Chapter 38: Top Student Kobeni
Because a devil had appeared at school today, classes were canceled for the rest of the day as soon as the crisis was resolved.
Just as Higashiyama Kobeni was preparing to head home, she happened to spot the recruitment notice on the bulletin board. The moment she saw the "2,000 yen" figure, her heart skipped a beat. Working only one or two hours a day as a tutor wasn't overly difficult, her grades met the "top ten in the grade" requirement, and the hourly wage was incredibly high.
She decided to come to the employer's home for an interview. Since the school wouldn't let just anyone post advertisements on the official board, she felt the offer was trustworthy.
That was why Kobeni had been practicing her self-introduction outside Chiya's door; she was terrified that her nerves would get the best of her and cause her to blow the opportunity. She had planned to knock only after she felt practiced enough.
She never expected the owner of the house to return so suddenly—and she certainly didn't expect him to be the Public Safety devil hunter who had saved her earlier that day.
"Are you here for the interview?" Chiya quickly realized the situation. Kobeni had most likely seen the notice and come to apply.
"Ah... Yes!" Kobeni nodded vigorously.
Chiya pressed the doorbell. "Denji, I'm home."
"Coming!" Denji's voice rang out, and she opened the door almost instantly.
"Come in," Chiya said to Kobeni.
"Okay..." Kobeni's expression was a mix of shyness and intense nerves.
Seeing a strange girl entering the house—and seemingly brought home by Chiya-nii—Denji immediately went on high alert. Her gaze sharpened, fixed squarely on the visitor.
Feeling Denji's piercing stare, the already timid Kobeni grew even more anxious. She wondered what she had done wrong; why was this little blonde girl looking at her so fiercely?
Then it clicked—the recruitment notice mentioned finding a tutor for a younger sister. This "sister" must be the little blonde girl. Relieved, Kobeni relaxed slightly, assuming the girl just hated the idea of studying and was unwelcoming to a potential tutor.
In reality, Kobeni was mistaken. Denji's reaction had nothing to do with studying.
Chiya, naturally noticing Denji's glare, gave her a gentle reminder: "Denji, don't be rude to our guest."
"Fine," Denji muttered, pouting with dissatisfaction.
Chiya was a bit puzzled by Denji's behavior. Could she really hate studying that much? If she truly detested it, he would have to reconsider hiring a tutor at all. His main priority was for Denji to live a happy life; everything else was secondary.
Chiya prepared to conduct the interview in the living room. "Have a seat. Just make yourself comfortable."
"Thank you." Kobeni remained stiff, bowing deeply before gingerly sitting on the sofa.
Otonashi Chiya poured a glass of water for Higashiyama Kobeni first before sitting down. "Well then, let's begin the interview. I assume you brought your student ID and transcripts?"
"Yes, yes!" Kobeni immediately pulled the prepared documents from her school bag and handed them to Chiya for review.
Chiya was just going through the motions. There was no way he didn't know who the girl in front of him was, but he had to pretend otherwise. He glanced at the student ID briefly and then checked the transcripts.
A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. Kobeni was currently a high school sophomore, and since her freshman year, she had ranked in the top ten of her grade in every single exam—she had even taken first place once. He really hadn't expected Kobeni to be such a high achiever; the original story never mentioned her being a straight-A student. She perfectly met his recruitment requirements.
While Chiya reviewed the materials, Kobeni grew increasingly nervous. Her posture was stiff, and her hands, resting on her knees, subconsciously gripped her trousers.
Chiya returned the documents to her and continued, "Higashiyama Kobeni, right? What time slots do you have available every day for this part-time job?"
"Um..." Kobeni thought for a moment. "I'm free from around 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM after school, and also anytime after 7:00 PM in the evening."
"Then arrange the time yourself. Coming over for one or two hours in the afternoon or evening each day is fine," Chiya said. "Even though I'm hiring you for this job, I don't want it to have too much of an impact on your own studies."
By limiting it to just an hour or two, he was considering two things: first, that Denji would find studying for too long boring, and second, he didn't want to drag down Kobeni's academic performance.
"Understood!" Kobeni nodded earnestly.
But she immediately muttered under her breath, "Actually, that part doesn't really matter anyway..."
Although Chiya couldn't hear her clearly, he could guess what she was mumbling about. It was undoubtedly due to her family situation. From what he knew, the Higashiyama family had nine sisters, an older brother, and a younger brother named Higashiyama Nori—and those were just the ones he knew of; he wasn't sure if there were more.
The Higashiyama family couldn't afford to send so many children to school at once, and they held very traditional, patriarchal views. In the original work, they not only refused to let Kobeni go to university but also tried to force her into sex work to earn money. Despite her immense hidden strength, Kobeni's weak and timid personality meant she didn't dare rebel against her family.
In short, the current Kobeni likely already knew her parents wouldn't pay for college, so she felt it didn't matter if a part-time job affected her grades.
"I've decided to hire you. If the first month's trial period goes well, I'll look to work with you long-term," Chiya stated directly. Normally, hiring a tutor involves signing a contract, but since it was Kobeni, he considered her completely trustworthy.
"Eh?!" Kobeni looked astonished. "So soon?"
She had expected an agonizing night of waiting for news after going home, but he had hired her on the spot!
"Because you are an excellent student, and I trust you," Chiya explained with a smile.
"No, no, you flatter me!" Kobeni was overwhelmed by the unexpected favor. "I definitely won't let your trust go to waste!"
Not only had she secured a highly satisfying job, but she had also been praised. At this moment, she was filled with joy, her face turning as red and cute as a ripe apple.
[Ding! Host has activated achievement: "Kobeni's Sense of Closeness (Lv. 1)". Attribute Points gained: 2!]