"Detective! Night Scoop" (ABC TV, Friday 11:17pm) is a popular variety show where "detectives" tackle the most bizarre requests and worries sent in by viewers. On May 2nd, detective Katsura Futaba investigated "a water bill of 29,000 yen charged by the landlord." Deputy Director Takeyama Takanori, Secretary Masuda Saori, and Advisor Hano Akira appeared on the show.
The request came from a woman (47) from Etajima City, Hiroshima Prefecture. She moved to Etajima a year ago and has been living happily ever after, but there is one thing that has been bothering her. That is the water bill. Our house is on the third floor of a fairly old apartment building, and the landlord and his wife own a restaurant on the first floor, but the water bills for the third and first floors are read together. Every time, the landlord says, "I think this is about what we should be paying, so I'll deduct 3,000 yen from your bill," and a fairly approximate amount is deducted from the bill before it is sent to our house. The water meter is read once every two months, and although it has been bothering me, I've been paying it.
However, when I looked at the water bill this time, it was 29,000 yen, an increase of 10,000 yen from the previous time. Since my water bill had never exceeded 20,000 yen in my family of five's life, I was at a peak of frustration. Could you please ask the landlord to have the water meter read separately? The landlords are very kind and have taken care of me in many ways since I moved in, and I think I've found a great place to live except for the water bill, so I would like to settle this as amicably as possible.
First, to get to know the landlord's personality, the client visits his home, where he learns a number of facts, including that the restaurant on the first floor is only open once a week and that not many people come over at the end of the year, which is the subject of this investigation. When he asks a plumber about this, he is told that there is a water leak, and when he checks the meter, he is told that there is a leak somewhere on the first floor. Moreover, he thinks that 3,000 yen is too much for the landlord. The client, who is in a desperate situation, finally reveals the details of his request to the landlord...
