Chapter 2: Could It Really Be Such a Coincidence?

【Yamabuki Tsuki has invited you on a date. Will you accept?】

“Hm?”

Seeing the system’s prompt, Ryuichi Sugawara was taken aback.

So being a rental boyfriend actually counted as an eligible date in the system’s criteria?

Come to think of it, Yamabuki Tsuki—could she be his English teacher?

He wasn’t sure, since most students never knew their teachers’ full names. Usually, they remembered names like Ms. Yamamoto, Mr. Tanaka, Ms. Sato—surname plus honorific. Besides, Yamabuki-sensei had only taught him for less than half a year, starting when he became a third-year high school student, so he wasn’t certain of her full name.

“It can’t possibly be such a coincidence...”

Clinging to disbelief, Ryuichi took out his phone from his pocket.

Upon opening Twitter, he saw a new follower notification. The handle was “Moon.”

Twitter required mutual following for users to become friends and send private messages. Based on the system prompt, could he interpret her following him as a desire to pay for a date?

“There are plenty of people with the surname Yamabuki, and besides, Yamabuki-sensei is so beautiful—she hardly needs to pay for a rental boyfriend.”

Muttering to himself, Ryuichi didn’t want to miss this rare opportunity and decided to follow back.

【You have accepted Yamabuki Tsuki’s date invitation. Activating the Heartbeat Date System...】

“Is that all it takes?”

Seeing the floating window appear before him, Ryuichi was dumbfounded.

This didn’t seem right. They hadn’t even exchanged a single word—just mutually followed each other on Twitter.

At that moment, his phone gently vibrated, and a Twitter DM popped up:

Moon: “Hello, are you really the person in your profile picture?”

Stellar: “Yes, I am.”

Stellar was the screen name Ryuichi came up with, inspired by the naming conventions in the rental boyfriend apps. Anyone smart wouldn’t use their real name.

Moon: “Are you free tomorrow from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.?”

Stellar: “Yes, I am.”

“3 p.m. to 9 p.m.—six hours, that’s forty-five thousand yen!”

Seeing her intended booking time, Ryuichi felt his heart race as he licked his lips.

Moon: “Can you play the role of my younger boyfriend at university and accompany me to a class reunion? The venue is a restaurant in Shibuya, and after dinner, we might move to an izakaya or somewhere similar.”

Based on her explanation, Ryuichi roughly understood the reason she sought a rental boyfriend and fell into thought.

Thinking it over, the reason rental girlfriends and boyfriends were in such high demand, and the prices so high, was likely precisely for emergencies like this.

Spending so much just for the feeling of a romantic date seemed pointless. She specifically sought him out on Twitter, a newcomer, rather than one of the popular rental boyfriends on the app—probably to avoid being recognized by old classmates, which would mean social death.

Stellar: “Pretending to be a boyfriend is part of my job, but these special dates are more challenging since you have to handle more people at once.”

Moon: “I see. Then I’ll have to look for someone else.”

Stellar: “What I meant is that it’s difficult—I might not be perfectly seamless, but I’ll do my best.”

Moon: “No problem. If we’re exposed, that’s on me. Just follow my instructions.”

Stellar: “Alright.”

Stellar: “In that case, you can decide the meeting place.”

Moon: “Let’s meet at 2:50 p.m., in front of the Hachiko statue at Shibuya Station.”

Stellar: “Agreed.”

Moon: “If my classmates start coaxing us to kiss or anything like that, absolutely don’t go along. I won’t accept it.”

Stellar: “Don’t worry, kissing clients isn’t part of my job description.”

Moon: “If you need to wear makeup, don’t overdo it. Just enough to look handsome is fine. Dress like a university student, not too mature.”

Stellar: “No problem.”

Ryuichi was confident in his looks.

He decided to become a rental boyfriend partly because the job was fantastic—short hours, high pay—and partly because he felt he was more attractive than the popular rental boyfriends on the app.

If even average-looking guys could do it, he had no reason not to.

