I'm a Kept Man for the Three Most Beautiful Girls in School - Chapter 05: The Start of Being a Kept Man, Part 1

Chapter 05: The Start of Being a Kept Man, Part 1

By mid-April, the cherry blossoms had started to fall. 

For some reason, it felt especially sad to see them go this year.

Today was my day off from my part-time job. While playing cards with my little sister, Akari, at home, I received a message from Dad saying, “Have dinner with Akari first.”

We lived in a single-parent household. Our mother had passed away when I was in elementary school.

Dad worked late into the night and often came home late. On those nights, Akari and I had dinner together. When I worked late, Akari ate alone.

Since she often felt lonely, I wanted to do as much as I could for her as her older brother on days like these. To outsiders, I might seem like an overly doting brother, but with my family-first mindset, I didn’t care what others thought.

By the way, Akari was in her third year of middle school.

She had a gentle and kind personality. She rarely complained and always put her family first. There were countless times when her kindness moved me deeply.

This kind of pain was synonymous with happiness. For my beloved sister, I wanted to give my all.

So here I was at the supermarket, shopping for dinner ingredients. I thought of making nikujaga (meat and potato stew), simmered hijiki (seaweed), and miso soup with tofu and wakame.

Homemade meals were cheaper than store-bought ones (depending on how you cook) and better for our health in terms of nutritional balance.

I checked out the vegetable, meat, seafood sections, and grocery aisles, picking up what I needed. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone familiar.

(Isn’t that… Karasuma-san and Ono-san?)

They were both in their school uniforms. 

Karasuma-san was wearing her usual black mask, and Ono-san was wandering around with her skirt just within the school dress code limits.

(What are they doing here?)

This was the supermarket near the station. 

Karasuma-san didn’t live nearby. She lived in an apartment in the next city, so there shouldn’t be any reason for her to come all the way here to shop.

They didn’t have shopping baskets or bags and were wandering around the store looking suspicious. If I had to say, they seemed like they were up to something…

Well, their outstanding looks made them more noticeable than their strange behavior.

Either way, it had nothing to do with me. 

We weren’t close enough for me to start a conversation, and I would probably just make things awkward if I did.

I decided to go in the opposite direction, through the vegetable section, and head to the checkout.

I paid for my groceries and was about to head home without any issues when…

I felt a tap on my shoulder just as I was leaving the store.

When I turned around, there stood Karasuma-san.

(Whoa…!?)

I never thought they would notice me, so I was really surprised.

Seeing my reaction, Karasuma-san put her hands together apologetically. 

Even though she was wearing a mask, her gesture made it clear she was saying sorry.

“Sorry, Kyosaka, did I startle you?”

“Oh, no, it’s fine.”

I replied awkwardly.

“What are you doing now, Kyosaka?”

“I have the day off from my part-time job. I’m shopping for dinner.”

“Are you cooking it yourself?”

Karasuma-san asked in a playful, childlike tone.

“Yeah, I am.”

“Wow, really? Hey, Kyosaka, do you want to have some tea at that café over there? Tsukasa is there too.”

She pointed to a café in the supermarket parking lot. Standing in front of it was Ono-san, who I had just seen.

Did she teleport or something?

Wait a second.

(Am I being invited?)

But I need to get the vegetables and meat in the fridge quickly, and my sister is waiting at home, hungry.

…But… maybe just for a little bit?

(Opportunities like this don’t come often, so maybe just for today…)

Thinking this, I nodded.

I felt a bit guilty since I had promised Akari a delicious dinner. But I told myself that dinner wouldn’t run away and decided to accept Karasuma-san’s invitation.

It probably wouldn’t take too long.

Seeing my response, Karasuma-san smiled brightly.

Clearly happy, she started walking toward the café. I followed her.

Ono-san, standing by the signboard in front of the café, waved cheerfully, and I waved back, albeit a bit hesitantly.

※

“What were you two doing at the supermarket?”

“Well… just a little something.”

“Where should we start explaining?”

Karasuma-san and Ono-san both avoided my question, sipping their drinks through straws.

Two of the school’s top idols—the “Three Beauties of the School”—inviting someone like me for tea was something that just didn’t happen.

(What is this about…?)

I felt a vague sense of unease.

It was like wandering through a foggy maze, never quite reaching the center.

Do they have some complaints against me?

If so, I should just apologize. But remembering Karasuma-san’s smile from earlier, it didn’t seem like that kind of situation…

“By the way, Daigo-san isn’t here today?”

Not seeing the third member of their trio, I asked Karasuma-san and Ono-san.

“Sakurako headed to your place ahead of us.”

“Huh…?”

(Why is she going to my house?)

I didn’t even understand why these two invited me for tea in the first place…

Sensing my confusion, Ono-san perked up like she was answering a quiz show question and spoke cheerfully.

“You forgot your notebook. Sakurako said you wouldn’t know today’s homework without it.”

“I see…”

So that’s what it was. She went out of her way to bring the notebook to my house. Is Daigo-san some kind of saint?

