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The breath I exhale is white on this early morning. I am sitting in straight on the tatami mat, keeping my head down in silence.
“Such a disgrace to our family name.”
“My sister inherited the bloodline of our family splendidly, but she is pathetic.”
“I have no expectations of you.”
Relentless abuse and slander are being directed towards me, a young child. My relatives and grandparents gather in the large hall, their eyes cold and contemptuous.
“Don’t speak ill of Jin!”
My sister, who was listening to the conversation beside me, embraces me and raises her voice in protest.
“Yae is a kind-hearted soul.”
“As expected of Yae, she has a compassionate heart.”
The voices have changed drastically from when they were directed at me. I steal a glance at my sister’s face and see her biting her lip while glaring at the adults with regret. Why is she angry? She is being praised after all.
Has my sister noticed my gaze? She turns to me with a start, places her hands on my shoulders, and moves her forehead close to mine.
“Just ignore those old fools. Jin can live however she wants.”
“Big sister.”
This is a dream.
It’s not a premonition or anything like that, just a dream about the past.
I’ve seen it so many times that it’s become unbearable.
It’s just a dream.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
I called out to Diya, who is sitting directly in front of me across the dining table on the first floor.
“I slept like a log! Thanks for letting me use the bath and toilet. And on top of that, you even made me breakfast. Thank you, thank you.”
She expresses her gratitude with exaggerated gestures and her usual clear voice.
Normally, this seat is where my sister sits, but today, our guest Diya is sitting there. My sister, who is distrustful of people, is currently in self-imposed isolation. Breakfast has already been taken to her room.
“You don’t have to be so formal. But was it okay for you to sleep in your car? We had spare rooms available.”
“Hehehe, don’t worry about me. My car is a customized camping car that I improved myself!”
With a wink, she proudly points her thumb up.
“You’ve posted videos of it, right? Well, later on, can you show me around the inside?”
Having watched all of the series, I am actually very interested in seeing the inside of the car in person.
“Of course! In fact, let me show you around! I want to explain and brag about everything!”
She leans forward at the table, pressing on.
“Okay, later then. Oh, and what are we doing today?”
” Yesterday, I estimated what we’ll need, so I have to go get the necessary tools, buy materials, and contact some acquaintances. I’ll come back tomorrow… or the day after that, if that’s okay with you?”
Apologizing with folded hands and looking up at me, she appeared so charming for a moment that I couldn’t help but think she was cute.
“Okay then. I’ll take care of some things too. By the way, while I’m at it, should I also do a big cleaning of the house? I’m planning on renting a small truck,you need to use it too, right?”
“Oh, that would be so convenient!”
“Alright, I’ll rent it for a month.”
“Kyaa, that’s wonderful! As expected of Jin-sama~”
She wriggles her body with delight, even outside of the video, she seems to overreact to things.
“Stop calling me ‘sama.’ Anyway, before that, let me give you this.”
I stand up and open the sliding door of the cupboard, taking out a semi-transparent plastic bag. I casually place it on the edge of the desk.
“Hmm? What’s this?”
Diya looks suspiciously at me as she pokes the bag with her finger.
“What’s in it?”
“You can open it.”
“I hope there’s nothing obscene in here.”
“Why would there be? Just open it already.”
Deiya hesitantly opens the bag while I dismissively deal with her clingy behavior.
“I wonder what’s inside… maybe homemade pickles or… ahhhhh!”
Deiya leans back and screams, looking almost scared out of her mind. Then she blinks rapidly, alternating between looking at me and the bag. It’s the most exaggerated reaction I’ve seen from her all day.
“W-w-w-what’s th-th-this?!”
She’s flapping her arms like a chicken from being too excited.
I was pleased with the reaction that exceeded my expectations, so I was grinning and watching her.
After taking a few deep breaths, she finally calmed down and stared at the inside of the bag without moving.
“Hey Jin, are you serious?”
“We made a deal, remember? I’ll give you half of the money first.”
In front of her, there were five million yen casually thrown into a plastic bag. It’s no wonder she’s shocked. I purposely gave her cash instead of transferring it to her bank account, just to mess with her.
“I can’t believe it. I still didn’t fully trust you until a moment ago–that’s why I slept in the car to avoid being attacked.”
I heard the second half of what she muttered. Was she thinking about something like that?
“It seems like you are serious about being wealthy and fortifying your house.”
“I always thought that rich people’s hobbies were scary, but yeah, it’s getting interesting! I’ll be happy to do it again!”
After saying that, she reached out her hand and we shook hands firmly.
When we sat back down, she took out a bundle of bills from the bag.
Despite being so surprised earlier; she was now counting the bills.
“You have to do things like this properly. Do you prefer a receipt or an invoice?”
“I trust you, so either one is fine.”
Despite making a statement that showcased his deep trust, the response he received was a cold stare.
“I don’t think it’s wise to trust people so easily,” Diya said in a serious tone, not joking.
Although they played an easygoing character in both videos and real life, it could be that they had experienced the ups and downs of life.
“I’ll be careful,” I replied.
“But.. but, trusting me is the right answer!” Diya exclaimed, making a large circle with their arms and showing a big smile.
“With this much money, hehehe, we can do so many things, can’t we?”
I had never seen someone actually laugh like “hehehe” before.
“If you fulfill my request, you can use the money freely. Let me know if you run out,” said the other person.
“Um, Jin… do you, uh, have a girlfriend or something?” I asked, changing my expression and attitude and looking up at them with doe eyes. I put my fists against my mouth, trying to be cute.
“It’s refreshing when you’re that blatant,” Jin replied.
“Huh, you’re misunderstanding something! I’m always pure and innocent,” I protested.
“Stop it, that dragged-out way of speaking gives me chills,” Jin said.
“Tsk, I heard that virgins are weak to girls who pretend to be natural like this,” I said.
“Give the money back,” Jin said.
As I reached for the stack of bills, she quickly covered it with her upper body.
“No way! This is already mine! I won’t give it to anyone!” she exclaimed.
“It’s unequivocally mine!” I replied.
She struggled fiercely, trying to resist me. I had no intention of taking it from her, so I let go of her hands. She hugged the stack of bills and threatened me, saying “Fuuu!” Are you a cat?
“Well, if we don’t stop here, the food will get cold. Let’s eat,” I said.
“Yes, let’s dig in!” She agreed.
“Alright then, I’ll be back the day after tomorrow. Don’t cry yourself to sleep because you’re lonely,” said Diya.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be careful,” I replied as I waved goodbye to Diya’s departing car.
Diya was full of energy until the very end.