Chapter 41: Learning Until the Brain Explodes
With his Mangekyō Sharingan, Otonashi Chiya could detect every minute detail on Higashiyama Kobeni's face.
It was obvious that Kobeni wasn't very good at lying. When she did, her eyes became frantic and her face turned a deeper shade of crimson. These were subtle tells, but in Chiya's eyes, they were magnified a thousand times.
He saw through it but didn't call her out. He didn't need to guess to know this was a bit of cleverness on Denji's part, but it wasn't a bad thing—it was good to see Denji being a little mischievous and quick-witted.
He shifted his gaze slightly; sure enough, Denji was hiding behind the bedroom door, peeking at him through the crack.
"Alright, I understand. I'll be counting on you again from tomorrow," Chiya said with a nonchalant smile.
"No, the pleasure is mine! I look forward to it!" Kobeni bowed again.
Tutoring Denji was much easier than she had anticipated. Not only was the material simple, but Denji was actually quite well-behaved. Aside from occasionally getting distracted by playing with Pochita, there wasn't much to worry about.
Denji was also quite inquisitive; she would ask repeatedly about things she didn't understand—though "repeatedly" often meant more than just once or twice...
Most importantly, the pay was incredible!
If she earned 5,000 yen every day, she would make around 150,000 yen a month. For a high school student from a struggling family, this was an astronomical sum. Plus, it only required a little over two hours of her time each day, and this was only the trial period wage.
Kobeni tucked the 5,000-yen bill safely into her school bag and headed home, her heart full of joy.
Walking down the street, she saw various food stalls and snacks. Her mouth nearly watered at the sight. Her greatest passion in life was eating delicious food, but her meals at home were usually plain. Anything tasty was always given to her older brother and younger brother first, and she never had the money to buy treats for herself.
This was exactly why Denji had been able to bribe her with a single bag of snacks.
"Ugh... even though I tried to eat my fill at dinner, why am I hungry again...?" Kobeni's face usually wore a slight expression of melancholy, which deepened now as she patted her uncooperative stomach.
She eventually pulled out the bag of snacks she had hidden in her bag, rushing to finish them before getting home. It would be trouble if her parents found out.
As for the 5,000 yen, she hadn't even considered spending it; she didn't dare. In her mind, any money she earned had to be handed over entirely to the family. If she hid it and was caught, she would be scolded mercilessly.
Kobeni resisted the urge to buy street food and satisfied her cravings with the snacks Denji had given her instead.
Before reaching home, Kobeni finished every last bit of the snacks, leaving hardly a crumb. She tossed the empty bag into a trash can, washed her hands and face as thoroughly as possible, and even rinsed her mouth several times.
Only after confirming everything was perfect did she dare enter her house.
"I'm back!"
"Welcome back, Kobeni-姉 (sister)."
The one who opened the door was one of her younger sisters, wearing a middle school uniform. Almost none of the sisters had their own clothes; those still in school wore their uniforms, while the older sisters who had graduated wore old clothes from years ago. It had been a long time since any of them had bought anything new.
Kobeni went straight to her parents, who were sitting in the living room watching television.
"Kobeni, what were you doing tonight? Why are you back so late?" her mother asked, her tone somewhat harsh.
Kobeni shivered slightly and said in a small voice, "I... I found a part-time job..."
"Is that so? What kind of job?"
Her mother's expression shifted instantly, clearly fixated on this development.
Her father, holding a newspaper, glanced between the pages and the television. "I didn't expect Kobeni to take the initiative to find a part-time job. This should lighten the family's burden a bit."
"It's a tutoring job. This is my pay for today," Kobeni said honestly. She took the 5,000 yen from her bag and handed it directly to her parents.
"5,000 yen?!" Her mother was shocked. "I recall you were only out for about two hours tonight..."
She felt a flicker of doubt. Such a high hourly rate was usually reserved for professional tutors, and this was only the first day. She suspected Kobeni might have found work related to the adult entertainment industry, but she didn't truly care—as long as Kobeni brought money home, that was all that mattered.
"Oh! You're quite capable, Kobeni! Is it this much every day?" Her father, also stunned by the 5,000 yen, set his newspaper down.
"Yes, and there might be more later on," Kobeni said with a joyful expression. It wasn't an act; seeing her parents surprised and happy, and being praised for being "capable," made her feel genuinely happy from the bottom of her heart.
This only deepened the mother's suspicion that Kobeni was working at a "soapland" or similar establishment, but she viewed it as a positive. She had already planned for Kobeni to enter the adult industry after high school graduation; if Kobeni was acclimating to that world early, she wouldn't be as resistant when the time came.
"Good, good! That's wonderful, Kobeni. Don't give up on this job easily. We won't have to worry about Yuta's tuition and living expenses for a while now." Her father's aged face beamed with a wide smile.
The sole reason for his happiness, however, was having more money to give to Yuta, who was currently in university. Yuta was the eldest brother of the Higashiyama family. Since he attended a private university where tuition alone cost over a million yen a year, Kobeni's current wages still weren't quite enough.
Even though her parents' thoughts were entirely on her brother, Kobeni kept a smile on her face, though a trace of loneliness inevitably flickered in her heart.
Meanwhile, at the Otonashi residence.
"Did Teacher Higashiyama leave you any homework?" Chiya asked Denji.
"Yeah, she told me to write out and review the words she taught me today a few times to lock them into my memory." On the desk sat a small notebook with a cartoon pattern and a pencil with a bunny cap—tools Kobeni had left for her.
"Then you need to finish your homework tonight before you play any games. If you finish on time, I'll give you a reward. But if you don't, there will be a punishment," Chiya stated.
"Can you tell me what the reward is?" Denji asked, suddenly curious.
"Let me think... How about I grant you one wish?"
"Any wish at all?" Denji's energy spiked instantly. Her eyes sparkled, and she sat up straighter.
Chiya nodded. "As long as it's not too unreasonable, I'll do my best to fulfill it."
Driven by sudden, intense motivation, Denji began scribbling furiously in her notebook.
"Hell yeah! Time to get my brain swole on knowledge!"