Chapter Forty: Buying a Car, An Unexpected Encounter

After dinner, Anhe had intended to continue deepening his bond with Sayu Amamiya, but a single phone call shattered his pleasant mood.

At the gate of Kinami Middle School.

Staring at Nanbara Eijuu, who stood before him dressed in a gaudy suit, Anhe ground his teeth in frustration. He had been so close—just a step away from setting off for the snowy mountains. Yet with a single call, this bastard had ruined the atmosphere he’d worked so hard to create.

“Oh come on, Anhe, don’t look so glum this early in the morning, as if someone owes you money,” Nanbara said, either oblivious or indifferent to the murderous intent radiating from Anhe. He even slung an arm around Anhe’s shoulder with infuriating familiarity.

No one owes me money, but I wish I could make you pay, you bastard! Anhe fumed silently but didn’t shrug Nanbara off. He followed him onto the train.

When they arrived at a nearby shopping district, Anhe looked around in confusion. He realized he’d been here before, the same place he’d brought Sayu Amamiya last time. “I’ve already been here,” he said, puzzled. “I didn’t see any car dealerships.”

Nanbara just smiled smugly, offering no explanation as he led Anhe through a winding route.

At last, they stopped in front of a dilapidated commercial building.

“Here we are!” Nanbara announced, pulling out his phone to make a brief call.

“What is this place?” Anhe asked, seizing the chance. If Nanbara hadn’t brought him, he would never have found this rundown building on his own.

“This,” Nanbara replied, tucking his phone away and sweeping his arm in a wide arc, “is the best car dealership in all of Tokyo.”

A car dealership?

Anhe clicked his tongue, glancing around with a skeptical expression. Though the occasional engine rev echoed from shops on the first floor, he found it hard to believe this was the best Tokyo had to offer.

Perhaps noticing Anhe’s doubt, Nanbara was just about to explain when a startled shout rang out from a distance.

“Brat, get lost!”

The voice was unmistakable. Anhe turned to see Nobue Ito pushing a black-and-green motorcycle out of a shopfront. Beside her was a little one in a pink dress, helmet still on.

“Milky Moe?” Anhe blurted out.

But then, a wave of murderous intent washed over him.

The source was none other than Nobue Ito.

[She wants to kill you! But it doesn’t matter. After what happened yesterday, her family’s cut her off—she’s penniless. Soon enough, she’ll be just as you imagined: sobbing at a desk, begging you…]

Begging me for what? Anhe arched an eyebrow, suddenly curious about what might come next. But he received no reply from the inner voice. Instead, he was surprised by a soft embrace.

Huh?

Looking down, he saw the little one who’d been beside Nobue Ito now clinging tightly to his waist.

“What are you up to, little one?” Anhe tapped the helmet, gesturing for her to open the visor.

Feeling the tap, the little girl looked up, seemed to remember something, and quickly pushed up her visor. A delicate, adorable face beamed up at him. “Big Brother Anhe!”

“Aww, Saki, you’re so cute.” Anhe grinned, tapping the helmet again, making her shake her head as though she could dodge the gesture.

“You really are good with kids,” Nobue Ito remarked, pushing the motorcycle closer.

“Well, of course—I thought we’d already agreed to give your dad a grandchild?” Anhe teased with a laugh.

At the mention of the incident in the nurse’s office, Nobue’s cheeks flushed. She shot Anhe a fierce glare before turning a frown on the shocked, gaping Nanbara.

Inside, Nanbara was reeling: Did I just hear what I think I heard? Anhe is going to have a child? With Nobue Ito—the new transfer student with an angelic face and a devilish figure?!

“Should we kill him?” Anhe suddenly said, his tone casual, as if discussing the weather. “He’s from our school, after all. Now that he knows about us, we can’t let him go.”

What?

“Y-you’re joking, right?” Nanbara stammered, uncertain, his gaze flickering between Anhe’s calm face and Nobue’s unreadable expression. He instinctively took a step back.

Nobue met his look, stroked her chin thoughtfully, then nodded. “Sure, why not? There aren’t any cameras around here. There’s a storm drain just over there. Dump him in, and no one will find him for three or four days.”

With that, both Nobue and Anhe turned to look at Nanbara.

Feeling their unnerving stares, Nanbara paled and swallowed hard. “I’m blind today. I didn’t see a thing, I swear!”

“Excellent!” Nobue broke into a smile, then wheeled her bike over to Anhe and shot him a sharp look, muttering, “Are you crazy, saying stuff like that in front of people?”

“How was I supposed to know this idiot would actually believe it?” Anhe protested, aggrieved. He’d only meant it as a joke—who would actually take it seriously?

But apparently, Nanbara wasn’t most people.

…Come to think of it, haven’t others said the same about me?

Nobue didn’t seem satisfied by his explanation. She shot him another fierce glare before changing the subject. “So, what are you doing here?”

“Buying a car,” Anhe replied, then glanced at the bike she was pushing and the little one still clutching his coat. “What about you? Why did you bring Saki out with you?”

At the mention of it, Nobue’s face fell. She pouted. “Because of what happened yesterday, my family cut me off. All my cards are frozen. I don’t have a yen to my name. And since I brought this little girl home yesterday, I had no choice but to come here and try to sell the bike so we wouldn’t go hungry today.”

She patted the motorcycle.

“Is it that bad?” Anhe feigned surprise, though he already knew.

Nobue shrugged helplessly.

Poor girl, Anhe thought, silently offering her a moment of sympathy. Then he eyed the motorcycle with curiosity. “Then why are you still pushing it around?”

“Couldn’t make a deal. The price they offered wasn’t even enough for a few packs of cigarettes,” she said offhandedly, her fingers tightening unconsciously. With no habit of wearing jewelry, the bike was the most valuable thing she had left. If she couldn’t sell it, she might not even have money to eat today.

As she pondered her predicament, her gaze fell on Anhe. Remembering what he’d just said about wanting to buy a car…