Chapter 46: The Higashiyama Family

Chapter 46: Chapter 46: The Higashiyama Family

Kobeni Higashiyama had only said a few words before the hurt she had been holding inside became impossible to suppress. Her tears would not stop flowing, and as she wiped them away with her hands, she told Kotone about everything through sobs.

Even though Kotone Asaba already knew what things were like in Kobeni’s family, hearing her cry it all out still made his heart ache.

He reached out and gently wiped the tears from Kobeni’s face.

The things Kobeni told him were more or less the same as what Kotone already knew, but with more details.

For example, Kobeni’s parents had asked her before whether she would consider selling herself. That was just too much.

Kobeni was only in her second year of high school, yet they were already talking to her about that kind of thing. It was absurd.

No wonder that in the original story, Kobeni cut ties with her family the moment she got the chance. That really was not something normal parents would do.

"Now that you’ve said it all out loud, do you feel a little better?"

"Mm..."

Kobeni sniffled and nodded slightly.

"Then what do you want to do, Kobeni? You can’t just keep silently enduring it forever, can you?" Kotone asked.

"I... I can’t do anything..."

How could Kobeni possibly dare to have any thoughts of her own? Her tuition depended on her family, and so did her food and housing. She simply did not dare to resist her parents in any way.

"Didn’t I already tell you? I’m here now. Just say what you’re really thinking. I’ll definitely help you."

Kotone encouraged her.

"Then... then I’ll go back and think about it carefully."

Kotone did not know whether Kobeni was still worried about something, but he did not press her. After all, this was not something that could be rushed.

They walked together until they reached the halfway point, then Kotone and Kobeni parted ways.

He had already made his preparations. The moment Kobeni said she wanted to cut ties with her family, he would go straight to her house and talk to her parents.

Whether Kobeni’s parents agreed or not, he would take Kobeni away from that family directly.

Would that count as eloping?

Tuesday morning.

Kotone Asaba was already sitting in class, waiting for Kobeni to arrive and give him her answer.

But after a while, the person he ended up waiting for was not Kobeni Higashiyama, but Nazuna Higashiyama.

"Asaba, there’s a girl from the middle school division looking for you. I think she’s Higashiyama’s younger sister."

At that moment, one of his classmates came over and said this to Kotone.

As soon as Kotone heard that, he knew it was Nazuna Higashiyama. But why had Nazuna come to find him at this time? Could something important have happened?

He immediately walked out of the classroom. Nazuna Higashiyama was standing right outside the door.

"Is that Higashiyama’s younger sister? She looks so much like her."

"Looks like Higashiyama and Asaba really do have a special relationship. Even her younger sister from the middle school division knows Asaba."

"Are Higashiyama and Asaba already dating? I never would’ve thought someone like Higashiyama was actually that impressive."

"..."

The students in class all began discussing it.

Kotone had just been about to ask whether something had happened when Nazuna hurriedly spoke first.

"This is bad, Asaba! I don’t know what Kobeni said to our parents last night, but they got really angry and scolded her..."

Kotone immediately frowned slightly. "Did you hear what they were scolding her about?"

"I was upstairs at the time, so I didn’t hear it. By the time I went downstairs, Kobeni had already locked herself in her room. No matter how much I called her, it didn’t work. I don’t know whether Kobeni can come to class normally today."

Nazuna no longer had her usual ever-present smile on her face. Instead, her expression was full of worry.

She could only place her hopes on Kotone now, which was why she had specifically run over to the high school building.

"Tell me the address. I’ll go find her now."

After getting the address from Nazuna, Kotone rushed to the Higashiyama home as quickly as possible.

He had also asked a classmate to request the morning off for both him and Kobeni.

It was already past eight. There was no way he and Kobeni would make it to class before the first period started, so he might as well have them both take leave.

When he arrived at the Higashiyama home, the house in front of him looked ordinary, but fairly large. After all, there were more than ten people in the family.

He rang the doorbell outside the yard, and soon, a stern-looking middle-aged man came out.

"You are...?"

The middle-aged man looked at Kotone Asaba, feeling that the boy looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before, but for the moment, he could not remember where.

"I’m Kobeni’s boyfriend, Kotone Asaba."

Kotone said it directly.

Clearly, the middle-aged man in front of him was most likely Kobeni Higashiyama’s father.

"Boyfriend?!"

Kobeni’s father looked as if he had no idea Kobeni already had a boyfriend, and his face filled with shock.

Only after a while did he react. The name Kotone Asaba sounded very familiar.

Wasn’t that the name of that genius Devil Hunter?

Kobeni’s father finally remembered. No wonder he had felt the boy looked so familiar. It was because he had just seen news related to him on television a few days ago.

That made him feel even more incredulous. That genius Devil Hunter was actually Kobeni’s boyfriend?

"At this time, Kobeni should usually already be at school. Did something happen today?"

Kotone asked with a smile.

"This... I don’t know. Maybe Kobeni isn’t feeling well...?"

The smile on Kobeni’s father’s face looked extremely forced.

"Then may I come in and check on her?"

"O-of course!"

Kobeni’s father immediately opened the yard gate.

The boy in front of him was a Devil Hunter. Anyone who could become a Devil Hunter, especially a talented one with real strength like this, had to be quite wealthy.

He had heard that killing a random devil could earn someone hundreds of thousands of yen. If the profession had not been so dangerous, he would have wanted to become a Devil Hunter himself back then.

If he had known Kobeni had a boyfriend like this, he would not have "educated" Kobeni that way last night.

At the time, when Kobeni said she wanted to repay a friend for helping her, he had really thought it was just an ordinary friend.

After that, Kotone Asaba followed Kobeni’s father into the house.

In the living room, he also saw a middle-aged woman whose features bore a slight resemblance to Kobeni Higashiyama’s. She was clearly Kobeni’s mother.

"I’m Kobeni’s father, Shinya Higashiyama. This is Kobeni’s mother, Akira Higashiyama. Please sit in the living room for a while. I’ll go see how Kobeni is feeling."

After saying that, Shinya Higashiyama gave Akira Higashiyama a look, then immediately went upstairs.

Kotone Asaba did not even need to guess. Most likely, Shinya Higashiyama had gone up to threaten Kobeni into keeping quiet because he did not want Kotone to learn the truth about last night.

Akira Higashiyama quickly recognized that the boy in front of her was Kotone Asaba, and she also understood the meaning behind that look just now.

However, while she was making tea, she let her guard down for just a moment, and Kotone Asaba suddenly disappeared.