Tokyo, near the newly opened Rokutenma Mall, a café.
A man and a woman sat by the window.
A setting like this and a pair like them would usually make one think of a couple on a date.
However, no matter how you looked at it, the two of them didn't resemble lovers at all.
The man lounged in a hanging chair, legs crossed leisurely, a faint smile on his gentle and handsome face.
His fingers lightly tapped the edge of the rattan armrest, as if waiting for something.
As for the woman facing him—no, she was more of a girl—she kept her head slightly lowered.
Her fingers were buried deep between her black-stockinged thighs, and her eyes carried a gloom far beyond her age. Her legs bounced anxiously, revealing a deep inner struggle.
After a long pause, she finally raised her head. Her lovely face had lost all expression, returning to its usual sleepily indifferent look.
Yet the struggle in her eyes still lingered, betraying her inner turmoil.
"So, have you made up your mind, Miss Kasumigaoka?"
Ogiwara Akira smiled as he asked.
His voice was pleasant to the ears, but to Kasumigaoka Utaha, it sounded like a devil's whisper.
She gritted her teeth silently.
Her fingers subconsciously dug into the soft flesh of her inner thighs. Her alluring lips parted slightly, but she couldn't get any sound out.
"Unable to accept a deal involving your body?" Ogiwara Akira stroked his chin and said with apparent confusion, "But with a face like mine, it's not exactly a loss for you, is it?"
Hearing such brazen words, Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't help but glance up at him.
Yet when his face entered her field of vision, she still couldn't manage the glare she usually gave trash.
It truly wasn't a loss—not just because of his face, but also due to his tall, broad figure that exuded a sense of security.
Just with such a good exterior, many women would be willing to throw themselves at him—or enjoy a passionate night together.
And if you added his still-unclear but certainly considerable power and influence, even knowing he saw you as a plaything, many women would still flock to him.
"Besides, you know, the value of virginity mostly comes from social morals. Sure, it's considered precious, but on the other hand, it's also something a girl in the heat of young love can easily give away.
Even if they break up later, it doesn't really affect anything. It's already this day and age—who hasn't been in a relationship before marriage?"
Ogiwara Akira spoke with neither mockery nor sarcasm.
He was simply stating what seemed to be a common truth. For a brief moment, Kasumigaoka Utaha really did feel like it wasn't that big of a deal.
"If you're worried this might negatively affect you, there's no need.
I won't show up in front of your friends or family, won't interfere with your life or relationships, and I'll never expose anything.
While the deal is to be my temporary girlfriend for three months, I'll only meet you up to twice a week.
If you're busy, you have the right to refuse. During that time, I won't do anything to humiliate your dignity. We're simply business partners—each taking what we need, on equal footing."
Half a month ago, Kasumigaoka Utaha would never have imagined herself patiently listening to something like this.
She should've glared at him like trash and splashed her coffee in his face.
But the reason she knew him and was sitting here was precisely because she'd done something like that before—and had paid a steep price.
She wasn't going to be reckless again.
Under the pen name Kasushiko, she had once been a promising best-selling light novel author.
However, after finishing her acclaimed series Love Metronome, she ran into a cliché yet catastrophic incident—she caught the eye of a rich young heir.
Though Japan was a modern legal society, with its share of dark corners, most heirs of conglomerates were still decently educated and wouldn't resort to outright dirty tricks.
That young heir merely pursued her in a relatively "normal" way.
The problem arose when, during one of his more persistent episodes, Kasumigaoka Utaha—frustrated—swung her handbag at him.
It wasn't a hard swing, and there were no hard objects in the bag, but a metal ornament on the bag scraped his forehead, leaving a scratch.
And that's when she got a firsthand taste of the darker side of society.
Japan was a hierarchical country, and when someone from the upper class got injured—especially in the face—it was seen as a serious insult.
It could even make them the butt of jokes within their circles. To avoid that, someone had to be punished as a show of authority.
As a result, Kasumigaoka Utaha's new manuscript was rejected by her publisher. And unsurprisingly, future ones would be as well, no matter which publisher she went to.
To someone like her, brimming with creative passion, this was equivalent to severing both her dreams and her future—like falling from a sky full of endless light into a dark, frozen abyss.
When that rich heir came to admire her broken and desperate state, Ogiwara Akira stepped in with two sentences.
The first: "Long time no see, Prince Asai."
That got the heir out of the car, cheerfully greeting him.
The second: "I'm a fan of Miss Kasumigaoka's work and very interested in her. If it's not urgent, may I speak with her first?"
That got the heir back in the car and driving away.
At that moment, Kasumigaoka Utaha realized that Ogiwara Akira had the ability to help her escape this mess.
But out of pride and basic manners, she couldn't bring herself to beg a stranger for help.
Perhaps noticing her awkwardness, Ogiwara Akira offered the deal.
Be his "temporary girlfriend" for three months, in exchange for her novel being published.
At first, she was furious. But again, Ogiwara Akira only needed two lines to douse that fire like cold water.
The first:
"To make that heir act like nothing happened after getting a scar, I'll need to owe someone a favor.
My favors are valuable—I don't give them away to strangers. I only accept trades that interest me."
The second:
"I don't owe you anything, and I haven't harmed you.
On the contrary, I'm offering a deal that benefits you. You're free to accept or reject it.
So I really don't understand your anger—are you angry that I'm not 'kind enough'? That I won't offer 'selfless help'?"
After that, Kasumigaoka Utaha spent a week in emotional turmoil.
And during that week, something else happened.
She submitted a first draft for Aki Tomoya's game scenario, but it wasn't immediately accepted.
