Squeak. Squeak.
The girl's bed frame groaned softly in the early morning light, a dry protest against her restless movements. Sunlight slanted through the gap in her curtains, painting a golden stripe across her messy hair and onto the floor.
The brightness pierced through her closed eyelids, dragging her toward consciousness. Takahashi Mio immediately yanked the covers over her head.
A moment later, the stuffiness became unbearable. She kicked out, and a long, perfectly sculpted leg emerged from beneath the duvet. From her thigh down to her toes, there wasn't an ounce of excess flesh. It was the kind of limb that belonged in a shoujo manga panel, the kind that made readers gasp.
She rolled over, curling her legs into a C-shape, clutching the blanket like a shield.
She hadn't slept enough. Not nearly enough.
Her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. Her eyes were gritty, sore, as if a swarm of tiny mosquitoes had bitten her eyelids overnight. She squeezed them shut, willing herself to fall back into unconsciousness, but sleep refused to come.
It felt like someone had stuffed a lump of quicklime into her chest.
Gurgle, gurgle.
It was starting to burn, making her toss and turn, restless and agitated.
After wriggling like a silkworm trapped in its cocoon for the fifth time, Takahashi Mio finally gave up and opened her eyes.
She fumbled under her pillow, pulled out her phone, and squinted at the screen.
7:23 AM.
Seven in the morning. Seriously?
She groaned inwardly. Her first class wasn't until the afternoon. Normally, she'd sleep straight through until noon.
But today, not only had she woken up at the crack of dawn, she'd spent the whole night tossing and turning, waking up two or three times like some kind of haunted insomniac.
Now, in the pale morning light, she found herself doing the exact same thing she'd done at 2 AM, and again at 4:30.
She opened her banking app. Typed in her password.
Account Balance: ¥1,312,085.
Her manicured fingernail traced across the screen, counting the digits. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
Seven digits.
Despite herself, Takahashi Mio's lips curved into an unconscious smile. A warm, unfamiliar sense of satisfaction bloomed in her chest.
Sure, she technically owed two million yen in online loans. But that debt had been accumulated slowly, painstakingly, by borrowing from one lender to pay off another. It was a house of cards, a constant, grinding anxiety. The most she'd ever had in her account at one time was maybe three hundred thousand.
A sudden, irrational fear gripped her. What if this was a dream?
She bit down hard on the soft flesh inside her cheek.
A sharp, sour ache shot through her jaw. She was wide awake now.
It was... real?
Someone had actually transferred one point three million yen into her account. Just like that. That guy really must be an idiot, right?
He'd said she had to be his girlfriend. Fulfill her "girlfriend duties." But there were no specifics. No rulebook. So technically, she got to decide what that meant, right?
And if she wanted to get technical about it, these days, kissing and... other stuff... that probably counted as "duties" too, didn't it?
What an idiot.
But if he actually demanded those things... could she really refuse?
The thought hit her like a stone dropping into still water. Her toes, hidden beneath the covers, curled involuntarily.
Could she?
She hated to admit it, but this whole situation... It wasn't like any of the stories she'd heard from her friends. Sure, she knew girls who'd gotten themselves into complicated arrangements. The kind that always, always ended the same way. With "getting into bed."
But Shiratori Seiya didn't want any of that. He just wanted her to be his girlfriend.
Was it possible... that he'd had a secret crush on her this whole time? That he was so hopelessly, pathetically in love that he'd foolishly throw money at her just for the chance to be near her? A silent benefactor, expecting nothing in return?
She tried to recall his expression from yesterday. That blank, empty stare.
After a long moment, she sighed.
The only thing she remembered about his face was that it was a total poker face. She'd been confessed to more times than she could count, thanks to her looks and figure. There were easily over a dozen guys who'd liked her but were too shy to say anything.
And none of them had looked at her like that. Like she was a specimen under a microscope.
Also... how did he even know about her debt? That note, threatening to call her mother... How much did he actually know about her? The thought made her skin crawl. Who the hell was he?
She couldn't figure him out at all. He was a complete blank.
Staring at the ceiling, she realized the more she thought about him, the more she spiraled. Shiratori Seiya was not simple. He definitely had some kind of secret.
Tsk.
She smacked her lips, took a deep breath, and abruptly sat up in bed. She scrolled through her contacts and hit dial on the first name.
The phone rang for a long time before a sleepy, irritated voice finally answered.
