Chapter 118: The Great Kondo Soichi (Long Chapter)
Kondo Yuika's mother was named Kondo Keiko. In her youth, she must have been a beautiful woman; if she weren't, she wouldn't have given birth to a daughter as lovely as Kondo Yuika.
However, ever since her husband passed away, the entire burden of the family had fallen on her shoulders. Combined with a later onset of severe illness and the constant torment of pain, she now looked incredibly aged and broken.
Akishin and Shizuka entered the patient's room. They placed yellow lilies into Yuika's hands, paid their respects to Kondo Keiko, and introduced themselves.
Kondo Keiko was already able to get out of bed and walk, so she had decided to be discharged from the hospital today.
Facing Akishin's arrival, she seemed somewhat fearful. Her demeanor was very humble, yet Akishin could see a flicker of wariness in her eyes.
It made sense. As an adult who had dealt with society and experienced plenty of suffering, it was hard to believe in goodwill that arrived out of the blue. She was likely wondering if there was a knife hidden behind that kindness.
If the roles were reversed, Akishin would probably think the same thing.
That was precisely why he had brought Shizuka along—so she could be the one to communicate with Keiko.
There were other patients in the room, making it an unsuitable place for a deep conversation. As soon as Yuika finished the paperwork with the hospital, she led Keiko out.
Supported by Shizuka and Yuika, Keiko walked in front. Akishin and Kaiko followed behind, slowly making their way toward the elevator.
There was one more person in the group: Yuika's younger brother, a fifth-grader named Kondo Soichi.
He wore a collarless black shirt and matching black pants, with "Itomori City Elementary School" embroidered on the left side of his chest.
He walked with his back straight and his gaze was serious. He didn't have the mischievous air typical of children his age; instead, his expression was one of absolute gravity.
He was a unique kid.
On the way to the elevator, Akishin noticed that Kondo Soichi kept watching him, so he asked, "Your name is Soichi, right? Is it okay if I call you Soichi-kun?"
Soichi nodded.
"Well then, Soichi-kun, why do you keep staring at me?"
Soichi glanced at his older sister, who was occasionally looking back at them from up ahead. He didn't answer directly, but instead asked a question of his own: "Are you really Onee-chan's teacher?"
"You could say that. I'm a teacher at Sobu High, the school your sister attends, though I'm not the teacher for her specific class. Your sister is a first-year, while I teach the second-years... why do you ask? Your sister should have told you about me."
"No, I found out from her conversation with Mama."
"...I see."
For a moment, Akishin didn't know how to continue. This kid didn't know the full extent of the situation yet!
He only knew what he'd overheard from family talks, and he likely didn't even know he was about to transfer schools.
The elevator was still dozens of meters away. Kaiko had dropped her usual cheerful attitude, following silently beside Akishin while watching the interaction between the two.
She trusted Akishin, but Kaiko's parents and Yuika's family might not. The reason she had hesitated at the hospital room door earlier was that she wanted to offer an explanation first. She had hoped that if Akishin heard anything unpleasant, he wouldn't just turn around and leave.
Unfortunately, she couldn't bring herself to say it. With issues like this, even if someone knows the intent is good, the moment it actually happens, the victimized party is bound to feel defensive. *I've come with good intentions to help you, and while you don't have to be grateful, why do you have to suspect me?*
It wasn't that it was guaranteed to happen, but there was a possibility, and Kaiko wanted to avoid it...
But seeing Akishin with Shizuka, and Shizuka chatting so happily with the auntie, she felt much more at ease.
Chishima-sensei had likely predicted this possibility already. He really was something else.
Kondo Soichi kept his head tilted up, watching Akishin. He asked again, "Are you really that famous person on TV who won the kendo championship?"
He knew Akishin was going to help his family, but his sister hadn't specified exactly how. He wasn't the type of brat with overinflated pride; if Akishin could truly help his family get through their hardships, he would remember the favor and pay it back once he grew up.
However, he was afraid Akishin had ulterior motives. His sister was very beautiful and had been very popular back in middle school. He feared Akishin had less-than-noble intentions toward her.
This was Kondo Soichi's train of thought, and honestly, it was the thought most people had in these situations—*you have no hidden motive, so why help? Is it really just out of an overflowing sense of kindness? I don't buy it.*
In this world, the majority of people aren't purely good or purely evil; they are ordinary people standing right in the middle.
Ordinary people can easily flip to being 'good' or 'evil' based on a single event or a single thought. And it's painfully obvious that being the villain is much easier than being the hero.
Kondo Soichi had to ask clearly and then decide how to treat Akishin based on his own judgment. If he found something wrong, he would look for Uncle Sakurai or go straight to the police.
Because of his family's circumstances, Soichi had watched his father die in bed. He had helped his sister and mother run the Izakaya with grueling effort, which had caused him to grow up far too early.
