Akari Hojo had misunderstood one major thing—she never knew that Alan had no talent whatsoever in composing songs.
Everything he achieved was only thanks to the skill he gained from the System. Without that System, he was nothing more than an ordinary teenager, no different from the millions of other kids in Tokyo.
It was solely the System's power that allowed him to climb upward, to rival and even surpass Akari Hojo's natural talent. And even then, his path was anything but easy.
Only when Akari Hojo reached perfection did Alan finally qualify to exchange for Level 5 Tracks, the true masterpieces.
But that was just the unlock, not counting the astronomical cost of purchase. A single Level 3 song alone cost fifty million yen. Even if its release succeeded, it would take a long time to recoup the investment.
Take, for example, a song he wrote for Akari Hojo. Based on their current buzz, even if he sold the full copyright, the proceeds would be barely enough to buy a modest condominium in Tokyo.
Let alone securing their future for life, just achieving a sense of stability was still a distant dream.
A couple, no matter how great they were, always carried sorrows at every turn.
Alan knew one truth very well: love without money was nothing but a house built on sand. Fragile. No matter how beautiful the promises, without financial foundation, that house would collapse at the first tremor. Even if they did marry, how long could their happiness last?
The Akari Hojo who loved him at fifteen—would she still feel the same at twenty-eight, or thirty-five? Time could change everything. People fall in love with different faces and hearts at each stage of their lives.
It took a long time, long reflections, before Alan finally realized one bitter truth: from the start, he had been wrong.
Akari Hojo had no grand dream. She never sought the throne of a world-class diva. She was simply… oddly obsessed with romance.
All her focus fell onto their relationship. Instead of practicing, she spent her precious hours learning to cook, arranging flowers.
Shit, was she enrolled in some bridal training program?
At this rate, when would she ever reach the level of perfection? And when would she ever be worthy of a God-tier song?
Love had clouded her mind, robbing her of rationality. Even if Alan tried to coax her back into training, any progress would crawl at a snail's pace until she entered university.
If this continued, Akari Hojo's future would only slip away beyond saving, and her future would slide irreversibly toward that of a housewife. And that meant… her career would be over.
After wrestling with that reality, Alan made a bitter decision. He decided to end their relationship right after graduating first year of Senior High School. It was the best choice, for both himself and Akari.
That way, he could continue his greater mission: cultivating the next target, chasing his ambition to become the richest man in Japan, Meanwhile, freed from the chains of love, Akari at least might face reality and build her own career.
He left behind a short breakup letter along with a few last songs. After that, Alan vanished from her life, without telling where he would transfer schools. No quarrels, no tears he witnessed firsthand.
With her natural talent, Akari Hojo could still endure. She could still sing the songs Alan had left behind. Even without him, she could still shine, though perhaps not as brightly as she should have.
Yet two consecutive failures were enough to open Alan's eyes. At his new school, he could not repeat the same mistakes. This time, his target had to be different.
He wasn't looking for a girl with lofty dreams of conquering the world. He only needed someone who shared the same obsession, money.
And at last, his search led him to one name: Nozomi Sakura.
At first, what drew Alan's attention was only her acting potential—SSS Rank, something rare among millions of people. But after investing a few hundred thousand yen through his System, he discovered that Nozomi was more than just talented.
She was perfect.
Her intelligence was average, perhaps even below. Fond of showing off in middle school, and now was buried under two million yen in debt. Her looks were stunning, her acting talent world-class, and most importantly—she was obsessed with money.
Nozomi was single, never had a boyfriend, and from her personality, she wasn't the type to lose her head just because of love.
Did she dream of becoming a big star? It didn't matter. Her ultimate motivation was money.
And that was exactly what Alan needed.
He would guide her slowly, letting Nozomi's own desires push her toward the peak. This time, he would not fail.
Bzzzt. Bzzzt. Bzzzzt.
The buzzing of a phone on the table broke his reverie.
Alan shook his head, pulling himself out of the stream of thoughts, then reached for his phone.
In an instant, his eyes widened.
"Akari…?"
Alan stared at his phone screen as it suddenly lit up, showing an unfamiliar number from Tokyo. Only the word Unknown appeared, no name he could recognize. His brows drew together slightly.
A heavy feeling crawled into his chest. He slid the green button on the screen and pressed the phone to his ear slowly, as if buying himself time to prepare.
Silence.
That long stillness felt strange, as if the caller on the other side was holding their breath. Just when he was about to hang up, a soft voice slipped through, breaking the quiet.
"Brother-in-law?"
Alan's lips parted. He wasn't surprised—more resigned. From that tone alone, he already knew who it was. Even without the title, he would have recognized the voice.
Akari Honne.
Akari Hojo's younger sister. Only a year below her.
"Brother-in-law? Brother?"
Her voice carried a hint of anxiety. When Alan remained silent, she tried again, her tone trembling.
No answer came. His silence only made Honne's voice sound more fragile, on the verge of tears.
"If I kept quiet, were you going to hang up on me?"
Alan brushed aside the sympathy that flickered in him and cut straight in.
"How did you get my number?"
"Aww, brother-in-law," Honne whined, both playful and bitter, "I haven't seen you for over a month and you won't even catch up with me. Poor Honne."
Faint sniffles followed, clearly staged to make her sound pitiful.
