Seeing the string of numbers in his bank account, Haruto couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion. He never expected that by the time he was a high school freshman, he would have already earned a million yen.
"Three million yen... That's about the average annual income for a young person. Sales of thirty thousand copies—no, forty-six thousand copies—worth that much."
He had once had nearly ten million yen saved up, so three million didn't exactly shock him. Still, deep down, he felt a sense of awe at how far he'd come. His work, once overlooked and doubted, was steadily climbing in popularity.
"A month's time... That qualifies as a bestseller, doesn't it?"
He withdrew five hundred thousand yen from the ATM, took the stack of bills, and slipped them into a prepared envelope, which he then tucked safely inside his coat pocket. After that, he left the ATM.
It wasn't that he didn't want to withdraw more, but the ATM limited how much he could take out at once. To withdraw more, he'd have to go inside the bank. That way, he could get up to two million yen in cash. But Haruto found that too much hassle—he preferred the convenience of the ATM.
"Too much cash isn't safe anyway. This amount is enough for now."
He pressed his right hand gently against his chest, feeling the bulk of the money tucked inside. He planned to give it to Mito Yuka—this would hopefully make her life easier, help her start over.
"At least she can leave that cramped place behind and live somewhere more comfortable."
From the ATM, he made his way to the manga café where Yuka worked. Haruto stopped at the counter, ordered a coffee, and quietly waited inside. This time, he didn't pick up any manga from the shelves.
Sitting quietly on the sofa, sipping his coffee, he waited patiently.
From 5 PM, when he first arrived at the café, until evening, he stayed seated there. When Setsuna called, and he told her he wasn't at his apartment but meeting someone in Shinjuku, she didn't pry—just told him to come home early and then hung up.
Coffee after coffee, he stayed.
Only when night had fully fallen and the streetlights outside flickered on one by one did he finally see her—the girl in the clean white shirt—walk wearily through the door.
Haruto, seated in the corner, noticed Yuka's tired expression and slow steps but said nothing to call her. Seeing she hadn't noticed him, he quietly stood up and followed behind her.
After finishing her classes at school, Yuka went as usual to work her part-time job at a yakiniku restaurant for three hours. The pay was better than before, but the work was far more demanding.
She had to attend to guests, take their orders, and serve dishes. When it wasn't busy, it was manageable—but she worked during the busiest hours.
From the moment she entered the restaurant and put on her uniform, she was non-stop—greeting table after table, serving dishes, clearing tables... no time to rest. By the time her shift ended, she was dizzy and exhausted. Returning to the manga café, she was barely aware of her surroundings.
Watching the girl ahead, Haruto noticed she hadn't seen him yet. He realized how worn out she looked and quietly followed without making a sound or looking back.
He trailed her from the café's main hall all the way to the resting area. When Yuka used her room card to open the door, Haruto quickened his pace.
Just as she entered the room—
Click!
Yuka tried to close the door behind her to rest, but it seemed stuck on something. She tugged at it but it wouldn't close. Turning around, she noticed a hand holding the door open.
"Who?!"
The girl instantly tensed up. Just as she was about to shout, a familiar face appeared before her, and the tension in her body relaxed. Her eyes, filled with mixed emotions, looked at the boy standing in front of her.
"I thought you were some bad guy."
"Don't I look like one?"
"Not at all."
He gently released her hand, and the door slowly opened. Yuka stared at Haruto standing before her, feeling a bit uneasy. The last time they met, he had given her 200,000 yen, and they went out together once. It had been a long time since.
"Do you have time now?" Haruto asked, noticing Yuka's distracted gaze.
"I always have time," she replied, her tired spirit somehow revived after seeing him. A small smile appeared on her face.
"Let's go out together. You haven't had dinner yet, right?"
"No."
"Then let's eat together."
Haruto held out his hand toward the girl. Standing inside the small room, Yuka hesitated a moment before smiling and placing her hand into his.
Hand in hand, they left the manga café and walked through the bustling city streets at night. Both kept silent, gazing at the city lights and passing scenery, neither speaking as they strolled along.
"Simple food, or Western cuisine?"
"Anything's fine."
Yuka smiled as she looked at Haruto's face.
"Then this place it is."
They stopped in front of a restaurant called "Miyazaki Local." Haruto asked for Yuka's opinion; she nodded, and together they entered.
"Are you two the guests?"
"Yes. Do you have a private room?
"We do. Right this way, please."
Led by the waitress, Haruto, still holding Yuka's hand, followed her to a quiet, secluded room. Only then did he release her hand.
