Haruka cooperated with Akiho's pulling, stretching her short body with effort. Her small face turned red, and she persisted for a full three minutes. Afterward, Akiho, feeling a bit sorry, "Is it enough for today, big sister?"
"Give me another minute... harder, Akiho... I... I can still grow!"
Another minute passed, and Haruka's forehead was covered in sweat. Finally, she weakly collapsed onto the bed, and Akiho, also a bit out of breath, sat down beside her.
After resting for a while, Haruka asked, "Akiho, do you think this method works? I've measured my height several times recently, but there hasn't been any change."
Akiho didn't know for sure, so she could only patiently comfort her, "Don't worry, big sister. You'll definitely reach 160 cm... at least 155 cm!"
Holding onto her favorite sister, Haruka sighed lightly, "155 cm? That's too far. I should at least grow to 150 cm first. Why is it so difficult for me? Our parents were both tall..."
Akiho had no answer. Not wanting the big sister to be too nervous, she changed the topic, "Big sister, the academic test is coming up in half a month. Can you keep up with your grades with your tight schedule recently?"
Haruka was confident, "No problem. I'll increase my study time in the next half month and secure the top spot!"
"That's good, but big sister, don't push yourself too hard. After all, this isn't in a public high school. I heard that Hope Peak Academy has recruited many top students this year to make a name for itself. Many of them were the top students in their regions. If big sister can get a spot in the top ten, it's already impressive."
Haruka disagreed, "That's not right, Akiho. Just because the opponents are too strong, do you think it doesn't matter if I lose? A person should never find excuses to accept failure! This opportunity is excellent. Saori Hayami, that sickly girl, hasn't been seen all semester. She's definitely finished in this academic test. The only opponent is that gigolo! I don't want to lose to him again!"
She spoke while squinting her crescent-shaped eyes, as if she could already see Kazuya's disheartened and helpless face when the grades were posted. Speaking in terms of grades, her father couldn't say she was jealous of someone better than her anymore.
If she defeated him through academic achievement, there would be perfectly just and upright! However, she wondered how she could insult him when the time came. She needed to think about the lines in advance...
Akiho sighed secretly. She estimated that the war between her sister and Kazuya wouldn't end anytime soon. Kazuya had been working at their shop for more than a week now. After a long time of contact, she found that he was not the arrogant, despicable, and sinister person her big sister described. On the contrary, he spoke gently, understood other people's feelings, knew his limits.
Even though she didn't want to admit it, judging by personality alone, that guy who was "arrogant, despicable, and sinister" seemed to completely overshadow her big sister.
As Haruka thought about the scene of victory, she suddenly remembered the scene where she was trampled under his foot. His eyes, disdainful gaze, and face with a hint of killing intent flashed in her mind. She immediately bounced up, and rushed to the desk, "Akiho, take Toutaro to sleep tonight. I want to pull an all-nighter for studying."
Akiho didn't object. Tomorrow was a day off. Given her big sister's competitive personality, persuading her wouldn't work now. It would be better to console her and let her get some rest tomorrow. She took the cup, gently closing the door as she left.
...
Haruka's prediction was correct. The next day, a level seven strong wind warning was issued for the southern part of Nagoya and Aichi Prefecture. However, the strong wind didn't come, making it feel like a weather forecast error.
Kazuya looked at the clock after closing his books and felt it was about time to go to work. He closed his eyes, recalling the content he had just memorized, and then glanced behind him. There, Yoko was cuddling with Toratoro, reading a monthly manga magazine with soft laughter. These were all picked up from the roadside. Many people threw away these serial manga magazines after reading.
Of course, Yoko had already finished her homework. The pressure for elementary school homework wasn't significant, and although she couldn't be considered very smart, she wasn't foolish either. Doing homework didn't take much of her time.
