As the Asato family's VIP sedan glided closer to the Kobayashi residence, Kuroha Akira spotted Tashiro Kurenai walking ahead on the sidewalk. He immediately called out to the driver, Rui-san.
"Rui-san, you can drop me off here."
"My mission is to deliver you safely to the main gate of the Kobayashi residence. This is not yet the destination."
Rui-san, ever the serious type, was meticulous about her duties. Asato Hitomi had instructed her to drive Kuroha Akira to Kobayashi, and she intended to see that order through to the very end.
"You don't have to be so rigid. I saw someone I know—that's why I asked you to stop. She's also a resident at Kobayashi. We can walk back together; it's not far anyway."
"I see. Understood. I will pull over now."
Hearing that Kuroha Akira was about to meet another tenant of the Kobayashi household, Rui-san no longer stubbornly followed her orders. She skillfully parked the car, then stepped out first and opened the rear door for Kuroha Akira.
If he were an ordinary guest, she wouldn't have gone to such lengths, nor would she have driven this particular vehicle. The sedan she was driving now was a VIP car reserved specifically for honored guests of the Asato family.
"Well then, I'll leave you here. Please watch your step."
Kuroha Akira got a small taste of what it felt like to be a rich second-generation heir from a prestigious family—and honestly, it was pretty nice.
He'd thought about hiring a maid when he finally got rich, but after this experience, having a loyal, protective female butler seemed like a pretty good option too. He remembered reading light novels featuring androgynous, handsome girls in male attire who also worked as butlers. But that particular confused butler had been very petite—nothing like Rui-san, whose tall figure could rival a fashion model.
Still, if someone as serious and diligent as Rui-san ever showed a shy, flustered side to her master… that would definitely be adorable.
Indeed, what truly captivates men is the element of "contrast."
Kuroha Akira was busy fantasizing about someone else's female butler, but on the surface, he thanked her with a polite smile.
"Thank you, Rui-san."
"…!"
Rui-san was momentarily stunned—because Kuroha Akira's farewell had been in their native language, without the slightest trace of a foreign accent.
But she was no ordinary female butler. She held multiple roles in the Asato family: butler, personal bodyguard, and a direct subordinate of Asato Megumi. As such, she was privy to some core information—and "the inside story of the Kobayashi household" was one of those things. So she didn't show too much surprise at this moment.
This was also the reason she had treated Kuroha Akira with extra respect.
It wasn't just because he was the young lady's friend, but because he was a resident of the Kobayashi household.
"Not at all. You're too kind. Please continue to be friends with my young lady in the future."
Rui-san, who usually wore a stern expression, actually smiled at this moment. She replied in their shared mother tongue.
"Don't worry. Our friendship will last forever."
After all, the Class Rep had said they'd be best friends for life.
After getting out of the car, Kuroha Akira jogged in the direction Tashiro Kurenai had gone—but she had already disappeared around the corner.
When Kuroha Akira rounded that same corner, he was suddenly ambushed.
"Yo~ Oniichan!"
"Whoa!"
Tashiro Kurenai hooked her arm around Kuroha Akira's neck, clamped his head under her armpit, pressed his face right into her Eastern Hemisphere, and then started poking his cheek with her index finger.
"You scared me… Kohaku-nee, have you been drinking again?"
Kuroha Akira caught a faint whiff of alcohol on her breath, but she wasn't nearly as drunk and passed-out as last time. The fact that she could walk in a straight line meant she wasn't completely sloshed—just a little tipsy.
"Mm! But today it wasn't the other me who wanted to drink—it was my idea to have a little! And it wasn't to drown my sorrows, it's because I was happy, so I didn't overdo it~"
Maybe it was the alcohol, but Kohaku-nee's cheeks were flushed. Her emotions were more heightened, and she seemed even more charming and mature than usual.
"Looks like something good happened."
"You bet! It's huge news! Good for you, Oniichan, good for me, and good for Shion-chan too!"
"What is it?"
