"Today, you can start by teaching Denji first-grade content. Oh, right, I almost forgot to introduce you."
Chiya turned to Higashiyama Koharu and introduced, "This is my younger sister, her name is Denji."
"Oh, oh!"
Higashiyama Kobeni nodded and then turned to Denji, who was sitting nearby. "Nice to meet you."
Denji had been sitting there from the beginning, and Kobeni could feel that Denji's gaze was constantly on her.
Although Denji was not particularly willing, since Chiya was beside her, she still responded obediently, "Nice to meet you too."
Seeing that Denji didn't seem to dislike her, Kobeni felt slightly relieved.
"Regarding payment, do you prefer to be paid daily or monthly? I can accommodate either." Chiya brought up the topic of salary.
"If possible, I would prefer to be paid daily..." Kobeni weakly requested.
"No problem, then daily it is. Also, the hourly wage during the probation period is 2,000 yen. After that, depending on your performance, the wage will increase."
Chiya didn't want to offer a high wage right away. After all, they didn't know each other well, and being overly generous could easily raise suspicion.
So, once the probation period was over, he would definitely give Kobeni a raise—unless she decided to quit on her own.
"Got it! I'll do my best!"
Kobeni felt more and more motivated as she listened.
Right now, she was full of energy!
"I'll head back for now, and I'll come over in the evening to tutor Denji."
Kobeni stood up and bowed again to Chiya.
"Alright, see you later." Chiya responded.
After leaving the apartment, Kobenihappily made her way home.
Halfway there, she suddenly remembered something.
"Ah! I almost forgot!"
Her family had asked her this morning to buy discounted potatoes and tissues on sale. If she returned empty-handed, she would definitely get scolded.
She immediately ran toward the supermarket.
...
About ten minutes later.
Kobeni carried two packs of tissues and a large bag of potatoes, with one pack containing over a dozen rolls.
Just as she exited the supermarket, she ran into a few girls wearing the same school uniform as hers. Coincidentally, they were even her classmates.
"What a coincidence, Higashiyama-san."
"You were almost attacked by a devil earlier today. Are you alright now?"
"Do you need help? You look like you're struggling a bit."
Her classmates showed concern for her.
However, Kobeni suddenly looked panicked and bolted away as if escaping.
Leaving behind her confused classmates.
One of them even doubted herself. "Did I get her name wrong? Was that really Higashiyama-san?"
"No, that was definitely her. But she's always been like this. I've hardly ever seen her chat or play with other classmates."
"I heard her family is struggling financially. It seems true now, buying so many discounted items at once."
"..."
After getting far from the supermarket, Kobeni finally slowed down.
She let out a sigh of relief before continuing home.
She rarely interacted with her classmates and hardly had any friends. She found dealing with others troublesome and didn't like bothering people either.
At that moment, Kobeni mumbled to herself, "Ah, should I tell Mom and Dad about my part-time job? Maybe I shouldn't for now... If I don't get paid, they'll just lecture me..."
...
Around 7 PM.
Kobeni seemed to have come over right after dinner.
At this moment, Chiya had just put on his security uniform and was about to head out. "I'm stepping out for a bit, so I'll leave Denji in your care. I'll be back around nine to settle your pay."
"Understood." Kobeni nodded.
After Chiya left, she walked to the bedroom door. Hesitating for a moment, she took a deep breath to prepare herself before knocking lightly. "Denji, may I come in?"
"Come in~"
Denji's voice dragged out, sounding less than friendly.
Kobeni felt a little uneasy, but she forced a smile and pushed open the door.
The most noticeable things in Denji's room were the television and various gaming devices—all bought by Chiya for her.
Denji was currently playing a fighting game with Pochita, engaging in a one-on-one battle.
Seeing this, Kobeni suddenly felt a tinge of envy—Denji had a big, beautiful bed, could play all kinds of games, and even had a pet that looked a bit strange but was undeniably cute...
Wait!
That pet... was playing a game?!
Kobeni eyes widened in shock, thinking she must be seeing things. "W-What's going on?!"
"That's Pochita. He's a devil, not an ordinary pet."
Denji glanced at Kobeni and explained.
"Eh...?"
Kobeni took a moment to process the information before reacting in shock. "A devil?!"
"Don't make such a big deal out of it. Pochita doesn't hurt people. He's a very obedient and adorable devil."
Denji's tone carried a hint of exasperation, as if she was mocking Kobeni's ignorance.
"I see... Ahaha..." Kobeni smiled awkwardly.
Pochita did look friendly, but she was still a bit uneasy.
At this moment, Denji put down her game controller and whispered to Pochita, "Pochita, I need to study now. No more games. If Chiya-nii finds out I'm not studying properly, he might dislike me."
"Wahoo~"
Pochita, understanding Denji's words, obediently responded.
Seeing how closely and harmoniously Denji and Pochita interacted, Kobeni relaxed a little.
She took out a book from her bag and placed it on the desk. It was her youngest sister's first-grade textbook—her sister was now in second grade and no longer needed it. Luckily, it hadn't been sold yet.
Unlike Kobeni's old textbooks, which her parents had already sold as scrap.
She remembered clearly that Chiya—oh no, Boss—wanted her to start teaching from first-grade material.
"I don't know many characters. Can you teach me how to read and write first?" Denji sensibly asked.
"Of course! Let's start here."
Kobeni began with family-related words. "This is 'father,' this is 'mother,' this is 'older brother,' and this is 'younger sister'..."
She was in the middle of explaining when Denji, who had been quietly listening, suddenly spoke up. "I'm not actually Chiya-nii's real sister, so don't get the wrong idea."
Hearing this sudden and inexplicable statement, Kobeni was momentarily stunned. "Huh...?"
Seeing the seriousness in Denji's eyes, Kobeni had no idea what she meant.
Was there some special meaning behind not being a biological sister?
Little did she know—Denji had already started seeing her as a 'rival' in a certain sense!