At dawn, the girl's bed creaked softly, as if the wood were complaining every time her small body moved.
The faint groan of old timber blended with the morning silence, creating a little rhythm that only its occupant could clearly hear. Sunlight dripped through the slits of the curtains, spilling like liquid gold across the room.
The rays traced along a study desk cluttered with notebooks, fell onto the cold wooden floor, and finally wrapped around long blonde hair that trailed down to the ground. That hair shimmered like silk threads coated in morning light, almost too beautiful to be real.
The soft light stinging her eyelids made the girl slowly open her eyes. Nozomi Sakura, with a lazy, habitual motion, tossed her blanket aside.
The chill of the morning air brushed against her pale skin, making her shift slightly.
Her beautiful face immediately came into view, a visage almost ethereal, like something carved from light in a classical painting.
Her loose, thin pajamas accidentally revealed glimpses of milk-white skin that glowed beneath the light. Her shining blonde hair fell across part of her face, while her deep blue eyes, still hazy, were rubbed lazily with her hand.
Without hurrying, Nozomi reached beneath her pillow, her fingers trailing across the mattress until they found something flat and cold.
She pulled out her phone, its screen lighting up and instantly glaring into her eyes.
6:43.
Just past six.
She exhaled heavily, her shoulders lifting and sinking again with weight.
Her eyes felt sandy, a clear sign she hadn't slept well. All night she had tossed and turned, restless, sometimes waking once or twice from dreams she couldn't even remember.
As always in the morning, the first thing she did wasn't tidying herself up, nor making tea, but checking her bank account. Her slender fingers danced across the screen, entering the code, and in an instant, the numbers appeared.
Account Balance: ¥1,332,100
She tapped the screen with her nail, a faint tak-tak sound, while counting softly.
One, two, three.
Seven digits!
The corners of her lips curved upward before she even realized it, a satisfied smile creeping in. Warmth spread through her chest, like a soothing stream of water.
The highest balance she had ever seen in her account before was barely three hundred thousand yen, and even that vanished quickly. But now, she actually had more than a million yen!
Afraid it was just a fleeting dream, Nozomi pinched her own cheek hard. A sharp pain struck instantly, sharpening her awareness.
This… was real?
Someone had really wired 1.3 million yen into her account at once?
That guy was such an idiot.
He'd muttered something about wanting her to be his girlfriend, about "girlfriend duties," but had never specified what those duties were. Which meant she could define them however she liked. And in this day and age, even kissing or sex could easily fall under that category, right?
What a moron.
Still, if that guy actually wanted things like that, Nozomi thought she would probably refuse.
At the thought, her brows furrowed. Her toes curled under the thin blanket, mirroring the unease she couldn't voice.
Could she really refuse?
That thought struck her like a boulder crashing into a lake, sending ripples and splashes scattering everywhere.
Wasn't this just… being kept? Even before she fell in love, someone was already trying to keep her as if she were some precious possession.
What kind of trashy plot twist was this? Life really did suck.
And yet, it still didn't quite match the stories she'd heard. Some of her classmates had sugar daddies, and their arrangements always ended with sex as the foundation.
Alan had never mentioned anything like that. He'd only said he wanted Nozomi to be his girlfriend. Could it be that he had really fallen in love at first sight? Head over heels for her, then confessing in such an selfless gesture?
She tried to replay their conversation yesterday in her mind, but all that remained was the strange look in Alan's eyes, and his expressionless face that revealed nothing.
With her beauty, Nozomi was used to confessions. Shy boys admiring her from afar were nothing new. But Alan's face… it carried no affection at all.
Besides, how had he slipped that little note into her pocket without her noticing? How did he know about all her debts? He'd even written a threat to tell her mother.
Just how much did he really know about her?
This stalker…
Damn it, who the hell is he?
The longer she thought, the more Alan seemed unreachable, layered in secrets, impossible to predict.
"Tch."
Nozomi clicked her tongue, drew in a sharp breath, then sat upright on the bed. She grabbed her phone again, opened her contacts, and pressed a number.
The ringtone dragged on, until finally a girl's voice answered, dripping with drowsy laziness.
"Sakura… how dare you call me this early. You'd better bring Braddy back to me."
Nozomi blinked, frowning. "Huh? Braddy? Akane Mia, are you still half-asleep?"
"Exactly. I'm still half-asleep. I was just dreaming about making beautiful babies with a gorgeous guy, and you ruined it. Now give me back Braddy."
"Cut the nonsense. I need to ask you something important."
"If you can't say it fast, then it's not important. Five seconds left."
"Tch. Do you know a guy named Alan?"
---
Tokyo outskirts, in a small apartment, neatly kept though far from luxurious.
