Akari Hojo had misunderstood one major thing—she never knew that Astavore Alan had no talent whatsoever in composing songs.
Everything he achieved was only thanks to the skill he gained from the Jack of Hearts. Without that card, he was nothing more than an ordinary teenager, no different from the millions of other kids in Tokyo.
It was solely the card's power that allowed him to climb upward, to rival and even surpass Akari Hojo's natural talent. And even then, his path was anything but easy.
Only when Akari Hojo reached perfection did Astavore finally qualify to exchange for Level 5 Tracks, the true masterpieces.
But that was just the unlock, not counting the astronomical cost of purchase. A single Level 3 song alone cost fifty million yen. Even if its release succeeded, it would take a long time to recoup the investment.
Take, for example, a song he wrote for Akari Hojo. Based on their current buzz, even if he sold the full copyright, the proceeds would be barely enough to buy a modest condominium in Tokyo.
Let alone securing their future for life, just achieving a sense of stability was still a distant dream.
A couple, no matter how great they were, always carried sorrows at every turn.
Astavore knew one truth very well: love without money was nothing but a house built on sand. Fragile. No matter how beautiful the promises, without financial foundation, that house would collapse at the first tremor. Even if they did marry, how long could their happiness last?
The Akari Hojo who loved him at fifteen—would she still feel the same at twenty-eight, or thirty-five? Time could change everything. People fall in love with different faces and hearts at each stage of their lives.
It took a long time, long reflections, before Astavore finally realized one bitter truth: from the start, he had been wrong.
Akari Hojo had no grand dream. She never sought the throne of a world-class diva. She was simply… oddly obsessed with romance.
All her focus fell onto their relationship. Instead of practicing, she spent her precious hours learning to cook, arranging flowers.
Shit, was she enrolled in some bridal training program?
At this rate, when would she ever reach the level of perfection? And when would she ever be worthy of a God-tier song?
Love had clouded her mind, robbing her of rationality. Even if Astavore tried to coax her back into training, any progress would crawl at a snail's pace until she entered university.
If this continued, Akari Hojo's future would only slip away beyond saving, and her future would slide irreversibly toward that of a housewife. And that meant… her career would be over.
After wrestling with that reality, Astavore made a bitter decision. He decided to end their relationship right after graduating first year of Senior High School. It was the best choice, for both himself and Akari.
That way, he could continue his greater mission: cultivating the next target, chasing his ambition to become the richest man in Japan, and pursuing other mysterious cards. Meanwhile, freed from the chains of love, Akari at least might face reality and build her own career.
He left behind a short breakup letter along with a few last songs. After that, Astavore vanished from her life, without telling where he would transfer schools. No quarrels, no tears he witnessed firsthand.
With her natural talent, Akari Hojo could still endure. She could still sing the songs Astavore had left behind. Even without him, she could still shine, though perhaps not as brightly as she should have.
Yet two consecutive failures were enough to open Astavore's eyes. At his new school, he could not repeat the same mistakes. This time, his target had to be different.
He wasn't looking for a girl with lofty dreams of conquering the world. He only needed someone who shared the same obsession, money.
And at last, his search led him to one name: Nozomi Sakura.
At first, what drew Astavore's attention was only her acting potential—SSS Rank, something rare among millions of people. But after investing a few hundred thousand yen through his card, he discovered that Nozomi was more than just talented.
She was perfect.
Her intelligence was average, perhaps even below. Fond of showing off in middle school, and now was buried under two million yen in debt. Her looks were stunning, her acting talent world-class, and most importantly—she was obsessed with money.
Nozomi was single, never had a boyfriend, and from her personality, she wasn't the type to lose her head just because of love.
Did she dream of becoming a big star? It didn't matter. Her ultimate motivation was money.
And that was exactly what Astavore needed.
He would guide her slowly, letting Nozomi's own desires push her toward the peak. This time, he would not fail.
Bzzzt. Bzzzt. Bzzzzt.
The buzzing of a phone on the table broke his reverie.
Astavore shook his head, pulling himself out of the stream of thoughts, then reached for his phone.
In an instant, his eyes widened.
"Akari…"