The warmth disappeared, replaced by a sudden chill. Yuka's eyes involuntarily looked up at Haruto, who gestured for her to sit. Feeling a slight disappointment, she still smiled and took her seat opposite him.
"This is the menu. When you're ready, just ring the bell."
"Thank you."
"No problem."
The waitress left promptly, and the two quietly looked down at the menu. The prices surprised Yuka. She glanced up at Haruto.
"Hm? What's wrong?"
Noticing her gaze, Haruto looked puzzled.
"The prices here… aren't they a bit… expensive?"
Her hourly wage barely reached a thousand yen, and the dishes here were quite costly.
"Don't worry about the price. Just order what you want. I've prepared well."
"..."
Hearing that, Yuka lowered her eyes and browsed the menu again. After some silent hesitation, she chose modest dishes and wondered whether her savings would cover the meal.
Seeing her conflicted expression, Haruto glanced toward the door, guessing it would be a while before the food arrived.
"How's life been lately?"
"Hm?"
The sudden question pulled Yuka from her thoughts about how long her remaining funds would last after tonight's meal, and how much she'd have to cut back.
"Life lately."
"Nothing's changed. Just like before, school during the day, part-time work after, then rest at the café."
"And your expenses?"
"I haven't used it up. I've saved it up. You're a bit like my father, Miyamizu-kun."
The boy in front of her was clearly younger than her, yet somehow he radiated reliability. Yuka met his clear eyes—deep and unfathomable—and found herself captivated.
"Like a father? Does I really give off that mature vibe?"
"You just feel… reliable. Even though your younger than me, your always there for me. You've helped me so much, supported me in ways I never expected. Your nothing like the other guys I know."
"What are the other guys like?"
Haruto was genuinely curious. He'd always wondered how girls perceived the boys around them. So he asked Yuka directly. She fell silent for a moment, thinking carefully about how best to describe it.
"They're kind of… in that awkward puberty phase? Always bursting with energy, pretending not to care about the girls around them, but still sneaking glances to see how we react. And when they like someone, they act cold and indifferent—like they're trying to hide it… it's like they're saying the opposite of what they mean."
"Are they all like that?"
That description matched a lot of elementary and middle school boys, but Haruto hadn't really noticed it much in high school. The boys in his class all seemed to have pretty distinct personalities.
"And then there are the ones who think they're charming, the ones who come up and talk to you out of nowhere, invite you to go shopping, or ask for your contact info..."
Yuka shook her head slightly as she recalled the guys from her school.
"There are some normal ones too, but they don't really stand out."
"The Book, did you read it?"
Still mulling over the subject of boys at school, Yuka was caught off guard when his suddenly changed the topic. He brought up the book—his book. She looked up at him, eyes meeting his, and after pressing her lips together for a moment, she gave a small nod.
"Yes, I did."
"What did you think?"
"Sad... but not overwhelmingly so. It felt more... real."
When she finished reading it, Yuka hadn't been upset with Haruto about the tragic ending. Instead, she had quietly taken in the story, sat still, and thought about it for a long time.
"If the person I first met hadn't been you… I don't know how things would've turned out. I might've spiraled into something really dark. Maybe… death would've been the best outcome."
In society, compensated dating wasn't exactly rare. In the shadows of the city, it was almost commonplace. For teenage girls still in their adolescence years, surrounded by peer pressure and the constant lure of comparison, how could they not be influenced?
Once someone does it the first time, the second time comes easier. And if it gets out, getting expelled is just a matter of time.
Thinking about it calmly, it's clear how badly it could've ended. Especially for someone like her—someone with no one to protect her. Once she fell into that darkness, she might never have had the chance to stand in the light again.
"Real, huh?"
"It's a bit romanticized, sure… but in reality, I think the ending would've been even more tragic."
"Do you have a boyfriend at school?"
"Huh?"
Yuka blinked, startled by the sudden change in subject. She looked at Haruto, who smiled softly, and gathered her thoughts. Her lips pressed together again as her gaze wavered, then gently settled on him.
"The angel in the book… was that you?"
"The one the protagonist calls an angel? Maybe a little, yeah. But not entirely. I'm not really like that."
"I don't know why the me in the book had a boyfriend, but in real life, I don't. I'm always busy thinking about work. I don't have the time—or the energy—to date anyone."
"That makes sense."
Her answer was so straightforward and logical that Haruto had no reason to doubt it.
"But—"
"Hmm?"
The girl's gaze softened as she looked at the boy sitting across from her. As their eyes met, drawn to each other, she gave a gentle smile and said:
"Whether in the book… or in real life, you're my angel."