Chapter 7

It all started back in middle school.

The details are fuzzy now, but I’m pretty sure it was during a social studies class.

Our teacher was a bit eccentric. One day, in the middle of a casual discussion, he started talking about stock trading—out of nowhere. He went on and on, explaining how the stock market worked and how people made money from it.

I didn’t understand most of it. Honestly, it went way over my head at the time.

But there’s one thing I never forgot.

At the end of class, he showed us a stock trading simulation.

That one demo changed everything for me.

Out of curiosity, I tried it at home—and somehow, I was good at it.

Within six months, I’d grown my virtual portfolio nearly five times over. That early success made me think: Maybe I could actually do this.

Confident, maybe too confident, I brought it up with my parents. Thankfully, they believed in hands-on learning. They agreed—on two conditions: I could only use my own savings, and no margin trading.

Looking back, it was reckless. I had no real understanding of the market—just a bunch of gut instincts. I did study after that, sure, but not nearly enough. By all rights, I should’ve lost everything and walked away.

But I didn’t.

I got lucky.

The first real stock I bought? A company that made my favorite mobile game. The share price exploded.

After a few more lucky wins, I’d built a small fortune.

"What’re you doing?"

Yuu asked casually after dinner while I was checking stock prices on my laptop.

"Uh..."

I paused.

Should I tell them the truth?

Money’s tricky. It attracts the wrong kind of attention. After people found out about my gains, even distant relatives I barely knew came knocking, asking for loans.

My parents kicked them out and told them never to come back, but the whole thing rattled me. I was still just a kid back then.

So now I’m careful. Real careful.

I looked at Yuu, still unsure.

"This is...?"

They tilted their head, golden hair sliding over one shoulder, their expression full of innocent curiosity.

...Maybe I’m overthinking it.

I couldn’t picture Yuu freaking out over money or turning greedy.

They’re my best friend.

If I can’t trust Yuu, who can I trust?

So I decided to just be honest.

"I’m checking stock prices."

"Stocks? Like... the thing that makes people jump in front of trains?"

I almost spat out my drink.

"N-no! I mean—yeah, sometimes, but that’s not what it’s about!"

Okay, sure, there are train delays when the markets crash—stocks, forex, crypto—I've seen the headlines. But calling that the definition of stocks? Yikes.

Clearly, Yuu had some... questionable impressions of investing.

Maybe it’s the other world they came from? Yuu doesn’t talk about it much, but if they didn’t have stock markets there...

Wait—stocks started around the 1600s, right? Maybe their world was just stuck in a pre-capitalist era.

...Doesn’t matter right now.

The important thing is, if Yuu’s going to stay in Japan, they should at least know how this stuff works.

So, when they kept tilting their head with growing confusion, I figured I might as well explain.

From the basics.