Chapter 57: Yumi Misses Her Senpai

After the parent-teacher meeting ended, Kitahara once again picked up Hayami Rina and Little Aya and took them home.

As soon as Aya saw him waiting outside the school, she happily ran toward him. Kitahara smiled and took her hand, while Rina followed behind them with Aya’s schoolbag.

The three of them soon walked home together.

Before long, dinner was ready.

By that time, Kitahara had already finished showering and changed into a set of clean, comfortable clothes. When he came downstairs, the delicious aroma of freshly prepared food immediately reached his nose.

Rina was setting the dishes on the dining table.

"Kitahara-kun, it’s a bit hot today. Would you like some cold beer?"She took off her apron and looked at him.

At the table, Little Aya was already sitting obediently in her seat, waiting patiently for dinner to begin.

"Sure. Let’s have a little drink. Rina-nee, you should have some with me too."

"All right."

Rina happily agreed and walked over to the refrigerator.

A moment later, she returned with two bottles of chilled beer.

The three of them soon began dinner.

The food was delicious and plentiful, and the cold beer tasted especially refreshing after the warm day. The atmosphere around the dining table was relaxed and comfortable.

They talked about the little things that had happened during the day. Rina mentioned some details from the parent-teacher meeting, while Aya occasionally interrupted with her own thoughts.

Kitahara listened patiently, occasionally laughing at Aya’s innocent comments.

There was nothing particularly extraordinary about the evening.

And yet, Kitahara found himself enjoying it immensely.

The warm food, the cold drinks, the gentle conversation, and the sound of Aya’s laughter filled the room with a peaceful atmosphere.

For Kitahara, moments like this were becoming increasingly precious.

After dinner, he stayed for a while and watched television with Little Aya.

Aya sat beside him, completely absorbed in the program, while Kitahara occasionally glanced at her and smiled.

Eventually, however, he had to return to his own home.

Once he got back, Kitahara sat down in front of his computer and looked at the blank document.

Only then did he realize that he had not written a single word today. He had spent the entire day relaxing, going out, and enjoying himself.

Damn it, back then, even if he was exhausted, he would still force himself to write something. After developing that habit for so long, taking even one day off made him feel as though he had disappointed his readers.

This was a bad habit. He definitely needed to change it in the future.

Still, there was no point thinking about it now.

He was already sitting in front of the computer, and his writing inspiration was gradually returning.

Since he had the mood to write, he might as well write a little tonight.

However, before Kitahara could even begin, his phone suddenly rang.

He glanced at the screen and answered. "Moshi moshi, this is Kita—"

"Senpai, you finally picked up! Great! I called you so many times, but you didn’t answer. I even thought I had somehow remembered your number incorrectly!"

The girl’s voice came through the phone before Kitahara could finish his sentence.

Fortunately, it was a pleasant and familiar voice.

Otherwise, Kitahara might have been tempted to hang up after being interrupted so abruptly.

He immediately recognized the caller.

"It’s Yumi-chan. I just got home, so I probably missed your calls. Is something wrong?"

"Of course it’s because we’ve been apart for so long and I missed Kitahara-senpai!"

Matsuda Yumi’s voice carried a playful, coquettish tone.

"But actually, there really is something."

She quickly continued before Kitahara could respond.

"This afternoon, after I returned to the bank, I reported everything to that creepy section chief. After he learned that you were interested in purchasing the property, he immediately asked me for your contact information and called you directly."

Kitahara listened quietly.

"He wanted to discuss the matter with you personally, but you didn’t answer. He tried several more times during the afternoon, but still couldn’t reach you."

"I see."

Kitahara leaned back in his chair.

Then he immediately grasped the important point.

"Yumi-chan, what exactly does he want? He isn’t willing to lower the price?"

"Mm-hmm. That’s right."

Yumi sounded quite certain.

"He probably thinks you’re young and inexperienced, so he didn’t take the message I gave him seriously. I think he assumes you’ll eventually agree to his terms."

Kitahara couldn’t help laughing.

That section chief really was too confident.

"Then let’s leave him waiting for two days."

Kitahara thought about it for a moment before continuing.

"I’m not in a hurry anyway. Let him worry about it for a while. I won’t answer his calls either. If he really wants to communicate with me, he can show some sincerity first."

Yumi immediately understood what he meant.

"Senpai, you mean..."

"For this transaction, I’ll only communicate with you. You can tell him that directly. I won’t negotiate with anyone else."

Kitahara’s tone remained calm.

"If he really values this transaction, then he should understand what he needs to do."

In reality, Kitahara wasn’t particularly concerned about those extra ten or twenty million yen.

With the system’s cashback ability, money was no longer something he needed to worry about in the same way ordinary people did.

But that didn’t mean he was willing to be treated like an idiot.

He might have plenty of money, but that money hadn’t fallen from the sky.

A transaction still needed to have a reasonable price.

If that section chief thought he could take advantage of Kitahara simply because he was young, then Kitahara didn’t mind teaching him a little patience.

"That’s amazing!"

Yumi sounded delighted.

"Senpai, I really like the way you handle things."

There was obvious excitement in her voice.

"But I won’t tell him everything immediately. I’ll wait a couple of days first. Let’s see how anxious he becomes."

Kitahara could almost imagine the mischievous smile on her face.

This girl really was quite clever.

And judging from her attitude, she seemed to dislike that section chief quite a lot.

The two talked for a while longer before Yumi’s tone suddenly changed. "But Senpai..."

"Hm?"

"If we’re doing that, doesn’t that mean our next date will have to wait?" Her voice became softer.

"We’ve already been apart for so long. What am I supposed to do if I miss you?"

Kitahara paused. He hadn’t expected her to suddenly bring that up.

After thinking for a moment, he smiled.

"Then let’s meet earlier."

"Earlier?"

"How about tomorrow night? We can go on another date."

There was a brief silence on the other end.

Then Yumi’s delighted voice immediately rang through the phone.

"Yay!"

Kitahara couldn’t help smiling.

It seemed that, compared with the troublesome negotiation, Yumi was far more interested in their next date.

And honestly, he didn’t mind that at all.