"You're only a first-year, so you've got no real way to pay back that kind of debt."
"I know you work part-time at that convenience store near the station, but the pay is barely enough to cover your own expenses, let alone make a dent in what you owe. Your family isn't exactly rolling in it, or they'd be giving you a decent allowance, right?"
"This whole 'borrowing from Peter to pay Paul' thing... I don't know how much credit you have left, but you should be on your knees praying your limit goes up by another hundred thousand this month. Otherwise, you're not going to last much longer..."
As he spoke, Shiratori Seiya's gaze drifted, item by item, over her earrings, her necklace, her handbag, her shoes.
None of these were cheap. Not for an ordinary university student.
Throw in her daily cosmetics and skincare routine, plus that off-campus apartment she was renting... The money from her convenience store job was a joke. It wouldn't even cover her for a week. She probably burned through it the day she got paid.
Young women, especially, are obsessed with keeping up appearances. Keeping up with the herd.
Takahashi Mio was the textbook case. The type who'd rather starve for days, make herself sick, just to buy some luxury brand so no one would look down on her.
Shiratori Seiya saw right through her. Laid her bare with a single glance.
"If you still want to keep buying this kind of stuff, then next month, or the month after, that's your expiration date. You know that, right?"
"Ever wonder what happens when you can't pay back a loan? First, they expose your contact list. Your family's on there, sure. But so are your classmates, aren't they? Your social life must be way more interesting than I'd imagined..."
"You wouldn't want your 'dear friends' to find out you've been propping up your whole lifestyle with loans, would you? Being looked down on doesn't feel good, does it?"
"I mean, if it was just about going back to a normal life, that'd be one thing. But think about it. What are they going to say behind your back? Will you still fit in with your little group? Will you even be able to make friends? You'll—"
"Stop it!"
Takahashi Mio's lips were trembling. Her chest rose and fell in rapid, ragged breaths.
Her heart wasn't just pounding like she'd run an 800-meter dash. It felt like someone had jammed a 100,000-volt pacemaker inside her chest and cranked it to max.
She couldn't take any more. She wanted to turn and run. Escape.
But Shiratori Seiya had no intention of stopping.
Strike while the iron's hot. He'd called her up here to break her down in one go. He didn't have the patience to play games with this girl.
He stood up and grabbed her arm. Her skin was pale against his grip.
"I'm not done yet."
Takahashi Mio winced, trying to pull free, but his grip was ridiculously strong. He didn't look that muscular, but... He leaned in close. Close enough that she could see her own reflection in those dark, empty eyes of his.
"Getting your contacts leaked is just the opening act. Do you have any idea who's really behind these loan companies? It doesn't matter if you can't pay. They've got plenty of ways to make you. Trust me."
"For example... you're pretty. And there's plenty of value in that. Plenty of ways to... exploit it."
Shiratori Seiya stopped there. A faint, thin smile played at the corner of his mouth. He let the implication hang in the air, heavy and suffocating.
Takahashi Mio shivered. Her mind filled with horrible, vivid images.
Suddenly, all the strength drained from her body.
Seiya let go of her arm. She slumped to the ground, landing in a heap.
After a long moment, as if she'd finally pushed past the peak of her fear, Takahashi Mio went strangely calm. She swallowed hard, then bit her lower lip, her voice quiet:
"Did you just bring me here to scare me? What do you actually want?"
Her whole demeanor had shifted. The fight was gone. If you listened closely, you could hear a faint tremor beneath her words.
"How could you think that?"
Shiratori Seiya shook his head slowly. He crouched down in front of her, his face settling back into that familiar, expressionless mask. He looked at her seriously.
"I only said all that because I want to help you."
"Help me?"
Takahashi Mio let out a short, sharp laugh.
"Hah. I'm not seeing any 'help' here. Can you pay off my debt for me?"
She wasn't a genius, but she wasn't an idiot either.
This creep, with all his threats and doom-mongering, obviously wanted something from her. Probably something even worse than having her contacts leaked.
But ever since she'd first laid eyes on him, his face had been a complete blank. A poker face.
Even though Takahashi Mio prided herself on being able to read a room, even though she was an expert at imagining the worst in people, she couldn't figure out what he actually wanted.
"As a matter of fact, I am prepared to help you pay it off."
The words came out of Shiratori Seiya's mouth, flat and definitive.
What?
Takahashi Mio blinked. For a second, she genuinely thought she'd misheard him.
"I can give you one million yen right now. And then thirty thousand yen every month after that."
