Hikigaya Challenges Kakegurui

199 Komachi Brother must be kept by someone, right

The Hikigaya couple were once again away on a business trip.

For Hikigaya Komachi, this should have been a carefree weekend with no one watching over her, a chance to sleep in until 10 a.m. However, at around 8 a.m., the doorbell rang.

Dragging her exhausted soul and rubbing her sleepy eyes, Komachi shuffled to the entrance. She peeked through the peephole and saw a man in a suit — looking like some sort of manager — along with a few movers carrying tightly wrapped large items.

Having grown up under the influence of her overly cautious older brother, Komachi had long developed a vigilant personality. She suspiciously opened the door just a crack and asked warily, "Excuse me… you are?"

"Hello, I'm the regional manager for Steinway Pianos in Tokyo. This is the flagship model you ordered two days ago. I've brought a team to deliver and install it." The suited man glanced at the house number and bowed as he spoke.

His explanation did not dispel Komachi's confusion — instead, it deepened it.

"Steinway piano?" That name sounded familiar… but from where?

Scratching her messy hair, still disoriented from waking up, Komachi asked tentatively, "Are you sure this is the right house? I don't think I ordered anything…"

"Yes. The person who placed the order specified delivery and installation at 8 a.m. on Saturday. The house number is confirmed."

"Oh… okay then, please come in."

Komachi quickly assumed it was her older brother's doing and let them in, guiding them to the study.

Once the packaging was opened and a corner of the piano revealed, Komachi immediately realized something was off.

"This piano looks expensive."

Having studied piano for years, Komachi had seen a fair share of them. But this was the first time she had seen a piano that just looked expensive at first glance.

She had assumed it was just a regular piano. Given her brother's mysterious side jobs, it wouldn't be surprising if he managed to afford one. But this…

Komachi rushed back to her room and started searching for "Steinway Piano."

When she saw the price, her drowsy eyes shot wide open. How many zeroes was that?!

Eyes glued to the screen, she carefully counted — seven zeros. Her small mouth dropped open in shock. She was completely stunned.

One thought kept swirling in her head: When did onii-chan become so rich?!

Tiptoeing over to the suited man, she asked, "Um… may I ask how much this piano costs?"

"Hello. This model retails for 202 million yen, but because the purchaser is a VIP customer, we waived the small change. The total came to exactly 200 million yen."

"T-t-two hundred million?!"

Komachi froze like she had been struck by lightning.

Two hundred million yen — what did that even mean?

Combined, the Hikigaya couple made about 20 million yen a year. This one piano her brother casually bought was worth ten years of her parents working nonstop without spending a yen.

Komachi had been saving secret funds since she could remember, and even now had only managed to save 2 million yen. She had originally planned to give it to her hopelessly introverted brother as a dowry or to help him out in case he married a very strong-willed woman and needed some emergency money.

But now, this piano in front of her told her something else — her brother was already a billionaire?!

No, something's not right!

Instead of feeling happy that her brother was suddenly rich, Komachi felt a chill in her heart. There must be something weird going on. She couldn't believe her brother had secretly been a rich tycoon all along.

Come on — her brother was only 17 years old. How could he possibly have made that much money?

Could it be…!?

Komachi's face went pale, a wave of ominous possibilities flooding her mind.

"Illegal... or criminal..."

But then she shook her head. More than anyone, she knew her brother's character. There's no way a lazy fish like him could get involved in anything shady.

Which left one final possibility...

"Onii-chan is being kept by someone!!"

The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. She mentally ran through her brother's social circle.

"Could it be… Yumeko-neesan? Very possible. She seems so elegant and refined…"

Touching her chin thoughtfully, Komachi began piecing things together the way they do in those weird novels and manga.

"Onii-chan met a rich heiress in Tokyo — Yumeko-neesan. As their relationship progressed, Yumeko-neesan gave him a lavish reward, also serving as a gift for her potential future sister-in-law... That wouldn't be 'being kept', it would just be a gift between lovers!"

