In a corner booth of a café near Tama University, Haruno Reika stirred her coffee slowly, watching the dark liquid swirl in the white porcelain cup. Across from her, Takahashi Mio had just finished recounting the previous day's events in hushed, anxious tones.
Reika's expression remained perfectly neutral. "So let me get this straight. He paid off your debt. And then asked for absolutely nothing in return?"
"Basically... yes."
"Do I look like an idiot to you, Mio?"
Mio blinked, caught off guard. "Huh?"
Reika set down her spoon with a soft clink. "Think about it. Would any normal person—would you—do something like that for no reason? You genuinely believe he has zero ulterior motives where you're concerned?"
Mio's mouth opened, then closed. She shifted in her seat, her arm sliding off the table as she leaned forward with a sigh. "But he really didn't ask for anything! And even if he did have some kind of motive, I wouldn't go along with it. I'm not stupid."
Reika was quiet for a moment. She took a measured sip of her coffee, her gaze drifting over Mio's face—lingering on the dark circles beneath her eyes.
"That's debatable."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means," Reika said slowly, "he doesn't have to demand anything upfront. He can use small tricks. Wear you down with money, bit by bit. How long do you think you could resist that?"
She paused, letting the words sink in.
"And why you? Out of everyone in that university, why target you? Probably because you're easy on the eyes, don't you think?"
Mio wanted to argue. Wanted to fire back with something sharp and definitive. But the words wouldn't come.
Because deep down, she'd been thinking the exact same thing.
She raked her fingers through her golden hair, frustration building. "So what am I supposed to do now? What's the play here?"
Reika's eyes narrowed. "What can you do?" Her tone sharpened. "You were reckless enough to rack up two million yen in debt. Two million. And you were juggling new loans to pay off old ones like some kind of financial juggernaut. Could you even pay it back on your own?"
Mio flinched.
"And now someone knows. He's got leverage. So what's your move?"
"There's still an option. Call your family. Have them bail you out. Then cut ties with this Shiratori guy and return every yen."
"No!"
The word exploded out of Mio before she could stop it. Her breathing hitched. "My dad would literally kill me."
Reika tilted her head, utterly unbothered. "Then he'd go to jail. By the time he got out, he'd be ancient. A life for a life. Not a terrible trade, honestly."
"Stop being sarcastic! I'm serious!"
"Then you're out of options." Reika shrugged. "That's the only clean way out. Now you've just got to hope this guy's genuinely lost his mind."
She paused, a thought flickering across her face. Her eyes narrowed, and a slow, meaningful smile curved her lips.
"Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless he actually likes you. Are you sure you've never met him before?"
"Positive." Mio nodded firmly. She'd spent half the night searching her memory, scrolling through old photos, even messaging high school friends. No Shiratori Seiya. Not anywhere. Yesterday had been their first encounter.
"Maybe you forgot. Or maybe he's been carrying a torch for you this whole time—a secret admirer type."
Reika's smile widened.
"If that's the case, then it's not a trap at all. It's an opportunity. You could flip the script. Play the perfect girlfriend, charm him senseless, and slowly bleed him dry. How's that for a plan? Seems right up your alley."
Mio stared at her, incredulous. "Why would that be up my alley? Do I look like some kind of scheming gold digger to you? I've never even had a boyfriend."
She shot Reika a sharp look.
"Yes, actually. You do." Reika's voice was calm, almost clinical. "You're gorgeous. And back in high school, weren't you a master at playing the untouchable goddess? Using those skills to reel in a guy should come naturally."
Mio's hands clenched into fists beneath the table. The barb had landed. Reika had been needling her all morning, little digs here and there, but this one stung.
"What are you trying to say?" Mio's voice was tight. "That I was seducing them? We've been friends for years, Reika. Is that really how you see me?"
"Then what else am I supposed to think?!"
Something snapped. Reika's coffee cup hit the table with a sharp crack, dark liquid sloshing over the rim and staining her skirt.
"Watanabe didn't break up with me because he was chasing after you?! If you hadn't been so... so provocative, always parading yourself around in front of us, would he have done that?"
Mio's heart lurched. The memory crashed over her like a wave.
Watanabe Yuki. Reika's childhood sweetheart. Her ex-boyfriend. He'd confessed to Mio out of nowhere—completely blindsiding her. Had broken up with Reika on the spot, just to prove he was serious about pursuing her.
Mio had been stunned. Horrified. She'd rejected him immediately, told him he was insane.
But the damage was done.
And even though it hadn't been her fault—she hadn't done anything—the guilt had never really gone away.
"Reika... I..." Her voice faltered. "I'm sorry. I never meant—I rejected him. You know that."
The café had gone quiet around them. Other customers were staring.
Reika took a breath. Then another. She raised a hand, rubbing her temples.
"I lost it. Sorry." Her voice was steadier now, controlled. "You don't need to explain. Even if it wasn't you, he would've dumped me eventually. He was always like that."
A bitter smile tugged at her lips.
"But I'll admit it. I'm jealous of you. You're gorgeous. You're drowning in debt. Your future's a mess. And still—still—some rich idiot comes along and bails you out."
Mio said nothing.
Reika's curiosity flickered back to life. "So what does he look like? How old is he? Are you sure you don't like him at all?"
Mio hesitated. "Probably our age. He's... decent-looking. Tall. Like, this much taller than me." She gestured vaguely. "Easy on the eyes, I guess. But you know I'm not interested in dating."
"Not being interested in dating isn't the same as not being interested in him. If he's easy on the eyes, you might change your tune."
"Can we focus?" Mio groaned. "I can't read him at all. What if he's some kind of psycho? He doesn't even act like he likes me. He's got to have some kind of angle..."
She bit the inside of her cheek, her expression twisting with uncertainty.
Reika was quiet for a long moment, thinking.
"I couldn't find anything about him online. He probably didn't go to high school in Tokyo. Otherwise, with all the universities here, someone would've crossed paths with him. And if he's as capable as you say, he'd be more well-known."
She leaned forward.
"So here's an idea. Ask him out. Not alone—bring me along. A group setting. It's harder for him to keep his guard up with other people around. We can probe a little, find out where he went to school, then track down his old classmates. Get the real story on his character."
Mio considered this. "That's... actually not bad. But what's the excuse? It's easy to set up a date for two people. But a group?"
"You're overthinking it." Reika waved a dismissive hand. "Just tell him your friends found out you're dating and they're curious. They want to meet him. Simple."
Mio's eyes lit up. "That could work. I'll text him right now, see if he's free."
"Mmhm."
As Mio reached into her bag for her phone, Reika's lips curved into a small, private smile. Her eyes glinted with something unreadable.
But before Mio could pull out her phone, it buzzed sharply from inside her bag.
She fished it out. The screen lit up automatically.
Incoming Call: Shiratori Seiya