Alan sat at the dining table, a plate of half-done steak before him, still rising with the scent of light char.
Calmly, he cut into the meat and lifted a piece to his mouth. Each chew was slow.
He had no idea that at this very moment, Nozomi Sakura was discussing him with someone else. The girl's world spun with questions about who he was, while he himself was immersed in a digital world only he could see.
Alan's eyes stared blankly into the air, but before him was something invisible to others: a system interface. Transparent windows streamed data, laying out detailed profiles of his target.
[Name: Nozomi Sakura]
[Stamina: 4]
[Charm: 10]
[Intelligence: 5]
[Special Skill: Acting]
[Acting Potential: SSS]
[Acting Level: Entry (Entry → Apprentice → Proficient → Master → Perfect)]
[Next Level Rewards: 1 Million Yen, Unlock Level 2 Script Purchase Permission]
[Romance Check-in Days: 0 (30 Consecutive Days → 1 Million Yen Bonus)]
Alan leaned back against his chair, his lips barely moving, no more than a flat line. He studied the numbers, every detail of the data forming the foundation of his plan.
Ten years ago, a night drenched in blood had changed his life. That night, he obtained a System. The System granted him a simple but dangerous power: enhance someone's talent, perform a daily check-in on a chosen romance target, and receive cash.
For a boy who had lost both parents in a cruel tragedy, then lived in solitude under his aunt's roof, that System was a blessing.
At first, Alan's ambition soared. He imagined nurturing a new generation—Sword Saints, Song Gods, Painting Gods, legendary actresses. He would be the mastermind behind their rise, then recline atop mountains of wealth, enjoying glory unattainable to ordinary people.
But reality was far harsher.
Over the ten years, he found promising prospects, geniuses who didn't even realize their own gifts. He wanted to guide them, steer them toward greatness. But in truth, he was just a boy underage. Who would accept mentorship from some random kid claiming, "I can make you a legend"? No one. The real world was not as kind as his fantasies.
Whenever he confessed, older gentle girls only patted his head with soft smiles, their voices gentle:
"You're so cute,kid. But you're too young. If I'm still single when you're older, maybe then we can talk."
Others, sharper and colder, looked at him as though he were a nuisance. Their eyes said, "Whose brat is this?" before dismissing him outright.
Missions failed before they even began.
Unable to build romantic ties with them, Alan shifted strategy. He lowered his sights to peers his own age. Maybe then, fortune would favor him.
From middle school until now, he had fostered two romance targets.
The first—a girl with sword talent. From her very first year, she swept through every Kendo tournament. If she continued, she might have become the Heisei Era's first female Sword Saint.
But from a profit perspective, she was a disaster. Alan had only earned two million yen in a year, all from daily check-ins.
In other words, The Sword Saint route was a money pit. A black hole sucking in time and effort, yielding little in return.
From that, Alan learned: career paths mattered. If the career couldn't bring fame, neither could it bring money. Kendo, however honorable, wasn't a path to great profit.
He remembered that lesson well, and turned instead to another field, a world where money flowed freely.
At the same school, he found a girl with extraordinary vocal talent. Her voice was pure gold, each note resonating with power to stir any heart. After months of mentoring, after finally securing a romantic bond with her, Alan poured all his effort into pushing her as a singer.
He used the System power to cash in on every song he uncovered, every catchy tune to be refined. All the money he'd earned from his first target, he burned buying two Level 3 Tracks—expensive, but essential to launch her onto bigger stages.
And his gamble paid off. The girl did not disappoint.
A year's hard work blossomed into an explosion. In just one month, Japan's music media was hailing her as the next big star. Her face graced magazines, her voice spun on radios, her popularity soared like a rocket.
Alan thought he had found his path. With her talent and work ethic, reaching "Perfect" was only a matter of time. From there, he could unlock Level 4 and 5 Tracks, then buy phenomenal top-tier songs.
He pictured the day when, after graduation, the two of them would live free from financial worry.
A perfect win-win.
But life played its tricks again.
Only months after she hit the big stage, before Alan could recoup his investment, the unexpected happened. The girl held his hand, eyes shining with determination.
"Alan," she said, her voice trembling softly, "let's get engaged after we graduate, okay?"
Alan froze, his fork almost slipping from his hand. "Huh?"
"Engaged first. After university, I'll stay at home, I won't go anywhere. You'll write songs, I'll take care of you. I'll always be with you. How about it? Doesn't that sound wonderful?"
He stared, unsure how to answer. The girl added, her face serious yet innocent:
"Alan, do you want a boy or a girl?"
Alan stiffened, blinking rapidly, completely speechless.