Moon: “The rest of the particulars can wait for our face-to-face meeting. We’ll have two hours to prepare beforehand.”

Stellar: “OK.”

With that, their conversation ended.

Many things couldn’t be clarified over the phone; only a face-to-face meeting would do.

---

After agreeing on the time and place, Ryuichi put down his phone and found that the date system had finished loading.

【The most enchanting part of a date lies in those heart-throbbing moments】

This phrase seemed to be the system’s core principle.

As the words appeared and faded, a pale blue panel popped up.

【Ryuichi Sugawara】

Talents: None

Items: None

Heartbeat Points: 0

Current date partner: Yamabuki Tsuki (expandable)

Aside from his personal details and the so-called heartbeat points, there was a cool-looking treasure chest on the right.

Seeing the chest, Ryuichi instinctively reached out to click it.

Next, the page changed.

【Basic Treasure Chest】

Open once (first draw free)

Ten consecutive draws (costs 100 heartbeat points)

Besides the basic chest, the left and right could switch to intermediate and advanced chests, but those weren’t free and their cost increased tenfold.

For example, opening an intermediate chest once required 100 heartbeat points, an advanced chest 1,000 points.

“A lottery, huh...”

After inspecting it, Ryuichi found it interesting and decided to try the basic chest’s first free draw.

“Open the basic chest?”

“Yes.”

Ryuichi rubbed his hands together, a bit nervous as he nodded.

What the Heartbeat Date System could do—he’d find out through experience.

He hoped it wouldn’t be too stingy; if he got a “thank you for participating,” or a useless prize, he’d be truly disappointed.

Since it was a system product, even if it wasn’t perfect, it shouldn’t be too bad, right?

*Click!*

At that moment, the basic chest was unlocked, emitting dazzling rays of light.

Amid the vibrant colors, a book flew out, hovering in front of the chest.

“Professional J-pop Singing Techniques”

【Congratulations, host, you have gained a professional-level talent—J-pop singing techniques—from the basic chest】

“So, it really is like this...”

Seeing the book’s title and hearing the system’s congratulatory message, Ryuichi felt neither surprised nor disappointed.

J-pop was simply the abbreviation for Japanese pop music.

Since it was a Heartbeat Date System, it was surely meant to help him win women’s hearts.

And the most common talents for that were singing love songs, playing guitar, and writing poetry.

If possible, he’d prefer the ability to write poetry, which would improve his writing skills and help with his university entrance exams.

Before he could ponder further, the technique book transformed into a blue ray and shot into his forehead.

He felt his head suddenly heavy, as if a wealth of knowledge had been forcibly poured in.

It covered Japanese pop singing techniques: breathing and breath control, articulation and vowel handling, resonance and vibrato, high and mid-low notes, emotional expression, control of timbre, musical theory and feeling, and countless Japanese songs.

“More useful than I expected...”

After ten minutes, Ryuichi felt the new knowledge in his mind and his eyes lit up with surprise.

This knowledge infusion felt exquisite; though it happened in the blink of an eye, he now possessed the experience of someone who had spent ten or twenty years learning to sing.

Singing wasn’t much help for his Tokyo University entrance, but it was a powerful tool for dating. Still, the more skills the better—who knew what other talents the system might offer?

Additionally, the system’s personal panel had an item slot—who knew what items he might get?

Recognizing the system’s value, he began to explore its other features.

First was the heartbeat points. After a few clicks, he saw a prompt:

【Heartbeat points are used to open treasure chests and can be exchanged for cash at a rate of 1:100,000 yen. They are earned when a girl experiences a heart-throbbing moment during a date with you.】

“1 to 100,000?”

Seeing this, Ryuichi’s breathing quickened.

A hundred thousand—even in yen—was no small sum. He knew that exhausting himself as a warehouse worker barely earned him just over 120,000 a month.

---

Now, all he had to do was make a girl’s heart skip during a date, and he’d earn almost a month’s salary?

If he understood correctly, by continually dating girls and making them feel heartbeats, he could achieve financial freedom?

