Suddenly, I Got a 17-Year-Old Japanese Housemate

Suddenly, I had a housemate. A 17-year-old Japanese female high school student. The girl I had met for the first time just yesterday stood in front of my house and declared, "Starting today, this is my home."

If someone asked me to rank the most absurd statements I'd ever heard in my life, this one would easily crack the top three. Beyond mere surprise, I was so stunned that I rubbed the back of my neck. First, I needed to clear up the misunderstanding.

"Um, it seems like you might be mistaken about something. This isn't your house."

"I know."

"Our house…. Uh, you know?"

"It's this house, right?"

What was this? She knew that Room 201 was our house but had lied anyway…?

"You know, but why did you lie like that?"

"It's not a lie."

"What…. It's not a lie?"

"Yes. I'm also going to be living here starting today."

"……."

With whose permission exactly? When I asked with my eyes alone, Hana gave me a sweet smile.

"If you can't believe it, please call your father and ask."

"……Wait a second."

I pulled my phone from my pocket. She seemed to think I wouldn't actually do it just because she suggested it. If that's what she thought, she had the wrong person. I was the type who couldn't rest until I personally confirmed anything I didn't know.

Contacts app, Father, Call. I tapped them in sequence. The screen changed and the call connected.

I had nothing to say. Just as my father said, our house was a complete mess.

When I stayed silent, a small sigh came from the other side of the phone.

"I'm assigning that child to you as a way to make you live a little more like a human being. With someone watching, at least you'll mind your behavior."

"……."

"Anyway. Since that child and you will now be students at the same school, try to get along well as people the same age."

"……Just a moment. How do you know that, Father?"

"I have work to do, so I'll hang up now."

Click.

I stared down at the now-white phone screen for a moment, then clenched my fist tightly at the three letters Father displayed at the top. This man… he already knew Hana was transferring to our school…?!

"Jun. What did your father say?"

"……."

I slowly turned my head. Hana stood there with her hands cutely clasped behind her back, looking up at me with a bright smile. She must have heard the entire call since it had been on speaker, yet she still asked. She was definitely teasing me on purpose.

Pretending not to notice, I covered the door lock keypad with the back of my hand and entered the code.

Beep-beep-beep-.

"I already know it's 080212."

"…?!"

She knew our door lock password…?! Shocked, I gaped at her with my mouth hanging open. Hana crossed her arms beneath her chest, tapped her chin with her index finger, and spoke.

"Your father told me. He said the house password would either be the first part of your resident registration number or the date you released your first work."

"You didn't already know…?"

"No. I didn't. But now I do, right?"

It didn't matter if she knew. I could just change ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the password….

"Ah. He said that if you change it, the new one would be the publication date of Age of Abhorrence. Or the remaining digits of your resident registration number after subtracting the first three from the back."

"……Wow."

Just how far ahead was this man looking…?

"Can I come in now?"

"……Come in."

I shook my head helplessly and opened the door for her. Round two was my complete defeat.

"Wow. It's dirty…."

Those were the first words out of the girl my age upon entering our house for the first time. Subjectively it didn't seem that bad, but objectively the living room was a mess. I walked past it and headed for the kitchen cupboard.

She was an uninvited guest, but I should still offer her something. I creaked open the cupboard door and took out the milk tea powder. It was the same brand we used for guests back home. Just mix it with hot water and add a splash of milk.

"Is milk tea okay?"

"Ah, yes. Please!"

Hana gave a small bow. At least she had good manners. Though it was a little much that her first words upon arriving at a near-stranger's house were "Wow. It's dirty…." But anyway.

I told Hana to sit comfortably on the living room sofa and made two cups of milk tea—one for me, one for her.

"Here."

"Thank you…!"

I handed her the cup and sat down beside her.

"Mmm. It's delicious…"

"……."

Looking at her like this, it was hard to believe we were the same age. It wasn't just her physical maturity. The aura she gave off was completely different from other people. How should I describe it? Even though she wasn't doing anything special, I felt this strange pull that made me want to keep staring at her….

