Chapter One: A Date Invitation

"Sugawara, my parents won’t be home tomorrow since it’s the weekend. Would you be able to come over and help me with my modern history studies?"
A vibrant high school girl in her uniform appeared in Class 3-1, making her request.

[Fujihara Nao has invited you on a date. Will you accept?]
As the girl spoke, Ryuuichi Sugawara, who was sitting at his desk eating a sandwich, saw these words flash before his eyes.

The prompt made him instinctively glance up.

Standing beside his desk was a girl with long, pink hair, petite and slender, her face delicate and small, clad in a school uniform with pleated skirt and black thigh-high socks—a picture of youthful beauty.

Such a pretty girl inviting someone on a date was truly tempting.

"Only half a year remains before the national entrance exams. I need to study myself, so I might not be able to help you. If you really want to improve, I recommend joining a cram school."

After a brief silence, Ryuuichi Sugawara chose to refuse.

He had worked hard for so many years, and now was just one step away from finishing the national exams and entering Tokyo University or Kyoto University. He couldn’t afford to waste time on dates.

It’s well known that romance costs time, energy, and even money.

He’d learned this lesson deeply in his previous life.

All relationships require maintenance, and girlfriends especially demand time and attention.

"Alright," the girl said.

Seeing that he wouldn’t agree even after such a direct request, she left looking dejected.

With the girl gone, Ryuuichi Sugawara continued eating his sandwich, turning the pages of his book with one hand.

He had crossed over to a parallel world version of Japan for eighteen years now.

The initial excitement faded as reality set in, and it took him three years to see things clearly.

He was sure this was a parallel Japan because people in this world were born with hair of every color imaginable. Though his hair remained black, seeing others with naturally blond, red, or even white hair was undeniably abnormal.

He saw reality for what it was when Japan won three consecutive World Cups, making it impossible for him to get rich quick through gambling.

Since he couldn’t get rich overnight, he had no choice but to work hard.

Armed with adult knowledge and self-discipline, he excelled academically, always the teacher’s favorite and regarded by classmates as a model student and bookworm.

As the undisputed top student at Buyano High, with a deviation score of 72, so long as he maintained his performance, admission to Tokyo University was all but guaranteed.

Now, as the system finally awakened, he had no interest in its offer.

It wasn’t arrogance or disdain for external help; he simply rejected the system because its name was the Heartbeat Dating System—it was clearly geared toward romance, not academic excellence, cultivation, or godhood.

If it had been an academic system, he would have considered it without hesitation.

Just then, a slightly overweight boy wearing glasses pulled up a chair and sat beside Ryuuichi’s desk.

"Ryuuichi, isn’t it a waste? There’s only one year of high school left. If you don’t start dating now, you might never have the chance to go out with a high school girl again."

"If you really think she’s so great, you can still catch up to her now. Miss this chance and you may never date a high school girl again."

Ryuuichi glanced at him and replied in kind.

Sato Shota—his only friend at Buyano High—their friendship was odd. Shota, the second in their grade, studied relentlessly but still couldn’t beat Ryuuichi. Frustrated, he tried to use strategy, pretending to surrender while secretly planning to compete.

But Ryuuichi hadn’t ever paid attention to the second-ranked student, failing to recognize him at first, which annoyed Shota greatly.

In the end, when Shota realized he truly couldn’t surpass Ryuuichi, he admitted defeat, and through repeated interactions, they became study partners and friends.

"I wish I could, but she’s not interested in me. I’m not as handsome as you."

Shota turned around in his seat, resting on the chair back and shrugging.

"Really? Did you actually pursue her?"

Ryuuichi, only teasing at first, was surprised by Shota’s reaction.

"What else? Of course I did," Shota answered, punching Ryuuichi’s shoulder indignantly.

He had indeed pursued her, only to be rejected flatly. Ryuuichi’s repeated refusals were, in a way, restoring Shota’s pride.

"Then she’s simply not very wise. Any girl with sense would know the value of Tokyo University."

Out of respect, Ryuuichi never spoke ill of others behind their backs, but for his friend’s sake, he made an exception.

"No need to comfort me. Tokyo University is prestigious, but until you actually get in, it means nothing."

"That’s true."

Ryuuichi agreed.

For ordinary people, Tokyo University was the easiest ticket to social mobility.

Many girls understood that dating or marrying a Tokyo University student was the most direct way to rise in status.

That was why he wasn’t in a hurry to date and ignored the system’s prompts, focusing on his studies.

He could always pursue romance after getting into Tokyo University. With a new circle, he might meet the granddaughter of a university professor, a corporate heiress, or a politician’s daughter.

"Ha ha ha, it’s amazing! You guys should try it!"
Suddenly, boisterous laughter erupted from a corner of the classroom.

The unexpected commotion made Ryuuichi glance over, curious about what was so amusing.

"They’re talking about rental girlfriends," Shota explained.

"Rental girlfriends?"

Ryuuichi pondered, memories from his previous life resurfacing—he vaguely recalled an anime by that name.

"Senior year is stressful, right? Someone tried renting a girlfriend. For thirty thousand yen, you get a sweet date experience—holding hands, and even cosplay according to your request, though that costs extra."

"I see."

With Shota’s explanation, Ryuuichi understood why those classmates were so excited.

Clearly, someone in their class had tried it and was now sharing their experience.

