Are You Even Human If You Have Money But Don’t Spend?

After returning home, Shin enjoyed a relaxing dinner prepared by Sayu Ogiwara. Following a brief rest, he sat down at his computer, ready to dive back into his online game as usual.

Even though his strength had significantly improved, Shin had no intention of giving up his original hobby.

Incidentally, he had also received a sizable sum of money from Kiryu today. Some of it went to Sayu for her everyday expenses, while the rest was deposited in the bank.

Though Kiryu's group wasn't particularly large, it was still a formidable organization in Shimokitazawa with a decent amount of resources.

Now that Shin had the means to splurge, he was ready to see how his gaming buddies would react when he upgraded his account with in-game purchases.

But just as he opened the game, his phone, sitting on the desk, buzzed with a new message notification.

He picked it up, only to find that it was from Kiryu.

Shin initially thought it might be a classmate; after all, he had good grades and often got messages from classmates asking for homework help over the weekend. To maintain normal social interactions, he didn't mind helping out—but he hadn't expected a message from Kiryu.

Upon opening Kiryu's message, he found several photos.

The images were brutal: blood spattered on the ground, with people lying around in apparent agony.

But at the center stood Kiryu and the newly awakened subordinate with a Stand. Neither of them had visible injuries, and the blood on them clearly belonged to others.

It looked like the fight between Kiryu's group and the rival organization had already ended… and even faster than Shin expected.

Then again, given Kiryu's and the new Stand user's abilities, taking down their opponents wasn't a big challenge.

One could turn his Stand into an iron-hard weapon, while the other had a double-A power and speed Stand capable of deflecting bullets—these small-time gangsters didn't pose much of a threat.

Japanese yakuza had their own code of conduct; during turf battles, close-quarters combat was still the norm, where Kiryu and the other Stand user had a clear advantage.

With this victory, Kiryu's group's influence in Shimokitazawa would expand. Once Kiryu organized the new recruits, Shin would likely have to go back to assess any Stand potential among them.

"Making me go over every time is a hassle. Should I follow Diavolo's example and hand over the arrow to someone for safekeeping?"

Shin closed his phone, frowning in thought. With Kiryu's group constantly expanding, the number of subordinates would only increase.

If he had to travel each time to create a Stand user, spending a whole day carefully selecting them, it would be a huge waste of time.

The boss from Part 5, Diavolo, had his "arrow" kept by Polpo, one of his subordinates, who used his Stand to test new members and awaken their Stand abilities.

Shin wondered if he should follow this example, but the idea of handing over the "arrow" felt too risky.

Even if he could trust the one holding the arrow not to betray him, there was no guarantee that person wouldn't be killed, leaving the arrow vulnerable to being taken.

In Part 5, Polpo, the one guarding the arrow, was killed by the protagonist using his Stand ability, and the arrow was subsequently destroyed—something Shin didn't want happening to his own arrow.

While there were multiple arrows in the JoJo universe, in the real world, his was the only one.

As for breaking the arrow into fragments to grant Stand abilities… Shin had considered it, but he wasn't sure if a fragmented arrow could still detect Stand potential.

In Part 6, fragments of an arrow could indeed awaken Stands, but the broken arrow's abilities might not remain intact.

"I'll figure it out later. The group hasn't reached an unmanageable size yet."

With so many thoughts swirling in his mind, Shin couldn't come up with a perfect solution right away, so he decided to set the issue aside for now.

Who knows—maybe as he continued exploring the mission worlds, Infinite Terror VR might provide him with some useful abilities.

…

Angel of Healing: "What's going on? Your damage has increased a lot compared to before!"

After logging into the game, Shin played with his teammates as usual.

But this time, it was different—he'd spent real money, and his stats were much higher.

In the past, he'd managed to keep up with his teammates' damage outputs purely through skill alone. Now, with the upgrades, his damage was leagues ahead, leaving his teammates in shock.

Angel of Healing was especially astonished, exclaiming in disbelief—but she quickly figured out the reason.

Angel of Healing: "Did you spend money? Damn, and it's a heavy investment! Where'd you get the money? Don't tell me you robbed a bank!"

Her reaction wasn't surprising; Shin's account had always been known as "high skill, no spend, probably broke."

Zuke: "Made some money recently."

Shin nodded in satisfaction. Seeing his teammates' astonished reactions meant he had achieved his goal.

Who actually spends money in online games to get better? Of course, it's to increase damage and be admired by others.

If he'd wanted to practice pure gameplay, he would've kept practicing without spending a dime.

Angel of Healing: "This isn't just 'some money,' right? You maxed out the top equipment in a single day, even with high levels of enhancement?"

Clearly, Angel of Healing, who often chatted with Shin, was beyond shocked.

But soon, her tone shifted.

Angel of Healing: "Teach me! How'd you make that much money? Come on, I want to spend like that too!"

It was evident she was envious. Being an avid gamer, she was no stranger to spending money on games.

But lately, given her part-time work, her funds were running thin for her usual spending habits.

Zuke: "My method of making money isn't something most people can copy."

How did Shin make his money? By becoming the leader of a yakuza organization.

Others might want to learn his methods, but they couldn't replicate them—unless Angel of Healing had the potential for a Stand herself. Otherwise, she'd never find success in this line of work.

Besides, Angel of Healing claimed to be a female student; getting her involved with the yakuza seemed a bit too extreme.

Shin couldn't help but think of Gotou Hitori, who also had Stand potential. But he didn't intend to drag her into the underworld either—he just wanted her to help him with some day-to-day matters.

Angel of Healing: "Hmph… I'll figure out your money-making method someday!"

In the game, Angel of Healing was still determined to discover his secret, but Shin paid it no mind.

To be continued…

Guys, I am finally back! Thank you to everyone for their wishes! They were a blessing and charm for me!

Btw, Psst, Ningen, you are under arrest! Gand over your Power Stones if you wanna live!

Advance 50 chapters are up on my Patreon!

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