"Um…"
"Are you hungry? Want me to take you to get something to eat?"
In the dim alleyway, Furuhashi Toshiharu stared at the beautiful short-haired girl in front of him and couldn't help swallowing.
She had her hands tucked into her pockets, casually leaning against the gray wall behind her.
Her clothes were slightly soaked from the rain, outlining a slender, graceful figure.
Beneath that slightly curled short hair was a pair of eyes carrying a chill so sharp it made people uneasy.
Just seeing that faintly rebellious gaze made Furuhashi feel a rush of excitement.
He liked girls who looked at him that way—it gave him an indescribable thrill.
This was probably the same as usual.
After drinking a bit with colleagues in Shinjuku, heading home, and stumbling across a girl with looks like this.
Anyone standing around here was usually homeless—someone who needed help.
The only question was how much she would ask for.
As long as she kept that look in her eyes, even if the price was a bit higher, he'd be willing.
"…Tch."
Miyazawa Maki didn't bother responding.
She merely glanced down at her rain-soaked shoes.
An unprovoked irritation welled up in her chest.
She was only standing here because the alley had an awning that blocked the rain.
And yet this idiot had already decided she was one of those people.
Sure, her current situation wasn't much different—but that didn't mean she intended to rely on someone like him.
Worst case, she'd just spend the night near a train station, somewhere safer.
—Go home and apologize to her parents?
The thought flashed through her mind for only a second before she crushed it mercilessly.
She'd rather die than go back.
"Once I'm home, there's nothing but suffocating pressure."
She was hungry.
Cold.
Her clothes clung uncomfortably to her skin.
Why was this man still standing in front of her?
Did she really need to curse him out before he got the hint?
"Five thousand yen. Is that okay?"
Furuhashi leaned closer, either oblivious to her dark expression—or simply enjoying it.
"Five thousand is already a lot. If that's not enough, I can add more—"
"You—"
Anger surged up, and Maki opened her mouth—
"Fifty thousand yen."
A calm voice cut in.
Sawamura Haruno stepped into the alley through the drizzle. His eyes were sharp as he fixed them on Maki.
"Fifty thousand yen. Is that enough?"
"F-fifty thousand?!"
Furuhashi jumped in shock.
That was ridiculous.
Most homeless girls only asked for food and a place to sleep.
As for money, even ten or twenty thousand was already pushing it.
Fifty thousand yen was nearly one-sixth of a normal monthly salary.
"This guy could take that money and find three or four women outside. Why steal my chance?"
Furuhashi seethed inwardly, but there was nothing he could do.
A rich guy had appeared—and he didn't look like he was bluffing.
Seeing no hope, Furuhashi backed out of the competition, planning to find someone cheaper elsewhere.
What was amusing was that when Haruno stepped aside to let him leave, Furuhashi actually lowered his head and muttered a quiet "thank you."
"…Finally gone."
Maki watched him leave without looking back and clicked her tongue.
That annoying guy disappearing was a good thing—but Sawamura Haruno's arrival only made her mood worse.
Especially when she remembered that he was her sister Mana's ex-boyfriend.
Wait.
Didn't he just say he was going to give her money?
Maki narrowed her eyes slightly, and a mischievous thought suddenly surfaced.
"Isn't fifty thousand a bit too little?"
She looked at Haruno calmly, her tone flat.
From the way she spoke, it was obvious—she was trying to squeeze more out of him.
"Then how much do you want?"
"Eighty thousand—no. One hundred thousand."
She answered without hesitation.
"After all, it's my first time. And if you want me to call you brother-in-law, that costs extra."
Haruno raised his hand coldly, but the short-haired girl didn't flinch—instead, she even stepped closer.
"Go on, hit me. Just don't break anything. Let's count it as a 'special service' included in the hundred thousand."
She looked at him with a provocative gaze, clearly convinced he wouldn't dare lay a hand on her.
"…One hundred thousand."
After a moment of hesitation, Haruno lowered his hand.
"I'll give you one hundred thousand yen. Then you go home. Deal?"
He let out a soft sigh.
"Don't make this any harder than it has to be."
If she didn't have the same face as his ex-girlfriend, he honestly wouldn't want to get involved at all.
Worse still, her attitude wasn't just bad—it was fearless in a way that made him helpless against her.
He couldn't hit her.
Yelling at her would do nothing.
Anything that could've worked, her parents had already tried.
"I'm not going back."
Maki hesitated for a brief moment, then said firmly:
"I'd rather die. Either you take me to your place—or leave me alone."
She paused, then added softly, almost coaxingly:
"Don't you want to do something to me? One hundred thousand yen isn't a small amount for you either, right? Back when you were in school, you worked so hard at part-time jobs."
"Other than my hairstyle, I'm exactly the same as Mana. It's been so long since you broke up—haven't you ever thought about her?"
"Mana couldn't always cooperate with you. But I can. Anything is fine."
She stepped closer again—this time almost pressing up against him.
Behind her fringe, her eyes flashed with excitement, as if she were eager for him to treat her as Miyazawa Mana instead.
"Saying I never thought about her would be a lie," Haruno said quietly.
"But you're not the same as her."
He looked down at her, recalling the system's description.
Same appearance, different essence.
So that's what it meant.
"You can come to my place," he finally said.
"But I'm calling your sister first."
After a moment's thought, he stepped back.
The Miyazawa family's problems clearly couldn't be solved in one night.
Leaving her alone wasn't an option, and taking her home—for now—was probably the best solution.
"Tch. Coward."
Maki was about to sneer, but a sudden thought made her swallow the rest of her words.
Maybe… with Sawamura Haruno, she could finally see the difference between herself and Mana—
something even their parents, standing so close, had never noticed.
She followed him anyway.
After all, she had nowhere else to go tonight.
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