Her eyes went wide. For a fleeting moment, something warm flickered in her chest. Then, the suspicion slammed back down. He was messing with her. Had to be.
She spat out, "Ha? Is there something seriously wrong with your head? Do I look like your personal plaything or something?"
"Do I look like someone with that much free time on my hands? Digging up all that info on you took a lot of work."
He didn't mention that it had actually been easy. He'd just used the system's appraisal feature.
"Tch!"
For once, she couldn't find a comeback. Takahashi Mio turned her head away, a sulky pout on her lips.
After a long, tense silence, she seemed to calm down a fraction. As if possessed by some outside force, she asked:
"So... what would I have to do?"
Takahashi Mio believed in luck. She did not believe in things falling out of the sky for free.
This sketchy stranger, willing to throw that much money at her? He had to have some insane, disgusting demands. Obviously.
"It's simple. All you have to do is move your mouth."
The girl just stared at him, waiting.
"Just be my girlfriend."
The moment the words left his mouth, Takahashi Mio's face twisted into a mask of pure disgust. An 'I knew it' expression. She turned on her heel to leave.
"Tch. Disgusting. You creep, you pervert, you absolute trash!"
Shiratori Seiya didn't try to stop her this time. He just watched her retreating back, his voice calm and level:
"If I were you, given your current situation, I'd let me finish before walking away. The choice is yours, after all."
Takahashi Mio's steps faltered. She shuffled forward two more steps, then stopped dead at the door.
"I just need you to acknowledge that I'm your boyfriend. While we're 'dating,' you don't get involved with other guys. And you have to fulfill the usual obligations of a girlfriend. That's it."
Her pale ears, just visible beneath her golden hair, twitched. Like she was actually considering it. She turned her head back, looking at Shiratori Seiya.
A moment later, a sharp, sarcastic smile twisted her pretty features.
"That's it? A creep like you is probably just gonna change your tune once we start dating, right? I don't need to, what, 'fulfill my obligations'? No kissing? No... you know?"
Shiratori Seiya tilted his head. His tone remained flat, utterly disinterested.
"If you really want to, I suppose I could reluctantly accommodate you. But you don't really strike me as someone who's been deprived of that sort of thing."
"You're insane!"
A furious blush flooded her cheeks.
"So. That's the deal. Think about it."
"But I'll only wait for you until tonight. Tomorrow, this offer expires. I'm sure there are plenty of other people who'd be willing to agree to my 'crazy' deal."
He seemed even less patient than Takahashi Mio did. He shoved his hands in his pockets and started walking, unhurried, towards the rooftop exit.
Takahashi Mio stood frozen, rooted to the spot. Her soft lips were pressed together in a tight line, painted a bright, anxious red.
Her heart was a warzone. A brutal, agonizing battle.
Finally, just as Shiratori Seiya was about to step past her, the words tore out of her.
"Wait!"
He turned. Looked at her. Calm. Waiting.
"What you said... is it true?"
"What?"
Pressed, forced to clarify, Takahashi Mio bit down hard on her lip. She dropped her gaze to the ground, the words squeezed out like they were being pulled from her throat.
"No... no sex?"
Her voice was barely a whisper. Her cheeks were on fire.
"I said no."
"Kissing, too?"
"If you really want to, I'll reluctantly fulfill my boyfriend duties."
"What the hell... It's like signing a contract."
Takahashi Mio muttered under her breath, still not meeting his eyes. She kicked at an imaginary pebble on the concrete.
Shiratori Seiya heard her perfectly. He didn't argue.
There was no paper to sign, no formal document. But yes. It was exactly like signing a contract.
He turned fully to face her. Looked her straight in the eye, his voice low and serious.
"So, Takahashi Mio. Are you willing to be my girlfriend?"
Takahashi Mio looked at the young man standing before her. Her mouth opened, then closed. Then opened again.
This... this was way too casual.
No candles. No flowers. No heartfelt, carefully prepared confession. Just this guy's dead-eyed stare and his cold, robotic lines, like he was reading from a script he'd memorized years ago.
Takahashi Mio knew, with absolute certainty, that this was not the romance she'd always dreamed of.
But even so.
Even so, she found herself nodding. As if possessed by something. And she reached out, taking his left hand in hers.
Ding.
[Successfully initiated relationship with Takahashi Mio.]
[Relationship Funding Received: ¥5,000,000.]
[Relationship Check-in: 0 days (Check-in reward: ¥1,000,000 after 30 days).]
[Takahashi Mio's Career Development Path Unlocked.]
[Please select career development direction...]
[Current Relationship Targets: 1/1...]