Ever since I confessed, she has been acting strange. - CHAPTER 5: SUMMER VACATION ARC

Episode 31: The Smoke Signal of War

There is a saying: Yudan taiteki (carelessness is a great enemy).

Simply put, to let your guard down is to invite disaster.

This familiar four-character phrase brings back painful memories of a recent mistake I made.

…Fine. I’ll admit it.

I, Hoshine Tendou, let my guard down. The plan was going relatively well, so I became complacent – and suffered greatly as a result. No, that’s not quite right. This time, I’ll admit it properly.

-I was defeated.

I was defeated by that third-rate thieving cat, Kaiha Shigen’in.

I, Hoshine Tendou, was defeated.

That woman had the audacity to kiss Kagehito on the cheek. Even though I haven’t… I’ve never even done that…!

…No. Calm down. Calm down, Hoshine Tendou.

Yes, I lost. But that doesn’t mean it’s over. It’s not over yet, and the battle is not completely decided.

If the battle isn’t over, I can still fight.

If I can fight, there’s still a chance to win.

And if there’s a chance to win, I’ll take it.

That is who I am. This is the kind of person Hoshine Tendou is.

…First, I have to acknowledge it.

Otoha Habaku. Kaiha Shigen’in.

These two thieving cats are also challengers on an equal footing with me.

And now – let the battle begin.

Our ruthless battle for the rightful wife begins.

☆

August, as the midday sun grows stronger.

High school students everywhere spend their summer vacations in their own way.

They take trips with family, hang out with friends, and go on dates with their lovers.

As for me, I spent my summer in a way that is just as appropriate for a high school student as any of those three.

throwing myself into part-time work.

“All right…here we go.”

I loaded the last of the many stacked packages onto the truck.

The relentless mid-summer sun beat down mercilessly.

As I wiped the sweat from my brow, I felt a strange sense of satisfaction, like I was living a proper, healthy high school life.

“Phew… That’s the last one. Oikawa-san, we’re all done here!”

“Got it! Thanks a lot, Kagehito-kun!”

The one who said those kind words was a woman dressed in a jet-black suit – standard issue for the Tendou household – despite the sweltering midsummer heat.

Her name was Maki Oikawa.

Like me, she served the Tendou family as a maid. At first glance, she might look like a bodyguard, but her actual profession was that of a maid.

“Alright, that’s it. Haah, all done, all done.”

“Good job.”

“Thank you! Man, I’m really glad you were here, Kagehito-kun. You took care of those guys in no time at all, and even helped retrieve the weapons. Sorry about this, though. It is summer vacation, right? That temporary solo-living thing you have going on?”

“Ah, it’s fine. I may have distanced myself for Ojō’s sake, but if there are those who would target the Tendou family… target them… there’s no way I could just ignore them.”

“‘Keep your distance for Ojō-sama’s sake,’ huh… Hmm… Well, that’s one way to put it.”

“Also, a friend told me that I lacked the experience of a typical high school student. So I thought that throwing myself into a part-time job during the summer break might be a good way to fix that.”

“Hmm… Yeah, but I don’t think barehandedly taking down armed mercenaries, retrieving their weapons, and loading them into a truck really qualifies as a typical high school part-time job.”

“Huh? But doesn’t loading stuff onto a truck feel like a part-time job for a moving company?”

“Yeah… except that regular moving companies move furniture and boxes. They definitely don’t load firearms onto their trucks.”

“Being a ‘typical high school student’ is harder than I thought.”

“From my perspective, dodging a hail of bullets and closing in on the enemy seems a lot harder.”

“But isn’t that normal for anyone who serves the Tendou family?”

I mean, if you can’t even dodge bullets, how are you supposed to protect Ojō’s daily life from the shadows?

“Well, yeah, but still… Oh, before I forget, here’s today’s payment.”

“Thank you very much.”

I gratefully accepted the brown envelope, and Oikawa-san gave a wry smile.

“It feels kind of strange, doesn’t it? Handing over a day’s pay to an employee who didn’t even quit his job.”

“Yeah, it does. Feels a little weird to me too.”

After checking the contents of the envelope, I bowed my head slightly to Oikawa-san.

“During the summer break… please take care of Ojō.”

“Got it. Not that you need to ask… Honestly, I should say the same thing to you.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing, nothing. Just go on and go home.”

“Uh… all right then. I’ll go.”

Not quite understanding what she meant, I started walking back.

“Going home to someone, huh…? Oikawa-san sure says strange things sometimes.”

Right now, I was in the middle of my temporary solitary life.

I shouldn’t have anyone waiting for me at home.

“Huh?”

A strange feeling crept up on me as I walked.

…No, it had to be my imagination.

After all, there shouldn’t be anyone waiting for me at home.

Just then, I thought I saw a familiar truck drive by.

At first glance, it looked like an ordinary moving company truck, but I recognized it – it was one of the Tendou family’s transport trucks, often used to move equipment and supplies.

They had even used one to move my belongings when I first came to live here, thanks to Danna-sama’s generosity.

“Has anyone from the Tendou family moved in nearby?”

But I hadn’t heard anything about that.

Shaking my head in confusion, I made my way back to my apartment –

-only to be greeted the moment I stepped inside.

“Welcome home, Kagehito.”

“I’m back, Ojō.”

“Good job on your part-time job! So, what’ll it be? A bath? Dinner? Or… maybe some time with me?”

“I worked up a sweat, so I’ll take a bath first.”

“Got it. Oh, the water just finished heating up a little while ago.”

“Thank you.”

“Then let’s have dinner after your bath. And after that, we can have a lot of quality time together.”

“Ahaha. Ojō, you’re full of humor as always… Wait… huh?”

Wait. Hold on.

Something’s not right.

“Ojō…?”

“Yes? …Oh, here, your towel and a change of clothes.”

“Thanks… No, wait…”

“?”

With a puzzled look, Ojō tilted her head adorably.

“Um, Ojō? Why are you here?”

“Because I started living alone… in the apartment next door?”

“Oh, I see. So Ojō is also living al-”

“… ‘Started living alone in the apartment next door’!?”

Wait. Hold on. I don’t understand.

None of this makes sense.

“Let’s have a great summer together, Kagehito.”

While I stood there, completely confused, Ojō just smiled at me – with the most adorable expression imaginable.