chapter 3:a stubborn guest

The boy looked at her with weary eyes. "Don't you feel pity for me?"

Hotaru raised an eyebrow, her thoughts running wild. This guy... seriously?

She crossed her arms. "I don't feel pity for you."

The boy scoffed. "You inhumane creature!"

"So what?" Hotaru shot back. "Even if I feel pity, what can I do?"

"Take me with you."

Hotaru blinked, caught off guard. "What?" she blurted. "Are you crazy? I'm only eighteen!"

"So am I," he said flatly.

Hotaru frowned. "You don't understand, do you? I can't take you with me by any legal means. First, because of my age—I can't adopt you. Second, I can't marry you; I'm not of marriageable age. And most importantly, I don't have enough money to raise you!"

"I'm not asking you to raise me," he said. "Just take me in. I'll pay for my stay."

"No."

"Why not? I thought you were worried about money, so I'm willing to pay my share."

Hotaru narrowed her eyes. "If you have money, then go live on your own."

"I don't have money."

Her eye twitched. "Then why did you say you'd pay?"

He smirked. "I didn't lie. I'll pay you with my services."

Hotaru let out a frustrated sigh. "You're really stubborn. This conversation is never-ending." She sighed again, rubbing her temples. "It's late, and your body isn't in good condition, so—"

"So you'll take me in?" he interrupted, grinning.

Her jaw clenched. "No!"

His grin widened mischievously. "If you don't take me in, I'll die. And before dying, I'll tell everyone my cause of death was you."

Hotaru froze, her mind racing. If he says that... I'll be branded a murderer! I could go to jail for life... or even face execution!

Her throat went dry. With a deep sigh, she finally muttered, "Fine. I'll take you in."

His victorious smile made her regret her decision instantly.

Looking displeased, she pointed at the room below. "You stay there. My room is upstairs."

Later, in the kitchen, she cracked eggs into a pan. The aroma of omelet rice filled the air. "You hungry?" she asked over her shoulder.

"Not really," he replied, uninterested.

"You sure?" she teased with a smug grin. "It's my specialty, you know."

Silence.

She huffed. What a brat.

Then—

"It does have a decent scent."

A voice right behind her.

Hotaru yelped, nearly dropping the pan. She spun around.

The boy tilted his head. "What happened?"

"Don't sneak up on me like that! What if I had a heart attack?!"

He stared at her for a moment. "Was it my fault? If it was, I'm sorry."

Hotaru sighed. "It's okay."

She crossed her arms, curiosity sparking in her eyes. "But seriously, how did you get here without making a sound? The door's super creaky."

He straightened proudly. "Ahem! That's because... it's a ninja technique."

Hotaru gave him a flat look. "Oh, really?"

He leaned in, lowering his voice. "Actually, I'm a shinobi."

She chuckled. He smiled—a genuine, boyish smile.

"The technique's called stealth," he continued. "A shinobi moves like air, unnoticed."

Hotaru grinned. "And the door?"

He took out a strange, unlabeled spray bottle. "This is my invention. Spray it on hinges, and they won't creak."

She raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? Are you a burglar or something?"

Ignoring her, he sat down at the table.

Hotaru dug into her omelet rice and beamed. "Wow! My food is the best in the world!"

The boy burst her bubble immediately. "Well... it's not the worst food in the world."

She glared. "If you don't like it, don't eat it!"

He said nothing, simply taking another bite.

And just like that, an odd new routine begin.

~~~~~~~~~~End of chapter 3~~~~~~~~~

WARNING

Hotaru's assassin © 2025 by Hanagaki ryuka is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/