Chapter 11 - Dinner's on the table!

I was still folding some shirts when I heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," I said without looking.

The door opened slowly, and Ryo poked her head inside. She leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed.

"Dinner's ready," she said.

I nodded and closed the dresser drawer before following her. When we got near the kitchen, Ryo told me to sit down, approached the stairs, and shouted:

"SHIZURI, COME EAT!!! DINNER'S ON THE TABLE!"

Her scream made my ears ring. I was paralyzed for a moment, amazed at the difference between the calm Ryo and the one who had just shouted with all her might.

'What was that...?'

My expression must have been funny because Ryo noticed and laughed quietly.

"Sorry about that. She always has her headphones on and never listens to me unless I shout. If I don't shout, she doesn't come."

And, as if waiting for this cue, hurried footsteps came down from upstairs.

Within seconds, a pink-haired girl appeared, rushing down the stairs. She jumped down the last few steps, landing with a small thud before raising her head and noticing me.

When her blue eyes met mine, my heart skipped a beat. She was beautiful, really beautiful. With long pink hair and a pair of eyes the color of a crystal-clear lake, she looked like one of those characters you only see in anime.

A broad smile appeared on her face as she looked at Ryo. "Hey, you didn't tell me we were having a visitor!" she said, walking over to us.

"He's not exactly a visitor. Nishida, this is Shizuri. Shizuri, this is Nishida."

Shizuri put her hands on her waist. "So you're the guy Dad hired?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Hired...? If you mean 'the guy who just moved here,' then yes. I'm that guy."

"You'll have time to talk over dinner. Come and eat before it gets cold," Ryo said, taking a seat at the table.

We sat down at the table, where three steaming plates of tonkatsu were already waiting for us. The smell was delicious, and my stomach rumbled involuntarily, betraying my hunger.

The first crunchy piece of meat touched my tongue, and I had to stop myself from letting out a satisfied sound.

"This is fantastic," I said, chewing.

"Ryo cooks well, huh?" Shizuri said with a smile. "But don't get used to it. Some days she even burns water."

"Hey!" Ryo glared at Shizuri.

I laughed, taking a sip of water.

"So, Nishida, you're a freshman in college, huh? That's the only reason a guy would live in a cubicle room in this area instead of renting an apartment further away," Shizuri said.

"Yeah, I'm starting my first year next Monday."

"Cool! I'm in my second year, so I'm your senpai. Maybe we'll bump into each other there."

"What are you studying?"

"Family business..." she said, and I had no idea what that meant. Then she continued: "Architecture. And you?"

"Economics."

Shizuri grimaced. "That sounds... boring."

"And architecture doesn't?" I said, but what I really thought was: 'You're not interested in economics because you're already rich.'

"I enjoy drawing, so no. But do you like numbers, or did you just choose it because of the money?"

"A bit of both."

She laughed. "Well, at least you're honest."

The conversation flowed surprisingly naturally. Shizuri was a cheerful person and asked questions, so that made it much easier. Unlike her, Ryo didn't say a word throughout dinner.

When we had all finished dinner, Ryo spoke up:

"Now, you can leave the dishes with me and go to your rooms. Hayato may arrive at any moment, and he won't like to see you, Nishida, interacting so freely with his daughter."

"Mom..." Shizuri, embarrassed by the comment, said.

"It's the truth, daughter. By the rules he gave Nishida, he couldn't even be sitting at this table."

"Okay, that's true," I said and stood up. "Thank you for dinner, Mrs. Morioka. It was delicious. Have a great evening, you two."

With a sigh, I closed the door to my room and leaned my back against it.

Dinner had been more enjoyable than I'd expected, but the way Ryo cut off the conversation and practically threw me off the table made it clear she didn't want to see me talking too much with her daughter.

'But if Hayato isn't coming back today, why did she tell the table that she didn't want Hayato to find me talking to Shizuri? I don't know... Maybe she's just being cautious,' I thought, as I picked up my phone and checked the notifications.

It was then that I saw Haru's message:

[Haru: Hey, Nishida. There's a waiter's job for tonight. It pays well and there's a special bonus. Do you want it?]

I definitely needed money. What Ryo had given me had practically run out. After paying the rent on the old apartment and the moving truck, I only had 10,000 yen left in my wallet. That wasn't even enough to survive the rest of the month, let alone cover any emergencies.

[Me: What time?

Haru: From 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. It's in a youth bar, so you don't need to dress formally. (dress clothes)

Me: Where?

Haru: I'll send you the address later. Confirmed then?

Me: Confirmed.]

Then I looked at the clock. It was already past 9 p.m. I could rest my stomach a bit, change, and then call for a car to the address.

Half an hour later, as I left the room with a backpack on my back and was walking toward the door, I heard a discreet sound behind me.

Khum!

A clearing of the throat.

I turned my head slowly and saw Ryo on the stairs, her arms crossed over her chest. She was wearing an almost transparent lilac sweater, which highlighted her curvy figure and moon-white skin.

"Leaving at this hour, Nishida-kun?" she asked.

Part of me knew that something like this would happen, so I tried not to make a sound as I left the room. I scratched the back of my head a little and said:

"I got a one-night job."

She sighed and slowly uncrossed her arms, resting one hand on the banister of the staircase. "You remember why Hayato allowed you to live here, right?"

I was expecting this conversation. Hayato made it clear from the start that I wasn't just there for charity. He needed someone to stay in the house when he was away, someone who could take action if something happened. It was an agreement.

"Yes, I remember."

"Then you should know that you can't just go out in the middle of the night and leave the house with no one to protect it."

"I've already done that. I've already scared a guy off. And I'm sure others won't show up. Besides, your husband gave me a good discount on the rent, but I can't just live my life around that. I need to work, earn money to pay for college, my rent, and everything else."

Ryo put one hand on her chin and thought for a few moments.

"Hm... If you really need money, maybe there's an easier way to get it," she said as she approached me.

I swallowed, wondering what she was going to say. 'Is she going to want to do that again? And this time under her husband's roof?'

"What kind of way?" I asked.

"A friend of mine is having 'problems getting pregnant'. How about I refer you to help her with that?"