"You're mine?"
Hearing Luke's words, GAKKI-chan jumped back like a startled bunny.
Had she just escaped a wolf's den only to stumble into a tiger's lair?
Sure, the guy in front of her was wearing sunglasses, but she could tell he was tall, handsome, and young—way better than those pot-bellied, balding middle-aged men.
Still, this was crossing a line!
Seeing the wary look in GAKKI-chan's eyes, Luke found it even more amusing.
Grinning, he pressed on, "Sell your soul to me, and you'll get rewards beyond your wildest dreams. You don't want to regret this later, do you?"
Talk about over-the-top drama!
But in a country that eats up this kind of flair, his words didn't feel out of place at all. It was like finally letting loose the burning passion for theatrics he'd kept buried all this time.
Total satisfaction!
"No way! That's not okay!" GAKKI-chan panicked.
Flailing her arms, she blurted out, "Thank you so much for helping me today. I don't have any money right now, but please give me your contact info, and I swear I'll repay you someday.
But that request? Sorry, I can't agree to it."
"Hahaha…"
She was so adorably clueless, Luke couldn't help but burst out laughing. He hadn't had this much fun in ages.
Under GAKKI-chan's confused stare, he gradually reined in his laughter.
His expression shifted back to normal, and with master-level acting and dialogue skills kicking in, he was ready.
Luke took off his sunglasses, looked at her with genuine sincerity, and said, "I was just messing with you. I'm not a bad guy."
"I… believe you're a good person."
GAKKI-chan wasn't sure why, but the moment this man spoke, she trusted him.
Maybe it was because he was just that good-looking?
Maybe it was the sincerity in his eyes?
Or maybe his words just had a way of making her believe him from the bottom of her heart?
The reason didn't really matter—she wanted to trust him.
With his master-level dialogue and acting skills, plus that handsome face, if he couldn't win over a young woman's trust, he might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes.
"I'm a -American actor, here in Japan to shoot a promotional video," Luke said, handing her a plain paper business card.
"Luke? You've got a film studio named after you?"
"Yup. And I'm planning to open a company here in Japan to handle local projects. I want to sign you to my company," Luke replied.
"Really? But I'm already under a contract with an agency."
"No worries. I'll take care of it. I'll make them drop your contract, and then you can sign with my company."
For a small-time model who hadn't hit it big yet, getting an agency to let go of her contract would be a breeze with a little pressure. They wouldn't even need to pay a penalty, especially since the agency was the one pulling shady moves in the first place.
Luke didn't see it as a challenge at all.
To Yui Aragaki, this mysterious, handsome man hadn't just saved her from a gang of thugs—he'd casually promised to sort out her contract troubles like it was nothing.
He was like some kind of god. She was starting to understand how those shrine maidens must feel.
GAKKI-chan stood there, stunned.
"You can take a look at the contract first and decide if you want to sign," Luke said, noticing her hesitation.
"No need! I trust you! I'm in—please take care of me from now on!" GAKKI-chan gave a 30-degree bow.
"Cool, but first, come grab some food with me. I'm starving," Luke said, starting to walk.
"Huh? You haven't eaten dinner this late?"
Had he eaten?
Sure, but it might as well have been nothing.
Japanese set meals are tiny, often just some raw fish or cold dishes. For a 6'2" guy like Luke, that was nowhere near enough.
He remembered a joke from his past life about a tourist in Japan who only felt full once—when they accidentally ordered a four-person meal because they couldn't read the menu.
Following behind Luke, GAKKI-chan suddenly pointed at a shop in the distance. "That place looks nice. Aren't you hungry?"
Luke glanced where she was pointing and chuckled. "Do you know what kind of place that is?"
"Isn't it a coffee and dessert shop? I saw a bunch of people going in—it must be good, right?"
"It's a dating café. Didn't you notice the separate entrances for men and women?"
"A dating café? Why separate entrances?" GAKKI-chan looked completely clueless.
Luke suddenly remembered that compared to bustling Tokyo, her hometown of Naha was practically the countryside.
They probably didn't have dating cafés there. She was like a small-town girl stepping into the big city, oblivious to its decadent ways, which made sense.
"When girls go in, they sit in a transparent booth and wait," he explained.
"Wait for what?"
"They can't see it, but there's a group of guys behind a one-way mirror, sizing them up. If a guy likes a girl, he pays a few thousand yen to 'match' with her, and they have a 'date' over a meal."
"Ugh, that's gross! Don't people—guys or girls—feel ashamed doing that?"
"And getting together like that? Doesn't it make it even more embarrassing?"
Her words caught Luke off guard. He hadn't expected Yui Aragaki to be so… un-Japanese.
It was a surprising discovery, like finding a pearl hidden in the dust.
If Luke didn't have a master-level grasp of Japanese and a deep understanding of its culture, he might not have noticed how unique Yui Aragaki was compared to the norm.
This brought him to Japan's "shame culture."
Feeling shame as a way to regulate behavior is a common moral compass worldwide.
But Japan's shame culture is starkly different
In traditional culture, shame comes from "self-reflection and inner awareness." It's about striving for personal growth and holding yourself to a high moral standard.
When Liu Bei was on his deathbed, he told his son, "Your father lacks virtue—don't follow my example."
Was he truly lacking in virtue?
No, but those with high standards always aim higher.
Japan's shame culture, on the other hand, is driven by external forces.
As The Chrysanthemum and the Sword puts it, "In a shame culture, Japanese morality relies on external pressures to guide good behavior."
In simple terms, they care deeply about what others think. If others say you're wrong, you feel ashamed.
But if everyone's fine with it—even if it's something awful—then it's no problem at all!
If they say you're wrong, you're wrong, even if you're not.
If they say you're fine, you're fine, even if you're wrong.
So, everyone goes to dating cafés, everyone becomes a shrine maiden, everyone does…
As long as everyone's doing it, there's no shame!
Yet Yui Aragaki, born and raised in Japan, wasn't swept up in this shame culture. She had her own internal moral compass, which was distinctly un-Japanese.
If she hadn't met Luke, maybe years down the line, she'd have been molded into just another cog in the system, losing her individuality and edge.
But there are no "what ifs"—she met Luke.
Suddenly, Luke felt that even without some grand reward, signing Yui Aragaki was something to be excited about.