Tokyo. Toyonozaki Academy. Third floor of the main building.
A boy leaned casually against the railing. Another boy stood opposite him, clutching a few flimsy sheets of paper, pitching them like some second-rate salesman trying to push a product even he didn't believe in.
Aki Tomoya gripped the crumpled proposal tight, his glasses fogged slightly from his nervous breathing. His expression was a mess of panic and stubborn confidence. He slapped the papers as if that alone could convince someone they had value. The smack drew a few curious glances from students passing by.
"Shou-senpai! I need you!"
"…Huh?"
The boy across from him—Xiao Baiye—raised a brow. The corner of his lips twitched upward before settling back into a faintly amused, skeptical smile.
Let's be real: if a geeky guy with thick glasses, messy hair, and the aura of an obsessive otaku blurts out "I need you," most people would assume he's begging for help to clear some new dating sim.
And they wouldn't be wrong. Well… not exactly. Not playing one. Making one.
Xiao Baiye lowered his head slightly, rubbing his chin as he shifted his weight, crossing one leg casually over the other. His sharp eyes skimmed over the proposal with just enough interest to keep Tomoya talking.
"Aki-kun, why me? I can't draw. I can't write scenarios. I don't exactly scream 'dating sim developer,' do I?"
Tomoya's head snapped up, his exhaustion buried under a sudden burst of enthusiasm.
"Because you can code, Senpai! You're the only programmer I know!"
True enough—Baiye could code. He'd written a handful of small games before, projects that barely circulated among a few online acquaintances before being buried in some forgotten folder on his hard drive.
Aki Tomoya just happened to be one of those acquaintances.
"Why not ask Feizhang-kun or Heheren-kun? They're way better than me at this stuff." Baiye tilted his head lazily. "I just dabble for fun."
Tomoya nearly stomped his foot in frustration. He knew the saying: to do a good job, you need the right tools. And right now, the only "tool" he had was desperation.
He exhaled sharply, finally spitting out the truth.
"I did ask them! But—one, they live in other cities. Working remotely would kill our efficiency."
Baiye nodded at that. Reasonable enough, but hardly persuasive.
"And two…" Tomoya's face twisted with embarrassment. His grip on the papers tightened until sweat soaked the edges. Finally, like a soldier being forced to confess under drill-sergeant pressure, he blurted it out.
"They want money. And I don't have any!"
The confession seemed to lift a weight off his chest—until he looked up and saw Baiye already walking away.
"See you. Class is starting."
"W–wait! Senpai, school's already over for the day!"
Tomoya sprinted after him with a burst of speed that might've shattered Olympic records. He skidded in front of Baiye, blocking his path.
"Listen, Shou-senpai! Maybe we don't have money, but we have a dream! We're going to make the best romance game ever!"
Baiye pressed a hand firmly against his shoulder before the boy could work himself into another frenzy.
"Hold it. You have a dream. I never agreed to anything. I only learned programming because I wanted another skill under my belt."
Still, his tone softened as he spoke.
"Look, making a game for love isn't a bad thing. It's a great way to sharpen skills. But…"
Tomoya, of course, understood. Making things "for love" was always hard. But he'd written fanfiction before, posted it online, and actually received comments and even a few tips from like-minded readers. That tiny validation fueled him—and now he wanted more.
"Senpai, you're not in any club, right?"
"I'm in the Go-Home Club," Baiye deadpanned.
Tomoya ignored the jab and went all-in.
"Then do this with me instead! All I'm asking is that you use your after-school time to code. And as payment… I'll buy your afternoon tea. Every day!"
"…Afternoon tea, huh?"
Baiye thought for a moment. After school he usually just went home to game or wandered aimlessly around town. Spending that time coding could actually be productive. Plus—free tea.
A fair deal, by his logic.
"You're saying this like I already agreed."
"Does that mean you will?!"
"Hold up. Do you even realize how much coding goes into a dating sim? If I'm the only one handling programming, we'll be dead in the water without a detailed plan. Otherwise it's wasted effort."
He extended his hand.
"Let me see the proposal."
Tomoya nearly shoved it into his palm. "Please!"
Baiye unfolded the rumpled pages. Scratches marred the paper like the scars of past frustration.
"Title: Shining Girl. Not bad. Second page… hm. So the idea is a romance sim where you take a plain, ordinary girl and nurture her into your ideal shining heroine. A raising sim, basically. Third page…" Baiye's lips twitched. "'Cheer up! We can definitely succeed?!' That's it?"
He shuffled through all three pages again. Barely two hundred words total. His smile stiffened.
"Aki-kun… have you ever even seen a real proposal? Thirty pages is normal. And you're giving me… half a page?"
Tomoya scratched his messy hair, embarrassed.
"You sound just like everyone else who's rejected me… Sheesh, is it really that hard to express a dream? You get it, right? The dream of taking a plain heroine and turning her into something dazzling?"
"…I get it."
Baiye admitted honestly. Every gentleman, deep down, understood that desire.
"See?! Exactly!" Tomoya's eyes lit up.
"But you still need a proper plan," Baiye said flatly.
"…"
Tomoya sagged, clearly crushed. But Baiye didn't let him wallow.
"If you're serious, you'll need more than just me. Romance games aren't built on code alone. Do you have writers? Artists? Musicians?"
"Yes!" Tomoya perked back up instantly. "I've got all of that covered! I just need you!"
"…Good." Baiye exhaled. At least the foundation wasn't a total mess.
"Then let's go, Senpai!"
"Go where?"
"To the fourth floor! There's an empty classroom—we're using it as our clubroom. I'll introduce you to the Shining Girl team!"
"…Let me grab my bag first."
Half a minute later, bag slung over his shoulder, Baiye found himself being dragged down the hall by Tomoya, who was practically glowing with excitement.
"Senpai, hurry up!"
"…What about my afternoon tea?"
"I'll buy it after introductions, I swear!"
Baiye sighed inwardly. Tomoya was impulsive, overly excitable, and terrible at planning. But he had one undeniable strength—his passion was contagious.
"A good plan is the foundation of everything," Baiye muttered. "Guess I let myself get swept up too."
"Huh? Did you say something, Senpai?"
"Nothing. Just talking to myself."
"Oh! We're here!"
Tomoya yanked open the classroom door with enough force to rattle the frame, startling the three girls inside.
"Tomoya! Don't slam it like that, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"Ethics-kun… you just scared away my inspiration. Do you know how dangerous that is?"
Following the lively and calm voices, Baiye spotted two stunning girls inside—one with flowing golden hair, the other with sleek black locks. Their eyes immediately locked on him, the unfamiliar face who had just barged in. The blonde quickly shifted into a polite demeanor befitting the daughter of a diplomat.
"Tomoya… and this is?"
"Everyone, we've found our programmer!" Tomoya announced proudly, oblivious to the tension. "This is Xiao Baiye-senpai, a third-year! He's the one I told you about!"
He turned to Baiye with a grin that could split his face.
"Senpai, let me introduce our members! This is—this is—"
Baiye didn't even need to hear the names.
Anyone in Toyonozaki knew them.
Kasumigaoka Utaha.
Sawamura Spencer Eriri.
Two of the school's most famous beauties.