I paid off the debt for the most beautiful sisters in the school, and then they barged into my house where I live alone. “Please go back home; you don’t need to repay the favor.” “No way.” “We don’t want to~☆”

Before I knew it, nearly a week had passed since Kamishiro began living at my house.

Her room was decided to be the Japanese-style room on the second floor. We brought in a futon that Azuma-san had bought (it was a minimal arrangement for the time being, but Kamishiro was extremely apologetic) and gave her a spare key. We also decided to entrust her with a month’s worth of living expenses so that she could shop whenever she wanted. All this while, we were frantically setting up the boundaries of trust—although we didn’t trust each other completely, we needed to make some compromises since we were living together. Time had slipped away as we were doing all this.

By the way, at school, we were maintaining the same distance as before. At least, that’s what I thought, but sometimes I noticed her staring intently at me. Well, I might be doing the same, so maybe it’s mutual.

Of course, we intentionally changed our routes and timings to ensure that we go to and from school separately. That way, we don’t arrive home at the same time.

Today, Kamishiro told me she would go shopping at the supermarket after school.

I thought maybe I should go with her to carry the bags, but if our classmates spotted us, it would be unbearable.

The first shopping trip after moving in was done by me alone, but Kamishiro offered to take over after seeing what I had bought.

“Did you check the sale flyers and time? Oh, the quantities of fast and slow items are uneven… Did you use a point card? Um, next time, can I take care of the shopping?” she asked.

Apparently, I had been struck out on my shopping, refrigerator management, and budgeting skills. Was this a dismissal?

So here I am, back home alone, playing games.

I feel guilty for letting a female classmate do the shopping while I laze around at home…

“I’m home~!”

Hearing the unfamiliar, clear voice echoing through the house, I paused my game and peeked out the door.

It seemed that the source of my guilt had returned.

Heading towards the sound, I found Kamishiro in the living room, carrying an eco-bag in one hand and her school bag in the other. The sight was oddly domestic and one I was not yet accustomed to.

“Ah, welcome back. Sorry for leaving the shopping to you.”

“No, I enjoyed it.”

“Enjoyed?”

Is there an element of fun in everyday grocery shopping?

I find it nothing but a hassle.

“Yes. Since I can spend more money than usual, I can buy things I don’t normally buy. Choosing them is fun. But don’t worry, I’m keeping track of the household account and not wasting money,” she said, looking satisfied.

It seems she truly enjoys shopping for the sake of shopping. A curious person indeed.

“You don’t have to be that strict, you know. If you run out, I’ll give you more living expenses.”

I had already given Kamishiro a month’s worth of shopping money.

In many ways, she already had control of our kitchen.

“No, this amount is more than enough. Of course, how you spend the money is up to you, but I’ll do my best to manage it.”

“Okay, okay. But feel free to spend the extra on yourself. Use it to hang out with friends or buy something you like.”

Kamishiro was currently refusing to accept a salary from me.

But then, wouldn’t she have almost no personal spending money? Although there must be money coming from the government office, she probably wouldn’t want to use too much cash, considering her mother’s hospitalization and other expenses.

I had told her to buy personal daily necessities without hesitation from the given living expenses, and she seemed to be doing so, but…

“That’s not acceptable. After all, this is money you entrusted me with for living expenses. I must manage it properly and return it to you.”

That’s how it is.

At her core, Kamishiro is incredibly serious.

Living with her, I quickly realized that she’s kind to others but tough on herself—a trait that makes me feel self-loathing just by watching her.

What’s troublesome is how she makes me hate myself just by being around.

How will a hopelessly bad person like me turn out living with someone like her, who’s like a bad person-making machine? Imagining our future life together is terrifying.

“But that’s why I gave you more—”

“Was this extra money for my sake?”

—Ah.

“You really do care for me, don’t you?”

“No, that’s not—”

“It’s okay. I kind of sensed that you’re shy about being kind face to face. You’re reserved, or rather, not honest.”

That’s not it! Don’t look at me like you’ve got me all figured out. It’s annoying!

I just want to solve problems with money. Having Kamishiro in my house and seeing her struggle with money would only stress me out.

How can I convey this nuance?

“Well, I’ll start preparing dinner now.”

While I was struggling with the complexity of the Japanese language, Kamishiro had already moved to the kitchen.

Well, that’s fine. There will be plenty of opportunities to explain later. And Kamishiro will understand eventually. Living together, she’ll soon see what kind of person I am.

Although the thought of her looking at me with disappointment later makes me feel uncomfortable… I think it’s okay. After all, relationships with others eventually break and disappear.

Our relationship with Kamishiro is probably just a spider’s thread that connected for a brief moment.

“Dinner’s ready.”

“Thank you. Would you like some tea?”

“Eh? Oh, sure.”

After finishing dinner that Kamishiro had made, she quickly brewed tea for me.

If I let her have her way, I’ll soon be completely ruined.

“I bought some medium-priced tea leaves and a teapot since I didn’t know your preferences. Houjicha is fine, right?”

“Yeah. Green tea seems a bit too bitter for me.”

I usually drank instant coffee for convenience, but I liked houjicha because my grandfather used to drink it a lot.

“Here you go.”

“Uh, thanks.”

Taking the tea, Kamishiro sat down in front of me.

We had been eating in this style, but until now, Kamishiro would immediately start washing dishes after eating and didn’t return until she was busy cleaning.

In other words, this was our first time sitting down and facing each other calmly.

“Um, did you enjoy the meal?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, it was good.”

To tell the truth, it was quite ordinary overall. There were even some mediocre dishes.

The taste varied depending on the menu. For example, the omelet was surprisingly delicious.

“I’m not very good at cooking, actually. I used to work long hours at my part-time job, so my sister often took care of the meals. I’m embarrassed to say.”

“No need to be embarrassed.”

If she was working to earn living expenses, she should be praised rather than ashamed.

—Wait, that’s right, Kamishiro has a younger sister.

“Is your sister still young?”

“She’s in middle school now.”

Middle school. Not exactly a child, but still worrying to leave alone in an apartment.

Originally, the plan was to save on apartment rent by having her live with me. If her sister doesn’t come here, the rent won’t be saved.

I messed up. I should have brought it up sooner.

Kamishiro is aware that she’s imposing, so of course, she would find it hard to say, “My sister is coming too.” And until it was confirmed that I would allow her to live here long-term, she couldn’t rashly cancel the apartment lease.

“Ah… In that case, I’d like to hire your sister as the cook. Can you ask her for me?”

“Yes! Thank you very much!”

A relieved atmosphere flowed from Kamishiro.

She must have found it hard to bring up, and it seemed she was quite worried about her sister.

I had done something wrong.

It seems I’m not good at considering others’ feelings. Is this a side effect of not interacting much with others until now?

No. I don’t plan to get deeply involved with others from now on, so this is probably fine.

However, now I’ll have to deal with Kamishiro’s sister at home as well.

Honestly, it’s a hassle, but since she’s in middle school, maybe it won’t be too demanding?