"Working at a sports store really is a boring job."
"...I shouldn't have brought you."
"Ah, I don't mean to blame you, President. Please don't take it the wrong way."
"I'm the one who should be bothered! Do you even understand what selling means!?"
Shirogane yelled in Takamine's ear.
This shop only had a few customers to begin with, and Takamine had already driven away three groups with his nonsense.
With things like this, even Shirogane—who introduced Takamine—might lose his part-time job.
"Sigh… well, we'll switch to a new location next time anyway. I do feel kind of sorry for the store owner, though."
"President, your part-time jobs aren't fixed?"
"I usually switch places every once in a while," Shirogane explained. "It's a way to gain real-life experience. Though it does cause issues with the scheduling, the good thing about part-time jobs is that you can move around freely."
"As expected of the President. So thoughtful."
"Well, of course..."
Shirogane realized that whether what he said was true or not, Takamine always seemed to believe him. It was rare to have such a trusting student council treasurer.
"So, President, what are your plans after work?"
"It's almost evening. I'll stop by the supermarket for some ingredients and head home to cook dinner. Dad's coming home late today, so it's up to me."
"I see. Then… can I come over to your house?"
"Huh? My house?" Shirogane was a bit surprised.
"Yeah. I haven't eaten yet either. Normally I just have a red bean bun... But don't judge me by my looks—I'm actually pretty good at cooking. I could make us a meal at your place too."
"…"
"Is that a problem?"
"No, not really. If you want to come, sure." Shirogane smiled awkwardly. "But don't expect too much. You'll probably be disappointed."
"You're exaggerating a bit, aren't you?"
---
After wandering around the supermarket for about an hour, the two of them headed to Shirogane's home together.
Since Shirogane had biked more than ten kilometers to get to work, and since the shop they worked at was in a sporting goods mall, Takamine had gone ahead and bought himself a bike too.
Frankly, Shirogane still didn't understand Takamine's behavior. It was full of mysteries. Like who would spend three times their daily wage just to work a job? Or buy a bike just to ride home with someone? Only Takamine would do that.
In Shirogane's bike basket were some discounted groceries—bean sprouts and other cheap ingredients. Takamine's bike, on the other hand, had a massive plastic bag filled with who-knows-what.
Eventually, they parked their bikes in front of an old, rundown apartment building. Shirogane took out a key and headed up the stairs.
"President…"
"What is it?"
"Do you normally live here?"
"Are you surprised?"
"Not really."
Takamine looked at the aging two-story building that looked like a single gust of wind could knock it over. Even from the outside, it smelled a little moldy.
Still, it wasn't bad. Back when he was in the Middle East, Takamine had lived in field tents. By comparison, this was at least a roof over his head.
Climbing the creaky, rusted iron stairs, Shirogane stopped at one of the doors and inserted the key.
"It's a small place, but the rent is only 50,000 yen. That's super cheap for Tokyo. And no key money."
"That's true."
Takamine knew how expensive Tokyo rent was. Finding a place for 50,000 yen was already a miracle.
Click.
The door opened. Takamine called out, "Sorry to intrude," and followed Shirogane inside.
The place was… cramped and oppressive. Maybe not even 30 square meters.
As Takamine stepped in, he noticed a girl with long silver-white hair sitting at the table.
The girl glanced back without saying anything, but when she saw Takamine, her eyes widened in shock.
"Bro, you brought a girl home?"
Takamine: "Huh?"
"Don't be ridiculous. He's a guy—my classmate," Shirogane quickly clarified.
Takamine couldn't help touching his own face.
"Did she just call me a girl...? No way. With this rugged, manly face? Mistaken for a girl?"
Shirogane: "...Kei probably just didn't get a good look. Don't worry about it."
That's when Takamine got a proper look at the girl.
Silver-white long hair, cute face, a cold expression. Her sharp eyes resembled Shirogane's a little.
"President, is that your sister?" Takamine asked.
"Ah, yes. This is my little sister, Kei Shirogane."
"Nice to meet you, President's sister. I'm his loyal lackey—"
"Don't introduce yourself like that!!"
Shirogane quickly stopped Takamine and awkwardly explained, "He's a new transfer student at Shuchiin, a foreign exchange student named Takamine Rinji. He's the student council treasurer."
"Oh. Hello," Kei said indifferently, turning her head away.
"...You and your sister don't get along?"
"It's just a rebellious phase."
"Oh."
Takamine didn't really mind. He glanced toward the kitchen and walked over, setting his bag down.
"Eh? You're gonna cook?"
"I came to your house, I can't just eat for free. Gotta do something, right?" Takamine grinned. "Didn't I tell you? I'm actually pretty good at cooking."
"Thanks, I appreciate it."
"No worries. Oh, right."
Takamine pulled an apron from the side and put it on, pointing at the bag by the kitchen.
"President, help me get the fish."
"Fish? You bought fish too?"
Shirogane didn't think much of it. He opened the bag and found a neatly packed, vibrant red piece of fish.
Then he saw the price tag and nearly passed out.
"One, two, three, four, five, six… six zeros?! What the hell did you buy!?"