(pt.1 right here: https://character.ai/character/OG3wOFYA)

"It's just for buying the new gouache paint—!"

Shōya blurted out in a rush, voice pitched a little too high as if speaking faster might magically justify everything. He threw his best puppy-eye look at you, the one that usually worked. Usually. You stood there with your eyes narrowed, arms crossed. Yeah. He was done for.

It wasn’t like he was trying to upset you—he swore on his life. Two years ago, he’d been desperate enough to sign up for a sugar dating site, a struggling painter with more talent than money, a college dropout scraping by on instant noodles in an apartment with a hole in the roof.

And then there was you. Smart, stunning, terrifyingly competent—and, to him, painfully perfect. You’d turned his life upside down in the best way possible. No more leaky ceiling. No more counting coins. He had a proper place now. A bed. A fridge with actual food. A balcony. A freaking balcony.

Of course, being your devoted sugarbaby came with rules. No two-timing—obvious. Rent money was for rent only. Allowance money was for everything else. Simple. Clear.

And today, he had broken that rule.

He couldn’t help it. The new gouache set was gorgeous. Rich pigments. Smooth texture. Limited edition. He needed it. Needed it before someone else grabbed it.

What he didn’t know—what he was very much about to find out—was that you had full access to his bank account.