When I Helped Out At My Classy Classmate's Family Home, They Started Going All Out To Close In On Me From Every Angle. - Chapter 7: The Story of How I Ended Up Working Part-Time at Japan's Top-Notch Traditional Japanese Restaurant――7

The Story of How I Ended Up Working Part-Time at Japan’s Top-Notch Traditional Japanese Restaurant――7

“Takamine-san, there’s someone I need to contact as soon as possible. Could you wait for a moment?”

“Y-Yes, that’s perfectly fine.”

After getting permission from Takamine-san, I took out my phone.

“What is going on, Mom!?
You never mentioned anything about taking a live-in job!”

Frustrated, I furiously typed the message and hit send.

A few seconds later, my phone buzzed with an incoming call from Mom, almost as if she’d been waiting for my message.

I immediately picked up.

“Surprised?”

With just one sentence, Mom went from being a suspect to the accused.

I could feel the vein in my temple throbbing.

“Of course, I’m surprised! Not only did I not know I’d be living with Takamine-san, but you also went ahead and packed up my stuff without telling me!”

“Yay! Surprise success!”

I could hear Mom’s laughter bursting through the speaker.

At that moment, I genuinely thought, What a terrible person.

Letting out a deep sigh, I pressed on.

“Why didn’t you tell me something this important beforehand?”

“Because if I told you, you’d refuse the part-time job. And that would be a problem.”

“Uwaaaa…!”

I was at a loss for words because she was absolutely right.

If I had known about living with Takamine-san, I probably would have hesitated to take the job. After all, living under the same roof as the most beautiful girl in school was a bit too much for any normal high school boy like me.

As I grimaced at the awkwardness of it all, something Mom had said started to bother me.

She’d mentioned it would be a problem. But why?

“Mom, what do you mean by—”

“Oops, I need to head to my next job now.”

“What? Wait a sec—”

“Bye, Tetsu! Good luck!”

Before I could stop her, she hung up, completely ignoring my protests.

Mom, you’re too free-spirited…and way too much of a headache.

Sighing again, I turned to explain the situation to Takamine-san.

“It seems my mom hid the fact that this job was a live-in…”

“So that’s why you seemed so confused, Kanda-kun.”

“Yeah. Sorry for the trouble. I’ll make sure to give her a good lecture later.”

“And what about you, Kanda-kun?”

“What do you mean?”

“Will you stay and live with us…?”

Takamine-san asked me, gazing directly into my eyes. Her pupils were wavering with a hint of uncertainty.

It dawned on me. While it was clear that the cause of the commotion was my mom, the question of whether or not I’d live with Takamine-san and the others remained unanswered.

A surge of anxiety rose within me, and I became flustered.

“Uh, well… about that, I need a little more time to think,” I stammered.

“Do you not want to live with us?” Takamine-san asked.

Her shoulders slumped as if she were a scolded puppy. Seeing her like this stirred something in my chest.

“I-I don’t mind, but… what about you, Takamine-san? Is it okay with you? Living with a guy… It must be scary, right?”

“Not at all.”

Without hesitation, Takamine-san denied it, and her face softened with a gentle smile.

“Actually, I’d be happy to live with you, Kanda-kun.”

Her smile was as clear and beautiful as moonlight, showing that there was no hint of falsehood in her words.

Her incredibly beautiful smile and the way she spoke as if she truly trusted me made my heart race.

That was unfair… If you show me a face like that and say something like that, how could I possibly refuse?

I was probably blushing deeply. Embarrassed, I cleared my throat in an attempt to cover it up.

Well, sure, I felt nervous, but there was also excitement within me. Plus, it would be difficult to return the things she sent me, anyway.

I justified my thoughts in my mind, then returned a smile to Takamine-san.

“Well then, I’ll be in your care from now on, Takamine-san.”

“Please just call me Ayame.”

“Huh?”

“There are many Takamine-san’s in this house, right? It would be confusing if you kept calling me that.”

Takamine-san squinted her eyes mischievously, like a playful child.

Flustered, I scratched my cheek and averted my gaze, then finally said it.

“A-Ayame-san.”

“No need for the ‘san.’ It sounds too formal, doesn’t it?”

W-Whoa, what an advanced request! I had to muster up all my courage just to say that!

I groaned softly, trying to calm my nerves with a deep breath.

With a voice that was about to tremble, I called out again.

“…Ayame.”

“Yes, Tetsu-kun~.”

Takamine-san—no, Ayame—bloomed into a full smile.

Somehow, this feeling was so bittersweet.

The warmth that had begun to fade from my face suddenly surged back. Trying to hide my embarrassment, I quickly changed the subject.

“R-Right! Now that it’s settled, I should start unpacking!”

“If that’s the case, I’ll help too.”

“No, you don’t have to go that far. Besides, there’s stuff like underwear, you know?”

“Ah… Y-Yes, I see. I should have been more considerate.”

Ayame blushed, looking flustered. So cute.

“W-Well then, if you need help, just come to the room next door.”

“Next door?”

“Yes.”

Ayame smiled sweetly as she saw my confused expression.

“My room is next to yours, Tetsu-kun.”

“…Huh?”

A completely bewildered voice slipped out of me.

“If you ever need extra help, we can call Mikage. She lives in this house too.”

“Eh? I-I don’t… wait, what?”

“Feel free to call me anytime.”

With each shocking revelation, my brain was struggling to keep up.

Ayame gave a small bow before leaving the room.

The door clicked shut behind her, and the room fell into silence.

With robot-like movements, I slowly turned my head to the left, creaking as I did.

On the other side of that wall, Ayame lives her daily life. The most beautiful girl in school, living out her personal life, just on the other side of a single wall.

The moment I imagined it, my whole body heated up as though it might melt.

I covered my eyes with my hands, mumbling weakly to myself.

“…I wonder if everything will be okay… with everything.”