My Girlfriend is an Evil Woman

“From now on, I’ll have dinner at 5:30 PM and work until around 10:30 PM, which is five hours of work, earning about 4,250 yen. If I work seven days a week, that’s 29,750 yen, which is roughly 30,000 yen per month. Plus, I’ll save on thirty dinners, so it seems pretty good. I might even be able to improve my meals while maintaining my living expenses… But my study time will be reduced significantly. How do I make up for that? Currently, I’m getting an average of 6.5 hours of sleep per day. Should I reduce it to five hours? Would it affect my physical development? Or maybe I should try strengthening my intelligence first? After all, higher learning efficiency is the fundamental solution… If my efficiency improves, the reduced time won’t have much impact.”

As Kitahara Hideji calculated his little budget in his mind, he reached his own door with a small food box in hand. It was a gift from Fukuzawa Naotaka, congratulating him on his first-ever job – although it was just some food, the gesture was appreciated.

To be honest, Kitahara Hideji admired Fukuzawa Naotaka, the middle-aged man. He felt that he handled things very maturely and understood the essence of life. If the entire Fukuzawa family acted unreasonably, then there would be nothing to say, and he would double his retaliation against Fuyumi at school. He would torment her mercilessly to see who would back down! But now that Fuyumi’s father was showing goodwill, he didn’t feel right about beating up Fuyumi even if she tried to provoke him. It would be unbecoming to use dirty tricks and sneak attacks.

After all, he shouldn’t judge everyone based on Fuyumi’s actions; her father seemed reasonable enough. He couldn’t stoop to the same level as Fuyumi. It would be too embarrassing.

Furthermore, if Fuyumi or Yukari got into trouble at school, he didn’t feel right about standing by and doing nothing.

Acting quietly and helping his daughter defeat a formidable enemy while finding an ally was a win-win situation. He didn’t have to put in much effort – he wasn’t just receiving a salary without contributing anything. He worked diligently and was undoubtedly an outstanding employee!

Fukuzawa Naotaka was an interesting person. He didn’t seem like a restaurant owner; he seemed more like someone from the underworld.

Lost in his thoughts, Kitahara Hideji took out his key and opened the door. Just as the lock clicked, he heard another door opening at the far end of the corridor, and a thin beam of light appeared on the floor. A sweet voice followed, “Onii-san, is that you?”

Kitahara Hideji turned to see Ono Yoko and smiled, “Yes, it’s me, Yoko.”

Ono Yoko came out and asked curiously, “Onii-san, why did you come back so late?”

“I went to work,” Kitahara Hideji replied, then realizing something, he added quickly, “Did you want to see Hyakujirou?”

“Yes, I wanted to, but I also have something to talk to Onii-san about,” Ono Yoko said, looking a bit embarrassed with her hands behind her back.

“If there’s something, come in and tell me!” Kitahara Hideji opened the door with a smile. Ono Yoko happily nodded and hurried inside, then closed the door behind her. Kitahara Hideji could hear that her mother probably hadn’t finished work yet – this time might be the busiest for hostesses at their line of work.

Once Ono Yoko entered, Kitahara Hideji kept the door slightly ajar, not wanting to put any psychological pressure on the child. He looked at Ono Yoko, who was already cuddling with Hyakujirou, and said with a smile, “I’ll go wash my face. Feel free to sit and watch TV if you want, it’s no problem.”

Ono Yoko was busy preventing Hyakujirou from licking her face as she giggled, “Thank you, Onii-san. Can I feed Hyakujirou?”

Kitahara Hideji then noticed that Ono Yoko was holding a can of dog food. He didn’t know where she got it, but he chuckled and replied, “Of course, he’s your dog. You don’t need to ask me.”

With that, he went to the bathroom to wash his face and hands, leaving Ono Yoko excitedly opening the can of dog food for Hyakujirou. When he returned, he saw Hyakujirou already enjoying his meal and couldn’t help but sigh lightly – he knew he wasn’t cut out for pet ownership, and he felt a little sorry for the dog.

Looking at Ono Yoko, who had now turned on the TV and was eagerly waiting to watch a late-night drama called “R-chan, Ganbatte,” he felt a sense of relief – at least he could take care of the child, and she seemed more at ease here with him. It wasn’t easy, considering how scared she was when he first met her, resembling a trembling little kitten.

He poured two glasses of water, then sat cross-legged beside Ono Yoko and took the snack box, asking with a smile, “Do you want some?”

“Yes, please! Thank you, Onii-san!” Ono Yoko cheerfully replied. She then said mysteriously, “I also have something for Onii-san!”

“Oh, what is it?”

Ono Yoko proudly took out a crumpled 1000 yen note and a welfare coupon from her pocket, beaming as she said, “Onii-san, tomorrow I’ll treat you to fried chicken and burgers!” She originally wanted to treat him today, but she had to wait until after 11 pm for Kitahara Hideji to return, so she settled for tomorrow instead.

