chapter 4:the price of a spider

After finishing their meal, Hotaru stretched and yawned. "I'm sleepy. I'll head to sleep."

Kai, still sitting at the table, leaned back. "I want to take a bath."

Hotaru waved a hand toward the hallway. "Do as you please. The bathroom is that way."

Kai stood up, about to walk off, but hesitated. "I don't have clothes to change into."

Hotaru blinked at him. "Oh. You don't have clothes…" She then shrugged. "Well, I'm the opposite gender, so we can't share clothes. Figure it out yourself."

She turned and walked upstairs, mumbling under her breath, "What a freeloader…"

Before she even reached the top, his voice rang out.

"I can hear you."

Hotaru flinched slightly, then clicked her tongue. "Tch."

Then, Kai added in a firm tone, "And don't call me that. My name is Kai."

Hotaru stopped mid-step and glanced back at him. Huh? Now he tells me his name? After all this time?

She tilted her head, watching him for a moment before scoffing. "Hah? You say that after freeloading off me for a whole night? You should've introduced yourself earlier."

Kai said flatly. "Well, now you know."

Hotaru sighed and rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

She continued up the stairs but found herself repeating his name in her head.

Kai… huh.

Back in her room, Hotaru sat on her bed, rubbing her temples. "Tch. That guy's annoying."

Then she recalled his situation—he had no clothes. Well, not my problem. He can figure it out himself.

But as she lay down, she stared at the ceiling, feeling a slight pang of guilt. Wait… didn't he say he has nowhere to go? He probably doesn't have anything at all…

She groaned, annoyed at herself.

"Tch. Why should I care?"

She tossed and turned, trying to sleep, but the thought lingered. After a few minutes, she sat up abruptly.

"Ugh, fine!" she muttered.

She got up and walked to the storage room where her father's old clothes were kept.

Opening the wooden chest, she hesitated. Her father's scent still lingered in the fabric. It's been years since I last touched these.

She carefully picked out a loose black shirt and some pants. "These should fit him."

Holding the clothes, she took a deep breath. It's not like I'm giving them away… just lending them.

With that thought, she headed downstairs.

When she reached the bottom, she found Kai waiting near the bathroom door.

He raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

Hotaru tossed the clothes at him. "Here. They belonged to my dad, so take care of them."

Kai caught them effortlessly, staring at her with a surprised look. "You sure?"

"Just shut up and take them before I change my mind," she grumbled, turning to head back upstairs.

Kai smirked slightly. "Hah. Thanks, I guess."

She waved him off without looking back.

After returning to her room, Hotaru sat at her desk, flipping open her journal. Sleep didn't seem to come anymore, so she decided to jot down her thoughts.

Just as she started writing, a loud, terrified scream echoed through the house.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!"

Kai, still in the middle of his bath, froze. His instincts kicked in immediately. They found me?!

Without wasting a second, he grabbed his pants, threw them on, and rushed out, still shirtless. He darted up the stairs and slammed open Hotaru's door.

"What happened?!" he demanded. His eyes scanned the room, ready for an ambush. "Are you okay?"

Hotaru, trembling, pointed at the corner of her room. "No, I'm NOT okay!"

Kai tensed, preparing for an attack. "Where did the assassins go? How many were there?"

Hotaru's voice shook. "W-What assassins?! It's right there—th-that terrifying thing!"

Kai followed her gaze—only to see a small, harmless spider on the wall.

He let out a deep sigh, rubbing his forehead. "You've got to be kidding me…"

He relaxed his stance. "So it was just a pesky bug… Here I thought my location was compromised."

As he turned to leave, Hotaru shouted, "Where are you going?! Get rid of it!"

Kai paused at the doorway, smirking slightly. An opportunity…

"What do I get in return?" he asked.

Hotaru blinked in disbelief. "W-What?"

He leaned against the doorframe. "I'm saying… If I take care of that bug, what's in it for me?"

Hotaru's eye twitched. "You… You're seriously bargaining with me over a spider?!"

Kai simply crossed his arms. "A deal's a deal."

"Y-You're so cruel! Just this once, help me out!"

Kai smirked and pretended to leave. "Well, if you don't have an offer, I'll be going—"

"W-Wait!" Hotaru shouted, desperation in her voice. "Fine! I'll grant you one wish!"

Kai raised an eyebrow. "Make that three wishes."

"Three?! That's robbery!"

He took a step toward the door. "Alright then—"

"I AGREE, I AGREE! THREE WISHES! JUST KILL IT ALREADY!" she shrieked.

Satisfied, Kai strode into the room. He casually walked up to the spider, grabbed it barehanded, and tossed it out the window without hesitation.

Hotaru let out a deep breath, finally able to relax. "Ugh… I can finally breathe again…"

Kai stretched, his task complete. "Well, I'll be heading downstairs."

Hotaru, still recovering from the terror, mumbled under her breath, "What a devil…"

From downstairs, Kai's voice rang out. "I can hear you."

Hotaru shivered. Seriously, is he an animal or what?!

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~~~~~~~~~End of Chapter 4~~~~~~~~~

WARNING

This is the original version of the webnovel "Hotaru's assassin" by the author "Hanagaki Ryuka". Please don't copyright or upload it in your name

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O1cON4UEjsjFPMZxqNSY425-fdHW19779uAKscbDsy8/edit?usp=drivesdk