"What do stock prices have to do with me?" she asked, irritation making her voice edgy.


    "They''re relevant to you."


    "Enough! Whether they are or aren''t, I''m leaving."


    "Are you still contemplating suicide?"


    "Whether I live or die, it''s none of your concern!"


    She realized her statement practically admitted her suicidal thoughts, but she didn''t care anymore.


    "It is my concern."


    "And why would that be?"


    "Because I created you."


    "..."


    Yoko was now certain that he was delusional.


    "You think I''m crazy, don''t you?"


    "Are you saying you''re not? Claiming that you created me."


    "If you die, it would defeat the purpose of your creation."


    "Are you a god? Or just a dim-witted fraud?" Yoko scoffed.


    "A god? No, nothing that lofty, but I can save you," Imada countered with a sly grin.


    "If you can create life, why not make the world a better place? Why waste time on nonsense?" Yoko shot back.


    "No, the world is as designed, but the problem is you," Imada replied.


    "You’re just another con man. I regret coming," Yoko said, her tone icy.


    "Look at this stock chart again," Imada urged.


    Yoko gave it a cursory glance.


    "Don’t you see? Check this date."


    She looked again, reluctantly.


    "I couldn''t care less about stocks."


    "Look, the chart projects six months ahead."


    "..."


    "Get it? I can forecast stock trends."


    "How is that supposed to prevent my suicide?"


    "If you buy stocks of companies that will rise in price, you can make money."


    "True, but..."


    Yoko leaned closer to the tablet, squinting at the stock price chart.


    "See? This stock will multiply tenfold in two months. Do you get it?"


    "I should buy it before the price goes up, right? From one million yen to ten million, from ten million to one hundred million, then I can have a big mansion and everything I want, and life will be perfect!" Yoko''s voice sounded excited.


    "That''s right! Exactly!" Imada''s eyes sparkled.Stolen novel; please report.


    Yoko, however, stood up, looked down at Imada, and said coldly, "Well then, I''m leaving."


    "Huh?"


    "Goodbye."


    Seeing Yoko heading for the door, Imada quickly stood up.


    "Yoko-san! Aren''t you taking the tablet with you?"


    "Predicting the future? Don’t be absurd," she muttered.


    "Please, at least take the tablet and see what happens. You''ll see I’m right tomorrow."


    Imada rushed after Yoko and tried to hand her the tablet.


    "Come on, you came all the way here. It''s important!"


    "Don''t you find it strange, Mr. Fraud?"


    "Huh?"


    "If you can predict the future, why don''t you just make money yourself and give it to me?"


    "Well... Uh... That''s true, but it doesn''t work that way in this world."


    "This world? Mr. Fraud, that''s exactly how this world works. If you want to help me, you can give me money. It''s simple, right? You''re an amazing person who can predict the future. So, what will you do?"


    "But..."


    Imada gazed at Yoko''s serene profile with a look of despair.


    "Goodbye."


    Yoko reached for the doorknob.


    "To help me, please take the tablet with you! I beg you!"


    "Well, am I the one supposed to help you? Aren''t you the one who was supposed to help me, you crazy man?" Yoko retorted, her tone mocking.


    "Say whatever you want. This is the rule. Please, take this tablet with you."


    "Rule? The rule of a con man, you mean? I don''t know, but is this tablet going to explode or something?"


    "Absolutely not. Please, I beg you."


    "So, if I take this, will you leave me alone?"


    "Yes. But if the tablet proves useful, please contact me again," Imada pleaded.


    Yoko took the tablet from Imada''s hand and quickly opened the door, leaving the room. When she got home, she lay on her bed after taking sleeping pills. She felt she had lost the impetus for suicide that day. She understood that even for something like that, timing was everything. With a sense of emptiness, Yoko stared at the ceiling until she fell asleep, still in her clothes, likely due to the sleeping pills.


    How much time had passed since Yoko fell asleep? When she opened her eyes, the room was bright. The clock showed 9 o''clock, and it seemed like she had slept deeply from the previous evening until that morning. Feeling thirsty, Yoko made her way from the bedroom to the kitchen. While the sleeping pills had helped her sleep, they left her feeling anything but refreshed upon waking. After gulping down cold water from the fridge and taking a shower, her mind started to clear. Still, she felt aimless, lacking both motivation and plans, which filled her with a sense of emptiness. As she toweled off her wet hair in front of the bathroom mirror, her thoughts drifted back to her odd encounter with Imada the previous day.


    He didn''t seem particularly intelligent, but his looks were undeniably striking. “Why can''t I have a boyfriend that cool?” Yoko wondered, gazing at her naked reflection in the mirror. Her slender waist, the elegant curves of her hips, and legs that could win a beauty contest stared back at her. Her bust was neither particularly large nor small, but she liked the shape of her breasts. Moving closer to the mirror to examine her face, she saw large eyes and a straight nose in a well-proportioned, petite face—even without makeup. Moreover, even at thirty, her skin remained as fine and flawless as ever. “What''s wrong with me?” she pondered.


    After brewing a cup of organic coffee in the kitchen, Yoko headed to the living room. She absentmindedly turned on the TV—something she hadn''t done in a while—and settled onto the sofa. As she sipped her coffee, the news announced a major stock market crash that had occurred that day, a sadly common event during the recession. Figuring it had nothing to do with her, she was about to change the channel when she suddenly remembered the tablet Imada had given her. Retrieving it from her handbag on the sofa, she thought, "Alright, time to expose your scam, fraud."


    Filled with a hint of excitement, she powered up the tablet. She swiftly opened the app and located that day''s stock price within a chart that projected average stock prices for the next six months. It read 39,500 yen. She then glanced at the TV screen, and to her astonishment, it displayed the same price—39,500 yen!


    "No way... It actually predicted today''s major downturn," she exclaimed in disbelief.


    Catching sight of a stock name displayed on the TV, she quickly typed it into the app''s search bar.


    "It matches! What''s happening? Who is Imada?"


    Indeed, just as Imada had claimed, the app''s chart precisely forecasted the stock prices. “He''s strange, but he''s no ordinary man. In fact, he might not even be human,” Yoko mused. Her thoughts jumbled as she stared at a spot on the wall. She began to wonder if the stock market was rigged, manipulated behind the scenes by some shadowy figures. Maybe only a select few elites were in the know, capitalizing on this hidden mechanism. Yoko felt that something was going on, something beyond her understanding. Could it be that her fortunes might shift dramatically based on his guidance? She decided to contact Imada once more."