"…Pervert."
Shiginomiya Shion clutched her right hand to her chest with her left, her cheeks tinged a light pink from embarrassment. Hidden beneath her dark hair, the tips of her ears had turned bright red.
She might have been able to keep her expression composed, but the involuntary flush from her emotions was harder to conceal.
So she took a deep breath, trying her best to calm herself down.
"I was kidding. I'm not really gonna lick your hand."
Kuroba Akira wasn't the kind of guy who'd be wounded just because a girl shook off his hand. In fact, that over-the-top line had been entirely on purpose—a way to derail Shion's line of questioning and steer the conversation elsewhere.
It also doubled as a field test for his newly copied talent.
As expected, [Soulful Performance S] was a skill that only came into play when acting.
He'd fully pulled off the persona of a smooth-talking playboy, and the transition into a sleazy creep had felt completely natural.
While experimenting with switching talents earlier, Akira had noticed that even though the three S-ranked talents sounded impressive, they didn't seem to produce any huge changes.
For instance, [Heavenly Voice S] just made him feel like his throat was clearer, with less phlegm and improved nasal airflow.
[Ethereal Grace S] gave his body a slightly lighter feel, as though his joints had loosened up and he could move a bit more fluidly.
And [Soulful Performance S]? That one just made it easier to control his facial expressions.
It didn't feel like gaining an S-rank talent had turned him into some kind of prodigy or world-class genius. If anything, [Academic Ability A] had produced more immediately noticeable effects.
So Akira guessed these three talents must be tightly bound to specific skill domains. Unlike the class rep's general-purpose "intelligence buff," these probably wouldn't shine unless used in the right context.
To test it, he'd improvised a little performance—and lo and behold, the character he'd mentally outlined took shape on the spot.
Akira was even starting to think that if he kept this up a few more times, he might just unlock [Acting Lv1] for real.
At this point, the only unknown left was how long a copied talent would last.
That would have to be tested over time.
Ideally, forever, he thought.
"Oh, right. I forgot to mention—I haven't told Kobayashi-obaasan I'm bringing you home, so she might ask a few questions about you."
They were almost home now, so Akira started briefing Shion on what to expect.
Back to her usual calm, Shion asked, "What kind of person is Kobayashi-obaasan?"
"Hm… How to describe her…"
Akira folded his arms, mentally recalling her image before speaking.
"She's kind of like the old witch in a fairy tale—looks mean, totally shady vibe—but if you take the time to get to know her, she's surprisingly easy to get along with. Classic 'sharp tongue, soft heart' type."
"But I can't pay rent."
"That's fine. I've been living there for six months and haven't paid a single yen."
"Eh? But didn't you say she's the landlady?"
"She is. But her hobby is… 'taking in strays.' Like how lonely old folks adopt cats or something."
"…That's kinda weird."
"C'mon, didn't I 'pick you up' too?"
"…Fair."
Shion had nothing to say to that. She had been "picked up."
Still, Akira figured Mika would probably accept her. After all, Shion was, in a roundabout way, connected to Blacktail.
Though in her case, it wasn't that Blacktail led her to Mika—it was Akira that had been brought by the cat and in turn brought Shion. There was a subtle difference there.
Because the truth was, Mika didn't actively go out of her way to "adopt" people.
Thinking of that, Akira figured he ought to at least try confirming Shion's background before bringing her in.
"Hmm… Ji bian ou bu bian?"
"…What?"
Shion blinked. That wasn't Japanese.
And that reply—nani? instead of wocao!—was enough to tell Akira she wasn't a fellow transmigrator from his hometown.
He'd held out a sliver of hope that she might be—her talents were just too outlandish—but no dice.
"Never mind. Just let me do the talking, okay?"
"Mm."
Shion nodded, letting Akira lead her into the Kobayashi home.
"Kobayashi-obaasan, I'm back."
"You sure know how to cut it close. I was just about to freeze your dinner…"
Mika's familiar grumbling rang out—then abruptly cut off.
She'd spotted the unfamiliar girl standing beside Akira: Shiginomiya Shion.
Shion stood obediently by his side, now face-to-face with the infamous landlady—Kobayashi Mika.
Despite being well into her seventies, the old lady was full of vigor. Her voice was loud and steady, her posture straight as a board, no stooped back or slow shuffle. She practically walked with swagger.
And she was tall. Almost the same height as Akira, who stood at 175 cm. Shion had to tilt her head slightly to meet her gaze.
Just as Akira had said, Mika's eyes were razor-sharp. Even just being looked at made your spine go cold—her presence exuded pressure, like the boss lady in a yakuza film.
"Hello. Sorry to intrude."
Despite the tension, Shion's talent carried her. She didn't betray a single flicker of fear as she bowed politely in greeting.
Akira had said to leave it to him, and she'd decided to trust him.
"Mm. And she is…?"
Just as Akira opened his mouth to explain, Mika pulled another pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet and set them down.
"Come on in. Don't stand around chatting in the entryway. Remember to change shoes."
Then she turned and walked back toward the sitting room.
Akira and Shion exchanged a glance, changed into indoor slippers, and followed her in.
Once inside, they saw Mika pull out an old leather wallet, rummage through it, and hand Akira a bill.
"Here. For you."
It was a 10,000 yen note.
"…What?!"
Akira was stunned.
The stingiest woman on earth just gave him money!?
For the past six months, aside from providing food, she hadn't handed him a single yen. Pocket money? As if! What was he, her grandkid?
But now—suddenly—ten thousand yen?
Had she gone soft? Or maybe she saw he'd brought a girl home, realized her cooking might not cut it, and wanted him to order sushi or something?
Still, instead of asking, Akira shamelessly tried to push his luck.
"Well, since you're giving me some… how about a little more?"
Which, predictably, lit the fuse on Mika's temper.
Her eyebrows shot up. She jabbed a finger toward his nose and exploded.
"You little punk! Ten thousand isn't enough for you? How freaking insatiable are you!? Even the good-quality ones—three-pack costs, what, 900 yen?! Buy ten boxes and that's thirty total. Still not enough?! Might as well change your name to One-Night Thirty-Times-kun! The rest is more than enough to buy a meal and restore your stamina!"
"Uhh… huh?"
Akira froze.
Wait—what the hell does she want me to buy?
Was she really talking about… that?
Mika clicked her tongue and waved dismissively.
"Tch. Just take care of it properly. You're too damn young to be ruining lives."
"You're broke. Can't even afford to raise a kid. Hell, you probably couldn't even cover the cost of an abortion."
"Be a man. You bring her home, you take responsibility. Don't be some scumbag who messes up a girl's body and runs. I won't have it."
So that ten thousand yen…
Was for protection.
Mika's message: You're too poor to deal with the consequences, so here's money to buy condoms. Don't forget to use them.
Seriously, Kobayashi-obaasan!?
You're just going to assume we're that kind of relationship?!
Do I really look like that kind of guy?!