“Since she went ahead, you must have been looking for me, right? Are you two planning to come to my house too?”

“Yeah… actually, we already went.”

“Yeah, and when you weren’t there, we asked your sister where you were. She said you went to the supermarket.”

“…”

I couldn’t help but look back and forth between Karasuma-san and Ono-san.

They both smiled mischievously, like kids up to no good. 

Even with Karasuma-san wearing a mask, I could tell from her eyes.

“Well, I’m glad you brought the notebook, but wouldn’t it have been normal to just give it to my sister and leave? Why did you come all the way here to get me?”

“Well, that’s our own reason, I guess?”

Karasuma-san replied playfully, and Ono-san nodded in agreement.

(Their own reason…?)

I had no idea what that meant and didn’t really want to understand.

“To be honest, we want to get closer to you, Okeihan. We also wanted your sister to understand that, so we left Sakurako, who’s good at explaining, at your place.”

Yeah. That didn’t clear things up at all.

“Want me to guess what you’re thinking right now? ‘Why do they want to get close to someone like me?'”

“Huh?”

Is Karasuma-san some kind of mind reader from an academic city?

By the way, the academic city isn’t just a fictional place; it’s an actual area in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture.

But that’s not important right now.

“How did you know?”

“It’s obvious.”

“You’re so clueless, Okeihan. We want to know more about you, including Sakurako.”

“This makes no sense to me…”

I really didn’t understand.

Why would someone like me catch the attention of the school’s top beauties?

Logically, this was an impossible scenario, and I couldn’t think of any plausible explanation.

It felt like a fantasy. A complete fantasy.

“Hey, remember when you said you were working part-time for your sister, Kyosaka? That really touched us.”

“Yeah, Chikage, Sakurako, and I were thinking about how we could help.”

They both spoke in turn. 

It’s true that I work part-time for my sister. But to think they wanted to be friends just because of that—it’s not something most people would consider. Besides, this is a Kyosaka family matter.

“I appreciate your concern.”

“Kyosaka, why don’t you quit your current job and work with us instead?”

“Eh?”

“The three of us run a doujin circle and we’re looking for someone to help out.”

“You mean… help with your work?”

They both nodded.

“Only if you’re okay with it. How does 4,000 yen per hour sound?”

“4,000 yen!?”

You never see such high wages in part-time job ads. Maybe in Tokyo, you could find jobs like that, but here in Kyoto, the options for students are quite limited.

“Tsukasa, that’s too low. Kyosaka, how about 5,000 yen per hour?”

“F-f-f-five thousand yen…?”

This is starting to feel like a sketchy job offer… 

Well, it actually is pretty suspicious.

In today’s world, an hourly wage of 5,000 yen definitely has a catch. It must be some kind of shady job.

I don’t want to doubt them, but I can’t help but have my suspicions.

But Karasuma-san and Ono-san looked completely serious.

(They don’t seem like bad people.)

Still… it sounds too good to be true.

“By the way, what kind of work would I be doing?”

“Well… there’s a lot we need help with. Like massaging our shoulders and feet.”

“I draw a lot, so I’d need hand massages too.”

What? Massaging the shoulders and hands of the school’s top beauties—and getting paid for it?

This is definitely strange. 

There’s no way such a high-paying part-time job exists.

This is kind of scary.

(Maybe I should politely decline—)

Just as I thought that, Karasuma-san grabbed my hand tightly.

Then, she leaned in so close I could feel her breath through her mask and looked directly into my eyes.

T-Too close…!

“Is 5,000 yen not enough…? Then how about—”

“Wait, wait… I can’t take that much money from classmates… Also, why do you and Ono-san want my help?”

“Why? We already told you. We want to talk to you and help you out, Kyosaka.”

Karasuma-san gave me a gentle smile, even through her mask.

(…)

“I understand what you mean, Okeihan, but we’re not short on money.”

“Yeah, we earn enough from our doujin activities.”

“But that’s money you all worked hard to earn. I can’t just take it…”

“I see. So, you don’t like us, Kyosaka…”

Karasuma-san looked sad.

“No, it’s not that…”

“Then it’s settled. Okeihan, you’re starting at my place tomorrow.”

“Honestly, it’s a very tempting job offer, but…”

Becoming friends with the school’s top beauties felt like a dream. But deepening our relationship through a part-time job felt wrong.

Getting paid to fulfill their requests felt less like a job and more like freeloading.

“Let’s ask your sister to decide.”

“Yeah, that sounds fair. You’d want an objective opinion, right?”

“Uh, yeah…”

Overwhelmed by their insistence, I had no choice but to nod.

“It’s settled. Tsukasa, go pay the bill.”

“Don’t just boss me around like that!”

Ono-san joked as she stood up and headed to the register.

Karasuma-san lowered her black mask to her chin and gave me a gentle smile. She leaned close to my ear and whispered sweetly.

―We’re going to have a lot of fun.

My heart leaped like it had taken a powerful uppercut.