"This job is a money grab. Whether it’s rental girlfriends or boyfriends, the minimum rate is five thousand yen per hour, and you have to book at least two hours. Just watching a movie with someone costs at least ten thousand yen, and yet many people pay for the experience."

Now that the topic was opened, Shota became quite talkative.

"???"

Learning this, Ryuuichi was stunned, staring at Shota in disbelief.

Rental boyfriends earn at least five thousand yen per hour? Was that even real?

"Sorry, am I boring you with all this? Well, you don’t need to pay for a rental girlfriend."

Noticing Ryuuichi’s silence and apparent lack of interest, Shota quickly changed the subject.

"Mhm."

Ryuuichi nodded, not denying it.

Dating girls already cost money; paying someone for company was unnecessary. He didn’t have that kind of spare cash.

"The next class is English, right?"

Shota, seeing Ryuuichi agree, laughed and shifted the topic.

"Yeah."

Ryuuichi checked the schedule and confirmed.

"Great, we get to see Ms. Yamabuki again."

With confirmation, Shota smiled in anticipation.

"Mhm."

Ryuuichi nodded. Though senior year was busy, lunch breaks remained the same. With the bell marking the end of lunch, afternoon classes began:

Ding ding ding!

As the bell rang, a graceful figure entered the classroom.

Ryuuichi, seated in the second row from the side, could see the teacher arrive immediately.

Ms. Yamabuki, the English teacher, had hair as black as a waterfall, a refined, mature face framed by rimless glasses, and a tall, shapely figure wrapped in a white dress. The skirt revealed pale, delicate calves, and her feet were clad in gray flats, showing jade-like ankles.

Her demeanor was gentle, with the air of a lady.

As she entered, Ryuuichi, the class president, was the first to stand.

"Good afternoon, teacher!"

The next moment, the whole class stood and greeted her in unison.

"Good afternoon, everyone. Please be seated."

Approaching the podium, Yamabuki Tsuki, hearing the greeting, instinctively glanced at Ryuuichi, surveyed the classroom, and responded once she reached the front.

Nothing ever went wrong in class, especially among top students.

—

As night fell, at 21:34, Ryuuichi Sugawara returned to his rented apartment.

School had ended at 16:00, but he came home late because he had a part-time job.

He worked as a warehouse manager every evening, taking full shifts on weekends, responsible for inventory, bookkeeping, and cleaning. The monthly salary was one hundred twenty thousand yen.

For a high school student, this was a high wage; he chose the job because he could study during work hours and enjoy air conditioning.

Placing his backpack aside, Ryuuichi opened the window for ventilation, letting the evening breeze disperse the early June heat.

Although his apartment had air conditioning, he was reluctant to use it—Tokyo’s electricity bills were outrageous.

His family wasn’t poor, but certainly not wealthy. He was careful with money, not wanting to burden his parents.

"Once I get into Tokyo University, I can tutor part-time and won’t have to scrimp so much," he murmured, gazing into the night breeze.

He’d already checked—Tokyo University students earned high hourly rates as tutors, over three thousand yen.

Standing by the window for a while, Ryuuichi suddenly remembered something and started searching for rental boyfriend information, eventually downloading a specialized app.

"This kind of rental boyfriend charges seven thousand yen an hour? And has lots of clients, with good reviews?"

"If he can do it, so can I."

"If I’d known about this job, I wouldn’t have bothered with warehouse work."

After some research, Ryuuichi found Shota’s information to be accurate—and even more astonishing than he’d imagined.

Five thousand yen per hour was the norm; the most popular rental boyfriends charged up to eight thousand.

Despite the high rates, the service strictly limited interaction to hand-holding during dates—hugs or closer contact depended on the boyfriend’s consent.

"Let’s try registering."

"Can’t register under twenty…"

"I don’t believe it. Even without this app, I can still be a rental boyfriend."

Though his plan hit a snag at step one, Ryuuichi wasn’t about to let a good opportunity slip.

Short hours, high pay—the only drawback was the embarrassment if acquaintances found out about his job.

But having lived as an adult in his previous life and now again, he didn’t share the narrow-mindedness of teenagers.

If he could make a living from this, it’d be his skill.

In both worlds, those who could earn money were truly capable—sewer workers and garbage collectors ended up buying homes and cars, enjoying enviable lives.

Through his search, he quickly found another method: posting personal information on Twitter with the hashtag #TokyoRentalBoyfriend to attract clients.

"Done!"

After spending over half an hour, Ryuuichi finally finished.

He registered a new Twitter account, changed the profile photo to a masked side-face selfie, attached labels like witty, considerate, skilled conversationalist, understanding boundaries, polite, respectful to women, newcomer, and set his rate at seventy-five hundred yen per hour, minimum two hours, joining relevant topics.

He chose a masked selfie not to hide his identity, but because he knew the formula: hairstyle + brows + mask + good angle = online heartthrob.

Maintaining mystery was more attractive than generic full-face photos, and aroused curiosity.

As for the high rate, he knew wealthy women’s mindset when shopping—not buying what’s right, but buying what’s expensive.

"Time for a shower."

Sitting on the bed with his phone for ten minutes, Ryuuichi noticed nothing happened and realized waiting wasn’t going to work.

Just as he turned to the wardrobe, a line appeared before his eyes:

[Yamabuki Tsuki has invited you on a date. Will you accept?]