"Eating noodles while talking on the phone is kind of rude, Honne."
The slurping stopped at once. A few seconds later, light giggles spilled out from the other end.
"Hehe, still sharp as always, brother-in-law. sis would've fallen for it."
"Maybe she just loves you more."
"Loves me more? Does that mean you love me too?"
Alan exhaled faintly. "Your math has improved, but that trick won't work here. So, how did you get my number?"
"Mm, I'm doing well in math. I should be able to transfer to your school once I graduate first year of Senior high school."
Alan smiled wryly, though she couldn't see it. "My school right now would be far too mediocre for you, Honne. And if you really did transfer, the principal might have a heart attack."
He knew how poor his own grades were. He had spent all his time training Akari Hojo.
"So what? I don't like studying anyway, and I don't want to work either. Brother-in-law, won't you support me?"
Unlike Hojo's soft and refined voice, Honne's was sweet and flirtatious. If he ever dropped his guard down, her words could sink straight into his bones and leave him weakened for half a day.
"I can't afford to support you. And you should stop calling me that. Your sis and I already broke up, on good terms."
"You… actually broke up?!"
Honne's voice shot up two octaves, Alan frowned slightly
"You sound happy hearing your sis and I split."
"Uh, no, I'm just surprised."
He heard the sound of chopsticks being set down, followed by a little cough, as if she was trying to sound calmer.
"Ahem, why did you break up? You two looked so close."
Alan couldn't see Honne's barely suppressed grin as he replied softly,
"Nothing special. We just ended it, amicably."
"Really? But sis never mentioned that. I mean, she doesn't even know what school you transferred to. During the holidays she scoured every school in Kyoto."
"Your sister's a bit slow. She didn't realize I'd already moved to Tokyo."
"..."
"Still, makes sense. Lately she's been gloomy, her mood's been off. Mom cooked a big dinner and she only took one bite before locking herself in her room to cry. She never told us what was wrong."
Then Honne added coldly, "Brother-in-law, you're heartless."
Alan's mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Then, as her sister, comfort her. Tell her to move on. It's only a breakup, not the end of the world. Don't let her hurt herself."
"After a breakup, can't we still be friends?"
Her voice turned sweet again, probably with her eyes gleaming as she tested the waters.
"…Maybe."
"But if we can still be friends, why did you change all your contact info? If this call had been from a Kyoto number, you wouldn't have picked up, right?"
"I just wanted us both to cool off."
"Fine, but it still sounds cruel." Honne sighed deeply. "Brother-in-law, now I'm scared of falling in love."
"If your sister said that about me, I'd accept it."
"Eh? But I really do like guys like you. What if I can't control myself? Won't you take responsibility?"
Alan fell silent.
When he first met the two sisters, he had briefly considered Honne as a target. Her instrument potential was SS-Rank, already mastery level in piano. But after weighing it carefully, he stepped back.
Partly because she was still too young. Partly because piano didn't make money fast, unlike trending pop. In the end, he had chosen Hojo.
Now, that thought resurfaced. He realized Honne had already dragged him far from the main conversation.
Unlike her sister who drowned in love, this younger one was sharp—her IQ and EQ both off the charts.
"So tell me, how did you get my number?"
Cornered, Honne pressed her lips together before muttering softly.
"I begged Tanjiro-sensei. I promised I'd crack the top three in the next mock exam before he agreed to spill."
"Did you tell your sister?"
"No. If I told her, it'd all be over, right? I figure a clean break hurts less. Right?"
"Mhm. Still, comfort her. Help her move on. At least make sure she eats properly and sleeps well."
Honne narrowed her eyes, her pink lips thinning. Irritation flashed briefly across her face.
"I think my sister would be happier if she heard it directly from you."
Honne knew that if her sis ever found out, she would never let go. She could "lock him up" for life.
Alan pictured her beautiful tear-streaked face, and suddenly lost his appetite
"By the way, brother-in-law, did you know sis has a concert in Tokyo next month?"
"I know."
Of course he knew. He could recite Hojo's schedule better than her own manager. He was practically her second manager.
"So, are you coming? I can snag you a ticket."
"No need."
He refused quickly. Of course he would be there—Hojo was the singer he had trained from scratch. But letting Honne give him a ticket would leave a trace of his presence in Tokyo.
"And stop calling me brother-in-law."
"Okay, got it, brother-in-law."
"…Anything else? If not, I'm hanging up. I'm busy."
"Busy? Don't tell me you're busy falling in love?"
Her tone sounded odd.
"I am. Anything else?"
"Then my sister definitely can't know where you are. Who knows what would happen?"
"She won't know unless you tell her."
"Hehe, so you'd better stay by my side, brother."
"What do you want? Souvenirs from Tokyo? I can send some now."
"Who cares about snacks? I'm not like sis, I'm not greedy. I've got a break coming soon. Take me around Tokyo then, okay?"
"Oh, won't your girlfriend in Tokyo get jealous of his boyfriend hanging out with his sister's ex? Brother~"
"…We'll see."
"Hehe, fine. Plenty of time."
"By the way, brother-in-law, even if you're broke and can't support sis or me, it's no big deal. I'll be famous someday. Supporting you will be a piece of cake."
Alan ended the call.
Silence once again filled the room.