At school, Kondo Soichi was a model student in the eyes of his teachers, and among his peers, he was a leader—the type who had a dozen followers.
He didn't bully his schoolmates; instead, he actively took care of school affairs and made sure the kids in his class weren't picked on by other classes.
Soichi was very similar to Hayama Hayato, or perhaps a refined version of Hayato who was much better off because he lacked that naive brand of "goodness."
Perhaps if Hayama Hayato had experienced everything Kondo Soichi had while maintaining his core principles, he might have ended up looking a lot like this kid.
Of course, Akishin didn't know all that. He just felt the boy was remarkably mature. He answered Soichi's question with a smile. "That's right. I am that famous person on TV who won the kendo championship."
He didn't joke around or tease the kid. He felt it wasn't right to underestimate a boy this serious.
Soichi's expression blanked for a second. He looked over at Kaiko on the other side with a questioning gaze.
Kaiko nodded to him, confirming it was true and adding that he was a good teacher as well.
Soichi looked back at Akishin, wanting to ask something else, but just then the elevator opened. He had to step inside and stand in silence, waiting until they got out to resume his questioning.
Inside the elevator, Keiko spoke to Akishin again. "Chishima-sensei, I'm sorry for making you come all this way. It's been a real trouble for you."
"Not at all."
Akishin shook his head.
Keiko looked toward Soichi and said, "Soichi, have you greeted Chishima-sensei and Hiratsuka-sensei yet?"
"I know, Mama."
Soichi stood tall and greeted Akishin very politely. "Chishima-sensei." Then he turned to Hiratsuka Shizuka. "Hiratsuka-sensei."
Shizuka nodded with a smile, looking at Soichi very kindly. It was a shame she didn't have any Daifuku in her hand; otherwise, she definitely would have pulled out a couple.
Yuika took advantage of the descent, sliding over to Akishin's side to whisper, "Chishima-sensei, thank you."
Akishin smiled. "Say thank you after everything is finished. Kondo, a person's choices affect their future—especially the big ones. Neither I nor Kaiko want you to lose your education over this."
"..."
Yuika went quiet, her expression turning somber.
Soichi looked at Yuika in total shock. What happened? Was his sister planning to stop going to school?
Once they stepped out of the elevator, the group resumed their original positions. Soichi asked, "Chishima-sensei, what did you mean by 'losing her education' just now?"
His tone had improved significantly, and he was using more respectful honorifics.
"Do you still not know?"
"...I don't. They haven't told me anything."
Akishin looked at Soichi. Seeing him bow his head with a disappointed expression, it was clear his heart was far from at peace. Then he looked at Yuika up ahead; she had turned her face away in a panic, but she was clearly listening to every word from behind them. Whether it's a student or an adult, most people feel lost when facing a crisis like this, not knowing where the future is headed... Until everything is settled, if their mental state isn't ironclad, their mind will wander to dark places.
"Do you want to know what's going on with your family?"
"I do."
"The reality is quite cruel, you know."
"I still want to know. Please tell me, Chishima-sensei."
Soichi's expression was stubborn, his words devoid of hesitation. Actually, he had a few suspicions, he just hadn't expected the problem to be that heavy.
The main reason was that Yuika hadn't told Soichi their mother's actual condition. Soichi didn't know that his mother would never be able to do heavy physical labor again, which explicitly meant she couldn't reopen the Izakaya. The Kondo family was about to lose their only source of income.
In Soichi's mind, the problem was that his mother and sister were hiding the medical costs—the kind of massive debt that their family couldn't possibly afford. It was surgery, after all! Heart surgery!
No matter how mature Soichi was, he was still a child. Being young usually means having less life experience and understanding. He tended to blow certain things out of proportion.
Actually, that applied to adults too. If someone didn't understand what a heart stent procedure was, the first time they heard the name, they'd assume it was life-threateningly serious and incredibly expensive. If something goes wrong with a vital part like the heart or the brain, isn't the treatment supposed to cost a fortune?
To Soichi, Akishin's status was that of a debt collector—the one who had put up the money so his mother could have a successful surgery. Akishin's "help" was lending the family a vast sum of money.
His question about whether Akishin was a teacher and a kendo champion was meant to confirm this.
In Soichi's logic: Teacher = has money, Kendo Champion = has a lot of money, Teacher + Kendo Champion = has a ton of money.
Strictly speaking, his logic wasn't wrong. Akishin was indeed a debt collector for the Kondo family, but not the kind Soichi imagined. He was a much larger presence, one deeply intertwined with their lives.
When he heard Akishin mention "losing her education," Soichi realized that perhaps the problem wasn't what he thought...
