Chapter Sixteen: Should We Meet, Qiong?

As the ambulance arrived in a flurry of sirens and left just as hastily, Aoki Shi sat at the entrance of the Kendo Club with a sour expression. He turned to look at Saeko Busujima, whose face remained calm, and said, his tone full of frustration, "Busujima-senpai, I'll pay you back for the ambulance fee as soon as I can."

"There's no need," Saeko replied with a gentle smile, her violet hair shimmering in the sunlight. "He broke the rules of kendo—this is a lesson in arrogance for him. I'll make sure he covers the cost himself, so don't worry about it. Besides, as captain and referee, I was at fault for allowing him to participate without protective gear."

"Oh." Hearing this, Aoki felt much more at ease. He wasn't worried about Ishihara seeking revenge later on, just concerned he might be asked for money.

If it hadn't been for An Kasugano making him a bento for lunch today, he would've gone hungry again. He truly didn't have a single yen to his name, and he was too proud to ask Masao Kasugano for money.

Seeing that Aoki was about to leave, Saeko Busujima suddenly called out to him, "Is this your second day practicing kendo, Aoki?"

"Ah? Yeah," Aoki nodded, then, as if remembering something, waved the wooden sword in his hand. "I wanted to practice at home—can I take the bokken back with me? Yesterday, I took it without asking you, Busujima-senpai."

That was why he had brought the wooden sword to school again today—he wanted to formally get her permission.

"It's fine, it's only a wooden sword," Saeko replied, folding her arms. The curves beneath her uniform became even more pronounced, though she seemed unaware, simply tilting her head with interest as she studied him. "Your kendo has improved quickly, Aoki. With talent like yours, by your second year, I believe you could compete in various tournaments. Perhaps you'll even become the second swordsman to serve as captain in your second year—after me. If you're interested in kendo, you're welcome to come practice at the club every day after school; I'll be glad to coach you seriously."

"Ah, if nothing special comes up, I suppose I'll be there," Aoki replied, scratching his head. The smooth bald spot still showed not a single hair, which annoyed him a little. Then, almost as an afterthought, he asked, "Senpai, do you know of any part-time jobs that pay well?"

She looked surprised, perhaps not expecting a delinquent like him to be considering a job. After thinking for a while, she answered earnestly, "I'm sorry, I don't know much about that. But if you need a part-time job, I can ask around for you."

"No, it's fine, I'll look myself," Aoki said with a wave, smiling. "No need to trouble you, Busujima-senpai. Well then, that's all for today. You should head home soon too. It'll be dark before long, and it's dangerous for a girl to walk home alone."

Saeko couldn't help but laugh softly at that. "Don't worry, I always carry my bokken with me. There's nothing to fear."

This guy is quite amusing... It's been a long time since anyone worried about me like that, Saeko thought, watching him with a smile tugging at her lips. He seemed more interesting than he appeared on the surface. "Still, thank you for your concern, Aoki."

"Alright, see you," Aoki said, slinging his bag over one shoulder in a carefree gesture and waving as he turned to leave.

"Aoki, thank you!" Suddenly, a voice from behind made him pause. He turned to see Saimu bowing deeply, gratitude all over his face. "Thank you!"

With that, Saimu scampered off without looking back, like a girl who had just handed over a love letter.

Aoki couldn't help but smile, knowing Saimu was grateful because he'd given Ishihara a thorough beating on his behalf. Without giving it much thought, he started wandering aimlessly around the area between his school and home, pondering where he might find a part-time job.

He was like a blind cat searching for a dead mouse—doing his best and leaving the rest to fate.

But luck was rarely on his side. By the time night had fallen and he returned home, he still hadn't found any job that paid the promised five thousand yen per hour. There were a few not-so-bad options, like three thousand a day, but they were all skilled labor. Aoki was willing to grit his teeth and spend a skill point learning bartending or cooking to earn money, but as soon as potential employers learned he was a high school student, they dismissed him, telling him to wait for news that would never come.

What on earth does this system want from me? he wondered, sighing more in recent days than he ever had in his previous life.

When he got home, the Kasugano couple had already prepared dinner. They asked why he was so late, and after he explained he'd been practicing with the Kendo Club, they all sat down to eat.

"Um..." Masao Kasugano began awkwardly as he glanced at Aoki. "Aoki-kun."

"Yeah?" Aoki replied, still chewing enthusiastically. He noticed the couple exchanging worried looks and asked, "Uncle, Auntie, has something happened?"

"Well..." Masao nodded. "My father’s been recovering back in our hometown, but the latest news isn’t good—he might not last much longer. I need to send Aunt An back to take care of him for a bit, and I happen to have an unavoidable business trip coming up. So for at least a week, we’ll both be away." He took a sip of tea, his face clouded with worry. "Sora’s health isn’t very good. After talking with her, your aunt found she really doesn’t want to go back to the countryside..."

"Could you look after Sora for us? I’ll be back in a week at the earliest—just a week. All you need to do is make sure she eats."

Masao looked embarrassed. If Aoki hadn’t shown such improvement lately, he wouldn't have made this decision—but he was still uneasy. He’d heard of Aoki’s past misdeeds; could a delinquent really take care of Sora?

An Kasugano put down her chopsticks. "If you can’t cook, I’ll leave you some money—just buy her meals from outside. Honestly, Sora doesn’t need much looking after otherwise."

Aoki nodded, not finding it difficult, but he did have one concern. "Breakfast and dinner are fine, but I’m usually at school during lunch. I’m worried I won’t have time to come back and forth."

"That’s alright," the couple replied, visibly relieved. Their tone softened. "She can order delivery for lunch. We just don’t want her eating takeout for every meal. Food safety is a concern these days, and you never know about delivery drivers."

"No problem at all," Aoki said with a gentle smile. "I can cook—just leave me some money for groceries, and I’ll handle the rest."

"Thank you, Aoki-kun," Masao said, still a bit anxious. But since Aoki would be living with them for nearly three more years, he had to try to trust the boy who seemed so much more mature now. If it turned out Aoki couldn’t handle it, they could always check in by phone or ask a friend for help.

"Then, should we let Sora and Aoki-kun meet first?" An Kasugano suggested, making Aoki quite interested.