After I Started Living Alone, My Place Turned Into a Hangout Spot for Beautiful Girls - Chapter 1: Shizuru Mizutani (Part 1)

Chapter 1: Shizuru Mizutani (Part 1)

When I had just become a second-year high school student, I started living alone.

The reason was that my dad got transferred overseas.

Originally, he wanted to take the whole family with him, but living in an English-speaking country would mean a ton of things to learn, and I couldn’t stand the thought of it.

After desperately refusing, I somehow managed to stay in Japan by myself.

And today marked exactly three months of living alone.

I got used to living on my own, learned to skimp on the living expenses I received, and even figured out a trick to divert some of that money to games and manga.

But because I learned such a trick…

“I’m so hungry I could die…”

I was on the verge of starving to death.

I had 300 yen left in my wallet, and the balance in the account for my allowance was zero.

There was still a week until my next allowance would come in.

No matter where I looked in the house, I couldn’t find any cash, and I considered apologizing to my dad and asking for extra money to be sent.

But if I did that, I’d be shipped off to a foreign country where I couldn’t speak the language, no questions asked.

“It’s obvious we can’t leave you in Japan,” he’d say.

If I relied on my dad, I’d be forced to transfer to a Japanese school overseas, no delays.

Let’s review the situation.

My allowance would arrive in a week.

Until then, I had to survive on whatever food was left in the house.

The only thing resembling food in the house was some eggs that seemed completely rotten.

Yeah, impossible.

Farewell, my beloved Japan.

But just as I was giving up, a revelation struck me.

“Instead of my dad, I could just borrow money from a friend, right?”

Thinking of a way to avoid starvation, I eagerly called a friend.

“Hey, my best bud Kato. It’s me, me. Got a sec?”

“What’s with the creepy vibe… So, what’s up, Teruaki?”

“To be blunt, please lend me some money.”

“Sorry, man. I don’t do lending or borrowing.”

“Come on, please… I’m begging you, Lord Kato!”

“I’d love to help, but… I only got 1,000 yen right now. Why are you so broke, anyway?”

“W-Well, there’s this game I really want.”

I lied.

I kept the fact that I was living alone a secret from my friends.

Why? Because I’d hate for my place to become a hangout spot.

I lived in a standalone house.

It was fairly close to the high school, within walking distance, making it way too perfect as a hangout spot.

I considered inviting friends over.

But, well, that wasn’t possible.

If we got noisy and the neighbors complained, it’d be, “Alright, you’re coming overseas,” and I’d have to say goodbye to Japan.

High school boys are like monkeys who’d shout loudly no matter how much you told them to keep it down.

While I was thinking about this, Kato said to me in an exasperated tone:

“A game, huh… Just hold off, then.”

“No, I really need it. So, about that 1,000 yen… No, never mind. Sorry for pushing.”

I wanted to stay on good terms with Kato.

I didn’t want to beg too hard and make him hate me, so I gave up.

“Alright, catch ya later.”

“Sorry for bothering you this late.”

“Nah, it’s fine.”

I thought about asking another friend to lend me money, but it was midnight.

It was too late, so I decided to ask at school tomorrow.

※

The next day came, and I was struggling with hunger.

When I got to school, before morning homeroom started, I kept asking people to lend me money.

The result was—a complete failure.

No one would lend me anything.

Maybe if I came clean about “living alone” and spending too much money to the point of starving, someone might lend me some.

If I was super careful not to let my place become a hangout, it’d probably be fine… right?

Just as I was about to confess to my friends that I was living alone in a house and ask to borrow money again, a goddess appeared to save me.

“Hey, hey, Teruaki-kun. Is it true you’re in trouble with money?”

The goddess who spoke to me was Shizuru Mizutani.

She was a girl with black hair that suited her bob haircut perfectly.

As a member of the track team, she had an incredibly healthy physique and was considered the school’s most beautiful girl with the best body.

Just being talked to by her made my heart skip a beat.

“Are you saying you’d lend me some?”

“Depends on the amount, I guess~ So, how much do you need?”

“About 2,000 yen… I think that’d be enough.”

“That’s a lot for a high schooler. Well, I could lend it to you?”

“Seriously!?”

“But it’s not for free!”

Pointing at me sharply, Mizutani-san said:

“I’ll do anything I can… please, I’m begging you!”

I didn’t want to go overseas. I wanted to live and die in Japan!

If I could borrow money from Mizutani-san, I wouldn’t need to tell the guys about living alone to get a loan.

I absolutely couldn’t let this chance slip away!!!

“You’re desperate, huh? Alright, in exchange for lending you the money, tell me an embarrassing secret. You know, in case you don’t pay me back, so I can spread it around.”

“That’s all?”

“Haha~ I’m super nice, so your secret’s enough for me~”

“No, that’s too easy. Let me do something to thank you.”

“Aw, you don’t have to worry about that.”

Mizutani-san replied with a smile, as if she’d been expecting my words.

Surprised by how calculating she was, I asked:

“So, what kind of thank-you do you want?”

“Then, give me the right to make you do one thing I say♡”

Her way of asking was so cute it made my heart race.

Maybe because of that, I nodded without thinking, carried by the moment.

“Y-Yes.”

“Yay! You’ll keep your promise, right?”

I wanted to say, “What kind of scary request will she make?” but Mizutani-san was smart and had a great personality, so she wouldn’t “misuse” it.

Yeah, that’s how it had to be.

Since the deal was made, Mizutani-san took two 1,000-yen bills from her wallet and handed them to me.

“Here you go~”

“Thank you so much! Should I write an IOU or something?”

“Hmm, not really, but it sounds fun, so why not?”

I took out a sheet of loose-leaf paper and made something like an IOU.

Some classmates watching this started laughing at me.

“Hahaha, what a loser!”

“He’s a kept man! A kept man!”

“Borrowing money from a girl? Pathetic~”

To anyone watching, I looked like a total failure borrowing money from Mizutani-san.

Even Mizutani-san, who lent me the money, started teasing me.

“Hahaha! Kept man Teruaki-kun. You better pay back that 2,000 yen, okay? I’m not exactly rich, you know.”

“Of course I’ll pay you back, don’t worry. Oh, right. In case I don’t, I’ll send you a secret I don’t want others to know about later via message.”

“Not just the secret—don’t forget about my right to make a request, either.”

“Got it.”

And so, I safely avoided starvation and regained peaceful days.

※

With 2,000 yen for living expenses in hand, I headed to the supermarket.

To survive a week on 2,000 yen, I couldn’t afford luxuries like shopping at a convenience store.

Clutching the newly borrowed money, before heading to the supermarket, I remembered something.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t told Mizutani-san my secret.”

There was a chance I might not be able to pay her back.

To prevent that, I promised to tell her a secret I didn’t want others to know.

Now, what kind of secret would be good?

Something that’d be bad if it got out…

Oh, I had the perfect one.

“Actually, since this spring, I’ve been living alone. I got into money trouble because I spent my living expenses on a game.”

Hmm, that alone might not make it clear to Mizutani-san why it’s a secret I don’t want others to know.

So, I added a follow-up.

“If my guy friends find out I’m living alone, they might turn my place into a hangout, so please don’t tell anyone.”

That should do it.

Feeling like I’d finished a task, I started walking to the supermarket again, but…

I got a reply from Mizutani-san right away.

“Hey, hey, can I come over to your place after club activities today?”

Her sudden request shocked me so much that I stood frozen on my way to the supermarket for a while, unable to move.