Chapter 2: Hinata Manor
Kitakou Kanako's service was very attentive. Not just Hachiman, even the female students who secretly called her a "deadly fairy" couldn't find any fault in this regard.
As for Hachiman, he didn't intend to nitpick. Though he had free time, he wasn't that free.
On the first day of university, besides registration, the main task was to solve the accommodation issue.
But neither the University of Tokyo's student dormitories, off-campus group dorms, nor the student hall appealed to Hachiman.
Initially, he planned to use the house the Yomi faction had purchased in Bunkyo Ward. But then a call from his "cheap dad" changed his plan.
"Son! I heard it! Komachi got into Todai, just as expected from your father's daughter… Hey, hey, don't hang up! Well, I actually have an old house over there, being taken care of by a friend. There are students living inside, so let Komachi stay there. Since it's a very good friend, we can be at ease."
Cheap Dad mentioned his friend's name and said it was already arranged. He emphasized that Hachiman should be polite, as this friend was practically family.
For this father—whose name reminded Hachiman of the childhood classic Love Hina's male lead—Hachiman only remembered that he couldn't beat his wife. He didn't know this guy had extra property.
My dad… hiding things so well!
So now, Hachiman, Komachi, and her friends were heading toward the old house Dad mentioned.
Fifteen minutes, thirty minutes, an hour later, the scenery outside changed from tall buildings to short ones—but the car kept going…
Hachiman felt he had to complain.
What kind of place was this that it took an hour to reach a house? Could the couple living this far really make it to classes on time? If it were him, he'd just stay inside playing games.
Truly, a helicopter would be more appropriate.
"Hikigaya-sama," the sweet voice of the deadly fairy kept whispering in Hachiman's ear, "we've arrived."
"Oh?" Hachiman looked out again. The car had indeed stopped in front of a three-story building.
The building was primarily wooden, an older style, but decades ago it would have been a high-class inn. From a distance, it appeared well-maintained.
From where they got out to the main door, there was a long set of steps flanked by trees, but few fallen leaves, clearly regularly cleaned.
From this detail alone, Hachiman's first impression was very good.
He got out first, followed by Komachi and the others. They began commenting on the building together.
"Well maintained," said the black cat with slight admiration.
"So old-fashioned," said the dumb little sister.
Their comments were representative of everyone's overall evaluation—the house was old but well-maintained.
Hachiman thought the age of the house didn't matter; what mattered was the quality of the residents.
"Looks good," he briefly commented, then led the pouty, unhappy Komachi to the door.
The ground in front of the door was paved with patterned stone tiles, with a large rock placed nearby, likely due to some custom.
The door was a sliding glass type, giving a view of a spacious interior resembling a reception hall, with stairs leading to the second floor.
"Is anyone here? I'm Hikigaya Hachiman," he called after opening the door.
In most dramas or anime, at this point, no one would answer, and the protagonist would walk in confidently, eventually becoming the only male resident after a series of near-death scenes.
But someone answered.
"Oh! Is that little Hachiman?"
Little Hachiman… what the heck?
Hachiman was stunned to see a woman in her early thirties appear from the stairs, holding a broom.
This lady had great legs! Even walking with a broom, she made no sound.
"Hello, I'm Maeda Kaima, Urashima… oh no, Hikigaya-senpai already told me about you. The rooms are ready."
Did she just say Urashima? Must be a coincidence.
"Thank you," Hachiman bowed.
Since becoming a god slayer, he hadn't bowed to anyone, but since Cheap Dad treated this person like family, politeness was warranted.
"Thank you," the girls behind him also bowed.
"Oh my, such cute girls," Maeda Kaima said, smiling. "Actually, the current residents are all girls too, just like when your father lived here."
"Oh, my father lived here?"
"Yes, senpai really liked it. Later, due to work, he couldn't continue as manager, so he entrusted me."
Maeda Kaima answered questions while leading Hachiman upstairs.
Inside, unlike the slightly Western-style exterior, the interior was fully Japanese. Doors were sliding paper doors with beautiful illustrations.
"The current residents are mostly children of previous residents. Most live on the second floor, with two rooms adjacent," she explained, opening the rooms which had desks and chairs, all very clean.
"Thank you for your trouble," Hachiman said. Though technically not the administrator's duty, she had cleaned.
"Hehe, you don't need to be so formal, Little Hachiman. Just call me sister," Kaima said kindly.
"Alright, who wants to live on the second floor? There are two rooms, so you can pair up."
"I'll take the third floor, the highest," Komachi said immediately.
"Then I'll take the second floor," the black cat boldly went into the left room, glancing at Kirino.
"Got it, I'll go with you," Kirino said, tone like "I'm conceding," but her eyes said otherwise.
After moving their belongings in, Kaima guided everyone on the third floor to their rooms.
Finally, Hachiman found a room prepared for himself.
"Mine too?" he asked in surprise. "But all the residents are girls. Is it okay for a guy to stay here?"
"No problem. When senpai lived here, it was the same. And since they're all girls, a boy is needed for protection."
Hachiman realized this made sense. Initially, he thought Cheap Dad's house was just an apartment; it was actually an old inn.
No matter how capable at home, Komachi and her friends were just girls. Though they were friends' children, Hachiman still felt uneasy leaving them in such a crowded place.
"In that case…" he thought, "please find a room a little further away. Being all girls, it might be inconvenient."
"Not the middle? This is where senpai's first love lived," Kaima said, clearly plotting.
"No, really inconvenient." Hachiman felt a headache coming—Kaima seemed very strategic. He wondered what Cheap Dad told her.
"Such a pity. Okay, there is one room previously used for storage. I'll move things out."
"No, that's too much trouble. I'll do it myself," Hachiman stopped her, then gave a glance to Kitakou Kanako, who immediately took out her phone.
"Everyone, come upstairs and help Hikigaya-sama move things."
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