"Hehe~ I'll tell you when we get back and see Shion."
Then Kohaku-nee shifted her position, moving from Kuroha Akira's side to behind him. But the arm around his neck didn't let go, so she ended up holding his head from behind.
Kuroha Akira felt the pressure against the back of his head and asked, "Kohaku-nee?"
"Oniichan, can you carry me back? Your neesan is drunk and can't walk anymore~"
Kuroha Akira gave a helpless, wry smile. Last time, he'd had no choice but to carry the sloth-like Tashiro Kurenai back. But today, she just seemed to be acting spoiled for the sake of it.
It wasn't far to Kobayashi—about fifty meters. Kuroha Akira figured he could manage with his current build, so he half-squatted and agreed.
"Alright, hop on. I'll carry you back."
"Yay Good Oniichan. You really spoil your big sis"
After Kuroha Akira lifted her onto his back, Kohaku-neeg let out a mischievous laugh, then shouted inside her heart: "Opportunity's here! Your turn!" and shoved Kurenai out.
Since she hadn't been suddenly scooped up this time, and her consciousness was clear, the mentally prepared original Kurenai wasn't too flustered—just a little nervous.
"Th-that… Senpai…"
"Uh? Did we switch to Kurenai-san?"
"Yes… The other me suddenly pushed me out…"
"Haha, so I'm carrying two people at once? I'm pretty amazing, huh?"
"Mm… Um, Senpai… You can just call me by my name…"
This was actually the main purpose of the temporary switch: Tashiro Kurenai wanted Kuroha Akira to change how he addressed her.
"Oh? What should I call you? Tashiro-imouto? Kurenai-imouto?"
If calculated by her past life age, twenty-four-year-old Tashiro Kurenai was six years younger than thirty-year-old Kuroha Akira, so "little sister" was technically appropriate.
"A-anything is fine, as long as it's not using honorifics… After all, Senpai, your real age is older than mine, right?"
"True… But calling you 'little sister' feels weird… And there's a risk of slipping up in front of others…"
How did he used to address the new hires at his old company?
Kuroha Akira tried to recall. Those he wasn't familiar with, he called by nicknames. Those he was close with… he added a diminutive prefix.
Thinking of that, Kuroha Akira came up with a mischievous nickname.
"Then I'll call you Tashiro-chan."
"Th-this name isn't exactly cute, is it? It doesn't suit me… I'm twenty-four years old…"
"Isn't it better to be a little cute? Or I could call you Kurenai-chan—that's even cuter. Which one do you prefer?"
People always compromise when faced with something worse. Details omitted.
Hearing the even more embarrassing nickname, Tashiro chose "Tashiro-chan."
"Then… Tashiro-chan. is fine…"
"Alright, Tashiro-chan.! And I'm Akira-kun! We'll be good friends from now on!"
Go for it! The other me… no, Tashiro-chan!
"Ah, but like I said before—I'll only call you Tashiro-chan.d when there are no acquaintances around, like now. Okay?"
"Mm, I understand. I'll remember. I can only call you 'Senpai' in private too."
"Right. You call me Senpai, and I'll call you Tashiro-chan.… Haha…"
Kuroha Akira couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Wh-what's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just feeling a little nostalgic. Reminds me of when I used to work."
Being a corporate slave was painful, and the job was terrible. But Kuroha Akira had genuinely gotten along well with some of his colleagues. It was because of them that he'd been able to persevere… even though he'd persevered all the way to losing his life in the end…
Akira carried Tashiro-chan. all the way back to Kobayashi like that, setting her down at the front entrance.
When he opened the door, Shinomiya was waiting at the entrance as usual to greet them.
She had been worried and anxious because Kuroha Akira was coming home later than usual—but the moment she saw him return together with Tashiro Kurenai, the tension in her shoulders melted away.
At that moment, Tashiro Kurenai—who had switched back to the Big Sis Kohaku persona—stretched out both arms and pulled Shinomiya into the group hug, delivering a "face wash" service to both her little brother and little sister equally on both sides.
