Chapter 10: One Always Has to Give Something in Return

After finishing the "massage," Kitahara returned home and took a nap.

By the time he woke up, it was already afternoon.

Kitahara went downstairs to settle the bill and pay. Amid the farewell voices of "Thank you for your patronage, welcome back next time," he walked out of the massage parlor.

The sky had turned gloomy at some point, making it feel even more muggy.

Kitahara first went to a barbershop to get a haircut, then went to the department store to buy ingredients.

Today’s main purchase was seafood.

Little Aya wanted to eat fish balls, so Kitahara picked the most expensive cod fish balls here.

These were made from high-grade cod from the Hokkaido fishing grounds. This kind of fish itself was not cheap, with fresh and delicious meat. It could even be eaten raw. ℯ

Made into fish balls, the texture and quality would be the best. Of course, the price was also beautiful.

But price was actually the only thing Kitahara didn’t need to consider.

He also picked out a three-jin sea bass and a few swimming crabs. Feeling like these didn’t cost much, he also bought a few blue lobsters.

These things looked quite nice, and the price also suited Kitahara’s wishes.

In the end, he spent a little over a hundred thousand yen.

After having the service staff simply prepare all the seafood, Kitahara walked out of the department store and found that a light rain had begun to fall.

And not just that—the wind was quite strong. The street trees on the roadside were being blown until they swayed.

The temperature suddenly became very cool.

"The weather’s changed? Don’t tell me a typhoon is coming?"

Kitahara muttered, then hurried home.

As everyone knew, Tokyo was frequently visited by typhoons, especially in summer months like August. Typhoon activity was very frequent.

Just in case, it was safer to hide at home.

Fortunately, the rain wasn’t very heavy, just a drizzle. By the time he rushed back to the apartment building, Kitahara’s clothes weren’t completely soaked through.

While waiting for the elevator, he heard a familiar voice behind him. Turning around, he saw that it was Hayami Rina and little Aya, also back.

"Huh? Rina-nee, you’re back so early today? Hello, little Aya!"

"Hai, there’s a typhoon today. The kindergarten notified us to pick up the children early, so I took leave and brought Aya back. Kitahara-kun, did you just get back from going out too? Oh, you look much more spirited with short hair!"

So it really was a typhoon. But it probably wasn’t too serious. Otherwise, he should have received a safety notice. This was probably a common, ordinary typhoon passing through.

Kitahara thought to himself, then lifted the shopping bag in his hand to show Hayami Rina and little Aya:

"Hehe, my previous hair was a bit messy, so I cut it. Perfect timing—I just bought some ingredients. Let’s go home and eat!"

"Huh? You bought ingredients again? Kitahara-kun, please don’t do this. It makes me feel undeserving." Hayami Rina said with a troubled expression.

"But I’ve already bought them, and I don’t know how to cook. We can’t let them go to waste, right! Rina-nee, just accept them. I bought fish balls. Little Aya should really like them. Right, little Aya?"

Kitahara gave little Aya a look. Little Aya immediately nodded frantically, then looked at her mother with pitiful eyes full of expectation.

Seeing this, Hayami Rina became even more troubled. After pondering for a moment, she said:

"Then Aya and I can’t accept your kindness for nothing. We have to give something in return. How about this—tonight I’ll help you clean your home, wash your clothes and such, as payment."

"That works. Then it’s settled."

Kitahara happily agreed.

But after going upstairs and returning home, when Hayami Rina saw the ingredients Kitahara had bought, she realized her so-called housework as payment was somewhat laughable.

So much high-end seafood was very valuable.

Never mind one session of housework—she’d probably have to do housework every day to repay it.

Sigh, Kitahara-kun’s generous behavior really was troublesome!

How should I repay him?

...

His body was damp, and there was still some massage oil residue from the "massage" that made him uncomfortable. So Kitahara didn’t go to Hayami Rina’s place to wait for dinner.

Instead, he went back to his own home to rinse off, then sat down at his desk to prepare for writing.

When dinner was ready, Hayami Rina would naturally come to notify him.

The wind outside seemed to have gotten stronger. Although the doors and windows were tightly closed, he could still hear a "whining" sound. This atmosphere was actually quite suitable for writing.

After thinking for a moment, his mind gradually settled. Kitahara began to write on the manuscript:

"Hey, Kaoru-chan, have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"That rumor about the ’Hidden Cave.’ It’s on the back side of Akiba Mountain. I’m planning to go check it out. Do you want to come along?"

"Nani? Sakura, don’t! It feels really dangerous!"

"That’s what makes it exciting! Come on, let’s go together. If you’re scared, we can also invite Nanako. She’s a member of the martial arts club. If we really run into danger, she can protect us."

"But..."

"Oh, come on, go! Aren’t you curious? What exactly is hidden deep inside that secret cave? If we discover treasure, won’t we be rich?"

"Alright..."