The night I quit my job.

I was at home, eating a late dinner with the twin schoolgirls.

I slurped a mouthful of beef stew. "Damn, that's good..." "Knew you'd like it~♡"

Akari, my little sister, a blonde gyaru, was watching me with a beaming smile.

It tasted infinitely better than anything you'd get at a restaurant.

The beef fell apart at the gentlest touch, melting into tenderness.

The broth was rich and thick, yet not cloying at all. "How the hell is it this good?"

"Well... I just put an abundance of love for my brother into it~♡" "Love? You think I'm..."

I had no idea how seriously she meant it.

When I was in college, I used to teach them at a cram school. Back then, the twins were elementary schoolers.

That's when Akari started telling me she liked me. Just her usual vibe, you know?

"Aha! Look at that face... You think I'm kidding, don't you? No way! It's totally real! I studied cooking super hard because becoming my brother's wife is the only goal in life! Hmph, what do you think now!"

I straightened my back, and my large breasts swayed vigorously.

Her body may have grown up, but her words and actions are still those of an elementary school student. How nostalgic...

"Ah geez... This is bad. Aka-chan is looking at us entirely from the perspective of a teacher observing her students... This is gonna be a long road ahead. Let's do our best, Sis!"

"Mmph...? Mmmph mmmph...?"

On the other hand, Nana, my older sister with her black hair and innocent beauty, was...

Cheeks puffed out like a squirrel's, she was munching on her rice.

"Hah hah... Hiccup... Haah... Oh, sorry, what is it?" "Sis... you're such a bad kid..."

"What? What? W-what... what's wrong, Aka-chan?"

Nana hasn't really changed much since elementary school either.

Even though she's the big sister, she's usually pretty laid-back... hehe...

"Look at this! It's all your fault that Aka-chan is looking at us like we're her students! Kaa— Sis, you are seriously hopeless, ya know!" "Ugh... I'm sorry..."

"Well, I'll forgive you. Special treatment because you're my sis." "Oh... thank you?"

Hehe, my little sister laughed, and I smiled back.

They've always been so close, those two.

"By the way, Akarin, about what we're going to do next—"

Akari blew on a second bowl of beef stew before handing it to her sister.

"So, what are we gonna do? About that idiot wife." "Ah, I'm splitting up with him. Obviously." "Wooo! Great!"

Gyah… Akari struck a pose, fists clenched.

But it was unexpected that Nanako would do the same.

"I want to write out and submit the divorce papers as soon as possible. I've sent Misae… my wife, emails every morning saying I want to meet and talk once."

"…And what's her response?" "Every single one marked 'read' and ignored."

"…That's terrible. She cheats on you and acts like that!"

"Right? It's unbelievable. More than being a bad wife, I think she's just failed as a human being. Splitting up is the right call!"

Gyah, Akari gave a thumbs-up.

And for some reason, Nanako also gives a thumbs up. Why?

"What are you going to do about the consolation money? Since you were cheated on, it's only natural you'd be entitled to it."

"That's settled. Financial disputes just fester and drag things out, so I'm waiving the consolation money."

I just want to sever ties with that bastard as soon as possible.

"Mean, Karin works for a major corporation, so she doesn't need change like alimony, right?" "I quit."

"...Huh!... ? W-wait, you quit!?"

"I found a new job immediately, though." "...What do you mean?!?" I explain what happened this morning.

I got fired, but a acquaintance invited me to join his company, so I re-landed a job there.

"Financially, I'm in pretty good shape now. It probably won't be as high a salary as the last place, but I'll still be earning a decent amount at the new company."

Regarding the terms of my re-employment, I've already had discussions with Mr. Kamimatsu (Note: The editor-in-chief of the next employer).

"Don't worry, Karin. Our household finances are solidly supported by this young wife No. 2!"

"No, I didn't need that. And what do you mean 'No. 2'? What about No. 1?"

“……I, I’m…… the first young wife! And I’ll… I’ll try my best to save money. Ah, and also… at night, I can be a little bit flexible…”

Nanako’s face burned crimson as she hung her head low.

“Let’s talk about you guys next.”

“About us? The wedding date?”

Are you kidding me? I mean what happens next. You two… what do you want to do?”

These girls had run away from home.

I don’t know what happened, but something clearly did.

For kids to leave their parents and crash on some stranger’s couch.

Especially when that stranger is the opposite sex and older than them.

Unless things were truly dire, they wouldn’t do something so reckless. “…W-what do you want to do?”

“Yeah. I want to hear your thoughts.”

“So he’s not gonna tell us to get lost?”

"Of course. I don't mind if you want to stay here, actually." "「Really!？」"

"Ah. However... I need to confirm your intentions. That is the most important part."

Nanako sat in silence for a while before murmuring quietly.

"...I don't want to go home," she said. The older sister spoke those words.

...Sure enough, things must be going poorly at home. Nanako's body is trembling.

Is it fear, or perhaps... some other emotion entirely?

The younger sister remained silent, holding Nanako's body and stroking her head.

"Sorry, Akarin. I can't give you the details, but we don't want to be at home. We have no relatives nearby. The only person we can rely on is... really just you, Akarin."

"...Please. Let me stay here." The older sister bowed deeply.

Akari also bowed with a serious expression on her face. "…………"

Living in the same house as high school girls. It could easily be treated like a criminal act. If it spread that I started living with young women right after separating from my wife, the criticism from society would undoubtedly intensify. Weird rumors would surely start among the neighbors. But... even so...

I wanted to reach out a hand to them, who had nowhere else to go. Me, who was cheated on by my wife, deeply hurt, and should be devastated beyond measure... They healed me. They cooked for me. Could I really leave such kind girls alone? Absolutely not.

"I understand your intentions. Let's live together." "「Uh…!」"

Both of their eyes widened in shock.

...Looking closely, weren't they trembling? Nana was too, as was Akari.

They were anxious. They thought I might reject them. "Is it… really okay?" Nana asked timidly.

"We're minors. If we live together, it'll inevitably place a financial burden on you."

"Are you an idiot? I'm not that short on money."

Honestly, this sister was the queen of overthinking things. I patted Nana's head.

"Don't worry about living expenses or anything at all. Let's go buy some daily necessities during the upcoming break." "Really? Are you sure?"

Akari broke into a bright expression.

"Um, sorry for being such a nuisance… when we're already going to be a bother…"

"I don't think it's a nuisance for even a millimeter. Don't make it up in your head. Just be as carefree as Akari."

"Ah, that's so Akari-like! I'm gonna kiss you!" "Hey, why would I do that?"

Seeing our exchange, Naeko burst out laughing.

Good thing she seemed to have relaxed her shoulders a bit.

"Yay! Now we can officially start our cohabitation life with Okari!"

"Whoa, hold on. What are you guys gonna do about school?"

"Okari-chan? It's test week in the real world right now, y'know~?" It was early July at this point.

I see, that would be around when the final exams ended.

"Summer break is coming up soon, so we don't need to worry about school for a while!"

"Our high school is right there by train from here. Plus, there's time before classes start again, so it'll be fine." "What about tuition?"

"...That won't be a problem either."

...Leaving her parents' home, yet no issues with tuition...

I suppose things must have gotten pretty bad at home.

"Understood. I won't pry any deeper than this."

"……Thank you."

And so, I came to be living in the same house as the twins. ★ Then, a few days later.

I had a LINE message on my phone. "It's from Misae……"

My wife's reaction had finally arrived.

The message read like this:

"I was wrong. May I meet with you in person to apologize? I want to start over with you." It took long enough for her to reach out. Now I could talk about the divorce.

"Get back together? Of course, I decline."