The days have followed after that strange encounter with the elegant girl passed by in a blur. After my parents ran off with my savings, I had to make a decision. I couldn’t afford to go to school anymore—not with everything they stole. I needed money, and going to school wasn’t going to cut it. So I made up my mind.

  Full-time work.

  It wasn’t an easy choice. I’d always thought that school was my way out of this mess of a life, but now that I was penniless, that dream was on hold. No school this year. Not while I needed to work every hour I could to scrape by.

  Despite this, the thought of missing school gnawed at me. Css was scheduled to begin tomorrow. The image of everyone else settling into their nice uniforms and sitting in clean cssrooms, while I serve foods and wipe tables, was like a punch to the stomach.

  But what choice do I have?

  .

  .

  .

  .

  At Work

  “Tanaka, you done with those fries yet?” The manager shouted from the back kitchen, his voice rising above the constant hum of the fast-food restaurant.

  “Yeah, I got it.” I replied, flipping the st batch of fries into their metal container. I wiped my brow with the back of my hand, feeling the grease cling to my skin. It wasn’t gmorous work, but it was steady, and it kept the lights on at the apartment—barely.

  "Furedzudy Restaurant." The restaurant's name may not be the best, but the food is good. Despite being unable to service a rge number of clients every day, we do occasionally have regur customers, which is fortunate. The staff includes me, the manager, his son, and her wife, who is sadly unable to work due to health issues. While I handle providing the food to the customers, two of the guys work in the kitchen. Occasionally, I would be in charge of the kitchen if the manager isn't working at that day. Double the bor, double the income, so I suppose it's worth it.

  With the food ready to serve to the hungry guests, I quickly went to each table in the restaurant. Customers have already been fed fries, steak, and a big burger.

  "Whew, we have an unusually rge number of customers here." I said as I looked around the restaurant. On weekdays, we generally accommodate at least 80 customers per day, but on weekends, we accommodate at least a hundred individuals here. It's not an easy task, but if it's for my future, a small sacrifice has to be made.

  As I turned to restock the napkins at the counter, a sudden commotion broke out near the entrance. Customers were whispering, their eyes wide as they stared at something—or someone.

  “What the…?” I muttered under my breath.

  Curiosity got the better of me, and I gnced over to see what had everyone’s attention. My heart stopped when I saw her—Tsukiko Kurohana, the girl I had saved a few nights ago. She stood there, just inside the restaurant, looking as out of pce as a rose in a junkyard. Her long, snow-white hair cascaded down her back, and she wore that same pristine Yumeji Academy uniform. She was drawing stares, not only because she was beautiful but because she clearly didn’t belong in a pce like this.

  “Isn’t that a Yumeji student?” one of the customers whispered.

  “Yeah, but why is she here?”

  "Maybe she's waiting for her boyfriend or something?"

  My heart sank. What was she doing here?

  I quickly ducked behind the counter, hoping she hadn’t noticed me yet. I didn’t need any more trouble. Not now, not when I was just trying to keep my head down and earn some money. But before I could even think of a way to sneak past her, I heard my name.

  “Tanaka Kazuki.”

  A familiar voice can be heard behind the counter. Her voice was soft but commanding, cutting through the noise of the restaurant like a bde. I winced, knowing I couldn’t hide anymore. Slowly, I stood up from behind the counter, meeting her gaze.

  “Uh… Who are you again?” I said awkwardly, scratching the back of my head, pretending to not know her.

  "Tsukiko Kurohana. You may address me as Tsukiko."

  “Right, Kurohana-san. So, what are you doing here?”

  The customers were still staring, their eyes darting between me and the elegant girl standing at the counter. I could feel their curiosity boring into me like a spotlight.

  “I need to speak with you” Tsukiko said, her tone calm and unwavering, as if she were used to giving orders. “It’s important.”

  I blinked, completely thrown off by her presence. “Here? Right now?”

  She nodded once, her expression unreadable.

  I sighed, "I would love to talk to you right now, but as you can see, I'm still working here, so I'm afraid I can't do that at this time."

  "Besides," I continued, "if we're going to chat here, you're gonna make the customers upset." I look at the back of Tsukiko, which is already full with people lining up. I really should get back to work.

  "Ah, my apologies. Then, when you are done with work, I shall be waiting for you outside. You can find me in that vehicle over there." she pointed to one of the bck cars that parked in the lot. It is also the same vehicle that appeared a few days before when she was picked up.

  She then went outside and back into her car. It's as if a storm has suddenly in this very pce without notice.

