| The Three Roses | Arc — "Solving Problems the Hard Way" |
Chapter 1: "The First Meeting"
Night in the small town was strangely quiet, lit only by streetlamps flickering like they were barely surviving the electricity bill.
Haruya Takumi, twenty years old, walked alone under their dim light, hands in pockets, steps steady but tired.
He checked his old, cracked phone.
10:30 PM.
Takumi let out a deep sigh that could dissolve entire mountains.
"What's the point of living like this…?"
His voice was soft, like he wasn't asking the world but asking himself—again.
"No money… Father died when I was thirteen… Ever since then it's been debt, bills, and more bills. Mom's been in the hospital for six years…"
He paused, staring ahead at the glowing hospital sign.
He walked inside, nodding tiredly to the nurse who knew him by now.
Room 203. He could walk there blindfolded.
Takumi slid the door open quietly.
Inside, the room was cold and still.
His mother lay on the bed, pale and unmoving, an oxygen tube tracing her breaths. The beeping machines sounded like clocks counting down his hope.
Takumi stood beside her, gently adjusting her blanket.
"…I hope you wake up one day, Mom."
His eyes watered, vision blurring. He quickly wiped them—he didn't have time to break down.
He pulled out a tiny notebook, filled with part-time job listings, crossed-out interviews, rejected applications.
"A new job… anything that pays more… I have to try."
He closed the notebook, bowed slightly to his mother, and stepped out with determined eyes.
---
PHONE CALL — Hope Arrives
Takumi had barely walked two blocks when his phone suddenly buzzed.
Unknown number.
He almost dropped it from shock.
Takumi: "H-Hello!?"
Man: "Good evening. Is this Haruya Takumi? The one who applied for a part-time job last week?"
Takumi nearly fainted on the spot.
Takumi: "YES! YES THAT'S ME! I MEAN—yes, calmly, it's me."
Man: "You didn't sound calm."
Takumi: "I – uh – I'm flexible."
Man: "Right… anyway, there are three sisters who consistently fail their exams. Your job would be to tutor them until they can pass."
Takumi froze.
Tutoring…?
Three sisters…?
Man: "The salary is high. Very high. Extremely, unbelievably high."
Takumi's soul left his body and came back.
Takumi: "YES! TELL ME MORE! I CAN TEACH ANYTHING! I CAN TEACH A ROCK IF NEEDED!"
Man: "Good spirit. The sisters are the daughters of the Airi Family."
Takumi stopped walking.
…Airi?
THE Airi family?
The ultra-rich, mansion-owning, school-funding, possibly-owning-half-the-town Airi family!?
Takumi: "ARE YOU SERIOUS!? DID YOU CALL THE RIGHT PERSON!? I AM POOR! VERY POOR!"
Man: "Exactly why you applied for the job, right?"
Touché.
Man: "Listen. Each of the three girls has a different… intense… personality. It might be difficult."
Takumi: "Salary."
Man: "High."
Takumi: "I accept everything."
Man: "Good. I'll text you the address."
Takumi fist pumped the air so hard a pigeon flew away.
---
HOME — Chaos Begins
Takumi sprinted home, kicked the door open dramatically.
Takumi: "I'M HOME!"
His siblings were exactly as he expected.
Hina, nine years old, was "cooking" something that looked like a scientific accident.
Souta, nineteen, was sprawled on the couch reading a thick black novel titled "Love" in red outlines. His expression was dead inside.
Souta looked up with lazy eyes.
Souta: "You look like a dog chased you for stealing its food."
Takumi: "Close. Life is chasing me."
Hina: "TAKUMIII!! I MADE FOOD FOR YOU!"
She proudly held up a bowl.
The rice…
Was pitch-black.
Takumi stared at it like it was radioactive.
Takumi: "Are you trying to kill me? Actually tell me. If this is poison, make it quick."
Hina puffed her cheeks.
Hina: "It's a special recipe!!!"
Takumi: "Special as in lethal."
He waved his hand.
Takumi: "ANYWAY! I GOT A JOB!"
Souta blinked slowly.
Souta: "Wow."
Zero emotion.
Takumi: "It's a tutor job… for the AIRI SISTERS!"
Hina gasped dramatically.
Hina: "WAAAAH!! RICH PEOPLE!!! TAKUMI'S GONNA BE RICH TOO!!!"
