"ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-TWO THOUSAND YEN!!"
I dropped to my knees on the futon holding the phone with both hands like I'd just found a legendary treasure.
"I'M RICH!!"
[Correction: You're still poor.]
"Shut up."
I opened the banking app again.
¥142,300.
Still there.
Not a hallucination.
Not an error.
ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-TWO THOUSAND YEN.
Less than two days ago I was dying of stress in a grimy office… and now an absurd number of lonely men had paid me to exist while being pretty.
What a broken world.
I fell back onto the futon and stared at the ceiling.
"…The internet is terrifying."
PIIING.
A new window appeared in front of me.
[Creator Level Increased.]
[Current Level: 2]
"Huh?"
The windows started multiplying.
[New Features Unlocked.]
[Passive Skills Acquired.]
Camera Instinct Lv1, Stage Presence Lv1, Porcelain Skin Lv1, Silky Hair Lv1, Posture Correction Lv1, and Digital Camouflage Lv1.
I blinked.
"…What the hell is 'Digital Camouflage'?"
[People will have greater difficulty connecting your online identity to your real one.]
My eyes widened.
"…Seriously?"
[The effect increases with level.]
[Currently: low.]
"That's still incredible."
I mean… the system had basically just installed magical anonymity on me.
That was probably the most useful skill I'd seen so far.
Especially considering half the internet was drooling over a photo taken inside my school bathroom.
Wait.
That sounds horrifying when I think about it coldly.
I shuddered.
Then another window appeared.
[Physical Improvements Applied.]
A strange tingle ran through my body.
Not painful.
More like… light.
Like warm water sliding across skin.
I slowly got up and walked to the mirror.
And…
"…Oh."
The change was subtle.
Very subtle.
But it was there.
My skin looked clearer.
More luminous.
My silver hair shone a little brighter under the light.
Even my violet eyes seemed more alive.
"This was already illegal before…"
I leaned a little closer to the mirror.
"What am I supposed to be now? A video game cutscene?"
[Correction: Premium Creator.]
"That sounds even worse."
I dropped back onto the futon.
Tomorrow I had school.
And honestly…
I still couldn't believe that part.
School.
Me.
Again.
God really hated my peace of mind.
The next morning…
"I don't understand a single thing."
I stared at the paper in front of me with dead eyes.
Mei sighed patiently from across the library table.
"Shimizu-san… this is basic math."
"That's exactly what makes it terrifying."
She went quiet for two seconds.
Then let out a small laugh.
Damn it.
Even laughing she seemed adorable.
The library was quiet.
Only the sound of turning pages and the distant hum of the air conditioning.
Afternoon light came through the windows and lit up the desk.
And honestly…
It was strange.
Very strange.
I hadn't studied with anyone in years.
Years.
In my past life I just worked, came home dead, and repeated the process until I was actively hoping to get hit by a truck.
This…
Was strangely peaceful.
"Look," said Mei, sliding her notebook over. "If you do this formula first, everything else simplifies on its own."
I leaned in a little.
She smelled nice.
Soft soap.
Floral shampoo.
My brain stopped working for a second.
NO.
DON'T THINK ABOUT THAT.
"Shimizu-san?"
"Huh? Yes!"
Mei blinked, confused.
"…Were you listening?"
"Of course."
I lied with the confidence of a seasoned criminal.
She looked at me suspiciously.
Then smiled with quiet resignation.
"You get distracted so easily."
If you only knew how many psychological problems I'm managing right now…
I looked at the notebook again.
And slowly…
I started to understand.
"…Oh."
My eyes opened a little wider.
"Wait. So this connects to this…"
"Exactly."
Mei smiled slightly.
"You got it."
"…I think you're a better teacher than most of the actual teachers in this school."
She let out a small laugh.
"Don't exaggerate."
"I'm not exaggerating. One of them almost killed me with physics today."
"That was probably your fault."
"Also true."
I stretched back in my chair, exhausted.
God.
Studying was awful.
How did teenagers survive this?
Mei watched me in silence for a few seconds.
Then tilted her head slightly.
"Shimizu-san…"
"Hm?"
"You look different today."
My body tensed.
DIFFERENT?
HOW DIFFERENT?
DID SHE NOTICE?
"W-What do you mean?"
