Chapter 39: Viewed as a Love Rival!
"You can start today by trying to teach Denji some first-grade elementary material. Oh, right—I almost forgot to introduce you two properly."
Otonashi Chiya turned to Higashiyama Kobeni. "This is my sister, Denji."
"Oh! Hello!" Kobeni nodded and immediately addressed Denji, who was sitting on the other side of the room. "Please look after me."
Denji had been sitting there since the start, and Kobeni had felt her gaze burning into her the entire time. Although Denji was reluctant in her heart, she responded obediently since Chiya-nii was right there. "Please look after me as well."
Seeing that Denji's attitude didn't seem openly hostile, Kobeni felt a bit more at ease.
"Regarding the payment—would you prefer to be paid daily or monthly? I can accommodate either," Chiya brought up the subject of wages.
"If it's alright... I'd prefer to be paid daily," Kobeni requested timidly.
"No problem, daily it is. Also, the 2,000 yen is just the hourly rate for the trial period. Your pay will increase later based on your performance," Chiya said. He didn't want to offer an obscenely high wage right out of the gate; since they were strangers, being too nice could easily arouse suspicion.
His plan was simple: once the trial period ended, he would definitely give her a raise, provided she didn't quit.
"Understood! I will work hard!" Kobeni's enthusiasm grew the more she heard. She was now fully motivated!
"Then I'll head home for now and come back this evening to start the lessons with Denji." Kobeni stood up and bowed deeply to Chiya once more.
"Alright, see you then," Chiya replied.
After leaving the apartment building, Kobeni walked home in high spirits. Halfway there, she suddenly remembered something.
"Ah! I almost forgot!"
That morning, her family had told her to buy limited-time discount potatoes and facial tissues. If she went home empty-handed, she would definitely be scolded. She immediately pivoted and sprinted toward the supermarket.
About ten minutes later.
Kobeni emerged from the supermarket carrying two large multi-packs of tissues—each containing over a dozen boxes—and a heavy bag of potatoes. Just as she stepped outside, she bumped into several girls wearing the same school uniform. By sheer coincidence, they were her classmates.
"What a coincidence, Higashiyama-san."
"You were almost attacked by a devil this morning. Are you doing okay now?"
"Do you need some help? You look like you're struggling a bit."
The classmates were genuinely concerned for her. However, Kobeni looked panicked and fled the scene as if she were being chased. She left her classmates standing there, completely baffled.
One of the girls even began to doubt herself. "I didn't get her name wrong, did I? Isn't she Higashiyama-san?"
"That was definitely her. But she's always been like that. I've almost never seen her chat or hang out with anyone..."
"I heard her family situation is pretty difficult. It seems the rumors are true, seeing as she's buying so many discounted items at once."
"..."
Once she was far away from the supermarket, Kobeni finally slowed her pace. She let out a sigh of relief and continued her trek home.
She usually didn't interact much with her classmates and had almost no friends. She felt that socializing was a hassle and hated being a burden to others.
At that moment, Kobeni murmured to herself, "Ah, speaking of which... should I tell Mom and Dad about the part-time job? Maybe I shouldn't for now. If I end up not getting the money, I'll just get lectured..."
Around 7:00 PM.
Kobeni arrived, appearing as though she had come straight over after finishing dinner.
Otonashi Chiya was just putting on his Public Safety uniform, preparing to head out. "I happen to have to step out for a bit, so I'll leave Denji in your hands. I'll be back around nine to settle your pay."
"Understood," Kobeni nodded.
After Chiya left, she walked to the bedroom door. She hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath to mentally prepare herself, and then tapped lightly. "Denji-chan, may I come in?"
"Come in—"
Denji's voice trailed off in a long, drawn-out tone that didn't sound particularly friendly.
Feeling apprehensive, Kobeni pushed the door open with a forced smile. The most prominent things in Denji's room were the television and various gaming consoles, all bought for her by Chiya. She was currently in the middle of a fighting game, playing a PvP match against Pochita.
A sudden pang of envy rose in Kobeni's heart. Denji had a big, beautiful bed, all sorts of games, and a strange-looking but cute pet...
Wait!
That pet... was playing a video game?!
Kobeni's eyes widened, thinking she was seeing things. "W-what is going on?"
"That's Pochita. He's a devil, you know—not just some normal pet," Denji explained, glancing back at Kobeni.
"Eh...?" Kobeni's reaction time was a bit slow. She froze for a moment before gasping in shock. "A devil?!"
"Don't make such a big deal out of it. Pochita won't hurt anyone; he's a very good and cute devil." Denji's tone sounded a bit like she was judging Kobeni for being so sheltered.
"I see... Ahahaha..." Kobeni's laughter was slightly awkward. Even though the creature Denji called Pochita looked friendly enough, she was still a little scared.
At that point, Denji proactively put down her controller and whispered to Pochita, "Pochita, I have to study now, so no more games. If Chiya-nii finds out I wasn't studying seriously, he might stop liking me."
"Vauh!" Pochita understood her perfectly and gave a small, obedient bark.
Seeing how close and harmonious Denji and Pochita were, Kobeni lowered her guard a bit. She took a book out of her bag and placed it on the desk. It was her youngest sister's first-grade textbook; the sister was in second grade now and didn't need it anymore. Fortunately, it hadn't been sold yet—unlike her own old textbooks, which her parents had long ago sold as scrap paper.
She remembered clearly that the boy—no, her employer—wanted her to start teaching from the first-grade level.
"I don't know many words. Can you start by teaching me how to read and write?" Denji said assertively.
"Of course! Let's start here." Kobeni began with family titles. "This is 'Father,' this is 'Mother,' this is 'Big Brother,' and this is 'Little Sister'..."
She began by teaching Denji how to recognize the characters. However, when she reached "Little Sister," Denji, who had been listening quietly, suddenly interrupted.
"I'm not Chiya-nii's biological sister, you know. Don't get it twisted."
Hearing such a sudden and bizarre statement, Kobeni's expression froze. "Huh...?"
Looking at the intense, dead-serious look in Denji's eyes, Kobeni had no idea what she meant. Did being a "biological" sister carry some special significance?
Little did she know, Denji had already branded her as a "rival" in a certain sense!