Nijika: [Um... has Ryo asked you for money lately?]
Rin Ito: [Money? No, she hasn't.]
Nijika: [Good, good. That's a relief.]
It was no secret that Ryo spent all her money on basses and was constantly mooching meals from others. Everyone in the band knew, and even Kaede knew. Especially Nijika—she couldn't even count how many times she'd fed Ryo when she was so broke she was practically eating grass.
Rin Ito: [What happened? Did she ask you?]
Nijika: [Yeah. Lately, she's asked me, Bocchi-chan, and Kita-chan for money. She even took the wages we were saving up for performance fees. But it doesn't seem like she's buying a new bass with it.]
Reading the message, Rin could imagine Nijika's cute, worried expression. Before he could reply, a notification from Ryo popped up in a private window. He took a look... sure enough, it was about money.
Ryo: [President, we get a cut from the game's sales, right?]
Rin didn't reply immediately. He screenshotted it and sent it to Nijika.
Nijika: [I am so sorry! Ryo is bothering you!] Nijika: [Can you help me ask why she needs money? I'm a little worried about her.]
Rin Ito: [I'll try.]
Switching back to Ryo's chat, Rin weighed his words before replying.
Rin Ito: [Correct. You guys will split a percentage of the sales. I won't touch your share. Don't worry, you'll get what you're owed.]
Ryo: [It's not that I'm worried. I was wondering... can you give me an advance? I really need money right now. You can take it out of my future share.]
Rin Ito: [It's not impossible. But you have to tell me why you need it.]
Ryo: [If I tell you, will you lend it to me? Do you promise not to tell anyone else?]
Rin Ito: [I promise!]
On the other end, Ryo hesitated for a long time despite the promise. But... of all the people she knew, only he could lend her this much.
Ryo: [I need to pay someone back. If I don't pay them, my parents will find out... Please, this is the request of a lifetime!]
Rin Ito: [Pay someone back? What's the situation? What did you spend the money on?]
Desperate for the cash, Ryo quickly spilled the beans.
Actually, Ryo's family wasn't short on money—they were quite wealthy. Her father, like Ichika's father, ran a private hospital. While not at the level of Karen's family, they were firmly in the upper class. Her parents doted on her to the point of spoiling her.
The grass is always greener, and those who are favored have nothing to fear. Ryo was the favored type, living a life many would envy. However... children often have a rebellious phase.
Since she was ten, Ryo had been into rock music—something her parents disliked—specifically to act out and make them think she'd become a "bad girl" so they'd stop interfering in her life. After all, stereotypes linked rock bands with wild parties and "degenerate" behavior, especially in this world.
After hearing the story, Rin felt a bit helpless. Even with his past life memories, he only remembered Ryo as the "grass-eating rich girl."
Rin Ito: [You brought this on yourself.] Ryo: [Once you abandon your individuality, you might as well be dead!] Rin Ito: [If you don't want them to interfere, you didn't have to pick the one thing they hate most.]
After finding out about her hobby, her parents didn't kick her out, but they withdrew all financial support for her music. Her allowance was cut off. All the money she used for instruments came from her childhood savings and part-time work. As a rich girl, Ryo had expensive tastes, and music is a very expensive hobby.
When all your money goes toward instruments, you can't afford food. So, naturally, you mooch off friends. If she had many friends to rotate through, it wouldn't be a problem. But Ryo only had Nijika. You can't just shear one sheep until it's bald. Plus, Nijika was a musician too; she was just as broke.
And it wasn't just instrument and food money. Their unknown little band had to pay to perform; no one was hiring them yet.
So, she had to borrow. First from classmates. They weren't exactly "friends," but for the sake of appearances, they'd lend a little for lunch. But students don't have much money.
Ryo: [A classmate recommended someone who specializes in loans...]
Hiss... Rin sucked in a breath.
Rin Ito: [You dared to touch that?]
Rin wanted to curse. In schools, people who lend money to students usually have yakuza ties or are part of delinquent gangs. Students have parents to back them up, so lenders aren't afraid of not being paid. They don't even need violence; just the threat of exposing the debt is enough to terrify a student. If the student is a pretty girl, they often want her to default, so they can force her into compensated dating or F72-style adult videos to make even more profit.
Especially since this was a "Hidden World"!
Rin Ito: [You used that money for instruments? How much did you spend?] Ryo: [Yeah. I lent Kita-chan the money for her guitar. That guitar was 850,000 yen.] Rin Ito: [....?]
Rin didn't know what to say. This rich girl had absolutely no concept of money. Her parents could easily afford it, but the rebellious Ryo didn't want them to know. Nijika couldn't possibly lend her that much. The only one left was Rin.
If all else failed, Ryo would have to beg her parents. While she was reckless with money, she wasn't stupid... well, actually, taking that kind of loan was incredibly stupid.
Rin sent screenshots of Ryo's confession to Nijika. After reading them, Nijika panicked. Unlike Ryo, she understood the weight of money.
Nijika: [What do we do? Ryo borrowed from those people.] Nijika: [If the game cut isn't enough, you can take my share too.] Nijika: [Please, President... no matter what, let Ryo pay them back first. I'll help her pay you back later.]
Rin Ito: [Don't worry. I'll lend her the money to clear the debt.]
Rin wasn't going to leave her hanging. He couldn't stand by and watch her get sucked into the adult industry because of a debt. He wasn't worried about her not paying him back; even if the game didn't sell, he could just call her father.
Nijika: [Thank you so much!!!!]
Nijika felt a wave of relief. At least the debt would be cleared. But that didn't solve the root problem; Ryo might just borrow again. They had to find a way!