Minamoto Household – Master Bedroom
The bedroom door was locked.
Minamoto Senya and Takanashi Toka sat side by side on the bed, each holding a bankbook.
Toka glanced down at hers and said,"On Mom's side, there's about six hundred thousand yen. What about yours?"
Senya answered,"Nine hundred thousand."
"So… a total of one and a half million."
After the tense discussion in the living room earlier, the ever-responsible Toka quickly realized what it meant: for the time being, their parents would have no income. Her expression tightened with worry.
This wasn't unfamiliar to her. Back when their mom had been raising the sisters alone, things were exactly like this.
Her mother had shouldered the burden of working nonstop, while young Toka took charge of managing the money, recording every expense, and acting like a miniature housekeeper.
After their mother remarried, with a new breadwinner in the house, she had been able to set that role aside.
But now, with the breadwinner bedridden, she had no choice but to take up the responsibility again.
"Dad's hospital expenses will be covered in advance by the bus driver who caused the accident. On top of that, they'll pay compensation for nutrition and lost wages. So… it's not like we'll be completely broke."
Seeing how serious her sister's small, tense face looked, Senya tried to reassure her.
Sure enough, her expression softened a little."How much are we talking about?"
"Nutrition allowance, about fifty thousand a month. Lost wages… maybe two hundred thousand a month."
"But Dad's actual salary was more than just two hundred thousand, right?"
"Yeah. The driver's wife brought their child to the hospital to kneel and beg Dad and Mom for forgiveness. You know how soft-hearted those two are… so they only demanded compensation equal to his base salary. They didn't count Dad's share of drink sales or tips."
Otherwise, if all of that were included, Minamoto Sanada's monthly income normally hovered between three hundred to four hundred thousand yen—and during holidays, it could be even higher.
"That's practically emotional blackmail…"
Toka muttered under her breath.
Still, it wasn't as bad as she had feared. At least there would still be money coming in. The household wouldn't just be bleeding expenses with no income.
But even so, she wasn't about to relax.
"For the next while, we can't keep spending like before. We'll have to live frugally."
She began listing things off in her calm, decisive tone."First, starting with our allowances. Mine—gone. Yours and Rokka's—cut in half. Actually… no. Canceled too. If we really need something, the three of us will discuss it together and decide if it's necessary."
"That's a little overkill, don't you think?"
Senya didn't care much about his own allowance, but he worried Rokka would cause a rebellion if she found out hers was gone.
Truthfully, their savings weren't that bad. They looked low only because Minamoto Sanada had carried a heavy mortgage all these years, but the house loan was finally paid off recently.
And if Takanashi Junko hadn't paid in full to buy that little storefront for her cosmetics shop, the family account would still have more than ten million yen in it.
Both Sanada and Junko were perfectly capable of earning money. They just hadn't been able to save much because of the mortgage and investments in their future.
Now, with no more debt, once they were back on their feet, things could only get better.
But Toka didn't share Senya's optimism. Having lived through a broken household and hard days with her mother, she preferred to prepare for the worst.
"It's not overkill. No one expected Dad to suddenly get hurt. What if our luck really is bad this year? Who knows what else could happen? If one of us catches a fever, that still costs money. So we'll do things my way."
"…"
Senya thought about it. She did have a point. Still, he tried to compromise.
"Fine. You and I will give up our allowances. But don't say a word to Rokka. I've saved up some money—I'll give her an allowance from that."
Toka raised an eyebrow."You're spoiling her."
But she didn't argue. Which meant she'd accepted it.
At that moment, Rokka's voice called out from the living room.
The two of them quickly put the bankbooks away and stepped outside.
"What were you doing in Mom and Dad's room?" Rokka asked curiously.
Without hesitation, Toka rapped her lightly on the head with a hand chop."Cleaning. Want to help?"
"No thanks, I'd just get in the way." Rokka covered her head, pouting."And stop hitting me! You do that every day, and now I'm getting dumber because of you!"
"Humans aren't that fragile. And maybe you should stop blaming others for your own laziness."
By six o'clock, dinner was served.
Rokka stared down at the two-thirds of a grilled saury on her plate, then glared at her sister.
Because sitting on Toka's plate was the missing third of her fish.
"Why is my saury incomplete today!?"
"That's plenty for you."
"Then why does Senya still get a whole one!?"
"He's still growing."
"So am I!"
"No, you're not. You eat all the time and never get taller. It's a waste."
"That's favoritism! I'm telling Mom you're bullying me and playing favorites!"
"Go ahead."
Their bickering gave Senya a headache. With a sigh, he pushed his untouched fish onto Rokka's plate."Enough. Just eat."
But Rokka quietly switched the plates back again. She hadn't really wanted more fish—arguing with her sister was just fun.
And deep down, she agreed. Senya needed the nutrition more than she did.
After dinner, Senya leaned over and whispered something to Toka, who was washing dishes.
She hesitated."Why don't you wait for me to finish, and we'll go together?"
"No need." Senya waved it off."It's nothing big. I'll handle it alone. You stay here and keep an eye on Rokka—she's been glued to her phone instead of doing homework."
Rokka watched him leave with a wounded expression. But Senya ignored it, boarded a train, and headed into the bustling shopping district, stopping in front of Junko's cosmetics shop.
He took out the key, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.
The lights flicked on, revealing the cozy, elegant interior. A faint fragrance hung in the air.
Back at the airport, Junko had asked him to pass a message to Toka: when she had time, to water the store's potted plants. They'd been chosen carefully to add a sense of sophistication, and they'd cost quite a bit. It would be a shame if they withered before Junko's return.
And since the shop would be closed for a while, someone also needed to post a notice on the door with an approximate reopening date.
But with the sky already dark, and after what had happened earlier to Busujima Saeko, Senya wasn't about to let Toka come out alone. Nor did both of them need to go. So he came by himself.
He remembered the worried look on Toka's face earlier. That expression had made him think harder about the family's financial situation.
He wasn't a little kid anymore. Maybe there was something he could do to earn money, to ease the burden at home.
But how?
While watering the plants by the window, lost in thought, he heard the door open.
A short-haired woman stepped inside, pulling down her mask."Huh? The manager, Junko, isn't here today?"