Kitahara Hideji looked at the 1000 yen note and then the welfare coupon, feeling a pang of sadness. Japan’s current economic situation wasn’t great, and the government occasionally issued welfare coupons to children and retirees to stimulate consumption and boost the economy. It could be that Ono Yoko got this coupon from school and now wanted to repay the kindness of treating her to meat yesterday – she was careful not to take advantage, fearing being looked down upon, while maintaining her self-esteem, evoking a sense of affection in him.

As for the money… he gently placed his hand on Ono Yoko’s head and softly asked, “Did you go out to collect bottles again?”

Ono Yoko’s head was still under Kitahara Hideji’s palm when she heard his question. She suddenly stiffened, and her whole body seemed frozen. After a moment of silence, she responded with a hint of fear and helplessness, “Onii-san, did you see it?”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Kitahara Hideji quickly reassured her. He understood how Ono Yoko felt because he had also collected bottles before. In comparison to hunger, pride was insignificant – of course, after having some money, he started caring more about pride due to having lacked it in the past, almost like the psychology of a nouveau riche.

He figured that if he became successful in the future, he might also become obsessed with appearances and become a new version of a nouveau riche.

Ono Yoko’s anxiety and nervousness made Hyakujirou, who was happily munching on dog food nearby, raise its head in alert. After hesitating for a moment, it carefully squeezed itself between Kitahara Hideji and Ono Yoko, but it didn’t dare to growl at Kitahara Hideji, only wagging its tail and smiling fawningly at him.

Finding Hyakujirou to be in the way, Kitahara Hideji casually moved it aside and placed a piece of wheat bran snack into Ono Yoko’s hand. He sighed softly and gently said, “It’s really not a problem. Have the snack.”

Ono Yoko looked at him, his tender expression not showing any signs of disgust, and she carefully asked, “Onii-san, you really don’t mind that I do such things? Won’t you find it shameful…”

“I don’t mind!” Kitahara Hideji replied firmly, “But, you know, I don’t think this is something you should be doing at your age.”

Ono Yoko lowered her head and said, “But I don’t have any pocket money, and sometimes I need to buy things. When I ask my mom for money, she always gets upset…”

Facing the practical difficulties, Kitahara Hideji also fell silent for a moment. It wouldn’t be a problem for him personally to be self-reliant, but the issue was that Ono Yoko was too young. Even if she wanted to work properly, it wouldn’t be possible – minimum age for part-time work, aside from the entertainment industry, was junior high school, and most jobs for that age group were low-wage, physically demanding labor.

After some contemplation, Kitahara Hideji gently said, “If there’s anything you need money for in the future, just let your big brother know. I’ll do my best to help, so you won’t have to go collecting bottles at the station.” He was also a poor guy, and extending a helping hand in such a situation was foolish, but he wanted to do it anyway.

You rarely get a chance to be foolish in life – don’t miss it while you’re young!

Ono Yoko shook her head slowly, “I can’t do that, Onii-san.” After all, they were not related, and she had no way to repay him.

“It’s okay, if you really mind the help from your big brother, just think of it as an investment from me to you!” Kitahara Hideji joked, pretending to be serious. He softly coaxed her, “Yoko, I believe in your future! I’ll keep track of the money you use now, and when you’re able to, you can repay me 200 yen for every 100 yen spent… or 300 yen is also negotiable… even 400 yen is fine. I estimate that you’ll be able to start repaying me in ten years, and who knows, I might even get a 400% return on investment. It’s a great deal!”

His playfully convincing manner made Ono Yoko smile, but she quickly became confused again, “I know Onii-san means well, but I don’t know what my future will be like… My conditions are so poor, how can I repay Onii-san?”

“Poor? Where do you see that?” Kitahara Hideji nudged her hand, urging her to eat the snack, and his expression became genuinely serious, “I think you have great potential, Yoko, an absolute hidden talent!”

Ono Yoko took a small bite of the snack, carefully using her hand to catch any crumbs, and asked in confusion, “Do I have good potential?”

“Of course!” Kitahara Hideji smiled and continued to coax her, “You see, you are currently in poverty, and that may not seem good, but I believe it is a valuable asset in life. Because of poverty, you have to strive actively, and that gives you a strong desire for success. Because of poverty, you have to study hard to acquire the power to change your situation. Because of poverty, you will dare to take risks and seize opportunities at critical moments. You have nothing to lose, so you’re not afraid of taking risks, right, Yoko? Your chances of success are much higher than the average person!”

He looked at the slightly dazed Ono Yoko and gently stroked her smooth long hair, “So, there’s nothing to be discouraged about, and there’s nothing to be confused about. All the hardships and torment in your life now are the firm foundation for your future success. Only a sapling that can withstand storms is qualified to grow into a towering tree! Yoko, I truly believe in you!”