Thinking what a mysterious girl she was in so many ways, I was watching her when our eyes ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠suddenly met.

"……."

"……."

Our gazes held for a moment. Not long—about five seconds, subjectively.

"……So."

I cleared my throat and spoke. It was awkward, so I decided to move on to the main topic.

"How did you find out that I'm L.J.?"

"……A person."

"A person?"

"Yes. A person."

Hana held her teacup tightly with both hands.

"There was someone who told me that Jun is the author L.J."

"Who was it?"

"I can't tell you that."

"You can't tell me…?"

"Yes. I have a contract to keep it absolutely secret."

"Even if I publish a book attacking the LDP?"

"Still no. Losing credibility is the same as losing your life."

"Then, well. I guess I can't do anything about it. I'll call right now and…."

"You can't make that call, can you?"

"……."

"……."

Our eyes met again. This time the gaze was shorter than before.

"Why do you think I can't?"

"Because Writer-nim hates getting involved with the JL Group."

"I hate getting involved with JL?"

"Yes. That's why you've never done any interviews, right? You've hidden your personal information even more thoroughly. In case anyone finds out you're the son of the JL Group vice president. The reason for hiding it is because you don't want to hear people say you gained your fame as an author through your father's influence rather than your own writing talent."

"……How did you."

"How did I know? Because I was the same. Whenever I won a speech contest or poetry contest, everyone around me would say it was all family connections, that my skills were terrible but I won because my grandfather is a politician. But that's not true. What do they know?"

"……."

"So I always thought, ah, it would be so much easier if I could hide my face when performing. It would be nice if they judged blindly without considering family background~ I thought that all the time. And I was confident I could win them all anyway. Because I'm the best at it."

Without realizing it, I covered my mouth. The way she emphasized every single word made it clear this wasn't speculation but certainty. And it was based on her own experience. There is nothing more accurate than words rooted in personal experience.

"Well, anyway…. Right?"

"……Yes, that's right."

I nodded readily. There was no point in denying it. If I denied it, I'd have to make a call to prove my point, publish a book attacking the LDP, and distribute it across Japan with JL's help. That would trigger articles ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠speculating on the relationship between the JL Group and 'L.J.', along with every kind of rumor imaginable. If it ended with just me, it would be fortunate. But if it ever got out that I was my father's son, it would cause an unprecedented political and social storm. Japan-Korea diplomatic issues would be the baseline, and there might even be controversy over Korean interference in Japanese internal affairs—the kind that had never happened before.

"Oh my, you're admitting it so easily? I thought you'd at least pretend to make a call."

"……Tsk."

I clicked my tongue and set down my teacup. Giving her too much time to think had been the cause of my defeat in this verbal battle. It's not as if politicians circle their words to buy time and then claim ignorance or look for excuses when things turn unfavorable. The threat had worked too well, and I'd overlooked it like an idiot.

She really is a politician's granddaughter….

Next time, I should press my advantage the moment I get the chance. Well, I didn't know when that next chance would come—if it came at all….

"Then the conversation is over now, right?"

Hana, who had already finished her milk tea, stood up. I looked up at her while idly fiddling with my cup handle.

"Why? Going somewhere?"

"No. I'm going to clean. The house is too dirty."

"Clean…? Suddenly?"

"That's one thing, this is another. And."

Hana rolled up the sleeves of her school uniform. It seemed she wasn't just saying it—she really meant to do it.

"Since we're going to be living together now, it wouldn't look good if the house stays this dirty, right?"

"Hmm, well…."

She wasn't wrong. It wouldn't look good if the house we shared was filthy. Rubbing the back ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of my neck, I stood up. But Hana immediately pushed me back down.

"Jun, you stay put. I'll do it all."

"You're going to clean this whole big place by yourself?"

"Yes."

"No, how can you possibly…."

"I'll show you."

Thump. Hana raised her right hand to chest level.

"Just how capable your fiancée is."

"……."

It was an annoying declaration, but it made my heart flutter a little…….