21,933 yen!
With a salary of 20,000 yen per hour, and the only requirement being to keep a beautiful woman with a less-than-stellar personality company, a normal person wouldn't turn down this job, right?
Yuu wouldn't sell his pride for money, and he knew that what a "real rent-a-boyfriend" should do wasn't as simple as today's tasks.
Even so, what it meant to be a boyfriend, the system's purpose, why it appeared, and why it chose him… these things didn't matter to him at all.
Yuu cared about only one thing: were the missions issued by the "system" truly worth pursuing?
No matter how significant the process or reasons, no one would strive for results they couldn't obtain. Those who defied results were just people who'd already secured them before they even materialized.
He used to be someone with many dreams, but after realizing he lacked the ability to protect them, he decisively became a realist, earning money through hard work and never hoping for a lottery windfall.
So when the system appeared, Yuu suppressed his shock deep inside, kept trying, kept observing, treating the system as a specialized money-making channel, calculating its cost-performance ratio, and never drawing conclusions before seeing results…
Until he actually withdrew the 20,000 yen deposited today from the ATM.
"…"
Holding the two crisp banknotes, Yuu stood in silence for a moment, then updated his savings book, confirming the deposit time aligned roughly with the system's notifications.
He let out a long sigh, then smiled and called his sister.
"Sora."
{What's up?}
When that lazy, familiar voice reached his ears, Yuu could barely contain the joyful laughter in his voice, boldly declaring:
"Tonight's dinner is pizza! Order whatever you want, add as many toppings as you like, and don't even think about saving my money!"
{??? What's going on? Did you win the lottery?}
Though they never lacked food or clothing, their family always adhered to frugal principles—if they could cook, they avoided ordering out.
So, under Yuu's supervision, Sora only got to eat fast food or pizza about once a month, and she'd never heard him speak so extravagantly.
Yuu had expected his little sister's reaction and replied casually, "Just got a new job. The boss is super generous, not stingy with money, and it's paid daily."
{…It's not a dangerous job, is it?}
"Of course not."
{…Your kidneys are fine, right?}
Yuu burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! The problem's with you. Just wait at home like a good girl—I'll check your browsing history!"
As soon as he finished, the call was abruptly ended.
Yuu looked at the screen, both annoyed and amused, noticing she'd sent another message.
{Yuu, you're working hard.}
"…Not at all, Sora."
Whispering softly, he couldn't hold back his smile, then called again. The other side seemed hesitant to pick up, the busy tone ringing for five seconds before connecting.
Before she could say anything, Yuu jumped in:
"Call me Onii-chan, and I'll give you half a gacha pull."
{…What's that? So Yuu has those kinds of interests? Pervert.}
Sora snorted coldly, as if indifferent, but her soft, clear voice showed no trace of disgust.
{I'm not playing games that cost money. That deal's not tempting at all!}
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Tenkuji Residence.
Silver hair lay messily, a petite and slender body sprawled casually on the bed, slightly disheveled clothes revealing youthful curves.
Hugging a bunny plushie, listening to his voice in her ear, Sora showed a faintly proud smile, her small, milky-white feet occasionally kicking up and down, tapping the bed.
She seemed to be in a good mood.
"If Yuu's happy, I'm happy too… But things I don't want to do, I just don't want to do."
After all, she was a bit shy and didn't want Yuu to truly see her as just a little sister.
"So, give up decisively."
Her pink lips curved, Sora spoke into the phone, concluding calmly with no room for argument.
As if a mere gacha pull could make her submit and call him Onii-chan?
Yuu, that idiot, thought she was too naive, too materialistic…
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
"Then that half gacha pull will be added to your allowance. Buy as many snacks as you want."
'…'
Knowing this wouldn't sway her, Yuu quickly changed his offer.
As soon as he spoke, silence enveloped the other end of the call.
Soon after, a soft voice laced with disdain and anger came through faintly.
{Onii… chan.}
"Eh, sweet little sister~"
His smile bloomed brightly, then he changed the topic:
"But how many snacks you can eat in a day still follows my rules—no negotiating that."
'…'
Before the volcano on the other end erupted, a greatly relieved Yuu hung up, then set his phone to silent, temporarily ignoring the flood of messages that would come from her.
If Haruno were there, she might revise her opinion of him again. Yuu's demeanor with others versus with his sister was almost like two different people, as if he'd just removed a long-worn mask, feeling fresh and natural.
But soon, Yuu returned to his usual calm, immediately summoning the system panel to review the reward notifications.
"Even though the 210,000 yen Haruno-san paid is still swallowed by the system, as long as I deepen our relationship and do my job as a boyfriend, I should be able to earn it all back from her… Wait, will the mission end if I 'satisfy' her? Then I need to make a long-term plan, or if the next target is tougher, it'll be a hassle…"
Like mining, no matter how tough the mine, once you know how to extract the ore, the rest is just a matter of skill.
And this rent-a-boyfriend identity was the most reasonable and useful mining tool the system gave him, so of course, he had to maximize its use!
Since this was a win-win situation, and their relationship was conveniently built on a bridge of money, Yuu felt no psychological burden calculating with Haruno.
"Then, the other rewards."
His gaze landed on one notification.
"Minor Physical Strength Enhancement (Explosive Power, Endurance)… This is the only reward related to physical fitness."
After several tests, Yuu found that "minor" was indeed minor—he didn't notice any significant increase in running speed.
Perhaps he'd need to dig out his old fitness records and test his current physical condition to know how much it improved.
He'd skip that for now.
Skill rewards often came with money. While earning 20,000 yen, he also gained five skills—throwing, makeup application, short story writing, lullaby song, and massage, ranging from advanced to perfect levels.
If he wanted to test them, he could start with the advanced-level skills and save the rest for emergencies.
After all, they could only be used once. He didn't know the limits of "once" or if he could earn the same skills from Haruno again, so it was better to be cautious.
"Advanced-level skills include massage and short story writing… Hmm, I'll head home first. I should be able to finish a short story before dinner, and it's easier to try massaging at home."
As for the massage test subject, it went without saying—himself, of course.
Use his sister as a test subject? What if there was an unwanted side effect?
Only after testing the massage on himself with no issues would he feel safe "handling" Sora if he got the massage skill again.
After planning his next steps, Yuu unconsciously looked up, gazing at the warm July afternoon sun.
The weather was rarely calm, no sweltering heat to evaporate sweat, lazy white clouds tucked at the distant horizon's edge, only a few drifting by occasionally.
"…Is life just starting now?"
Muttering, he gave a strange smile, then walked toward the station.