I sat on the edge of the bed, turning the faded blue tin box over in my hands.
The cool metal felt heavier than it actually was. My mind kept looping back to the way Aoi had crossed her arms, dead serious, and called herself my manager.
'Manager, huh?'
A faint smile broke across my face. In my past life, managers were cynical, cigar-chomping executives who looked at talent like cattle to be milked for commissions. Having a short, grumpy fifteen-year-old high schooler fill the role was definitely an upgrade.
I popped the tin open. Inside was a neat stack of folded bills, meticulously saved. Every yen represented a small piece of security she had held onto in this miserable apartment.
"I'm definitely paying this back tenfold," I muttered, setting the box down.
I pulled out my phone, navigating to the official digital portal for international copyright distribution. Thanks to the system's underlying code protocols, the interface was streamlined, but the government processing fees were still entirely real. I typed in my legal details, linked the preliminary files for Believer and Numb, and entered the payment amount.
Click.
[Processing Payment...]
[Transaction Successful. Global Copyright Secured for Alias: User_Ren]
A weight I didn't even know I was carrying suddenly lifted from my chest. The songs were legally mine now. No corporate label could touch them without a massive lawsuit.
The moment the confirmation screen cleared, my vision suddenly flickered with a violent burst of blue light.
[System Alert!]
[Hidden Track Milestone Achieved: Quick Horizon]
[Condition Met: The uploaded video 'Numb_Cover' has officially surpassed 100,000 views within the first 12 hours of release!]
[Reward: +3000 XP, +1 WIS, Unique Title Unlocked: 'Protected Maverick']
[Title Effect: All official legal contracts and copyright protections managed by the User are 20% less vulnerable to corporate exploitation loops.]
My eyes widened.
'A hundred thousand views already?'
A massive spike of adrenaline shot straight through my spine. Twelve hours. It had only been twelve hours since I slammed the laptop lid shut, and the track had already cracked six figures. My thumb practically twitched with the urge to open the MeTube app. I wanted to see the exact numbers. I wanted to read the comments. I wanted to see if the internet was tearing itself apart over the raw, gritty acoustics.
I held the phone up, my finger hovering less than a millimeter away from the screen.
Thump. Thump.
My heart hammered against my ribs. The temptation was overwhelming.
'No.'
I gritted my teeth, forcing my thumb back. Stable Breath kicked in, sending a wave of cool logic through my mind to damp down the excitement.
'If I look now, the one-week ban is ruined,' I told myself, locking the phone screen and throwing the device onto the mattress. 'A hundred thousand is just a drop in the bucket anyway. If I let myself get distracted today, tomorrow's training arc falls behind.'
I took a deep, steadying breath. The excitement was still buzzing under my skin, making me feel incredibly giddy, but discipline was what kept a star alive.
[Wisdom Stat Updated: 9 -> 10]
The subtle increase in Wisdom settled my thoughts instantly. The mental fog cleared.
I walked out into the kitchen to put the empty tin box away. Aoi was sitting at the low table, typing furiously on her phone. She didn't look up when I entered, but her ears tensed slightly.
"Did you do it?" she asked, her voice deliberately casual.
"Yeah," I said, sliding the box back onto her shelf. "Global distribution and legal protections are locked in. You're officially managing a fully copyrighted artist."
Aoi stopped typing. She stared at her phone screen for a long, quiet moment before letting out a soft, satisfied grunt.
"Good. Don't make me lose my investment," she muttered, though the tiny, triumphant glint in her irises told a completely different story.