

“I’m sorry for bothering you. I’ll leave now…”

It crawled away step by step, dragging a trail of glittering wet marks behind it.

“Wait.”

I held out one finger and blocked its path.

“You can pay the rest with your body.”

Chapter 6

“With my body!”

The jumping spider stopped. The jumping spider froze.

Taking advantage of the moment, I scooped it onto my manicured nail, set it on the desk, then took out a piece of paper and carefully dabbed away the tear tracks on its body.

“What does… paying with my body mean?”

Little Jumping Spider tilted its head, its huge eyes full of huge confusion.

“Exactly what it sounds like.”

In the human world, “paying with your body” was certainly not a nice phrase. I was a little curious what conclusion a little jumping spider would reach.

To my surprise, its whole spider body lit up with eager joy.

“Are you going to… eat me? I’m so happy… Thank you for being willing to eat me!”

Eat it?!

Then it suddenly occurred to me… In some parts of the spider world, there really were cases where male spiders willingly let larger female individuals eat them.

Maybe, in a certain sense, spiders were creatures whose emotions burned even hotter than humans’.

Little Jumping Spider turned sideways. While shyly pressing its claws together, it even tried to bargain.

“Then… can you eat just a little bit every day? I’m still very small right now. If you eat too much, I’ll be gone very quickly.”

Uh… this conversation had suddenly veered in a horrifying direction.

I abruptly remembered watching Black Cat Sheriff when I was little. The episode where the mantis bride ate the groom had left an unforgettable shadow over my childhood.

I had to hurry up and drag the conversation back onto the right track.

I patted the top of Little Jumping Spider’s head and turned it around from its fantasy.

Then I pressed my finger against the spot I’d been coveting for ages.

“Paying with your body means–I get to poke your pointy little butt.”

“Just… just poke my pointy little butt…?”

Little Jumping Spider turned back around, looking a little disappointed.

“Not just that. Your job is to catch mosquitoes, clean up hair, and let me poke your pointy little butt every day.”

“Oh… okay. O-okay.”

Though it seemed a little nervous, it agreed very quickly.

I thought I couldn’t see it, but Little Jumping Spider quietly covered its pointy little butt with its two hind legs and backed up half a step.

A moment later, it uncovered itself again, presenting the black pointy tip in front of me.

“Only… only one poke a day, okay?”

Okay!

Adorable!

Time to dig in!

Poke!

“Eep!”

Sorry. I accidentally used a little too much force.