Shiratori Seiya stared at Mio's spread fingers for exactly two seconds—long enough for a dramatic pause in any rom-com—then silently pulled out his phone and transferred the money.
Come to think of it, it was about time for him to send her this month's allowance. If you calculated strictly by the thirty-day cycle, she'd actually been pretty patient. Like a side character waiting for her spotlight episode.
Buzz buzz.
Exactly one second after the bank transfer success notification popped up on his screen, Takahashi Mio's phone rang from inside her trench coat pocket. The timing was so perfect it felt scripted.
Takahashi Mio casually fished out her phone, and when she saw the 500,000 yen transfer amount on the display, her entire expression froze like a glitching visual novel sprite.
['Takahashi Mio' Affection +1]
After the system's notification sound chimed in his head, Takahashi Mio's lips curled upward just a fraction. Her narrow eyes squinted with satisfaction, and she let out a long, drawn-out "Hmmm~" from her delicate nose, speaking with a half-smile:
"Hmm~ I didn't realize you cared so much about appearances..."
She was wearing a new lip gloss today. Her lips shimmered under the morning light, so eye-catching it was practically a critical hit.
Shiratori Seiya stared at them for a couple of seconds—definitely too long—then looked away and said flatly:
"What are you talking about? I don't even know any of your friends. And even if I did, they couldn't make fun of me. I transferred you an extra 200,000 because you did very well last month, and also because I was late sending the money this time..."
Hearing him be so brutally honest, Takahashi Mio's delicate eyebrows furrowed. She clicked her tongue in annoyance, then lifted her small black leather shoe to kick a pebble by her foot, muttering under her breath:
"So boring. Would it kill you to just play along with what I say for once..."
Shiratori Seiya heard her loud and clear. He glanced at her with an expression that screamed are you serious right now?
"I don't exactly seem like the type of person who says stuff like that, do I? If I suddenly started spouting sweet nothings, wouldn't you feel awkward? You'd probably start wondering why I was being so lovey-dovey—if I had some kind of hidden agenda or something."
He paused, then continued in a more measured tone:
"When I truly feel that way, I'll say it naturally. Besides, didn't you just say you hate hypocrisy? Wouldn't it be better if we were just honest with each other?"
Hearing this, warmth bloomed in Takahashi Mio's chest. Her face immediately brightened into a smile, and she leaned closer to Shiratori Seiya like a cat seeking attention.
"What hidden agenda? I'm your girlfriend now, aren't I? Doing intimate things is also part of my job description, right?"
She pouted her rosy lips, opening and closing them teasingly before making a little pop sound.
"How about it? Does it look good? Want a kiss?"
So... at eighty affection, kissing is finally on the table, huh?
Shiratori Seiya glanced at the number on his interface and couldn't help but murmur internally. The faint, sweet scent of the young girl lingered around his nose like a persistent status buff. He hesitated for a moment, then—almost instinctively—glanced back in the direction of his own apartment.
He remembered Hojo Shione coming to find him last night. For all he knew, she might be peering through the window right now, watching his every move like a hawk. After a moment of internal debate, he took a small step back and said:
"It does look good. But kissing on the roadside this early in the morning is a bit much..."
Although what he said made perfect logical sense, Takahashi Mio had clearly noticed that little backward glance. Her enthusiasm dropped faster than a cancelled anime season. She frowned and said:
"Coward."
She couldn't help but grumble inwardly:
He's already broken up with her, and he still has to check for her just to kiss his own girlfriend? She's so controlling, it's ridiculous.
Whatever. Later, when we finally kiss again, I'll secretly take a picture and send it straight to her. You don't want to? Fine. But she's going to see it anyway.
Seeing her affection level dip again, Shiratori Seiya pretended not to notice. As he walked her back toward the apartment, he said:
"Let me go grab my school bag. We'll leave together in a bit."
"Oh."
Watching Mio reluctantly trail behind him like a sulking tsundere, he took two steps forward, then suddenly asked:
"But you said earlier you were going out to hang with friends. Do you still feel like going?"
Hearing this, Takahashi Mio's long eyelashes fluttered twice. She sighed dramatically, the kind of sigh reserved for heroines in emotional turmoil.
"That's exactly why I want to go out—to clear my head. Besides, don't you have friends? If your friends invite you out and you keep refusing, it's fine once or twice. But if you do it too many times... won't the relationship completely fall apart?"
Shiratori Seiya pursed his lips and nodded.
"I really don't have any friends."