With that thought, Komachi's heart felt a bit lighter.

"Yeah, that sounds about right. That's a very likely possibility. But then again… what if it was Yukino-neesan's gift?"

No, that can't be. Yukino-neesan is rich too, but she wouldn't be the type to spend money so extravagantly.

Geez, which side should Komachi even support?!

In no time, what began as Komachi trying to figure out why her brother was suddenly wealthy turned into her getting dragged into a faction war.

Sure, Yumeko-neesan treated her well and introduced her to fancy skincare products. But Yukino-neesan had been great to her too — taking her shopping often during summer break. It's just that they hadn't talked much since high school started again.

Damn it! Komachi doesn't want to be the sister-in-law of TWO families!!

Lost in internal conflict, Komachi didn't notice the passage of time. She robotically saw off the suited manager, who had spent the whole time speaking politely.

She then placed her finger on the 200-million-yen Steinway piano. The exquisite melody it produced sent a shiver down her spine.

"A-a-amazing." It was more beautiful than any sound she'd ever heard.

This wasn't just in her head — with her perfect pitch, Komachi could easily tell the difference between pianos.

Ding dong —

The doorbell rang again.

Peeking through the peephole, Komachi saw a blonde girl with shoulder-length curly hair, about the same age as her brother, carrying a small handbag.

"Who's this now?"

Could this be the real person keeping her brother?

No, no! Komachi doesn't want to be the sister-in-law of THREE families!!

She cautiously opened the door just a crack. The girl outside gave a small bow and politely asked:

"Excuse me, are you Miss Komachi?"

"Eh? That's me." It was the first time someone had addressed her so formally. It made her feel weird, like she had suddenly become a rich heiress herself.

"I'm your new private piano tutor."

"My name is Rurichou Nadeshiko. Pleased to meet you."

"Eh… sure."

...Huh?!

200 Komachi There's something dirty around Sister Yumeko's mouth

After several weeks apart, Hikigaya Hachiman once again returned to his home, holding Yumeko's hand.

Even before opening the door, he could already hear a beautiful melody coming from inside. He knew that this was Rurichou Nadeshiko fulfilling her wager with him.

'I'm not short on money anymore. Maybe it's time to buy a villa here in Chiba?' Hikigaya stroked his chin thoughtfully, but considering how his parents might react and the hassle of explaining it, he decided against it.

He pulled out his key and inserted it into the lock.

Leading Yumeko, they tiptoed into the house.

Peeking through the crack of the door, they saw Hikigaya Komachi concentrating intently as she played the piano under the guidance of Rurichou Nadeshiko.

Hachiman didn't disturb them. A fatherly, kind smile appeared on his face. Seeing his expression, Yumeko also smiled gently.

The clock pointed to 11. Yumeko pointed at it and said, "Hikigaya-kun, shall we prepare lunch now?"

Hikigaya nodded naturally, washed his hands, and began taking out the high-end ingredients from the shopping bag one by one. He started preparing today's family meal, intending to surprise Komachi.

Komachi was completely immersed in the ocean of sound. She never imagined playing the piano could be such an enjoyable experience.

At first, seeing a girl around her brother's age, Komachi had a bit of a competitive attitude.

Although her academic talent was average, her talent in music—especially the piano—was nothing short of genius. When two geniuses meet, it often begins with mutual underestimation.

But as soon as Rurichou Nadeshiko started playing, she quickly won Komachi's admiration. Komachi earnestly accepted her instruction.

Rurichou Nadeshiko, in turn, felt enormous pressure. Teaching a piano prodigy like Komachi would probably drain her of all her energy in no time. Forget two years—at this rate, Komachi might match her level in just two months.

'Cunning Hachiman Hikigaya!' Rurichou groaned inwardly, but she dared not hold back. If this student reported her slacking, her dream of becoming a pianist would be crushed.

At the same time, she was amazed by the excellent genes in the Hikigaya family.

