Ryo: [You're back? When can I get the money?] Ryo: [It's urgent!]
Rin Ito: [I know you're anxious, but take it easy.] Rin Ito: [I just got home. Let me rest. Tomorrow. I'll give it to you tomorrow.]
The Baumkuchen training camp was officially over. Their goals were met; even Utaha and Sumi had finished the first volumes of their new novels. Ten-Bunsha was even planning a 5-million-copy celebration for Sumi, where she'd announce her new book.
Meanwhile, Nijika and Eriri had finalized the plan to "teach Ryo a lesson."
After returning, Rin purposefully ignored Ryo for a day. Ryo, hearing from Bocchi that he was back, bombarded him with messages. If she knew where he lived, she would have broken down his door.
It was understandable. If she didn't pay by the start of the term, the lenders would tell her parents and the school. Ryo didn't care if people thought she was a weirdo, but she didn't want them knowing she was a debtor—especially her parents. They were just waiting for her to fail so they could mock her.
Rin suspected that if Ryo couldn't pay, the lenders would just introduce her to another "partner" to borrow more, squeezing the rich girl dry. 1 million would turn into 10 million in no time.
...
After making her wait, Rin finally met Ryo at a cafe. It was a weekday morning, and the cafe was nearly empty. Rin arrived ten minutes early and spotted Ryo immediately. She was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt under a t-shirt and an ankle-length skirt—very tomboyish. She looked anxious, and instead of coffee, she had a glass of free lemon water in front of her.
"You're early," Rin smiled as he sat down.
"If I don't pay before school starts, my parents will find out and I'm dead... they'll never let me hear the end of it." Ryo had started the band out of rebellion. Her parents would pay the debt, but they'd hold it over her head forever.
Looking at her stubborn expression, Rin shook his head. She acted mature, but she was still a kid. He ordered two coffees and slid a promissory note toward her.
"Sign this first. Then I'll go with you to pay them back."
"Yes, yes!" Ryo nodded eagerly and grabbed a pen. But before she could sign, Rin pulled the paper back, his expression serious.
"Promise me. You will never borrow from those people again."
"I promise." Ryo didn't hesitate.
Rin knew her only thought was getting the money; she wasn't really listening. But Eriri would fix that. He gave her the note, and she signed it with a sigh of relief, sinking into her chair.
"Good thing you borrowed for instruments and not pachinko. Otherwise... hmph."
"Don't worry, President. I'm not interested in gambling. My money goes to instruments and food."
They talked for a while until it was time for the meeting. Rin had told Ryo to meet the lenders in a park. This was the Hidden World, after all; safety was a concern. Rin was strong enough to take on a few guys, but any more and he'd have to run.
As they reached the meeting spot, Rin saw two guys with dyed yellow hair and flashy clothes, along with a student-aged boy, sitting on a bench. Rin stepped in front of Ryo, shielding her. One of the thugs looked them over.
"Yo, Yamada-san. Boyfriend? Or is this 'Daddy'? If you want a 'Daddy,' you don't need to look this hard. We can introduce you to plenty."
Ryo didn't look scared. She looked at them with a blank, cold face.
"With your undeveloped little dicks? You probably aren't even half of him. You want to be my Daddy?"
Ryo had only seen the "real thing" once (Rin's), but based on health class, she knew Rin was way above average.
The thug's lip twitched. Being insulted by a high school girl was humiliating. He reached out to grab her, but Ryo ducked behind Rin. Rin grabbed the man's wrist and twisted.
"Why don't you try my—ARGH!!!! OW OW OW!!! STOP!!! AHHH!!!" The thug screamed as his joint was wrenched. Rin's reinforced body was far faster and stronger than a normal person's.
Rin didn't want to talk to these bottom-tier thugs. He shoved the man back, making the other two stumble.
"Shut up. Give me the note, I'm paying the debt."
"Tsk..."
They thought about pulling knives, but they didn't dare do it in public. They wanted to shake her down for more, but getting the principal and interest back was better than nothing. They'd deal with Ryo later; they weren't planning on letting a "cash cow" like her go easily.
Rin got the note and transferred the money as promised.
"We're even. By the way... who do you work for? Never mind... what's your name?" Rin asked the student-aged boy.
"His name is Saita Aki," Ryo answered.
"What... what are you going to do?" The student panicked. Anyone who could pay that much debt at once was clearly rich. Does he know some Yakuza boss?
"Heh..." Rin smiled but said nothing. Even if the debt was paid, they might still harass her. These guys usually had a "big brother" or a "boss" behind them.
If that's the case... I'll just talk to their boss directly.