Watanabe Tetsu put on a worried expression.
"Tamamo-san… there are all kinds of bad rumors about you going around."
Tamamo Homami's smile vanished. She muttered under her breath in frustration, "One by one… tsk!"
"It's better to clarify this. If the school hears, they might even notify your parents."
"None of your business!"
Tamamo lifted her head, letting out a displeased hum, her eyes showing clear impatience.
With that, she turned and placed her cup under the dispenser, pressing the button for orange juice.
Even though she was clearly signaling the conversation was over, Watanabe Tetsu didn't give up. Opportunities to interact with her at school were rare.
"Such rumors aren't friendly to girls. I really don't want them linked to you," he said earnestly.
The lights in the restaurant were bright. The dark cola in the bar reflected Watanabe Tetsu's face—a young, handsome boy speaking from the heart.
He had never thought of himself as having any talent for acting.
"Why are you so concerned about me? This is the first time we've even spoken, right?"
Tamamo's cup had been refilled. She made space for him to place his cup but didn't move away.
Watanabe Tetsu stepped forward and put Kunii Osamu's cup under the soda dispenser.
Tamamo frowned. "Smart people sure talk awkwardly. Just say what you mean."
"What I mean," Watanabe Tetsu said, meeting her gaze, "is… even though we haven't talked, I want to be friends with you, Tamamo-san!"
"Huh?" Tamamo pointed at the floor with her index finger—the hand that wasn't holding the cup.
She had never heard of anyone confessing at a family restaurant before. Even if others had done so, it wasn't like this: meeting randomly after school, and during the small act of getting a drink, Watanabe just confessed.
And she actually believed it. That thought crossed Watanabe Tetsu's mind.
But being confessed to probably wasn't anything new for someone with an 8/10 charm rating—enough confidence to believe others weren't joking.
For instance, Watanabe himself had a love letter in his backpack, delivered from the shoe locker that morning.
"Sorry," he quickly added. "I didn't mean to go this far. I just wanted to warn you, Tamamo-san, that there have been a lot of bad rumors about you lately."
At that moment, Kunii's cup overflowed, and he hurriedly swapped in his own cup.
Tamamo watched the scene with interest, twirling her hair. After glancing around to make sure no one was coming over, she said:
"So you're telling me this isn't a rumor… and you still like me?"
"How much?"
"What?"
Watanabe lifted his cup, looking seriously into Tamamo's eyes behind her contact lenses.
"Even if it costs money, I want to be friends with you, Tamamo-san."
For a brief moment, her eyes widened slightly. She scrutinized him suspiciously from head to toe.
"Are you serious?"
"I have 150,000 yen. I know it's not much, but even for just one month, I'm willing!"
"150,000 yen… one month is fine."
"Eh?!"
"Lower your voice!"
Someone at the bar glanced their way.
"Really okay?" Watanabe whispered.
"Really, really," Tamamo spread her hands. "Hurry and give me the money. My friend is still waiting."
"I don't have it on me… how about this? Let's add each other on LINE first. I'll give it to you tomorrow."
"Sure, no problem."
Tamamo took out her phone and watched as Watanabe hastily set his drinks down, retrieved his phone from his pocket, and added her.
'This poor country boy really thinks just becoming my friend is enough? Hahaha, money for Golden Week fun already sorted… Wait! His grades are top-notch. If he fails a subject at the end-of-month test, he'll probably be happy to tutor me under the pretext of a date! This bookworm would probably jump at the chance~~'
Tamamo nearly laughed, quickly taking a sip of her orange juice, feeling she'd just made a very profitable little deal.
The two added each other on LINE.
Watanabe Tetsu's ID was simply "Watanabe Tetsu". He had never thought to add anyone beyond family and close friends, so no need for a disguise.
Besides, choosing a good username was too much effort for something trivial. Time was better spent working part-time or solving a math problem, or memorizing a chemistry experiment procedure.
"Look."
Tamamo showed him her phone screen. She had labeled his ID as "Tetsu."
A small trick. Based on her experience, innocent boys could be delighted by such a tiny gesture for an entire week.
Watanabe Tetsu was indeed too shy to respond.
"From now on, I'm Tetsu's friend~"
"Really okay? I haven't even got the money from you yet."
At this point, Watanabe felt the absurdity of reality—he had just become a friend you could pay for. Truly a strange life experience.
"No problem, no problem. Consider it a gift for today. But remember to pay me tomorrow."
"Okay. But can we not tell anyone about this… 'relationship' thing?"
He hadn't even said "relationship" yet; the words felt awkward. Their values were clearly worlds apart.
"Don't worry. No rumors will reach you. We'll chat online tonight. Bye~~"
Keeping it private was ideal—he could even try to find two "fools" at once.
Tamamo waved her phone, signaling they'd chat later, and left with a soft laugh.
[You have a new message]
150,000 yen… If the benefits didn't outweigh the cost, Watanabe would feel guilty toward his parents for giving him that money.
As for Tamamo being his girlfriend for a month, that was actually a benefit for him.
Now wasn't the time to study the game. Kunii Osamu, impatient, was already looking their way.
"What took so long?"
"Too many people in line," Watanabe answered.
"Thanks."
"Anyway, since you're treating, I'm running errands, it's fine."
After finishing their meal, with the monthly tests approaching, the three didn't suggest going anywhere. They parted ways at the restaurant entrance.
Watanabe swiped his card to enter the station, leaned against the stair railing, and waited for the train home.
[Tamamo Homami Strategy Complete!!!][Player earned 5,000 points][Sign-in feature unlocked][Sign-in days: Tamamo Homami – 1 day]
Five thousand points—a modest sum.
Enough to buy five detectors, exchange for a bit of stamina, or acquire beginner-level [Writing] and intermediate [Photo Editing]. Not hugely useful, but… considering the cost was just 150,000 yen and there were future sign-in rewards, it was very worthwhile.
Of course, Watanabe's own charm, third-party reputation, and acting skills were also costs, but they were intangible.
Game points could be exchanged for money: 1 point = 100 yen. Five thousand points = 500,000 yen.
Part-time work? Impossible. Business? He didn't know how. Only by finding girlfriends to grind points could he scrape by. That thought flashed through his mind immediately.
Of course, he was joking.
Gentlemen earn wealth honorably. In this sense, he and Tamamo weren't much different.
He had no disdain for Tamamo. Everyone had their own survival strategies. Rin Seino's nihilism—or whatever you called it—and Tamamo's month-long money-for-girlfriend deal didn't affect him, so he had no objections.
But he himself had to stay on the right path.
He was the hope of his village, raised on the sweat-soaked rice of his parents. He had already put in considerable effort into his studies. How could a game corrupt him?
Yet abandoning the game entirely would be foolish—he'd be a bigger fool, wasting his parents' hard work.
The transaction with Tamamo was essentially using money to gain points. No deception of feelings, no physical contact.
After a month of sign-ins, there would be no further contact.
The target of "strategies" was probably always girls like Tamamo Homami.
With this resolved, Watanabe Tetsu spent 1,000 points to buy a [Detector], saving the remaining 4,000.
The train rushed into the station, wind whipping through his hair.
He blended into the crowd and stepped into the car.
This was Tokyo—Kabuki Street, Akihabara's hidden shops—plenty of Tamamo Homamis in the city.
After the tests, during Golden Week, he'd try his luck around Shinjuku, he thought, swaying with the movement of the train.