I Suddenly Became Rich, But I Have No Idea How to Spend the Money

The fall semester had begun, and before long, a festive mood started to spread throughout the university.

Yes, it was the season of the school festival.

This year, I planned to go around the festival with Hitomi.

“I’m really looking forward to the festival this year.”

“Right? I always feel a bit giddy when a festival is approaching! It’s my first time properly going around a festival while having a boyfriend!”

I was glad to see that Hitomi was looking forward to it as well.

Neither of us belonged to any club or society at the moment, so we would be attending the festival purely as visitors.

Despite eagerly waiting for the day to arrive, it felt surprisingly far away. But at last, the festival day had come.

That day, the two of us dressed up a little and arrived at the university, instantly drawing attention from those around us.

Not to brag, but I was tall, had been working out recently, and had developed just the right amount of muscle. My facial features weren’t bad to begin with. On top of that, I had started wearing quality clothing thanks to some financial investment, and with fashion advice from stylish people around me—mainly Hitomi and Emma—I had developed a refined yet strangely alluring aura, bordering on mysterious.

I probably looked like a model from Safari or Leon magazine.

I was on a different level from those lanky, wannabe models who often appeared in university lifestyle magazines.

Hitomi, on the other hand, was naturally stunning to the point of being almost overpowering.

No matter what she wore—be it from Shim○ra, Uni○lo, Pra○da, or Chan○l—she looked incredible.

Her innate sense of style, cultivated since childhood, refused to let her dress sloppily, further amplifying her radiance. To the other university students, she didn’t even seem like one of them anymore.

Perhaps due to our aura, we both appeared a little older than our actual age, making us look like a young, affluent couple.

As we basked in the admiring gazes of those around us, we smoothly made our way through the festival, watching the drama club’s performance, enjoying a live band, and simply having fun.

Then, I heard someone call out to Hitomi.

It seemed to be one of her female friends.

When we approached, we found out that a professor from the seminar Hitomi hoped to join in her third year was struggling with last-minute preparations for an academic conference at Osaka University. They were looking for extra hands for just one day and asked if she would be willing to help.

“You should go! It’ll be a great experience for you.”

“Really? I’m so sorry…

I’ll contact you as soon as I’m done!

I’ll treat you to dinner to make up for it!!”

“Got it. I’ll be waiting!”

Though I felt a bit lonely, I told myself it was for her sake and saw her off with a smile.

With Hitomi gone, my schedule was now completely open, so I began wandering around the campus.

The festival was being held at a different campus from where I usually attended classes. As a result, I didn’t know many people there and was starting to run out of things to do.

Just then, someone called out to me.

“Huh? Kirishima?”

“Hm? Oh! Hirota!”

The one who called out was Hirota, a student from the Faculty of Science.

We had taken the same general education class in our first year, and by chance, we ended up talking often. Even now, we maintained a casual friendship.

“What’s up? Are you alone today?”

“Nah, I just saw my girlfriend off and am waiting to meet up again.”

“Girlfriend!? No way! Since when?!”

“Well, it’s pretty recent, I guess.”

“Who is she?”

“A girl named Hitomi Yuuki.”

“You mean that famous one?! You’re her boyfriend?!”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

As we were chatting excitedly, another person called out to us.

“Hirota-seeenpai, what are you up to~?”

“Oh, Shimada-chan. I just ran into an old friend. Kirishima, this is one of my club juniors, Mai Shimada.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Oh, so you’re Kirishima! Hello~!”

I knew immediately—I didn’t like this girl.

Her slow, drawn-out way of speaking, the constant, meaningless grin, and her overall air of carelessness… none of it sat well with me.

And more than that, I could tell she was a liar.

She already knew who I was.

I had noticed her watching us from a distance while Hirota and I were talking, carefully choosing the right moment to approach.

But above all, I didn’t like the way she was looking at me.

Lately, there had been rumors around campus that I was ridiculously wealthy.

When I first heard about them, I finally understood why girls from the university’s most social and outgoing groups had started approaching me so frequently.

Shimada had the same look in her eyes as those girls.

There was no way I could ever like someone like her.

“Senpaiii, if you’re free, wanna walk around together? Kirishima-san, you should come too!”

“Hmm, what do you think, Kirishima?”

“Nah, I’m good.”

“Aww, come on! Let’s go together~!”

I wanted to say, I don’t want to because you’re here, but for Hirota’s sake, I couldn’t outright reject the offer. Reluctantly, I agreed.

As the three of us wandered the festival, I quickly noticed that this Shimada girl was extremely touchy.

Her intentions were painfully obvious.

Objectively speaking, she had a cute, tanuki-like face—likely very appealing to guys. Her body also had a certain curviness to it.

And she knew it.

She was fully aware of her appeal and was using it to its fullest potential.

But she had chosen the wrong target.

I had a girlfriend. And when comparing Hitomi to Shimada, Hitomi won in every category.

The difference between them was like heaven and earth.

Living with someone like Hitomi nearly every day, Shimada’s attempts at seduction were nothing more than an annoyance.

Eventually, Shimada seemed to realize that her charms weren’t working on me in the slightest, and her frustration started to show.