Chapter 68: A Racing Heart
"That's right."
Seeing Kobeni's face flush a deep crimson, Chiya suddenly realized the ambiguity of his words and immediately clarified. "We can buy a new bed and put it in Denji's room. Her room is quite spacious. Then, once I go abroad, my room will be available as well."
"Uh..."
Kobeni felt even more embarrassed; it turned out she had been getting ahead of herself. To mask her shame, she quickly changed the subject. "By the way... is Otonashi-kun going abroad?"
It wasn't just a diversion; she genuinely cared about this piece of news.
"Yeah. As you know, I work for Tokyo Public Safety. You could say I'm being sent to the Soviet Union on a business trip. After I leave, I'll probably only be back once or twice a week at most," Chiya explained.
"I see..." Kobeni nodded slightly, a trace of inexplicable disappointment flickering in her heart.
Capturing that sliver of sadness in the depths of her eyes with his Mangekyo Sharingan, Chiya's first instinct was that she was worried about her pay.
"Don't worry about your salary. Your probationary period will be over by the time I go abroad. Even though I won't be able to settle up daily, I'll pay you for the entire upcoming week every time I return," Chiya said, having already planned out the logistics.
"Ah! No, no! I wasn't worried about the money. Whenever is convenient for you is fine by me, Otonashi-kun," Kobeni said flusteredly. She didn't want to seem like a girl who obsessed over every cent, and she certainly didn't want him to have a bad impression of her.
"Well, let's just stick to what I said. It won't be an inconvenience," Chiya replied.
"Then... could I... try moving to your house for just one night tonight?" As she spoke, Kobeni's voice grew smaller and smaller until it was barely a whisper, her face turning an even deeper shade of red.
For her, making such a request was incredibly bold.
Chiya replied instantly, "Sure. Go pack some of your things now and come straight over. You can share a bed with Denji for tonight, and I'll go buy a new one tomorrow."
"Okay! I'll go pack right now!" Kobeni dashed back into her house.
Inside the house, Kobeni's sisters were still at a loss. Their parents had been taken by the police; after such a massive upheaval, they couldn't adapt to the change so quickly. However, it was undeniably a good thing; perhaps they wouldn't have to suffer such oppression anymore.
At that moment, Higashiyama Nori came downstairs. He was the only other boy in the family besides the eldest brother, Shuta. His features were similar to his sisters', delicate enough that he almost looked like a girl.
"W-what just happened...?" Nori asked in a small, timid voice.
The eldest sister gave him a brief rundown of the situation. Although Nori was a boy, he got along well with his sisters and disliked his parents' blatant favoritism. Still, the sudden arrest of his parents left him feeling quite shaken.
As for the eldest brother, Shuta, he lived in a university dormitory and rarely came home. When he did, he showed almost no concern for his sisters, being far more selfish than Nori.
Just then, Kobeni rushed back in.
"Kobeni, did that boy already leave?" the eldest sister asked.
"Ah, not yet. Otonashi-kun is still waiting outside."
Kobeni tossed back a quick reply and dashed upstairs to her bedroom to pack. Her sisters were left in a complete daze. What did she mean? What was that boy waiting outside for?
Kobeni began stuffing her clothes and some personal essentials into a suitcase, keeping her school bag on her back. Just a few minutes later, the Higashiyama sisters watched as Kobeni hauled her luggage downstairs.
"Where are you going?"
"Is Sis Kobeni running away from home?"
The sisters pressed her with concerned questions.
"It's not exactly running away. I'm just staying out for a while. I probably won't be back much during this time," Kobeni explained breathlessly. She didn't have time for a long explanation; Otonashi-kun was waiting for her outside, and she couldn't keep him waiting too long.
"I see..."
The sisters still found her behavior suspicious. They exchanged looks and nodded, deciding to sneak out and see what was actually going on. They watched as Kobeni walked away with the youth named Otonashi Chiya; after a short distance, the boy even took the initiative to carry her suitcase.
It couldn't be more obvious!
"I knew it! I knew it! He really is 'Boyfriend-kun'—they're even moving in together!"
"No wonder he was willing to help us. So that was the reason..."
"Sis Kobeni is kind of amazing. To know a Vice-Captain of Tokyo Public Safety... could he really be a classmate from school?"
"..."
Knowing that Kobeni had met such a wonderful boy and could now freely pursue her dreams, they were all genuinely happy for her. Having figured out the situation, the sisters stopped tailing them to avoid being caught.
In reality, Chiya had noticed them following from the start. He simply pretended not to know, since the sisters clearly didn't have any malicious intent.
As they walked, Kobeni was too embarrassed to strike up a conversation. One thought was looping in her mind... Living at Otonashi-kun's house—isn't that basically cohabitation?
The more she thought about it, the more she realized how bold her decision had been! She didn't even know what had come over her earlier when she impulsively suggested staying the night at his place. Would Otonashi-kun think I'm a loose girl?!
Her thoughts were a tangled mess, and her face grew hotter and redder by the second, almost as if she had a fever.
"What's wrong?" Chiya noticed the strange look on her face and couldn't help but ask. Was she actually sick? She didn't look like it...
Startled by his voice, Kobeni's whole body gave a tiny shudder. She instinctively turned to meet his eyes. Seeing Chiya's handsome face while her mind was already reeling made her heart hammer against her ribs like a panicked deer.
[Ding! Host has activated the achievement "Kobeni Higashiyama's Intimacy (Lv. 4)." Reward: 15 Attribute Points!]
Hearing the system notification, Chiya finally realized that the expression on Kobeni's face wasn't quite as simple as he had initially thought.
AN-
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