Even after three days, Aki Tomoya still couldn't explain why.
Just like when she once wanted him to decide on the ending of her breakout work—she got no answer.
Under normal circumstances, she'd be disappointed or angry, but nothing major.
But in the darkness where she could no longer pick up her pen, the only path she could think of was to write game scripts under a new pen name, to maintain her dream.
That's why she poured her soul into that draft—even in such a dreadful state.
It was like reaching a hand out from a pit of despair, silently praying for someone to take it—only to be left hanging.
And so, like a drowning person grasping for a thorn-covered rope, she called the number Ogiwara Akira had left.
Now, sitting in this quiet café, sipping bitter black coffee, she regained some clarity through the harsh taste and forced herself to refuse temptation and face reality.
But before that, she had a question.
"Why did you make such a proposal? I don't mean the contents—I mean why at all?" Kasumigaoka Utaha asked calmly.
"I'm confident in my looks and figure, but if you wanted, you could easily find girls just as pretty, even high schoolers."
"Well, if you ask me…" Ogiwara Akira stroked his chin. "Pretty girls aren't always as interesting as you."
He wasn't telling the full truth.
The real reason was simple—this was a heroine from an anime he liked.
He had reincarnated.
And seeing a girl he used to call "my wife" in his past life—of course it stirred some special feelings.
As a reincarnator without roots or emotional attachments, holding wealth and power, it would be more abnormal not to have such thoughts.
Of course, that didn't mean he'd act without restraint. He still had standards.
"A pretty face isn't as common as people say. An interesting soul is even rarer. And literary talent is no simple thing. Since you possess all three, you should have more confidence in your charm, Miss Kasumigaoka."
Though they were technically on opposing sides, those words genuinely made Kasumigaoka Utaha feel better.
She shook her head, suppressed her hesitation, and said what she had prepared—abrupt and out of nowhere.
"Sorry, Mr. Ogiwara Akira. I originally planned to… but now I… I've changed my mind."
Kasumigaoka Utaha wasn't shameless.
Considering that she had asked him out, this kind of last-minute change was essentially standing him up, maybe even toying with him.
She lowered her head sincerely, trying to avoid angering him.
"It's fine. We hadn't made the deal yet, so you're not breaking any promise. No need to apologize."
Much to her surprise, the man was more generous than she expected and even advised her,
"You don't seem like a woman ruled by vanity.
There's no need to let temporary injustice turn you into a plaything. With your age and talent, you still have many chances.
Accepting the deal would've been the irrational choice."
"And besides, the offer will remain open. For this or anything else. Think of it as a backup plan."
A glint of mistrust flickered in Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes—especially after experiencing oppression from the rich.
She said mockingly, "A backup? So after I leave, are you going to call that young heir and tell him our 'talk' didn't work—so he should resort to harsher methods until I come crawling back?"
"Take back that low-grade provocation. And don't assume I have no standards, Miss Kasumigaoka."
Ogiwara Akira's smile vanished as he looked her straight in the eyes.
"Maybe my actions seem despicable to you, but to me, I merely proposed a fair trade, with equal stakes."
"Neither of us owes the other, but we each have something the other wants.
I'm the one who initiated the trade, so in theory, I'm the more desperate party. If you accept, I should be grateful. That's why I've always shown you respect."
"But it seems you've never taken this 'equality' seriously. Fine. If you want to prove you're the weaker party by 'resisting,' be my guest."
Kasumigaoka Utaha instinctively turned her face away, avoiding his disappointed gaze.
At that moment, the shame and embarrassment welling up inside her were even worse than when she'd confessed her regret.
It was hard to believe he was being sincere—but no matter how she looked at it, he clearly was.
The respect, the fairness. And in comparison, she—still full of distrust and resistance—seemed far more disgraceful.
"…Strange guy," Kasumigaoka Utaha muttered.
"With so many people in the world, of course there'd be some weirdos." Ogiwara Akira picked up his now-cold coffee, took a sip, and put it down.
"I thought you'd understand that, Miss Kasumigaoka. After all, you're kind of a weirdo yourself."
That line actually resonated with her.
Maybe it was that mutual sense of alienation, but she felt herself relax a little and returned to her usual calm demeanor.
She lifted her head and said, "Sorry about today. I didn't mean to toy with you. I was just… a bit confused."
"I understand." Ogiwara Akira sighed and looked regretfully out the window at the newly opened mall.
"I was even planning to go check out the new place. Guess that's not happening."
Out of guilt, Kasumigaoka Utaha said, "We can still go…"
He waved his hand. "Forget it. I don't like crowded places. Didn't expect there to be so many people."
Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't like crowds either, so she responded, "Then let today count as me thanking you for helping me out back then. Is that okay?"
"Well, it was just a small favor, but he was the son of the Asai family. A thank-you coffee doesn't quite cut it."
Ogiwara Akira smiled again and picked up the menu. "I haven't had lunch yet. You don't mind treating me, do you, Miss Kasumigaoka?"
This natural exit made Kasumigaoka Utaha finally relax, and she even smiled a little. "Of course."
"In that case…"
Just as the mood between them had softened and they truly started to look like a couple, a voice came from behind Kasumigaoka Utaha.
"Utaha-senpai?"
At the sound, Ogiwara Akira clearly saw Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes widen in shock, her face full of surprise and panic.
So he turned toward the voice and saw what was unmistakably two students—one boy and one girl.
A boy in thick-rimmed black glasses, and a petite girl wearing a white beret, nearly overlooked.
Ogiwara Akira leaned back tactically.
Now this was what it meant to have fate drop a pillow into your lap.
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Ey I like this opening.
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