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

One day, about a month after I received my Lexus, a certain topic was making waves at Osaka University’s Faculty of Law, where I diligently attended classes every day.

A massive, intimidating car had been spotted parked in the university lot, and what’s more, it apparently belonged to a student.

When I heard about this from a friend on campus, I suppressed the uneasy feeling rising within me.

“Oh crap, there’s a ninety-percent chance that’s my car.”

Still, I feigned ignorance and responded casually.

“Oh really? That’s interesting. What kind of car is it?”

“Some big Lexus SUV, apparently.”

Ah, I see. So it is my car after all.

“Huh, sounds fancy,” I replied, maintaining my poker face.

Though I pretended not to care, deep down, I was hoping with all my might that no one would connect the dots.

Every time I overheard students in the lecture hall saying things like, “Man, I’d love to ride in that Lexus,” I made a firm vow in my heart:

Anyone who says that kind of thing is definitely not getting a ride.

After that, I started parking in a lot farther from the law faculty, making sure that none of my acquaintances, or really anyone who knew me, would find out about my commute.

“It’d be a real pain if someone I knew found out and decided to mess with my car,” I muttered to myself.

However, the height of summer in Osaka is brutally hot—hot enough to melt a person.

The idea of enjoying the cool comfort of my car only to park far away and walk under the blazing sun quickly became unbearable. I abandoned my plan almost immediately.

Was it just as hot as previous years, or even worse? I felt like I asked myself that question every summer.

Amidst this relentless heat, I was forming a plan.

I wasn’t part of any clubs or extracurricular activities, but I was itching to go on a trip with friends.

I had broken up with my ex during the winter of my first year, right around the time I quit my club activities. (Or rather, it would be more accurate to say I quit my club because I broke up with her.)

It had been over six months since then, and I hadn’t been dating anyone.

But recently, things had started to change.

I had gotten close to a girl who happened to sit next to me in one of my classes. (Though, to be fair, all girls I met at university were technically college girls.) We started keeping in touch regularly and were becoming pretty friendly.

Her name was Hitomi Yuuki.

I wanted to go on a trip with her.

This might be a bit of a tangent, but let me describe “Kirishima’s” appearance for a moment.

In a word: average.

Not particularly outstanding in looks, but neat and tidy, with a gentle expression that left a favorable impression on most people.

He was good at conversation, articulate, and had a slight tendency to overthink things. But being a Type O blood person, he was generally easygoing. Still, he had his own strong preferences, though nothing so extreme that he couldn’t compromise when necessary.

Basically, no woman outright disliked him upon first meeting.

That said, he wasn’t the type to aggressively pursue relationships, so he often ended up as just a good friend. This left some of the women around him feeling a bit unsatisfied.

“Now, what should I do? I want to go on a trip with Hitomi, but just the two of us might raise suspicions. On the other hand, I don’t want it to turn into some big group thing.”

Lately, that thought had been occupying my mind.

I was never a fan of big group outings.

I didn’t mind large-scale events like school festivals, but spending private time with a bunch of people just didn’t appeal to me.

“And if we go on a trip, there’s a good chance she’ll find out about my money… University students start looking at their boyfriends’ finances at this stage.”

In fact, my last relationship ended due to financial disagreements.

My ex had firmly believed that the guy should always pay for dates, which led to repeated arguments.

When she insisted we spend Christmas at Disneyland, we ended up in a dispute over the expenses, and in the end, we broke up before the holiday even arrived.

Right now, my total assets had already surpassed 20 billion yen and were on track to reach 30 billion soon. Without a doubt, I was the richest student at Osaka University.

I decided there was no point in overthinking it and took action.

Kirishima: “Hey, Hitomi-chan, are you free right now?”

Hitomi: “Oh, Kirishima-kun! Hey, what’s up? I’m free.”

Kirishima: “Wanna grab some food tomorrow? I found a really nice Japanese restaurant and thought you might like it.”

Hitomi: “Ohh!! Sounds great!! You’ve got good taste, so I have high expectations for this!!”

A positive response came back, complete with a cheerful sticker.

Kirishima: “Great! How about we go after our last lecture?”

Hitomi: “OK!! Let’s take the class together then!!”

I had a weakness for the phrase “Let’s do [something] together.”

“She’s so naturally affectionate… It’s really cute,” I thought to myself.

Kirishima: “Sounds good! See you tomorrow!”

Hitomi: “Yup!”

Her energetic reply put my mind at ease.

“For now, everything’s going well.”

As I continued debating whether or not to reveal my financial status, I came to a conclusion: I’d show her the car and gauge her reaction first.

“I’m looking forward to dinner tomorrow. I should decide on the exact place…”

With that thought in mind, I carried on with my classes for the day.