Shuchi'in Academy, lunch break.
After finishing her lunch, Kei Shirogane found Moeha. The two girls walked together to the garden near the academic building. Once they sat on a stone bench, Kei glanced around to ensure no one was eavesdropping. Her usually cool, stoic face betrayed a flicker of dejection.
"Moeha... I think I'm really not suited for live streaming."
As she spoke, Kei handed her phone to Moeha. On the screen were the messages Rin had sent the previous night—the ones telling her to "find a real job."
Moeha scanned the text, her mind racing.
Why is Big Brother crushing Kei-chan's confidence? Is he trying to scare her away from streaming to keep her safe from real scammers? Or is he trying to force her into a part-time job so they can meet in person and he can make his move?
Or... is he breaking her spirit so she becomes dependent on him, moving her from an online follower to an offline pet?
"Well, if you're just streaming yourself doing homework, it really isn't that interesting," Moeha said, probing her friend's thoughts. "Why don't you want to show your face, Kei-chan? You're so, so, so cute. If you showed your face, you'd probably get paid just for existing."
"I don't want that," Kei shook her head firmly. "It's not just about hiding my face. I... I just don't want people to give me money just because of how I look."
The corners of Moeha's mouth twitched upward. This is exactly the Kei-chan I love.
To Kei Shirogane, beauty could be an asset, but it couldn't be the primary cause. Her pride wouldn't allow her to live off the charity of strangers captivated by her appearance.
"He's right. Singing, drawing, chatting, entertaining... I can't do any of that. Why would anyone watch me?" Kei sighed helplessly. "But if I 'find a real job' like he says... during the holidays, I can deliver newspapers all day and I still won't earn as much as one Super Chat my dad gets."
"But streaming... I don't have my own room at home. I can't keep coming to your house to stream every day."
Kei's home was tiny. It was roughly the same size as the apartment Ichika and Ryo shared, but it housed three people. Her father slept in the living room, and Kei and her brother shared a single room, divided only by a thick curtain.
Life was incredibly inconvenient. The snoring at night, the "Study Hard!" posters her brother plastered all over the walls like talismans—it was suffocating. She desperately wanted to earn enough to move out.
But money never came easy. Even sitting in front of a computer required massive effort to design content, or else no one would watch. As a student, she couldn't take a full-time job; she was stuck with low-paying gigs.
"It's a dilemma," Moeha blinked, pointing at Kei's phone. "He seems to know a lot about this. Why don't you ask him for more advice?"
"Is that... okay? I don't want to be a bother."
"It's fine! Just try. He's just a stranger on the internet anyway. If he finds you annoying, he'll just block you," Moeha coaxed.
In Moeha's mind, if Rin followed the plan and taught Kei about the dangers of the web, it was a "Mission Accomplished." If Rin actually seduced her and she got to see Kei's cute face lost in the throes of lust... it was also a "Mission Accomplished."
She couldn't lose.
"I... I'll try asking," Kei bit her lip and began to type.
Kei: [Are you busy right now?]
Rin: [No need for formal Japanese.]
Rin: [What's up?]
Rin, who was just drawing at his desk, replied almost instantly.
Kei: [I wanted to ask if there are any part-time jobs for students that pay well.]
Rin replied immediately without thinking.
Rin: [Sugar baby?]
Kei: [NOT THAT KIND OF LEWD JOB!!!!!]
Kei: [(○｀Д´○)!!!]
Rin: [What? Are you that desperate for money?]
Kei: [Yeah...]
Kei didn't hide the truth. she explained her family situation in broad strokes. Even though Rin was a stranger, she felt there was no point in lying if she wanted real help. Besides, she had already hinted at it the first day.
Online, you could wear a mask. Like Sagiri, who acted like a perverted old man online but was a mute shut-in offline.
Rin: [I see...]
Rin: [I actually know quite a few girls who made a lot of money before they even finished school.]
Kei: [!!!!]
Rin vaguely described the successes of Eriri, Utaha, and Elf, leaving out their names. Forget a single room; they could buy entire houses. Elf had even bought a small estate.
Kei was excited at first, but her spirit soon deflated.
Those girls were geniuses. She couldn't compare. She couldn't write novels or draw manga.
Rin: [Forget it.]
Rin: [You're a student at Shuchi'in, so your grades must be great. Wasting time on streaming or odd jobs might ruin your future.]
Rin: [How about this? Stop worrying about working. Just tell me how much you need and I'll lend it to you.]
"Eh?"
Kei let out a small yelp of shock. Moeha, sitting beside her, nudged her shoulder with a wicked grin.
"Is he trying to keep you as his mistress?"
"Impossible! He hasn't even seen me," Kei's face flushed. "What if I'm ugly? He'd lose money! And he said 'lend'!"
Kei gripped her phone.
Kei: [Why are you willing to help me like this?]
Rin: [I was in a similar spot once. It wasn't my dad's debt, but my own. I know how hard it is and how much it affects your studies.]
Rin: [Your most important task right now isn't making money; it's studying so you can get into a good university.]
As he spoke, Kei received a notification: a transfer of 100,000 yen. She nearly dropped her phone.
Kei: [Aren't you afraid I won't pay you back?]
Kei: [I can't accept this.]
Rin: [If you don't take it, I'll just donate it to your stream, and I don't want the platform taking a cut.]
Rin: [And I'm not worried. I know your school and your name. If you don't pay me back, I'll just come to your school and find you.]
Rin: [Take it. Be a good girl.]
On the other side of the screen, Rin's smirk widened. 100,000 yen was pocket change to him, and Moeha had already promised to reimburse any "expenses."
He was building the persona of a wealthy benefactor—giving her small favors to lower her guard, then finding an excuse to meet her offline to show her just how "deep the water" really was.
Seeing Kei hesitating, Moeha reached out and tapped the "Accept" button for her.
Moeha: "Hee-hee~"
Rin: [Good girl.]
"Wait..."
Kei stared at the 100,000 yen in her account, completely overwhelmed. Meanwhile, Rin and Moeha were both thinking the same thing:
Mission Accomplished?