In the back garden of the Bankro household, the sunlight was gentle and warm, and a light breeze stirred the air.
Only, in the pavilion at the very center of the garden, there were two additional petrified people.
Jitt stared at Kisho: "..."
Anida stared at Kisho: "..."
Kisho raised his hand and waved it in front of Anida's eyes.
"What's going on, how did you suddenly turn stupid?"
"Bah!"
Anida lifted her hand and knocked Kisho's hand away.
"You're the stupid one. I, I was just… mm, I just didn't react in time."
She slowly lowered her head, her face slightly flushed.
"I didn't expect… you really can play this instrument."
Kisho said smugly,
"Hm~"
"Fine then, a bet is a bet. This instrument will be yours from now on. But when I want to hear you play, you have to play it for me anytime!"
Anida said firmly.
Hearing this, Jitt looked at her in shock, then turned to look at Kisho, the admiration in his eyes overflowing.
Good kid, you really seized this flawless opportunity to stay by the young lady's side! Truly promising. The younger generation is formidable!
"...?"
Kisho looked back at him, a question mark slowly popping up in his eyes once again.
Jitt smiled approvingly at Kisho, then, from an angle Anida couldn't see, gave him a thumbs-up.
Kisho: "..."
Being stared at by Jitt like that made his whole body feel numb, and he decided to stop paying attention to this strange man.
In his heart, he thought,
"The thoughts of adults are so hard to understand."
Who knew—he actually just wanted that instrument.
"My name is Anida."
Anida leaned forward, propping up her cheek, and looked at Kisho.
"I haven't asked yet, what's your name?"
"You can call me Noah."
Kisho met her gaze and answered with a slight smile.
This young lady of the Bankro family was easier to get along with than he had imagined.
—At the very least, much better than Jitt, who had looked down his nose at people in the beginning.
"Noah."
Anida pondered for a moment, then asked curiously,
"Can you tell me who taught you how to play this kind of instrument?"
Kisho paused slightly.
Come to think of it, no one really taught him.
In his previous life, when he had been bedridden and unable to move, he had passed his days watching tutorials and sheet music for all kinds of instruments. Aside from extremely obscure ones, he "knew a little" about almost every instrument.
As for being able to pick it up and play immediately, that was probably thanks to the boost from The Fantasizing Musician.
Kisho smiled.
"I'm self-taught~"
"Tch!"
Anida puffed out her cheeks, clearly unconvinced.
"If you don't want to tell me, just say so. Why lie to me?"
"I really am self-taught. I can do a lot more than just this—if you don't believe me, I can play for you."
Kisho spoke with a serious, earnest expression.
These days, even telling the truth makes no one believe you. Sigh, it's all because he was outstanding beyond common sense.
"Then I want to see whether you're lying or not!"
Anida stood up as she spoke, saying to Kisho,
"Come with me to the instrument room right now!"
"Ahem."
Jitt, who had been playing the role of a wooden statue the whole time, suddenly cleared his throat and spoke up.
"Young lady, please wait a moment. This is Mr. Noah's first time here. I need to take him to familiarize himself with the environment and make some arrangements first."
"...Hmph, how boring."
Anida was displeased, but she didn't stop them.
She stared at Kisho.
"Once you're done, you must come find me immediately! No dawdling!"
Kisho nodded helplessly.
"Alright, alright."
...
Jitt led Kisho out of the garden and back into the corridor. He took out a pager, made a call, then looked at Kisho.
"Everything's ready. I'll take you to your room."
Kisho suddenly had the illusion that he had become a household servant raised by a wealthy family—
Ah, actually, it wasn't really an illusion.
He nodded.
"Oh."
Jitt didn't move, instead staring at him.
"I'm also a bit curious. You're from Meteor City, right?"
Kisho: "...Yes."
Jitt's voice suddenly turned cold.
"I'm also curious how you know how to play those instruments."
"As far as I know, children from Meteor City shouldn't have the conditions to come into contact with such things."
Kisho: "..."
So it was coming after all.
Or rather, Jitt asking this was entirely within Kisho's expectations.
He smiled and answered,
"This has to do with my Nen ability—I can only say this much. I won't reveal anything else related."
He shrugged indifferently.
"The young lady has already acknowledged me staying. If you want to replace me temporarily, it won't be easy to explain to her, will it?"
At his words, Jitt wrapped Kisho's entire body in an extremely dangerous Nen pressure.
The one looking down was full of killing intent; the one looking back was fearless and unflinching.
The situation was tense, and the two fell silent.
"..."
After a moment, Jitt withdrew his Nen without any warning.
Right in front of Kisho, he reined in his killing intent without the slightest embarrassment, his expression returning to calm.
He smiled and spoke.
"You have a point. Since it's related to your Nen ability, I won't ask further."
"Yeah, right!"
A glint of light flashed through Jitt's eyes.
"This matter must be reported to the master!"
"Yeah, right?"
Kisho narrowed his eyes disdainfully.
"Anyone with half a brain knows you wouldn't let me off that easily. Looks like I'll have to guard against you a bit from now on."
Having "reached a consensus" on this matter, the sword-drawn tension between the two eased in an instant, becoming "harmonious."
"Since that's the case, let's go."
Jitt led Kisho into the elevator and arrived at a room on the third floor. He gently pushed the door open and led Kisho inside.
"Your duties are as follows."
Standing in the room, Jitt raised two fingers.
"First, stay close and protect the young lady's safety, and do not allow any unauthorized person to come within ten meters of her."
He paused slightly, turned sideways, and pointed at one of the doors as he continued.
"Second, when the young lady is resting, unless there are special instructions, you are to wait here. Do not allow any unauthorized person to approach that room."
Kisho looked in the direction Jitt was pointing.
Behind that door was probably Anida's bedroom.
"Your activity range is limited to this room."
Jitt walked to the opposite corner of the room and pushed open another closed door.
"Outside of mission time, you may rest in here."
"Oh."
Kisho nodded.
"Your badge for the Bankro family, and an unregistered credit card, have already been placed on the table in the room."
Jitt casually closed the door again and looked at Kisho with a light smile.
"If there's anything you need, you can tell me, or you can purchase it in the city during your time off."
Kisho knew exactly what was sold in the cities around Lashan Mountain, and he had no interest in it at all.
He spoke disinterestedly.
"I don't need anything for now, thanks."
"Don't be so quick to refuse. Perhaps you'll change your mind?"
Jitt walked toward Kisho with an oppressive air.
"If it's because you're short on money, there's no need to worry about that."
He lowered his voice, hinting suggestively.
"Since you're an employee of the Bankro family, you can get from me, at internal prices, goods of far higher quality than the trash sold outside."
Jitt stepped right up in front of Kisho, putting on an expression that said, "I'm doing this for your own good."
"That's a paradise you little brat could never touch in your entire life. If you don't try it, it would be such a pity."
Kisho looked back at him, taking great effort to force out an expression that was hesitant yet eager to try.
As expected…
Whether out of suspicion toward his origins, or out of a desire to make him stay wholeheartedly.
These people had already put the task of "using drugs to control people's hearts" on the agenda.