"Mio. You have ten seconds to explain why you just stole ten million yen from my dream."
Takahashi Mio blinked. "Huh? What ten million yen? Reika, are you still half-asleep?"
"Yes, I'm still half-asleep. I was just in the middle of creating a love child with a gorgeous guy under the futon, and you ruined it. Haven't you heard the saying? A spring night is worth a thousand gold pieces. A thousand gold pieces. I'm not suing you for a trillion yen right now is only because we've been friends for so long..."
"What are you even talking about? I have something really important to ask you."
"If it was really that important, you wouldn't be calling me at—" there was a pause, and Reika's voice went shrill, "—seven in the damn morning! You have five seconds left..."
Tsk.
"Shiratori Seiya. Do you know him?"
>>>>
In his apartment on the outskirts of Tokyo, Shiratori Seiya had no idea about the chaotic thoughts swirling through Takahashi Mio's head right now.
He sat at his small dining table, cutting into a rare steak while staring at the translucent system interface floating before his eyes, contemplating his next move.
He opened Takahashi Mio's profile.
[Name]: Takahashi Mio
[Physical]: 5
[Charm]: 8
[Intelligence]: 6
[Special Skill]: Acting
[Acting Potential]: S
[Acting Level]: Beginner (Beginner → Apprentice → Proficient → Master → Perfect)
[Next Level Reward]: ¥1,000,000 + Unlock LV2 Script Purchase Permission
[Relationship Check-in]: 0 days (30-day reward: ¥1,000,000)
About four years ago, when Shiratori Seiya was still a third-year middle school student, he'd been bound to this [Love Career Development] system.
Its function was simple: earn money by improving the skill levels of his "love targets" and through relationship check-ins.
For a kid whose parents had died in a car accident and who was being shuffled around by relatives, it was a lifeline. A golden ticket.
At first, Seiya had been fired up. Ambitious. He'd dreamed of cultivating a generation of legends—Song Gods, Painting Sages, Best Actresses. He'd be rich beyond his wildest dreams.
But unfortunately, reality had other plans.
In four years, he'd met a lot of people. Talented people, overlooked geniuses hiding in plain sight. But he was too young. Every time he tried to confess, to initiate the bond, he hit the same wall.
Gentle older sisters would bend down, pat his head, and coo, "Aww, you're so cute, little guy. But you're still so young! Ask me again when you're older, okay?"
The sharper ones, the cold ones, the ones with explosive tempers, would just look at him like he was some lost kid and tell him to get lost.
He'd died before he even started. Not even past the first step.
Helpless, Seiya had changed tactics. He started looking among his peers.
Maybe luck finally decided to smile on him, or maybe the system had a failsafe. After visiting schools all over Tokyo, from his third year of middle school through high school graduation, he'd managed to cultivate exactly two love interests.
The first one had been a disaster.
Not because she lacked talent—she'd won every Kendo competition in her first year of high school. If things had gone normally, she probably would've become the first female Kendo champion of the Reiwa era.
The disaster was the money. After two years of work, Seiya had earned barely two million yen from her. All from check-in bonuses.
The Kendo Master profession? A complete money pit.
He'd learned his lesson. Pivot to something profitable.
Luckily, at the same high school, he'd found a girl with top-tier singing talent. Top-tier. After a period of pursuit and successfully bonding with her, he'd guided her onto the path of a singer.
He used the system to exchange for popular songs. He pulled out all the stops. In his third year, he'd burned through his entire savings to exchange two LV3 songs: [The Old Man and the Sea] and [YAKIMOCHI] .
She hadn't disappointed him. After a year of groundwork, she'd exploded onto the scene. A rising star in the Japanese music industry.
Seiya had high hopes. With her talent, reaching Master and Perfect level was only a matter of time. Then he could unlock LV4 and LV5 works. Exchange for absolute bangers like Lemon or Uchiage Hanabi. They'd be financially free by graduation.
A true win-win.
But plans have a habit of changing.
A few months after she became famous, before Seiya had even recouped his investment, the girl had taken his hand, her eyes shining with affection.
"Seiya... when we graduate, let's get engaged, okay?"
Seiya: "?"
"Let's get engaged first. When I graduate from university, I'll stay home. I won't go anywhere. You write the songs, and I'll take care of you. I'll be there for you, always, okay?"
A pause. Then, dreamily: "Seiya... do you want a boy or a girl?"
Shiratori Seiya had stared at her, utterly speechless.
"..."