Moreover, heartbeat points could be used for the lottery—like the basic chest—giving him talents he could never acquire in a lifetime.

“Whew...”

Fully grasping the value of heartbeat points, Ryuichi let out a long breath, feeling all his worries melt away.

He had never felt so relaxed—this was liberation of the spirit.

To get into Tokyo University, to rise above his class and achieve financial independence as an adult, he had always studied obsessively day and night, striving in every way.

Until he got into Tokyo University, he dared not slack off for a moment—if he wasn’t studying, he was studying. He also had to watch his health, lest he stumble at a crucial moment.

His family was ordinary, with no one to catch him if he failed. If he didn’t get into Tokyo University, his life would be nothing special.

But after witnessing the system’s power, he finally had a choice.

Now, even if he failed the entrance exam, life wouldn’t be the end of the road.

“I still have to aim for Tokyo University... The sunk cost of years of hard study must be reclaimed.”

After the inner excitement, Ryuichi muttered to himself, warning not to let the system’s value cloud his judgment.

Though the system was more powerful than he’d imagined, Tokyo University was still his goal.

Even in a parallel world version of Japan, a Tokyo University diploma would bring many advantages.

Once he calmed down, Ryuichi didn’t get lost in the system; instead, he found the remote on his nightstand and pressed the power button.

*Beep!*

“Time for a shower—gotta prepare for tomorrow’s date!”

Turning on the air conditioner with bravado, Ryuichi stood up and stretched.

If all went well, tomorrow he’d earn forty-five thousand yen in a single day—why not enjoy a little comfort?

————

The statue of Hachiko is Shibuya’s most famous landmark.

The statue commemorates an Akita dog named Hachiko, who waited daily at Shibuya Station for his owner until his death—a story widely known throughout Japan.

The next afternoon, at the plaza outside Shibuya Station, Ryuichi emerged from the crowd.

“Shibuya, huh?”

Stepping out of the station, wearing a mask identical to his profile picture, Ryuichi gazed at the bustling street, feeling excited.

Since enrolling in Takeno High School and moving to Tokyo, it had been two and a half years, but he’d never visited this place.

He had intended to wait until he got into Tokyo University to fulfill all his regrets and wishes, but here he was, doing it ahead of time.

Looking around, Ryuichi didn’t forget his purpose and found the Hachiko statue.

Because it was a famous tourist spot, Saturday afternoons around Hachiko were always lively, with crowds all around.

Soon enough, Ryuichi stood before the Hachiko statue, pausing to inspect it.

He wore the mask not out of shyness, but to match his profile picture and maintain a sense of mystery. Revealing his face later might even surprise the client.

【Yamabuki Tsuki feels her heart race. Heartbeat points +1】

Just then, a prompt appeared in Ryuichi’s peripheral vision.

“Stellar?”

A tentative voice called from his right.

“Yes, I’m Stellar.”

Ryuichi responded immediately upon hearing his screen name.

Turning toward the sound, he saw a woman approaching, wearing a sun hat and black mask, with long, jet-black hair cascading down, dressed in a white dress paired with a beige light jacket.

“Hello, I’m Moon.”

Yamabuki Tsuki drew closer, seeing him masked with only his eyes visible, hands in pockets, tall and slender, and sighed inwardly at how he matched his profile—she politely bowed, hands gripping her bag.

“Yamabuki-sensei?”

It was more than just a familiar surname; now, face to face, Ryuichi scrutinized Yamabuki Tsuki, unable to resist calling out.

Though the woman didn’t wear glasses, and with the sun hat and mask obscuring her features, she didn’t perfectly match his memory of Yamabuki-sensei, but she seemed so familiar.

“Yes... Eh?”

Hearing the address, Yamabuki Tsuki instinctively responded, but as she realized the person before her was her rental boyfriend, she was dumbfounded.

“You’ve got to be kidding—can things really be this coincidental?”

When she confirmed it was true, Ryuichi pressed his hand to his head, feeling a headache coming on.