Souta closed his book with a sigh.
Souta: "Good. Now you can buy instant noodles for the family."
Takumi put on his shoes again.
Takumi: "I'm going to tell them I'll start tomorrow morning!"
Hina: "DON'T BE LATE TO THE RICH PEOPLE!! THEY MIGHT FIRE YOU BEFORE HIRING YOU!!"
---
THE ACCIDENT — Girl #1 Enters
Takumi sprinted through the streets like the Flash with rent due tomorrow.
And then—
WHAM!!
He collided with a girl so hard he almost saw stars.
She had long pearl-pink hair reaching her waist, bright green eyes, and wore a green zipped hoodie with a black skirt.
She rubbed her forehead.
Girl: "HEY! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE RUNNING!!"
She wasn't truly angry—her voice was warm, her expression soft—but she was definitely startled.
Takumi bowed repeatedly like a broken toy.
Takumi: "SORRY! I'M REALLY REALLY REALLY IN A HURRY!!"
He bolted off again.
The girl blinked, noticing something falling.
A purse.
She picked it up.
Girl: "…Huh? He dropped this."
She looked ahead.
Takumi was running straight toward—
her house.
Girl: "Why is he heading to my place!?"
She ran after him.
---
THE AIRI MANSION — Chaos x 3
Takumi reached the enormous Airi mansion.
The size alone made him feel poor.
He pressed the doorbell nervously.
SLAM!!!
The door swung open so violently it hit him in the face and knocked him down.
Takumi: "AH—MY NOSE—MY PRECIOUS NOSE—"
A girl stepped out.
Shoulder-length bright pink hair.
Sharp blue eyes.
Red hoodie unzipped.
Green skirt.
Long black socks.
Her expression screamed tsundere danger level: MAXIMUM.
Girl: "Who are you!? A thief!?"
Before Takumi could protest, another girl walked out.
Soft pink hair reaching her waist.
Big, innocent pink eyes.
Pink sweater.
Knee-length green skirt.
Girl #2: "He… does look suspicious… Should we report him…?"
Takumi raised both hands in surrender.
Takumi: "NO! I SWEAR I'M NOT A—"
And then the first girl he bumped into arrived, pointing at him dramatically like an anime protagonist accusing the villain.
Girl #3: "AH! IT'S THE RUDE GUY!!"
The other two gasped.
Girl #1 (blue-eyed): "RUDE!?"
Girl #2 (shy): "R-Rude…?"
Takumi almost cried.
Takumi: "LISTEN!! I'm Haruya Takumi! Your new tutor!!"
All three sisters froze.
Girl #1: "…No. I refuse. I am NOT being taught by HIM."
Girl #2: "I… I don't know… If Himari said you were rude…"
Girl #3 (Himari): "Yeah! You bumped into me! If you act like that again, KAede will kick you out!"
She pointed at the angry blue-eyed girl.
Airi Kaede: "I WILL."
She folded her arms with a "hmph."
Takumi panicked.
Takumi: "PLEASE! I wasn't rude! I was just rushing because I got the job! I NEED THIS!!!"
Himari blinked, remembering.
She pulled out the purse she picked up.
It slipped—fell—she picked it again, opened slightly—
And saw:
Only three coins
One crumpled hospital bill
Her eyes softened instantly.
She tossed the purse back gently.
Himari: "Here. You dropped this."
She looked away, cheeks red.
Himari: "Fine. You can teach us. But DON'T get the wrong idea! We're only testing you! We don't know if you're a good tutor!"
Takumi nearly exploded with relief.
Takumi: "THANK YOU SO MUCH! I'LL TEACH YOU ALL WITH EVERYTHING I HAVE! I'LL MAKE YOUR DUMMY BRAINS GRADU—"
He slipped his tongue.
Kaede's eye twitched.
Kaede: "…What did you just say?"
Takumi: "I—uh—compliment—?"
Kaede: "OH REALLY!?"
BAM!!!
Kaede punched him so hard he flew backward straight onto the living room couch.
Takumi lay there, limbs spread, soul floating.
Himari: "Welcome to the Airi mansion, rude guy!"
Hana: "Um… are tutors supposed to fly?"
Kaede: "If they insult us, yes."
Takumi groaned.
This job…
Was going to kill him.
But for the first time in a while—
He smiled.
---
END OF CHAPTER 1