Then she excitedly announced the reason for her good mood.
"Little brother! And Shion-imouto! Your big sis has finally resigned!"
Kuroha Akira and Shinomiya both showed surprised expressions.
They'd heard that Tashiro Kurenai was planning to resign, but they hadn't expected her to move this fast. Kuroha Akira asked,
"Huh? You've already resigned?"
"Mm! Since I've already decided to be Shion-imouto's manager, I might as well quit early! The handover is complete too! Starting next week, your big sis won't have to go to work anymore!"
In other words, Tashiro Kurenai had completely shed her corporate slave identity and officially returned to being a free person—unemployed, but free.
No wonder she was so happy and even went out for a drink. That feeling of liberation only came once in a lifetime.
Big Sis Kohaku said with an amused grin, "You should've seen my supervisor's face at the time—his mouth was hanging wide open. It was absolutely hilarious! He probably never dreamed that I'd quit, hahahaha! Serves him right!"
"Well, you do have real skills…"
Even though Tashiro Kurenai's social skills weren't great, she had Lv4 makeup proficiency—that was master-level talent. And that black-hearted company had piled so much work on poor Tashiro-chan. Now that she'd resigned, all that work would have to be dumped on the other overworked employees—but they couldn't handle it.
It was like one broken link breaking the entire chain, sending the whole company's operations into chaos. It was similar to cutting a major artery during layoffs. Even though Tashiro Kurenai had resigned voluntarily, the real mastermind behind her resignation was, of course, Kuroha Akira.
"But quitting so suddenly—won't that cause problems with your living expenses?"
"Don't worry, I still have savings… Let me see…"
Big Sis Kohaku released the two of them, rummaged through her bag for a passbook, opened it, and showed it.
"Here! These are all my savings!"
"Mm…"
Kuroha Akira counted the digits. It was a seven-digit number starting with one.
That was over one million yen.
Not a lot, but not too little either—a very subtle amount. Roughly four months' salary for a regular corporate slave, probably equivalent to travel expenses for a long trip.
"With my current savings, I can probably last a few more months. Actually, my expenses aren't that high. I don't buy expensive bags or clothes—but I do buy a lot of cosmetics. They're not for my own use, though. They're for the other me to use for work…"
"Wait, for Kurenai-san, cosmetics are literally 'for eating'… No, your company handles funeral services, right? Why do you have to pay for embalming cosmetics out of your own pocket?"
"The special materials used for body restoration are covered by the company, that's true. But the makeup after restoration is considered an extra service. Honestly, usually it doesn't need to look that pretty, but the other me always wants the deceased to look as lifelike as possible—so she puts in a ton of extra effort."
"That's so dedicated…"
It had to be said: Tashiro-chan was way too serious about her work. This could even be called "paying to work" at this point.
"That's why I haven't saved up much. From now on, your big sis is gonna have to rely on Shion-chan, okay?"
Big Sis Kohaku hugged Shinomiya again, rubbing against her like she was a precious treasure.
Shinomiya, who was now being relied upon by two people, also felt the pressure. She gave a wry smile.
"I'll keep working hard… I'll definitely earn money for both of you!"
Actually, Big Sis Kohaku was just joking—but she hadn't expected Shinomiya to take it so seriously. So she patted her head and comforted her.
"There, there, Shion-chan. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Akira-kun and I aren't expecting you to lay golden eggs right this second. Just take it slow. The competition in the entertainment industry is way more intense than working in a company, you know…"
Then she smiled sweetly and added,
"Worst case, I'll just default on my rent like Akira-kun does, and eat curry rice every day like he does, right?"
The next second, Big Sis Kohaku's smile froze as she heard Granny Kobayashi's voice from right behind her.
"Hmph! If you don't like it, you don't have to eat it! Nobody's forcing you!"
Big Sis Kohaku quickly spun around and explained, "Ah, that—Granny, I'm not complaining about your cooking! And I don't actually want to default on rent! If I really run out of money, I'll go find some part-time work!"