Takahashi Mio's eyes went blank for a moment. A flicker of sympathy crossed her face—but then, as if suddenly remembering something, she nodded repeatedly with a knowing smile.
"Right, right, right. You don't have many same-sex friends. All you've got are girlfriends, huh?"
As if trying to mask the sourness dripping from her words, she forced a smile and continued:
"Besides, didn't you say you were going to watch Hasegawa's competition on Wednesday? You won't have time that day either, will you? Isn't this just handing you another golden opportunity?"
"..."
Why does every conversation have to circle back to girlfriends?
Shiratori Seiya didn't take the bait. He walked silently into the apartment building, quickly ran upstairs to grab his handbag, and came back down, preparing to drive Takahashi Mio to school together.
Sitting in the driver's seat, he didn't start the engine right away. Instead, he stared at the streetlights ahead, stroked his chin with a thoughtful expression that screamed internal monologue incoming.
Seeing the car wasn't moving, Mio—who had just fastened her seatbelt—blinked in confusion.
"Why aren't we going?"
Her gaze fell on Shiratori Seiya's face, and seeing his furrowed brows and pensive look, she couldn't help but tilt her head like a curious anime character.
Meeting the young girl's gaze, Shiratori Seiya hesitated for a moment, then said:
"I had dinner with the producer and director of the film crew last night."
Hearing this, Takahashi Mio's eyes flickered. A bewildered expression crossed her face as she asked hesitantly:
"And...?"
"And... when we came out, we ran into your older female cousin."
He paused, choosing his next words carefully.
"She probably knows by now that I'm the scriptwriter for this drama. She might call you later and ask you to get me to help her land the lead role."
Another pause.
"I'm telling you this not to put pressure on you, but to let you know in advance. That way, you don't accidentally blurt something out to your cousin before we've even had a chance to deal with your father."
['Takahashi Mio' Affection +3]
Looking at the sudden notification that popped up in his field of vision, Shiratori Seiya froze. He turned to look at Takahashi Mio, only to find her staring blankly back at him with wide eyes.
Why did that increase affection?
Feeling genuinely puzzled, he thought for a moment and asked:
"What's wrong?"
"Ah..."
Takahashi Mio snapped out of it immediately. She raised a hand to scratch her eyebrow—a nervous tic she had—and said with a wry smile:
"Nothing. I just feel like I'm really unlucky... Is this what they call 'when it rains, it pours'?"
"Hmm. That's one way to put it."
Shiratori Seiya started the car while trying to console her:
"But don't feel burdened by it. Whether your cousin knows right now or not isn't the main issue. The biggest hurdle is still your father."
As he spoke, worried that Mio might spiral into overthinking mode—a classic heroine trait—he explained again:
"I'm telling you all this because I don't want you to feel pressured. Just go out, have fun with your friends, don't overthink things, and come back in a good mood..."
"Mm..."
Hearing him say that, Takahashi Mio's mood visibly lifted. She lowered her eyes, smiled softly, and nodded.
The conversation ended, and silence settled into the car like a cozy blanket.
Takahashi Mio rested her chin on one hand, gazing at the trees flying by outside the window, lost in thought like a character in a melancholy montage.
Suddenly, as they stopped at a traffic light, her eyes lit up like Christmas decorations. She reached out and patted Shiratori Seiya's arm, pointing excitedly ahead.
"Look."
"Is that a wedding car?"
Hearing this, Shiratori Seiya followed her finger. Sure enough, three white cars stood out among the ordinary traffic like rare event spawns. Heart-shaped floral wreaths made of roses and lilies hung from the front and back of the vehicles, with little bride and groom dolls placed in the center.
Unlike the long procession of luxury cars you'd see back in his hometown, the Japanese style was more minimalist and refined—but it was still unmistakably a wedding procession.
Shiratori Seiya looked at the small bouquet of baby's breath attached to the car door handles and nodded.
"Yeah. Looks like it."
Hearing this, Takahashi Mio smiled—a soft, dreamy smile filled with longing. She murmured quietly, almost to herself:
"How lovely... It seems today is a good day for a wedding..."
Then, without missing a beat, she suddenly turned to look at Shiratori Seiya and said:
"Oh, right. Didn't you say you were going to marry Hasegawa? Will you get married in the spring or... when?"
The moment the young girl's words left her lips, the traffic light turned green. Shiratori Seiya only felt that she was starting another round of unnecessary jealousy—the kind that popped up like a random encounter in an RPG.
So he casually brushed her off:
"It's way too early to think about stuff like that right now. Let's deal with what's in front of us first."