There's an old saying: money isn't everything—but not having any is absolutely unforgivable.
Hara Kei couldn't agree more.
Money that appears at the right time, in the right place, is a cornerstone of the perfect life he envisioned.
For someone like Kei, who had access to a system panel, earning money was hardly a challenge. Any one of his skills could provide the means.
Piano, English, Cooking—those went without saying. Even if he only had the skill High School Knowledge, Kei could easily find a well-paid tutoring job. There was no shortage of families willing to pay handsomely for a prodigy from Saint Eden Academy.
After all, the "Special Enrollment at Saint Eden Academy" label carried a lot of weight.
But all of that was cumbersome.
At Saint Eden, applying for permission to work off-campus required navigating endless procedures and coordinating with countless people. Even once approved, he'd have to deal with colleagues, bosses, and customers. The thought of potential complications or troubles alone gave Kei a headache.
So… was there a way to earn money that wasn't exhausting or inconvenient?
Of course there was.
In the café, the three girls huddled together, curiosity fixed on Kei's phone screen.
The first thing they saw was a dense spreadsheet filled with numbers, each row and column crowded with seemingly meaningless names and decimal figures. Oddly, some of the numbers were marked in red, others in green—clearly divided into two opposing factions.
Next to the spreadsheet were a series of charts, filled with long vertical bars arranged neatly like bamboo blinds, color-coded in the same red and green.
"Stock prices?" Touma Youko, being an adult, didn't understand financial markets in detail—but she could recognize this. She looked at Kei in surprise. "You're… trading stocks?"
Kei nodded.
That's right. The cash he carried came from the modern world's most unpredictable beast: the stock market. It could make people rich overnight, or leave them bankrupt and miserable.
It had a name: the stock market.
Kei's system panel included a skill called Securities Trading, which was currently Lv. 2 with low proficiency—just upgraded. But that was already more than enough.
Kei wasn't aiming to become the next Buffett or manipulate markets like a financial tycoon. For someone who only wanted to scoop a small bucket from the ocean, Lv. 2 was more than sufficient. In fact… it was perfect.
"What about your principal?" Chika asked. "I know very little about stocks, but isn't this basically a system for increasing or decreasing the value of your assets? And, if I remember correctly, you need a sizable amount in your account just to qualify. Where did this money come from?"
The answer didn't come from Kei.
It came from Yukinoshita Yukino, sitting calmly beside Chika.
"It's probably from a Saint Eden Academy scholarship," Yukino said. "All students admitted through the special enrollment exam receive one million yen from the school. That should be Kei Hara's first bucket of gold."
Kei nodded in agreement, acknowledging her explanation.
"See? Nothing to worry about," he said, opening his right hand to signal the girls to return his phone. "I haven't been secretly working, and I haven't done anything shady. Every yen I've earned is entirely legitimate."
Well… except it wasn't exactly earned through sweat and effort, he added silently.
Finally, the source of the substantial cash he carried was clear. No shady characters, no messy dealings, no troubles. Truly a relief.
"I've satisfied your curiosity, so that means this matter is over, right?" Kei said, giving Chika a sharp look that strongly implied she should leave. "Could you also not cling to Ms. Touma anymore?"
"That's impossible! Touma Youko has always been my childhood idol and my role model," Chika said, sitting close to Touma with a sense of intimacy restored now that her inner anxiety had eased. "When I was little, if anyone asked me, 'What do you want to become when you grow up?' I would have said without hesitation, 'I want to be the second Touma Youko!' Now that I've finally met the real person, can't I stay a little longer?"
"Eh… so you no longer consider me your idol?" Touma feigned a hurt expression, which visibly flustered Chika.
"No! I still admire you greatly, Ms. Touma. But I no longer play piano. Even if I wanted to become a second you, it's impossible now…"
"I don't believe that. Maybe in Chika's eyes, I'm just an old has-been," Touma said mischievously. "Unless…"
"Unless?"
"Unless we become friends. Then I'll believe you. Are you willing?"
"Of course!"
Inside the café's private booth, Kei felt a headache coming on as he watched the interaction between Chika and Touma Youko. At that moment, he noticed a plea in someone's eyes.
It was Yukinoshita Yukino.
She was trapped in Touma's affectionate embrace, silently sending a message: "Do something, please."
Touma seemed to favor Yukino, and upon realizing she was one of her daughter's benefactors, her motherly affection spilled over.
For the usually reserved Yukino, such unrestrained kindness was… embarrassing, to say the least.
Kei Hara met her gaze with a look of his own.
The message was clear: "I'm helpless."