245: Dutiful Dark Wings

"Rent?"

"Yes."

They met in the living room of the apartment after school.

Facing Chisato's questioning gaze, Eriri nodded slightly and continued with her thoughts.

"Chisato, you don't have to go out and find an apartment to live in. You just need to pay us rent."

"Okay."

Utaha, who was lying on the sofa, curled up and rested her head on Chisato's lap, letting out a soft sigh at that moment.

From the instant she entered the room to meet him, she couldn't help but make such intimate gestures.

"This apartment was originally rented by Eriri and me for you. We understand what you're thinking, Chisato, and we agree with your perspective." 

"However, if you move out, the rent that the two of us have paid will be wasted. If we move back, this rented apartment will lose its purpose," she explained.

As she spoke, she took Chisato's hands and placed them on her head and waist.

Eriri was quite dissatisfied with such an unconventional and lazy posture, but seeing Chisato frowning in deep thought—and remembering that Utaha had dealt with those troubles alone yesterday and hadn't slept well—she decided it was best not to confront her at that moment.

They waited in silence for Chisato's reply.

After Chisato understood their point and considered it, he agreed. 

He wasn't the type of person to be pretentious or inflexible.

Seeing him nod, they both sighed in relief.

"So, how much am I going to pay you each month?"

Eriri and Utaha had expected this question.

If they revealed too little, Chisato might feel bad; but if they disclosed the actual rent of the apartment, it would put him under considerable financial pressure.

An apartment that costs 800,000 yen a month should be beyond the reach of most people.

In the end, Eriri held out three fingers. This was the amount she and Utaha had settled on after lengthy discussions.

"Thirty... thirty thousand is fine."

Chisato slowly exhaled and couldn't help but smile.

"A high-end apartment in Azabu-Juban in the center of Tokyo can be rented for only 30,000 yen a month. If this price gets out, there will definitely be a lot of people trying to rent this apartment."

"Chisato, don't dismiss it so quickly. Eriri and I both believe this is a reasonable amount," 

Utaha said, lifting her head from Chisato's lap, tucking her legs under her, and sitting next to him in a sideways position to softly comfort him.

"First of all, although this apartment is rented to you, Eriri and I actually stay here occasionally." 

"So, a more accurate way to state it is that the three of us share this apartment. With that in mind, your share of the rent will naturally decrease."

Eriri nodded vigorously beside her, clearly hoping that Chisato would agree with this argument.

However, Chisato was not someone lacking a sense of financial reality. 

Even if the statement held some truth, a rental price of 30,000 yen per month for an apartment in this location and condition was almost too good to be true.

"The current price multiplied by ten is more reasonable. If you can accept that, I'll stay," he stated firmly, no longer wanting to dwell on the apartment topic and laying out his bottom line.

But the amount of 300,000 yen was not what Eriri and Utaha had hoped to hear.

After all, Chisato was just doing odd jobs at an exhibition hall, and a monthly expenditure of 300,000 yen was too much for him.

"Actually, you don't need to worry too much. My actual income is higher than you think. Although 300,000 yen is a bit much for me right now, it is by no means unaffordable," he insisted.

The words Chisato spoke next made Utaha and Eriri exchange uncertain glances.

They both simultaneously thought that Chisato might be trying to show off.

How much could a high school student earn working part-time?

If he worked hard for an hour at 2,000 yen, then three hours a day would only yield 6,000 yen.

By that calculation, his monthly total would only be 180,000 yen. Rounded up, it might hit 200,000 yen, but he would still need to spend part of that on food, transportation, and daily living expenses.

No matter how they looked at it, Chisato's financial situation didn't seem as optimistic as he claimed.

Thus, the two girls fell silent, feeling embarrassed and unable to respond for a long time.

Seeing them like this, Chisato sighed and chose not to elaborate further.

Sometimes, what you see with your own eyes is more convincing than what you hear.

Chisato took out his mobile phone, clicked on his online banking app, displayed his balance, and showed it to both of them.

The two looked at the amount on the screen in disbelief.

More than 420,000 yen... Are high school students' part-time salaries really this high now?

At that moment, Chisato explained, "Of this amount, my part-time salary only accounts for a small portion. I also earn dividends from selling tickets at the store and tips from generous customers. Sometimes, when I do a great job and the store manager happens to be in a good mood, she gives me an extra bonus."

After hearing this, Eriri and Utaha finally began to understand a little better.

However, Chisato had overlooked the most crucial detail.

—The Dark Wings and the Crow Legion it commanded.

Back when they lived in that small, shabby apartment, the crows, under his command, regularly funneled various amounts of money into their accounts.

After moving here, it was unclear if it was due to the wealthier neighbors nearby or the increased number of younger followers, but the money donated by the crows had also risen significantly, making it common to earn tens of thousands of yen every day.

In a sense, the crows were also "supporting" him, much like Eriri and Utaha had done in the past.

According to rough estimates, the number of crows in Tokyo remains around 40,000 year-round.

Initially, the Dark Wings only had a handful of followers, but they gradually gathered crows from a particular street. 

They had worked diligently until now, and in the past few days, the number of followers had successfully exceeded a thousand.

Chisato had no doubt that as time passed, the Dark Wings would be able to conquer all 40,000 crows and become the King of Crows in Tokyo in one fell swoop.

Or perhaps it was more appropriate to call him the King of Birds, as he had occasionally seen pigeons, sparrows, and other birds mingling among the ranks of the Dark Wings' followers.

It could only be said that the emergence of the Dark Wings was extraordinary, and if left to develop freely, they had ventured down a path of extreme absurdity.

Chisato looked forward to the tricks the Dark Wings could perform for him in the future.

But for now, it was essential to address the immediate matters at hand.

Faced with the balance of over 400,000 yen displayed by Chisato, Eriri was the first to react.

The revelation, which exceeded her expectations, caught her off guard, but she also felt genuinely happy!

You can gauge a person's abilities by their capacity to earn money. 

When you discover that the person you love possesses capabilities beyond what you expected, you, as a partner, feel an overwhelming joy that is even better than earning money yourself.

Because of this, Eriri didn't even look at Utaha and decided on her own, "I understand. Just do what you said, Chisato."

Eriri realized that her thinking had been led astray by Utaha's outrageous perspective.

In her two previous lives, no matter when, Chisato had shouldered the burdens of life, shielding her from the storms of the outside world, treating her like a treasure, and caring for her as if she were in the palm of his hand.

He was an exceptional person, capable of handling many things on his own without assistance. 

He could forge ahead without concern, even when mired in a muddy situation with thorns at his feet.

How could he be stymied by the issue of a mere apartment?

She had previously been swayed by Utaha, thinking that tying him down by renting an apartment was not the right approach at all.

After much contemplation, they returned to square one.

However, Eriri didn't dislike this conclusion.

At least their relationship had taken a step forward.

Though it came with the bittersweet news of the challenges ahead.

In the next few minutes, Chisato transferred this month's rent to Eriri's account.

After resolving the apartment issue, Eriri finally felt confident enough to ask the question that had been on her mind for a long time.

"Chisato, who is the girl beside you, besides us and Kazusa?"

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(8/22)

50+ advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta

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