The older brother is a near-invincible gambling genius, and the younger sister is remarkably gifted in music.

During a break, perhaps feeling protective of such talent, Rurichou proactively got to know Komachi better. Upon hearing that Komachi attended an ordinary school, she expressed regret: "For high school, I could recommend you to enroll at Yuhigaoka Girls' Academy~"

"They have dedicated music classes and many girls like you with outstanding musical talent."

"Eh, I'd need to discuss it with my family first," Komachi replied calmly, not rushing to accept. After all, music was just a hobby to her. For high school, she was planning on attending Sobu High to be close to Yukino-nee.

Komachi reminded herself internally—the battlefield had shifted. Until the final outcome was clear, she couldn't afford to lose her composure.

The distraction pulled her out of the musical trance.

Her nose twitched as she suddenly caught a delicious aroma in the air. She and Rurichou exchanged a knowing glance: "Mmm~ smells amazing, what is that?"

Komachi hurriedly opened the study door.

She saw her brother and Yumeko wearing kitchen aprons, smiling warmly at her.

"Finished, Komachi? Call Miss Rurichou to eat with us."

At the table.

Yumeko occasionally glanced at the slightly nervous Rurichou Nadeshiko.

She recognized her.

Earlier on the train, while Hachiman fell into a deep sleep from exhaustion, Yumeko had secretly taken his phone.

She was looking for something exciting—after all, in a relationship, this wasn't really an invasion of privacy, was it? It was more like... a room inspection.

What she found was extremely interesting.

The video showed Rurichou Nadeshiko, trembling like a stripped sheep in front of the camera. Because she was of mixed race, her skin carried the fairness of Caucasians and the smoothness of Asians—pure white and tender.

Driven by impulse, Yumeko sent the undeleted video to her own phone for future use.

Licking her red lips, Yumeko "accidentally" dropped her chopsticks.

Komachi was about to get her a new pair, but Yumeko stopped her. After all, it wouldn't be fun if they were replaced.

"No need, Komachi-chan," Yumeko said, her voice sweet and innocent. "I can just... pick them up myself."

As Komachi turned her attention back to her meal, Yumeko disappeared under the table.

The sound of gentle sucking and soft moans filled the air, but Komachi remained none the wiser.

However, Rurichou Nadeshiko, seated across from them, was not so fortunate. Her keen hearing picked up on the subtle sounds, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Huh? Onii-chan, are you not feeling well?"

"I'm fine."

"Eh? What about Yumeko-nee?"

"Ah… I found it Komachi-chan"

After replying to Komachi Yumeko resurfaced from under the table.

Komachi though soon noticed something..

"Moou... You need to be more careful, Yumeko-nee! You have a bit of sauce right near your lips," Komachi said, her brow furrowed in concern.

Yumeko's tongue darted out from between her cherry lips, delicately tracing the curve of her mouth as she cleaned the spot. Her eyes sparkled with amusement as she savored the taste.

"Ah... Tasty," she murmured, her voice husky and playful, as she gazed up at Komachi with an innocent smile.

.

.

.

This kind of situation, one she'd only ever seen in European-American adult films, had actually happened right in front of her.

Listening to the increasingly quick and joyful sounds, her heart began to feel strange too.

"C-Could it really taste that good?" She held back the urge to drop her own chopsticks and enter the curtains to see for herself, and instead finished the delicious—but emotionally challenging—meal.

After the meal.

Rurichou Nadeshiko volunteered to help Yumeko with the dishwashing.

Komachi, on the other hand, pulled Hachiman into a room with a serious expression and interrogated him:

"Onii-chan, I need you to answer this next question seriously."

"Did you do something illegal?"

If gambling didn't count...

Hikigaya shook his head: "No."

"Then are you being secretly kept by some mysterious rich woman?!"

"...No." Hachiman took a deep breath.

"Then it must be... you're being kept by Yumeko-nee or Yukino-nee?!"