When My Younger Brother Stole My Girlfriend, I Began Living Together with My Beautiful Childhood Friend Almost As If We Were Married - Chapter 39

Episode 39: It’s Test Season

“I wonder what it is. There’s something about Ma-tsun that smells like a rich person.”

“Don’t say that. It’s not that I’m rich, it’s just that the smell of the rich rubbed off on me.”

“What? I’m jealous.”

As I read through the materials distributed in the lecture hall, Amemiya, who was sitting next to me, made that remark.

Since Fuyuka-san moved in about a month ago, not only did we have the incident with the credit card, but she continued to surprise us with her extravagant behavior. And the pattern of Reina expressing her disbelief continued.

Even at lunch that day.

I usually try not to spend more than 1,000 yen when eating out for lunch, and I typically budget around 1,200 yen at the most.

But no. Fuyuka-san took us to a high-end yakiniku restaurant for lunch. The lunch set was unexpectedly priced at 2,500 yen.

As if that wasn’t surprising enough, Fuyuka-san had prepared plenty of delicious food for us. Just ten days ago, when Reina suggested making tonkatsu for lunch, an hour later, splendid Kagoshima black pork was prepared in chunks.

The 60-40 split between Reina and me in terms of living expenses had somehow turned into Fuyuka-san covering everything.

Reina takes care of managing the household finances, but I still feel sorry for her because she’s probably dizzy from looking at the size of the household budget and expenses. Fuyuka-san tends to buy things without looking at the price, so even though our food expenses should only be enough for three people, it was already approaching 150,000 yen.

And scary as it may sound, we were still in the black. It’s a terrifying story if you think about it. Maybe I should try submitting it to a TV station.

Furthermore, Fuyuka-san doesn’t just splurge on food expenses but also on entertainment and clothing, so our standard of living has been raised to a level where it’s hard to return to a normal lifestyle.

The credit card I received feels like the last line of defense, and I think I’ll completely succumb the moment I use it for payment.
“It’s true that there are troubles only those who have money can understand.”

“I thought it was just an urban legend, so I’m freaking out. And since this isn’t money I earned, it’s even more so.”

“But you’re still working part-time, and as long as you use your own money, it’s a reasonable amount, right? You’re still barely managing.”

“I hope so.”

I returned a dry smile.

And then, I glanced at the materials again.

“Anyway, it’s still early in July.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Aren’t the tests too soon!? Normally, tests are at the end of July or the beginning of August, right?”

“If you think about it, it means the summer vacation will be longer. Although there will be end-of-term reports.”

“Noooo!”

Instead of making noise, Amemiya, you should review the materials. I’ve heard that the tests for this class are quite difficult.

Starting from the first half to the middle of July, there are scattered tests for various subjects.

As Amemiya said, friends who went to other universities mentioned that their tests were in the latter half of July. And since most of our university’s tests are scheduled around the same time, maybe it’s just this class and a few others that have early tests.

Well, that’s fine. The problem lies in being asked to submit lengthy end-of-term reports after taking difficult tests.

I think it should be either tests or reports, not both. It’s too much to handle both.

While many other classes choose one or the other, this class is tough in that regard.

“Ma-tsun, are you planning to go somewhere during the summer vacation?”

“Are you finally starting to escape reality?”

“Is it bad to run away!? …So, what’s your plan?”

“Well… I might want to go on a trip.”

“I see. A honeymoon with Reina-chan, right?”

“We’re not married yet, so just a regular trip. And besides, I’ve been invited to trips and drinking parties by the club, so I might want to go to those too.”

“Is it the Outdoor Club? Even ghosts get invited?”

“How rude. I don’t know about other clubs, but aside from long-term activities, my club only has events like the welcome party, so it just looks like I’m not active.”

“The activities include going to the beach for surfing, having barbecues, and going on sightseeing trips, right? So laid-back!”

That’s why I joined, isn’t it? Even though they collect 2,000 yen per month as club dues, there are returns worth more than the monthly dues for every event, so I don’t mind the 2,000 yen.

“Tashikari-kun and Senan are also in the same club, right? I envy you. I might join too.”

“I’ll bring you the application form.”

“Is it still okay to join now? Then I’ll bring it over soon. Where’s the club room?”

“On the second floor of Building 10. I’ll tell the representative via group chat, so all you need to do is submit the application form to the student affairs office.”

As I said to Amemiya, I also thought about inviting Reina to join.

As I continued to ponder how to spend my summer vacation, the chime rang, and the professor entered the lecture hall with test papers in hand.

The atmosphere tensed up. That nervous feeling during tests.

I tightened my grip on the pencil, determined to break through the wall that stood before the enjoyable moments.