Red Strings ¦¦ Chishiya Shuntarou x OC

Twenty-Second String

-Kurenai: 18 years old. First day of moving out-

House hunting had been difficult, especially when one had recently turned eighteen and knew nothing about properties or owning them. Her determination to get away from her father, however, was her sole motivation and eventually, she found a penthouse apartment that suited her in every way.

But more problems arose than solved by then.

Her brand new furnitures were kindly delivered but only the smaller items were assembled while many of the bigger ones were still in their boxes. And Kurenai did not realise just how many things she owned until she was seeing the boxes in her apartment. She was seriously contemplating throwing everything out and getting new ones instead, but that was another headache in itself.

A week into her move, Kurenai was still sleeping on her sofa because her bed frame was not assembled and she had not touched a single box since the first day.

Fortunately, she was interviewing for a housekeeper today.

About five women applied for the job, and Kurenai invited all five to an interview together at the apartment. She had no time nor energy to be interviewing them separately. If she thought someone was a good fit in her home, she would know instantly.

As soon as they walked in, Kurenai already picked out two whom she did not like. One of them looked very much like her mother, and the other stepped on her shoes by the door when she walked in. Even before she started the interview, she sent them on their way.

Among the remaining three, one of them was looking around the kitchen before checking the boxes Kurenai had in the living room. The other two seemed eager to please Kurenai as they were shoving their resumes her way, trying to outshine the other by claiming they worked for celebrities and/or public figures.

The interview was short, and Kurenai only asked a few basic questions. Saying that she would contact the successful candidate, Kurenai sent them all home though honestly, she was not sure if she would end up hiring any of them.

She laid on the sofa and let out a sigh, staring up at the ceiling, slowly falling asleep. How much longer did she have to sleep on the sofa?

Two hours later, she was woken up by the doorbell.

Sitting up, Kurenai frowned. She was not expecting anyone else for the day, nor did she have any more deliveries. Who could it be?

Checking the intercom by the door, Kurenai could see one of the three women standing outside her door with two young men. Did this woman leave and bring help to rob her? "What do you want?" Kurenai asked, speaking through the intercom. She had her finger hovering over the security button too, in case she needed it.

"Hi, Miss Chuya. I don't know if you remember my name but I'm Ayako. These are my nephews, and I thought we could help you unpack and assemble your furniture."

"I haven't decided who to hire yet."

"I know. But I saw your bed frame still in the box, and the pillow on the sofa. And you have quite a lot of things to unpack too. Not to mention the takeaways in your fridge and bin. I cannot leave you knowing that you're not sleeping or eating well."

Kurenai was quiet, still standing by the door.

This was the first time someone so genuinely cared for her. Back at home, the servants would feed her and clean her room simply because it was their job. If they did anything beyond their duties, that was because they were hoping for a promotion, or a tip. They could not care less about how Kurenai was living as long as they were paid.

Finally, after about five minutes of silence, Kurenai opened the door.

"Hi, Miss Chuya," Ayako smiled. "Boys, say hi."

"Hello."

"I have the security on speed dial. If you do anything weird, or try anything, I'd have you arrested."

Although a little alarmed at her behaviour, Ayako simply smiled and nodded. She walked over to the kitchen, putting down the several bags of groceries she had been carrying. She instructed her nephews to take the bed frame upstairs to the bedroom and start assembling while she got to work in the kitchen.

Kurenai kept her distance, watching them. Ayako was unpacking the grocery bags and three of them were just full of tupperware after tupperware of prepped meals. After putting them into the fridge, Ayako unpacked the last bag of fresh ingredients and started making a meal. She even brought a rice cooker.

"Do you like curry?" Ayako asked.

"I do."

"Anything you can't eat or don't eat?"

"I don't like peas or bell peppers."

With a nod, Ayako continued cooking.

An hour later, her entire apartment was filled with the aroma of Ayako's cooking. Kurenai's stomach was growling just from the smell alone, and she was salivating at the sight. It had been a long time since she had a homemade meal.

Once she was done, Ayako called her nephews down to eat and they were all sitting at Kurenai's dining table together. A little hesitant, Kurenai was more uncomfortable at the fact that she was having a meal with strangers. She never sat at the dining table with her own father, the concept of eating with someone else at home was so foreign to her.

"Come on, eat up," Ayako smiled, gently nudging Kurenai.

The moment she took the first bite, Kurenai could not stop and before she knew it, she polished off every last bit put on her plate. It was a simple meal, made with simple ingredients, but one of the best foods she had ever eaten.

After the meal, Ayako cleaned everything up while her nephews went back to assembling other furniture and carrying the heavier boxes up the stairs. With everything in the kitchen pristine and in their respective places, Ayako got to work with unpacking the many boxes.

Kurenai watched as the older woman worked through the boxes, putting away the items and even took a try at decorating the apartment. It was another three hours at least before they were done and no more boxes were in sight.

"May I ask you something?" Ayako asked. "I saw no photos in any of the boxes. No albums or photo frames. Is that a mistake?"

"No, it's not," Kurenai said.

It pained Ayako, but more importantly worried her, to see a girl like Kurenai living alone in this huge apartment. She looked about the same age as her nephews, and they were living at home with their family, eating home cooked meals every night. What could have driven a girl like her to move out by herself?

"Well, I'm not going to bother you any longer," Ayako smiled, taking her bags with her while her nephews gathered the empty cardboard boxes. "I prepped you some meals, each tupperware is a bento itself. Just put it in the microwave to warm it up whenever you're hungry. It's not healthy for you to eat takeaway all the time. I'll leave the rice cooker for you too. Just wash some rice, throw it in, and press the button. Just remember, one part rice to two parts water."

"Thank you."

"Must be so hard to be living alone at your age," Ayako sighed, touching Kurenai's cheeks gently. "You take care of yourself."

As they were leaving, Kurenai tried to pay Ayako for the day's work but she refused, simply asking Kurenai to take good care of herself as payment instead.

"Would you like to take care of me?" Kurenai asked. "You're hired."