Chapter 4
Hojo Shione had gotten one thing wrong: Shiratori Seiya had no gift for composing songs. Making a living from writing music was, for him, impossible.
Only when his protégée's related skills kept climbing could he unlock matching privileges.
Beginner level unlocked LV1, apprentice level unlocked LV2, mastery unlocked LV3, and so on. By the time she reached perfection he might finally qualify to exchange for an LV5 masterpiece.
And that was merely unlocking the right to buy—actually acquiring it required serious cash. A single LV3 song cost fifty million yen, and even if the release met expectations, recouping the investment took time.
Take the songs he had written for Hojo Shione: judging by their current buzz, even selling the copyrights would barely buy a passable condo in Tokyo, let alone set them up for life.
A poor couple has sorrows at every turn.
Seiya understood that love without money is like a house built on sand. Even if they married, how long could it last?
Besides, people fall for different people at different stages of life.
The eighteen-year-old Hojo Shione who loved him might not feel the same at twenty-eight, or thirty-eight.
After long reflection Seiya realized he had been absurdly wrong from the start.
Shione had no grand dreams; she had never aimed to become a diva.
She seemed, instead, oddly fixated on romance—so much so that later she spent most of her time on their relationship, even trading practice hours for studying cooking and flower arranging.
Damn it—was she enrolled in some bridal-training program?
At this rate, when would she ever reach perfection, and when would he qualify for those god-tier works?
Love had gone to her head; she had lost all reason.
Even if he coaxed her into training, she would hardly improve before university.
Continuing like this, he would earn nothing, and her future would slide irreversibly toward that of a housewife.
Her career would be finished.
After weighing everything, Seiya broke up with her after their third-year finals.
It was better for both of them: he could cultivate his next target and chase the title of Japan's richest man, while she, free of love's chains, could face reality and build her own career.
He left her a breakup letter and a handful of songs, then vanished from her life.
He never told her which university he would attend; they did not even quarrel.
With her talent she could still thrive singing other people's songs, even without him.
Yet two failures in a row convinced Seiya that, in university, he had to find a collaborator who shared his goals.
She didn't need towering ambition—she only needed to be obsessed with money.
After searching, he met Takahashi Mio.
At first Seiya was drawn only by her S-rank acting potential.
But after spending a hundred thousand yen on the system's appraisal card, he discovered she was an ideal candidate: average intelligence, fond of showing off, two million yen in debt, stunning looks, top-tier acting talent, single, never dated...
A woman like that would never lose her head over love.
Did she dream of stardom? Didn't matter—she wanted money.
He would guide her slowly; desire would push her to the very top.
This time he would not fail.
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
His phone vibrated on the desk.
Shaking off his thoughts, Seiya picked it up: an unknown Tokyo number.
A bad feeling creased his brow, but after a moment he answered.
Neither spoke.
The silence stretched for several seconds; just as he was about to hang up, a soft voice slipped through the receiver.
"Brother-in-law?"
Seiya's lips moved.
As expected—that distinctive tone, even without the title, would have given her away.
Hojo Suzune, Shione's younger sister, one year below him, now in her third year of high school.
"Brother-in-law? Brother?"
When he didn't respond she tried twice more.
Receiving nothing, her voice turned pitiful, near tears:
"If I kept quiet, were you going to hang up on me?"
Seiya skipped the sympathy and asked, "How did you get my number?"
"Aww, brother-in-law, I haven't seen you in months and you won't even catch up? Poor little Suzune..."
It sounded as if she really was crying; soft sniffles came through the receiver.
"Eating noodles while you talk on the phone is a bit rude, Suzune."
The slurping stopped abruptly.
Then came her silvery laugh:
"Hehe, as smart as ever, brother-in-law. Big sis would've fallen for it."
"Maybe she just loves you more?"
"Loves me more? Does that mean you love me too?"
"Your math has improved, but that trick won't help here. How did you get my number?"
"Mm, I'm doing well in math. I should get into your university easily next year."
"If you do, the principal will probably have a heart attack."
Because he had spent high school focused on Shione, Seiya's grades were mediocre. A deviation score around fifty, and only a fluke on the entrance exam had squeaked him into a mid-tier public university.
"So what? I don't like studying anyway, and I don't want a job. Brother-in-law, will you support me?"
Unlike Shione's gentle, refined voice, Suzune's was sweet and flirtatious; if you let your guard down it could slither into your bones and leave you weak for half a day.