"I'm not sure…"
She studied me thoughtfully.
"Your skin looks nicer today."
My heart almost exploded.
THE SKILLS.
THOSE DAMN SKILLS.
"And your hair is so much shinier…"
"H-Huh?"
"Also…"
She stared at me for two seconds.
"Your face looks like an actress's."
Silence.
My brain took critical damage.
Mei's eyes went wide.
"O-Oh! Sorry, that sounded weird."
"N-No! It's fine!"
Too fast.
TOO SUSPICIOUS.
"I-I mean… thank you…"
Mei looked away, embarrassed.
"I just… thought that."
Oh my god.
This girl was way too dangerous for my mental stability.
I coughed to change the subject.
"W-Well… I'm still terrible at math."
"Very."
"Hey."
Mei let out another small laugh.
Then closed the notebook.
"I think that's enough for today."
"My brain agrees completely."
I stretched tiredly.
And then Mei spoke again.
"Shimizu-san… are you in any clubs?"
"Clubs?"
"Yeah."
I blinked.
"Not really."
Honestly I was barely managing to handle surviving, not dying because of the system, and not having a psychological breakdown about being a woman.
Adding extracurriculars on top of that felt like an act of violence.
Mei hesitated a little.
Then spoke carefully.
"Then… would you like to come with me for a bit?"
"Huh?"
"To the drama club."
Drama club.
My brain automatically pictured people screaming dramatically about the power of friendship.
"I don't know if I'm that kind of person…"
"You don't have to join."
Mei smiled softly.
"Just watch."
…Okay.
That sounded less terrifying.
And besides…
I was genuinely curious.
Because Mei seemed genuinely excited.
"…Alright."
Her eyes lit up a little.
"Then let's go."
The drama club room was in one of the school's older buildings.
Voices could be heard from outside.
When Mei opened the door…
I stopped.
There were about eight people inside.
Some were arranging chairs.
Others were going over scripts.
A girl was practicing expressions in front of a mirror.
And at the back…
Two students were acting out a scene.
"You don't understand anything!"
The girl slammed the table dramatically.
"You always decide everything on your own!"
The boy answered immediately.
"Because someone had to!"
Ah.
…Wait.
That was actually pretty good.
I stood there watching.
It didn't feel fake.
Not like the corporate smiles in the commercials I used to edit.
There was real emotion there.
Nerves.
Mistakes.
Passion.
And then…
Mei walked to the center of the room.
"Sorry for being late."
Everyone turned.
"Mei-senpai!"
"Did you finish tutoring again?"
"Who's she?"
I froze a little.
Too many eyes.
TOO MANY.
Mei introduced me calmly.
"This is Aika Shimizu, from my class."
A skinny boy's eyes went wide.
"Huh? The super pretty girl from second year?"
"Hey, that was blunt!"
"But it's true!"
"Senpai, she looks like an idol!"
WHAT IS HAPPENING?
Mei cleared her throat softly.
"Don't bother her."
"Yes, Mei-senpai!"
…She was kind of scary.
Interesting.
I stayed near the wall trying to become invisible while they kept rehearsing.
And slowly…
I forgot about everything.
The system.
The stream.
The stress.
I just watched.
How they talked.
How they moved.
How they transformed completely when they performed.
Especially Mei.
Because Mei…
Was a different person on stage.
More confident.
More assured.
More radiant.
The quiet, gentle girl from the library disappeared completely.
And honestly…
It was incredible.
I felt something strange in my chest.
Something warm.
I didn't know how to explain it.
But…
For the first time since I arrived in this world…
I saw people doing something because they genuinely loved it.
Not for money.
Not out of pressure.
Not to survive.
Just…
Because they loved doing it.
And that hit harder than I expected.
"Alright, again from scene three."
"Yes!"
The members quickly got into position.
But one of them raised a hand.
"Senpai, Takagi is still sick."
The club president sighed in exhaustion.
"Great. We're short another person for the festival."
"Didn't you find a replacement?"
"Nobody wants to learn that many lines at the last minute."
"We're done for."
Festival.
Huh?
Then Mei spoke casually.
"Shimizu-san could do it."
Silence.
The entire room turned to look at me.
My soul left my body.
"…"
"…"
"…Huh?"