But Granny Kobayashi just repeated what she'd said to Shinomiya earlier, hands clasped behind her back.
"Heh, Kurenai, don't put too much pressure on yourself either. Just settle your rent before you leave this house, that's all."
And when that would be was actually a decision the tenants made for themselves. Granny Kobayashi would never really kick anyone out.
She only verbally teased Shirako about the rent—she'd never seriously demanded it. She didn't care about the rent money at all; it wasn't even as much as what she spent on pachinko and mahjong every day.
Big Sis Kohaku didn't dare to be too presumptuous in front of Granny Kobayashi and seemed a bit reserved. Granny Kobayashi then suggested,
"If you want to work, Kurenai, why not work for me?"
"Work for you, Granny? Doing what?"
"Cooking. I'm just a useless old woman who only knows how to make curry and hot pot, you know… When my old man was still alive, I never cooked this many times. It's already generous of me to cook for you lot every day, and that brat still complains…"
Complaining while being supported—that's a spoiled habit!
"Haha…"
Kuroha Akira chuckled awkwardly. He was usually the one who complained the most about the curry. And after eating the Class Rep's homemade bento, he found the extremely monotonous curry even more unbearable.
Even if it was curry, at least change up the variety sometimes, right?
But Granny Kobayashi didn't even switch up the brand of curry roux when she cooked. It was way too perfunctory.
"With that brat, I can just feed him anything as long as it fills his belly. But now Shion-chan is also eating at home, and I can't let the precious daughter of the Shinomiya family suffer from malnutrition."
After all, Granny Kobayashi had taken money from Shinomiya Kazuhiro—there was no way she'd actually let his daughter starve.
So, on school days when Kuroha Akira was out, Granny Kobayashi would order takeout at noon and eat with Shinomiya. She even told Shinomiya not to mention it to Kuroha Akira—so Shion got to enjoy good food all by herself.
Granny Kobayashi continued, "So, Kurenai, if you're going to be at home from now on, you can take over the cooking. I'll cover the groceries, and I'll even pay you a salary…"
"Granny, you don't need to pay me. Just consider it my rent. I'll handle the grocery shopping too."
"Mm… Then I'll leave it all to you."
And just like that, Tashiro Kurenai was officially put in charge of the kitchen.
"It's over… finally over… The curry-hotpot cycle… ends now!"
Kuroha Akira was deeply moved. At last, he could eat proper meals at home.
Granny Kobayashi shook her head and smiled at his exaggerated reaction.
"Then let's order takeout for tonight. I won a little today, so I'll treat you guys to something good."
"Yay! Long live Granny Kobayashi! I want meat lover's pizza!"
Shameless as ever, Kuroha Akira was the first to place his order.
"You brat… What about the rest of you?"
Shinomiya naturally followed Kuroha Akira's lead. Whatever he wanted to eat was more important than her own preference.
"Pizza sounds fine to me too."
Tashiro Kurenai tapped her chin and added, "Pizza places usually sell pasta too, right? Then I'll order two servings—squid ink pasta and garlic cream pasta."
The reason for two servings? The two personalities had different food preferences.
"So, pizza and pasta it is… Seriously, don't make an old woman eat such high-calorie junk…"
Granny Kobayashi sounded reluctant, but the corners of her mouth were definitely curling upward.
She actually liked fast food too—she just rarely ate it alone. There was no atmosphere, and it felt lonely.
Ever since her husband passed away, Kobayashi Mika had become a solitary old woman. The Kobayashi household had grown very quiet.
But with Kuroo's reappearance, bringing one new person after another, the house slowly regained some liveliness.
Especially after Kuroha Akira—Shirako—came to this home, the residents' relationships improved. They no longer just cooped themselves up in their rooms all day.
It seemed like this New Year, the Kobayashi household would be very lively… just like right now.
Today, the Kobayashi was once again filled with a joyful atmosphere.