"I can't afford to support you. And you should change how you address me—your sister and I broke up on good terms."
"You really broke up!?"
Suzune's pitch jumped two notes; Seiya frowned.
"You sound happy that your sister and I split."
"Uh, no, I'm just surprised..."
She set down her chopsticks and cleared her throat with a sigh:
"Ahem, why did you break up? You two were so close..."
Seiya couldn't see Suzune's barely suppressed grin as he replied softly, "Nothing special—we just ended it. Amicably."
"Really? But big sis never mentioned it. I mean, she didn't even know which university you went to. During the last holidays she scoured every school in Kyoto..."
"Your sister's a bit slow—she didn't realize I'm in Tokyo."
"...."
"Still, I guess it makes sense. Lately she's been listless, in a terrible mood. Mom cooked a huge dinner and she only took one bite before running to her room to cry. She won't say what's wrong..."
"Brother-in-law, you're heartless."
"...."
Hearing this, Seiya closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Then, as her sister, comfort her. Tell her to move on. It's just a breakup, not the end of the world. Don't let her hurt herself."
"After breaking up, can we still be friends?"
Suzune batted her bright eyes, testing the water.
"...Maybe."
"But if you can still be friends, why change all your contact info? Brother-in-law, if the call just now had shown a Kyoto number, you wouldn't have answered, would you?"
"I wanted both of us to cool off."
"Fine, but it still sounds cruel. Sigh, brother-in-law, now I'm afraid to fall in love."
"If your sister says that about me, I'll accept it."
"Eh? But I really do like guys like you. What if I can't control myself? Won't you take responsibility?"
"...."
Seiya fell silent.
Back when he first met the sisters, he had considered cultivating Suzune.
Her instrumental potential was S-rank too, and when he met her she had already reached mastery level at the piano.
After careful thought, Shiratori Seiya had given up.
Partly because she was too young, and partly because, compared with trendy pop, the piano's earning power was painfully slow to materialize.
So he had ended up choosing Hojo Shione...
He had drifted far off without noticing; Seiya snapped back to the present and realized Suzune had steered the conversation miles away.
Unlike her love-addled older sister, this younger sister was sharp—both IQ and EQ through the roof—and it was all too easy to let her lead him astray.
"So tell me—how did you get my number?"
Cornered beyond hope of bluffing, Hojo Suzune pressed her lips together and murmured,
"I begged Asami-sensei for it. I even promised her I'd crack the top three in the next mock exam before she finally spilled."
"Did you tell your sister?"
"No. If it's really over, I figure a clean break hurts less, right?"
"Mm. Still, comfort her. Help her move on—at least make sure she eats and sleeps properly..."
Suzune's eyes narrowed; her pink lips thinned, a flicker of irritation crossing her face.
"I think my sister would be happier hearing that from you in person."
If Shione heard it, she'd probably never let go.
Seiya pictured Hojo Shione's tear-streaked face and suddenly lost his appetite.
"By the way, brother-in-law, did you know Sis is holding a concert in Tokyo next month?"
"I know."
Of course he knew; he could recite Shione's schedule better than her own manager—he was practically a second manager.
"Then are you going? I can snag you a ticket."
"No need."
Seiya refused without hesitation. He would attend the concert—after all, Shione was the singer he had nurtured from day one—but letting Suzune get the ticket might expose him.
"And stop calling me brother-in-law."
"Okay, got it, brother-in-law."
"...Anything else? If not, I'm hanging up—I'm busy."
"Busy? I thought university was supposed to be a breeze. Don't tell me you're busy falling in love?"
Seiya couldn't be sure, but Suzune's tone sounded off.
"I am. Anything else?"
"Then my sister definitely can't find out where you are... who knows what would happen?"
"She won't know unless you tell her."
"Hehe—so you'd better stay on my good side, brother."
"What do you want, Tokyo souvenirs? I can mail them..."
"Who cares about snacks? I'm not like Sis; I'm not greedy. I've got a break coming up—take me around Tokyo then, okay?"
"Oh, your girlfriend in Tokyo won't get jealous of a high-school little sister, right? Brother~"
"...We'll see."
"Hehe, fine, plenty of time."
"By the way, brother-in-law, even if you're broke and can't support Sis and me, it's no big deal. I'll be famous someday; supporting you will be a piece of cake."
...