*If it's a debt, then it's just a debt. No matter how much it is, worst-case scenario, I'll just work hard to pay it back when I grow up. But why would she lose her education?*
Akishin observed Soichi, his relaxed gaze slowly turning serious. He glanced once more at Yuika, who was secretly eavesdropping from the front, and then spoke. "Do you know what kind of surgery your mother had?"
Soichi replied, "I do. Heart stent surgery."
"And how much do you understand about that surgery?"
"...I don't really know, but Onee-chan told me Mama would be fine after it was over."
A gentle breeze blew through the boy's fine hair. The warm morning sunlight turned harsh, squinting the eyes. Akishin looked at Yuika and the others ahead, then let out a quiet sigh. "Soichi-kun, your mother will indeed be fine after this surgery. However, there are side effects. She can no longer perform heavy physical labor, nor can she work for long periods. She can't even afford to get too emotional... Do you understand what that means?"
He watched as the boy's eyes slowly widened. Soichi gradually lowered his head. His expression shifted from shock to confusion; his small fingers trembled unconsciously. His steps became messy, and he nearly stumbled to the ground before Akishin caught him. He looked like he was losing control.
In the end, he was still just an elementary schooler.
Sakurai Kaiko, standing nearby, heard the words and saw Soichi's reaction. Her eyes brimmed with sympathy.
Yuika's body stiffened for a moment. She almost fell while supporting her mother. Keiko, meanwhile, was busy chatting with Shizuka; combined with her long-term exhaustion and illness, her hearing had dulled, so she didn't hear Akishin's low-voiced explanation.
"It seems you understand. Then you should also understand why your sister wants to drop out of school."
Akishin waited until Soichi regained his balance before slowly letting go.
"Then, the reason Chishima-sensei came here..."
Soichi kept his head down, his small palms clenched into tight fists.
"I came today prepared to help you move, and also to help you transfer schools... don't get too emotional, listen to me..." Akishin reached out, pressing a hand on Soichi's shoulder as the boy suddenly snapped his head up. He explained, "It's not about selling your house. I'm asking you all to move to Chiba City. I will cover all the school fees for you and your sister until university. This money isn't a gift; think of it as a loan. Once you or your sister finish your education and start working, you'll have to pay me back double..."
The "triple" figure had only been said to Yuika to get her to accept. He couldn't say something that unreasonable to the rest of the family.
The money was mentioned now, so it would have to be returned later. He couldn't act like a total loan shark.
"...The reason I'm asking you to move to Chiba is because your sister goes to school there. It'll make it easier for her to take care of your mother every day. You'll have to move too, which means changing schools. Don't worry, I've already found one for you—a very good elementary school."
Akishin ruffled Soichi's hair. The kid shared about fifty percent of his features with his sister. Even at this age, he was a good-looking kid; he'd definitely grow up to be a handsome man.
Beside them, Sakurai Kaiko patted her chest and let out a sigh of relief, a smile forming on her face. *Chishima Akishin-sensei really is kind-hearted!*
After hearing this, Soichi fell into deep thought. He held his chin with his left hand, letting Akishin mess with his hair. The silence felt long, but it was only the span of a few sentences, and they were nearly at the parking lot.
A few seconds later, Soichi, his head still under Akishin's palm, looked up with a serious expression. "Why does it have to be paid back double? Shouldn't a loan be paid back in the same amount?"
Kaiko's expression froze.
Yuika, who had been "spying" from the front, almost tripped on flat ground for the second time.
"...Hahaha."
After a few seconds of silence, Akishin burst out laughing. He ruffled Soichi's hair once more. "Soichi, money isn't calculated like that. Even putting money in a bank earns interest. How could I lend it to you and expect the exact same amount back? Let's use an example."
Akishin held up one finger. "Let's say you have 100 yen right now and you go to a convenience store to buy ten fruit candies. Two years later, you take that same 100 yen to the store, but you can only buy five. In your opinion, is the value of that 100 yen still the same?"
"...It's not, because the price of candy went up."
"Wrong. It's because the value of that 100 yen depreciated. Do you know what depreciation is? You have to understand that the candy stayed the same, but you needed more money to buy it. This shows that the money itself lost value. The money I'm lending you is the same. Unless something extraordinary happens, by the time you and your sister finish school, its value will have depreciated. You'll have to compensate me for that loss. Do you understand?"
"I think so!"
Soichi nodded, looking like he halfway understood and halfway didn't. This kind of financial concept was a bit deep for a kid.
"And it's not just about depreciation. You also have to make it worth my while so I'm willing to lend money to people who have no collateral. Think of it as an investment in you. Otherwise, wouldn't I be better off investing this money in a better company or business...?"
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
50 Power Stone = 1 Bonus Chapter (Up to 5 bonus chapters per week).
Read ahead and support the story on Patreon: patreon.com/FaaanzKun
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —