I figure Kozue found the real treasure of Narutaki-sou a long, long time ago. It's the only way to explain how she pays property tax on the place, seeing as none of the tenants have jobs or pay rent.

Of course, considering the rapid rate of inflation that afflicted Japan leading up to the oil crisis in the 1970s, any amount of money left behind by Kozue's ancestors immediately following the war would have been of little value by the time she was old enough to discover it. Perhaps her great-grandfather invested in heavy industries in his later years, and Kozue's parents cashed out to play the real estate speculation game during the Bubble, amassing some serious yen prior to the market crash of the early 90s.

This raises an interesting question, however: what of Kozue's parents? The show suggests they're dead, but if so, one would think it would have been explicitly mentioned at some point. Yet, they're clearly missing in action. Perhaps they got caught up in the intoxicating atmosphere of the Bubble, and did something illegal? Perhaps they're in prison?

If so, their assets would have been either frozen or seized, so for Kozue to have continued access to said funds (and maintain ownership of Narutaki-sou), it would have been necessary to stash them in an overseas account - or, better yet, laundered through a shell corporation. Obviously, such would require great expertise and connections within the world of organized crime. So, this leads to only one reasonable conclusion...

Kozue is a Yakuza boss.

Actually you find out what happens to Kozue's parents in ep 14, the next ep...

If that old photo isn't a clue about Sayako and Asami, it's a really good representation.

Oh, and they should definitely make a Mahoraba Alternative, with Kozue as boss and Shiratori have a backbone. At least, that's what the last line of this post made me think of.

Aaah...err...Interesting economic analysis (I think ^_^;;). That political science degree sure pays off at times like this ^_^

I remember that Kozue mentioned her mother in the first episode when Shiratori asked her if she was the owner. Maybe her mother (at least) is still alive.

The rent question is an interesting one. If we take Momono San, she is a university student, her room in Narutaki Sou has the latest luxury appliances like a wide screen TV, VCR, Hi Fi system and the like (remember episode 11) and she manages to rent a car for the summer trip in episode 12. This probably means that her family is well off and so her parents are more than ready to pay the rent of Narutaki Sou.

Take Tamami Chan. She is a high school student living away from home while studying at school. She is studying at an all girls school. I would assume that this is a private school and so it will cost a lot of money. Tama has a habit of buying very expensive gadgets (like what she did in this episode and episode 9). This will also lead me to the conclusion that her family is also well off and are willing to pay the rent.

Don't ask me about Haibara. That guy is a mystery as usual. It's a shame though. Haibara can earn a lot of money by doing stage performances with Johnny. We know that Asami and Sayoko are a working family (well, one of them at least) but I'm not sure if they earn enough to pay the rent. Maybe they are charged at a reduced rate because they're poor. Well, even if they don't pay the rent, I doubt Kozue will have the heart to kick them out. She is too nice.

Shiratori's family is probably contributing towadrs the rent as well. These are just my guesses. Maybe we will get some answers in the next episodes (I hope).