Seeing Rikka frozen in place, Hakuto gently patted her face.
"What are you thinking about? It's time to go home."
At his words, Rikka trembled slightly before slowly opening her tightly clenched hands, revealing what she had been holding onto.
It was a crumpled 1,000-yen bill. Judging by the deep creases, she had been gripping it with considerable force.
"This is this week's payment..."
"I didn't mean to be late... I just went back to the classroom to get the money..."
Hakuto looked at the bill in Rikka's palm and felt an uncomfortable pang in his chest.
It was hard to believe that a girl who was already drenched from head to toe was still clutching onto a dry banknote.
Instead of taking the bill immediately, he let out a sigh and turned to ask,
"So you went back just for this... You should know better than anyone what it's like to be alone at school."
"I know..."
"Then why—"
"But today was the day I promised to give you the money..."
Seeing the determined look on Rikka's face, Hakuto couldn't help but sigh again. The discomfort in his heart only grew.
"Today was just an accident... Next time, I won't make you come to me."
Rikka, still trembling, explained as she flattened the bill and placed it in front of Hakuto, afraid that he wouldn't take it.
Hakuto looked at Rikka for a moment before finally reaching out to take the 1,000-yen bill.
As soon as he accepted it, Rikka broke into a bright smile, as if something wonderful had just happened.
"Alright, let's go home."
"Mm!"
Rikka didn't care about her soaked clothes at all, following behind Hakuto as if nothing had happened.
That night, Hakuto lay on the couch, staring at the crumpled banknote in his hand, his eyes flickering with a strange light as he lost himself in thought.
Just then, a sudden knock on the door pulled him back to reality.
Hakuto placed the bill on the coffee table, got up, and opened the door.
Standing outside was a mature woman with black hair and red eyes. She looked familiar, but Hakuto couldn't recall where he had seen her before.
"And you are?"
"Nice to meet you. I'm Takanashi Touka, Rikka's older sister."
Hearing this, Hakuto immediately understood and stepped aside to let her in.
"I've heard Rikka mention you. It's quite late—what brings you here?"
Hakuto and Touka sat across from each other, with a cup of hot water he had just poured resting on the table between them.
After all, when a guest visits, offering even something as simple as a cup of hot water is just basic courtesy, isn't it?
"I'm here about Rikka."
"Hmm... I figured as much."
Hakuto had already guessed it. Otherwise, there would be no reason for her to visit him.
"I know that Rikka is experiencing bullying at school..."
"She told you about it?"
Touka shook her head.
"I've been through school myself. You can tell at a glance. But Rikka refuses to talk to me about it."
"Maybe she just doesn't want to worry you... Kids tend to think that way."
Hakuto had always found it foolish to hide being bullied at school just to avoid worrying parents.
But since this was their family matter, it wasn't his place to interfere.
"I know. With Rikka's personality, it's not surprising that this is happening."
"I've even gone to the school, but it didn't seem to help."
Hakuto nodded. If school bullying in Japan could be solved just by a parent complaining, then there wouldn't be so many cases of it.
"You didn't come all this way just to tell me that, did you?"
Touka nodded. Since Hakuto had brought it up himself, she decided to get straight to the point.
"Because she's been spending time with you, Rikka has been doing much better recently..."
"I don't know exactly what you've done, but I can more or less guess..."
"But this isn't a long-term solution. If possible, I'd like you to help her correct her chuunibyou personality."
Ninety percent of the reason Rikka was being bullied stemmed from her chuunibyou behavior.
Touka had long wanted to help her sister grow out of it.
"Even if Rikka abandons her chuunibyou tendencies, the bullying at school won't stop. It's already a fixed impression. You understand how these things work."
"Once this is dealt with, I'll transfer her to another school."
Hearing this, Hakuto subconsciously furrowed his brows, but he quickly returned to normal.
"And why should I help you?"
Touka wasn't wrong. If Rikka could shed her chuunibyou habits before transferring to a new school, she would have a much lower chance of facing bullying again.
And a chuunibyou personality would be a problem in the workplace too—helping her out now would save her trouble in the future.
But Hakuto wasn't some kind of selfless saint. He didn't have time for this kind of thing.
However, the next moment, Touka took out 50,000 yen and placed it on the table.
"This is the down payment. There's another 50,000 later."
She looked Hakuto in the eye, as if waiting for his response.
Hakuto glanced at the money on the table and, without hesitation, accepted the offer.
"Is there a time limit?"
"The sooner, the better..."
With that, Touka bid farewell, leaving behind only the 50,000 yen on the coffee table as proof of her visit.
Hakuto stared at the money, thinking that this was an incredibly good deal.
But just as he was about to reach out and collect the bills, his gaze landed on the crumpled 1,000-yen note beside them.
The 1,000-yen bill and the 50,000 yen sat side by side on the table—like a child next to an adult.
The small, wrinkled banknote seemed so insignificant.
Hakuto found himself staring at it, his hand frozen in place. Unbidden, his mind drifted back to the scene in the restroom that afternoon.
"This is for her own good... At least it's a win-win situation..."
"I'm getting money, and her future will be better too..."
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