She still had a piece of candy in her mouth, savoring it with relish. It was something Kazuya had bought for her. After all, kids liked eating candy. Though it wasn't high-quality candy, it was just something to keep her entertained. Kazuya hoped to give her some better childhood memories.
Toratoro was also lowering its head to chew, then raising it to swallow saliva, its face filled with contentment. Yoko really liked this dog. She often shared food with it. Although he thought it was a bit wasteful, considering that it was her way of showing love, he didn't say anything. Most likely, she was sharing some candy with it again.
"Yoko, I'm going to work now," Kazuya said, stretching lazily. The mid-term exam was coming up, and he needed to pay attention since this test would go into their student records.
Yoko looked up in surprise. "Is it already time, Onisan?" She reluctantly got up, patting Toratoro's head, "I'm going back. Toratoro, be a good dog at home!"
Kazuya put on his jacket when he felt the strong wind after opening the door. He suggested, "If you have nothing to do, you can stay here and play. It's okay."
He had noticed that Yoko was afraid of the older kids hanging around the streets. After school, she always hurried home and didn't spend much time playing nearby. Today, she didn't have school, and her mother was probably sleeping at home during the day. There might be some men coming over again for some inappropriate activities. She didn't have many places to go.
"Is that okay?" Yoko hesitated.
Kazuya rubbed her little head. "I said it's okay. You can stay until late. Just don't feed Toratoro. I'll bring some leftovers from work to feed it."
His room was as empty as one can image. If a thief came in, he would probably shake his head and sigh, and maybe leave some money before leaving. There was nothing to steal, except for a little money hidden under the tatami. However, Kazuya trusted Yoko's character. This girl even kept track of the two candies he gave her, and it seemed like she took his words seriously, even planning to repay him double in ten years.
"Got it, Onisan, take care!" Yoko agreed with Kazuya's suggestion. She walked alongside him and carefully smoothed out the wrinkles in his collarbefore he left, showing utmost gentleness. Toratoro wagged its tail, following her with eager eyes.
There were always some leftover bone scraps and meat that couldn't be finished in the izakaya. While humans couldn't consume them, it was suitable for feeding dogs. Kazuya often brought some back to feed Toratoro, and the dog had developed a taste for it. Surprisingly, its fur had become somewhat shiny after a week of such meals.
After patting Yoko's head as if accustomed to this routine, Kazuya left. Yoko maintained a shallow bow until he closed the door. Then, she straightened up, tilted her head in thought and sweetly said to Toratoro, "Toratoro, since Onisan gave you so many delicious treats, we should repay him. Let's get rid of the mold!"
Having stayed with Kazuya for a long time, she noticed that he was troubled by the presence of mold in the house. He often brushed it away with a brush, looking irritated. Yoko was willing to help him with something, just as he wished for her happiness.
"Woof!" Of course, Toratoro had no idea what she was saying, but it wagged his tail and followed her to the bathroom.
Yoko stood in the corridor, observing the street for a while. Noticing there weren't many pedestrians, she took the spare key to Kazuya's room, carefully locked the door, and led Toratoro rushing downstairs.
Unlike the fake Japanese Kazuya, Yoko was a true local born and raised in Nagoya. From a young age, she knew how to deal with mold. Brushing just one spot at a time like Kazuya did was futile. To solve the problem, one had to address the root cause!
The source was on the ceiling. Even though it didn't seem like there was much mold on the ceiling, it was the real culprit. If one didn't clean the mold on the ceiling thoroughly, all efforts on the floor were in vain. After a few days, the mold from the ceiling would settle on the floor, starting the growth cycle again.
So, the best approach was to wipe every nook and cranny of the ceiling with disinfectant, and the floor could be cleaned slowly.
After carefully observing at home, Yoko confirmed that Kazuya hadn't known this at all. In a mix of surprise and delight, she felt confident that she could help Kazuya this time. Counting the money she saved up, she eagerly set out, anticipating Kazuya's relieved smile after returning from work to find the major problem resolved.