The reason Kobayashi had made his phone number public, actively accepted all sorts of requests, and became a "civic hero" in the public eye was, at its core, to cover for Shokuhou Misaki. He wanted to separate his previous raid on the Talent Workshop, the rescue of Dolly, and the involvement of Keisaku Mitori from her preventing anyone from drawing the right conclusions and allowing Misaki to continue her covert operations inside the Talent Workshop.
But the truth was, all of this was Kobayashi's own wishful thinking. Since that encounter in the hospital room, he hadn't directly communicated with Shokuhou Misaki again.
Everything he had deduced was based purely on Mitori's reactions that day, filled in by his own imagination.
"Don't want it all to be for nothing in the end…" he muttered. "That would be a real loss."
To be honest, Kobayashi didn't really like handling these requests at all. If he had the time and energy, he would rather stay home and play games.
So before entering the kitchen, he left his phone in the living room—afraid of being suddenly interrupted by another call.
These past few days of activity were nothing more than Kobayashi digging deep into his "past-life part-time worker" spirit, treating it like a job he had to see through to the end.
Everyone else saw him as a "hero," but in his eyes, he was basically running a free-of-charge "jack-of-all-trades" service.
He even secretly hoped Toumi would just turn off his phone, letting him enjoy some real peace.
Fortunately, no requests came in while they finished dinner. By all appearances, today's "missions" were successfully concluded.
After days of running around nonstop, Kobayashi finally had some leisure time for post-meal entertainment.
"Time for games! Time for games!" he said excitedly as he booted up the console.
Yomikawa Aiho finally accepted the challenge; she could go all out!
She had realized that competitive games were far more thrilling and fun with Kobayashi.
Toumi, as well as neighbors and colleagues, often had to go easy on him to avoid completely one-sided defeats that would ruin their fun.
With Kobayashi, there was no need to hold back; if anything, she had to be the one to be "watered down." She could unleash her full strength and enjoy a truly exhilarating match.
Toumi had no interest in the game itself and knew she couldn't match the two of them, so she lazily decided to wash the dishes instead.
The three of them all lived under the same roof, and while previously strangers, Yomikawa Aiho took care of rent, utilities, and shopping, leaving Kobayashi and Toumi to handle household chores.
The kitchen was Kobayashi's domain. Toumi didn't interfere and was left only with the post-meal task of clearing dishes.
Thanks to the apartment's excellent dishwasher, all she had to do was transfer the dirty dishes from the table into the machine.
As the dishwasher started, the sound of water and a low hum filled the room.
After staring at it for a moment, Toumi grew bored and returned to the living room to watch the two of them duel in the fighting game.
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
Toru went to answer it.
"Huh? Another online shopping package?"
Hearing her voice, Kobayashi called back, "It should be mine. I ordered something."
"…Could it be?" The two women exchanged exasperated looks.
"That's the one," Kobayashi nodded, ready to pause the game and grab the delivery.
The Family Side apartment building had strict management and security. Even deliveries or takeout could only be left at the lobby. Anyone without an invitation couldn't enter.
"I'll get it for you," Toumi said, already putting on her shoes.
"Thanks! I appreciate it."
Once she left, Yomikawa Aiho asked, "Kobayashi, how much have you spent these past few days?"
"I just received this month's Level 3 scholarship…" Kobayashi replied.
The implication was clear—this month's "salary" had been completely spent.
Since Yomikawa Aiho covered lodging, meals, and all hospital treatment had been reimbursed by Academy City, Kobayashi's day-to-day expenses were nearly zero. The sizable scholarship became fully disposable income.
Naturally, he spent it all on various limited-edition items from the "Guata" series…
The story went back three days.
That afternoon, when Kobayashi had gone to meet a client, he passed by a toy store.
The window display advertised a complete set of limited-edition "Guata" plushies.
The iconic smiling frog design immediately caught his eye.
Although Kobayashi himself wasn't particularly interested in these frogs, he knew they were Misaka Mikoto's favorite things; her obsessionwas practically legendary.
—If I get a chance to meet Mikoto, winning her favor with Guata plushies might be a good move.
He'd never had the chance to encounter the famed limited "Guata" items until now, and seeing them triggered his memory.
But since Kobayashi wasn't a collector, he didn't know what she already owned. Blindly buying something risked duplication and losing value.
What really drew him in were the words "limited edition" on the poster.
Limited meant rare, meant precious. Even a fan as devoted as Mikoto might not be able to collect them all.
Giving her these rare items would maximize the effect!
Of course, beyond his natural interest in the heroine, Kobayashi had a practical plan:
—Mikoto is a Level 5 esper, ranked third in Academy City. One well-timed gift could secure her cooperation, and that's incredibly cost-effective.
As long as he avoided dragging her into any magical-side incidents, having Mikoto as a strong backup would stabilize his position in Academy City.
Moreover, if he intended to keep running his "jack-of-all-trades" work long-term, having a Level 5 like Mikoto in his corner would solve many problems…
(End of Chapter)