Am I The Only Male Tenant Here?

Back in my room, I tossed off my shirt like I was in a shampoo commercial, took a quick shower, and collapsed onto my bed.

Did I towel off properly? Not a chance.

Wet hair? Still dripping.

Self-respect? Questionable.

I was still basking in the afterglow of Tomoko-san's hands dancing across my back like a healing goddess when I blinked into the air and concentrated.

"System panel, open."

[Beauty Favorability System Starting...]

[Target: Matsumoto Tomoko]

[Favorability +5 → Reward: 5,000 yen]

[Current Favorability: 80]

"…Huh?"

I stared at the numbers, brain still foggy.

Wait wait wait—

All I did was eat dinner… and get massaged… and pass out face-down on her lap like a needy housecat.

That's +5?!

Not that I'm complaining. Hell no.

5,000 yen just for being her massage pillow? That's more than I make working half a shift at the convenience store—and that's assuming I don't get yelled at by Kana Kobayakawa.

Still… 80 points? In just 2 days?

What happens when it hits 100?

Will she… confess to me? Jump me? Strip me naked?

Ask me to move in permanently as her househusband?!?

My brain was spinning faster than a gacha reel.

The night outside was pitch-black, pierced only by faint starlight like brushstrokes on a silent canvas. A soft breeze blew through the slightly cracked window, refreshing and cool.

Maybe it was the massage, maybe it was Tomoko-san's lingering scent still clinging to my pillow, but I felt oddly… fulfilled.

I was just about to close my eyes when—

Dong, dong, dong...

The soft knock startled me so hard I nearly karate-chopped the air.

"Who the hell knocks at this hour…?" I muttered. "Did I leave something at Tomoko-san's?"

I grabbed a towel—my only defense against nudity—and slung it around my hips. My hair was still wet, and a few droplets trickled down my neck, sliding over my chest and abs before kissing the floor.

I opened the door.

"Manager Kobayakawa?!"

I froze.

Standing there, bathed in the dim hallway light, was Kana Kobayakawa—my daytime boss, queen of icy glares, and supreme judge of sandwich-stockers.

But this wasn't that Kana Kobayakawa.

This Kana was…

Wearing pink floral pajamas.

Her jet-black hair was pulled loosely up in a messy bun, a few strands hanging around her flushed cheeks.

And those pajamas—damn those pajamas—clung to her body like they were afraid to fall off. The floral pattern was stretched tight across her generous chest, practically blossoming in three dimensions.

Her legs—long, pale, toned—peeked from under her shorts, and her tiny feet were snug in transparent slippers.

She looked like she had walked out of a risqué slice-of-life anime.

"Um… is Ginjo-kun available?" she whispered, her voice shy and tiny, like a kitten meowing in the rain.

"I—uh, yeah! Come in, come in!"

I stumbled back, pulling the door fully open.

My towel, clinging for dear life, shifted dangerously low.

Kobayakawa's eyes darted down—just once—but it was enough. A faint pink flushed her cheeks, and she quickly averted her gaze.

Oh no. Oh hell no.

I was just standing there. Wet. Half-naked. Ripped. And she was blushing.

Achievement unlocked: Fluster the manager.

"S-sorry! I just got out of the shower," I blurted, turning toward the bedroom. "Let me get dressed real quick!"

"O-okay…"

Her voice was soft. Softer than I'd ever heard it before.

I dashed into my room, pulled on a tank top and shorts, wiped my dripping hair with a towel (half-assedly), and came back out.

She was standing in the center of the room, looking like she didn't know where to place her hands or eyes.

"Please, take a seat," I said, gesturing to the couch.

"Thank you."

She sat carefully, knees together, hands in her lap.

"Also, just call me Kobayakawa. No need for 'Manager' off-duty."

"Yes, Mrs. Kobayakawa."

"Not Mrs.—!"

The blush on her cheeks deepened. Her lips trembled slightly. Oh no. She was flustered again.

My room, lit only by the small table lamp, felt unusually intimate. The lighting made her skin look like porcelain—soft and flawless.

I sat on the other end of the couch, trying not to breathe too loudly.

"So… what brings you here so late?" I asked, careful to keep my tone gentle.

She hesitated.

"Well… I heard you come home earlier. I kept debating whether or not to come over…"

She looked down, her fingers playing nervously with the hem of her pajamas.

Where's the terrifying boss lady from earlier today?

"Eh? You could hear the door? You live next door?" I asked.

She nodded. "Room 302."

"That close, huh…"

We'd been neighbors this whole time, and I didn't even know.

"Then… is something wrong?" I asked, watching her closely.

She hesitated again. Her lips parted, but she struggled for words.

Then, softly—

"Was I… too harsh on you earlier today?"

"…Huh?"

The words hit me sideways.

Kana Kobayakawa—the woman who runs a convenience store like a drill sergeant—was sitting on my couch in pajamas at midnight, apologizing?

She bowed slightly.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

"No, no! I didn't feel that way at all!" I said quickly.

She exhaled in visible relief, her shoulders relaxing. "That's good. I thought maybe Ginjo-kun disliked me…"

Dislike her?

More like I couldn't stop thinking about her.

Especially now.

"Actually… why would you think that?" I asked.

"Isn't it normal for managers to be strict?"

Her lips curved into a tiny, self-mocking smile.

"I guess… because I don't want to be a pushover anymore."

My brows lifted. That… I wasn't expecting.

She looked out the window, her voice distant.

"I used to let people walk all over me. In school, I helped classmates with projects, only to be replaced last-minute. At work, I stayed late, covered shifts, took on everyone's problems…"

Her fingers clenched.

"But the worst… was my ex-husband."

My breath caught.

"I believed his sweet words. Got married too young. Took on his debt. He left me with nothing. I only made it out thanks to my family."

She swallowed hard. Her voice dropped to a whisper.

"After the divorce… I came to Tokyo. Started over. I told myself I'd be strong. Cold, even. And it worked. I became manager in less than a year."

Then she turned to me.

"But pretending every day… it's exhausting."

She paused.

"Until today… when I met Ginjo-kun."

My chest tightened.

She wasn't the boss right now. She was a woman—fragile, hurting, honest.

And for some reason, she came here.

To me.

--

If you want to read 10+ chapters, visit my ptttttn.

pttttn.com/Hentai_kun