Chapter 14: A Predictable Twist, Yet Still Welcome

Even though Kyren had a copy of Luo Tianyi's Idol Training Basics on his phone, he hesitated. It didn't feel right to pass it along without asking her first. After all, if he shared it without her permission, wasn't that just... piracy, in spirit if not in name?

Under Eli Ayase's curious gaze, Kyren pulled out his phone. As a reflex, he glanced at the top right corner of the screen. His eyes twitched.

Full battery. Still.

From noon until now, not a single percent had drained. Kyren would bet his last instant noodle that it was the chat system's doing. Nothing else made sense.

This phone was a relic—so old he usually avoided going online with it. Under normal conditions, the battery would plummet from full to under 20% in less than six hours. But now? Miraculously untouched.

Typical. The system would go out of its way to optimize trivial things like battery life but refused to give him even the tiniest newbie perk.

Where was the justice?

I mean seriously—who's ever heard of a time traveler who spent their first night homeless? Or one who stressed over finding a job? Or struggled with legal identity issues?

Well, now you have. Congratulations.

Kyren, despite being a so-called "system-assisted transmigrator," had arrived in this world with little more than the clothes on his back—and a glorified group chat app.

A deep breath. Enough griping. Time to message Luo Tianyi and ask if he could share her training material with Eli. He figured she'd say yes—she seemed the generous type—but etiquette mattered. Sometimes, the journey was as important as the destination.

He opened the chat app.

After he'd logged off earlier, the group had gone oddly quiet. Scrolling through the chat history, he found the earlier flurry of messages: Kotori Minami asking Luo Tianyi about idol techniques—timing, stage presence, even hair flips. Luo Tianyi answered each one with her signature cheerful insight… all while enthusiastically munching on various snacks.

The girl had earned her title: Her Royal Highness, the Glutton of the World.

Kyren almost felt bad interrupting them, but he'd already promised Eli. So he typed:

"Tianyi-chan, is it okay to share your Idol Training Basics with someone else?"

Maybe it was the abruptness of the message—coming from the Group Owner, no less—but for a moment, silence fell across the virtual space.

One second…

Two…

Three…

…Was he cursed with the power to kill conversations?

Just as the thought crossed his mind, a response appeared.

"Is this person your friend, Group Master?"

Friend…? Kyren glanced at Eli. They'd only just met, but—sure, why not. They were allies, at the very least.

"Yeah. She really enjoyed your first performance video, by the way."

"Aww, then no problem! As long as they're your friend, I'm happy to share~"

Tianyi's message sparkled with warmth.

Right on cue, Kotori Minami chimed in, her tone hesitant, almost shy.

"Tianyi-senpai… A friend of mine really liked your guide too. Would it be okay if I…?"

She trailed off before finishing.

"No worries at all, Kotori-chan! I heard you say earlier that you and your friends want to become idols together. Is this friend the same one you mentioned before?"

"Yes!!"

So that would be Honoka Takasaka and Umi Sonoda, Kyren assumed.

"Perfect! Kotori-chan, promise me you'll record your debut performance and let us all watch, okay?"

Kyren couldn't help but smile. Luo Tianyi was somehow more excited about Kotori's debut than Kotori herself.

With her blessing secured, Kyren logged off the chat. Time to relay the good news.

As his avatar dimmed to gray in the group list, Kotori realized she still had a few things to ask him. Seeing he'd gone offline, she sighed softly.

Next time then.

Back in the real world, Kyren turned his phone screen toward Eli.

"Eli-san," he said, "Luo Tianyi gave the green light. Do you want just the video of her debut, or the whole training tutorial?"

Eli blinked. "Eh? There's more than just a video?"

"You didn't know?" Kyren chuckled. "She actually recorded her entire training process. It's a full curriculum. She gave it to Kotori."

Eyes wide with newfound awe, Eli asked, "Can I… can I get the whole thing too?"

Kyren nodded. "Of course. But—"

"But?" she asked quickly.

"Well, the full package is around 3.6 gigabytes. That's including the video. And… I don't think our phones can transfer a file that big."

Eli checked her storage space. "I've only got a little over a gig left…"

"Thought so," Kyren said, frowning as he tried Bluetooth. Predictably, it failed.

"File too large. Please transfer via computer."

Eli tilted her head. "What's wrong?"

Kyren held up his phone, showing her the message.

It was... awkward timing.

Telling a girl you needed to use her home computer late at night? That kind of thing usually raises eyebrows. Especially if she lived alone.

But to his surprise—

"If you don't mind," Eli said, a faint blush touching her cheeks, "would you come over to my place to transfer the files?"

Kyren blinked. Her voice was casual, but the way her ears turned pink betrayed her nerves. She'd spoken before thinking, clearly driven by her excitement over Luo Tianyi's training material. Now she was realizing the implications.

She lived alone. It was raining. And it was nighttime.

And Kyren was very much a guy.

He panicked a little, too. Not because of the situation itself, but because it looked like a situation. In every anime he'd ever seen, this was the part where the guy got misunderstood and ended up in some absurdly compromising misunderstanding.

"If this makes you uncomfortable…" Eli murmured, trailing off.

"No, no! That's not it," Kyren replied, waving his hands. "As long as you're okay with it, I've got no objections."

Eli glanced at the sky. The rain had turned into a fine drizzle, steady and silver in the lamplight. It was just past eight. If they hurried, the whole trip could be done by nine. If any neighbors saw them, she could still spin a reasonable story.

She took a breath, steeling herself.

"Then… please, come with me."

Kyren looked toward the bridge. The rain fell in soft curtains, tapping gently against the pavement. Nearby, his makeshift cardboard shelter leaned against the wall, soggy at the edges.

He made a decision.

Letting a girl get drenched while he stayed dry? That wasn't how a gentleman behaved.

He tore off the driest piece of cardboard and handed it to her.

"Here. Use this to shield yourself."

"What about you?"

"I'm fine. A little rain never hurt me."

Eli hesitated—then tore the cardboard in two, giving half back to him.

"Let's share."

Kyren smiled.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "Let's."

And so, the two walked off under the gray drizzle, cardboard between them, footsteps soft against the wet pavement—toward a small apartment, a computer, and a shared dream woven together by songs, laughter, and starlit ambitions.

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