  "Great. Now I had something to deal with other than my unfortunate situation."

  7:00 PM

  By the time my shift ended and I stepped outside, the sky had darkened and a light rain had began to fall, misting over the city in a calm, mencholy manner. It was the kind of steady rain that didn't flood you but soaked into your bones and left you chilly.

  I wrapped my thin sweatshirt tighter about me, trembling as the chilly damp air brushed across my skin. "Of course, it'd rain tonight," I said, watching my breath form little white clouds. In some ways, the weather was perfect, with a soft, gray fog that matched my uncertainties.

  But, while I stood there, wondering how I was going to go home without being completely soaked, a glossy bck car pulled up to the sidewalk ahead of me. The back window descended, revealing Tsukiko's face, calm and pale.

  Ah, I was meant to meet with Kurohana-san tonight. I feel bad about making her wait for over an hour I thought.

  "Kazuki, please get inside," she requested, her voice cutting through the rain.

  The interior was warm and smelled faintly of leather and vender. I gnced around, noticing the driver—a middle-aged man with an unreadable expression—focused intently on the road ahead. The only sound in the car was the patter of rain against the windows. It was silent, almost eerily so.

  I cleared my throat, unsure how to break the silence. “So, uh… where exactly are we going?”

  She did not gnce at me; her attention was fixated on the window. "My family's estate," she said softly, as if the answer should have been clear. "There are things that need to be discussed... "And you should be there to hear them."

  Her words floated in the air like a little mist outdoors. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, my hands fiddling in my p.

  Do they always send a car for you?I asked, hoping to keep the discussion going. Anything to distract me from my rising discomfort.

  "Yes, it's safer this way," she calmly responded, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

  "Right... I guess that makes sense." I managed a slight chuckle and looked out the window. Then it made me thinking: why she was outside at the time?

  The rain had started to pick up, blurring the city lights into glowing streaks. The silence settled over us again, thicker this time, and I found myself growing more and more restless. The only sound was the rhythmic beat of the wipers sweeping across the windshield.

  I gnced sideways at Tsukiko, who was still gazing out her window, her face unreadable. This girl was like a closed book, her expression giving away nothing. But I had to admit… she intrigued me.

  "So, why did your family want to discuss things with me?" I blurted out, unable to contain the question any longer.

  She finally turned to face me, her bck eyes unreadable in the low light of the car. "It's something that you did to me yesterday. My family values loyalty and honor, Kazuki" said she with a reserved voice. "You risked yourself to help me without knowing anything about me. That is something we do not take lightly."

  I swallowed, feeling a strange pressure under her steady gaze. “Look, it’s really not a big deal,” I said, scratching the back of my head. “I just… couldn’t stand by and watch someone in trouble. It was just the right thing to do.”

  For a moment, she said nothing, simply watching me with that intense, thoughtful expression. Then she turned back to the window, her voice almost a whisper. “Perhaps it was. But that doesn’t make it any less uncommon.”

  The words sent a chill down my spine, leaving me in silence. I had no idea what she really meant by her mysterious words, but something tells she was really grateful that I was there at that time, or maybe it's just me.

  The silence stretched on as the car wound through the rain-slicked streets, heading further and further away from the familiar parts of town. My discomfort grew with every passing minute, and I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of world I was stepping into.

  The car finally came to a stop, and I peeked out to see that we had arrived in front of a massive wrought-iron gate fnked by high stone walls. Beyond it, I could see the dark form of a rge mansion, its lights shining dimly in the rain. Its architecture is simir to those of old buildings in the United Kingdom.

  “Is this… your house?” I asked, my voice barely more than a whisper.

  “Yes,” Tsukiko replied, her tone calm and matter-of-fact. “Welcome to the Kurohana estate.”

  The gates swung open silently, and the car glided forward, moving down a long, winding driveway lined with tall trees that loomed like silent guardians in the night. The rain continued to fall, casting everything in a soft, misty glow.

  As we pulled up to the entrance, the driver stopped and stepped out to open our doors. Tsukiko exited first, her movements graceful and fluid, and I scrambled out after her, feeling distinctly out of pce in my worn hoodie and jeans.

  “Come,” she said, gesturing for me to follow her up the stone steps to the mansion’s entrance.

  I took a deep breath and followed, my heart pounding as I stepped into the unfamiliar pce.

  AnnouncementWanna read my work in advance? You can find it in this link: https://zetrotranstion.com/novel/i-was-brought-back-to-a-wealthy-vampire-family-and-now-i-have-become-their-only-daughters-tutor/