After school, Watanabe Tetsu was summoned to the faculty office by Koizumi Aina.
"Watanabe, do you know why I called you in?" she asked.
"The monthly assessment?" he replied.
"It's not about that. You did extremely well—your deviation score exceeded 74. I remember on your advancement survey you wrote that your goal was Tokyo Advanced Academy, right? If you keep going like this, you'll have no trouble getting in, even for a science major."
"Koizumi-sensei, Tokyo Advanced Academy used to be my goal. But now… I have a new dream."
"Let me guess—Aoyama Academy? They say it has the highest population of pretty girls."
"No."
"Then it's Keio Academy? The place packed with handsome guys?"
"…"Watanabe Tetsu said, "I've decided… to become a Tokyo Ikemen."
Koizumi Aina's lightly made-up, oval-shaped face slowly shifted into a confused expression.
"Pfft—hahaha!"From the neighboring class, English teacher Hirako slapped Koizumi's stocking-clad thigh through her suit skirt as she burst into loud laughter.
"I knew it! Aina, your student is way too interesting!"
Koizumi pulled Hirako's hand away, smiling helplessly yet puzzled as she turned back to Tetsu."Tokyo Ikemen… Is that some new kind of job? Sorry, sensei isn't very familiar with the latest trends."
"To be precise," Tetsu replied, "it's a life philosophy."
"A… life philosophy?"
"Yes."Watanabe Tetsu explained, "First, you must be handsome enough."
"Hm," both teachers nodded. They had no disagreement there.Just hearing the name "Tokyo Ikemen" made it obvious—being handsome was mandatory.
"Second, you must always keep 30% mystery from others."
Hirako nodded as if that made perfect sense."Men who have a sense of mystery are very attractive to women."
What Tetsu actually meant was: never reveal anything about the game.But Hirako's interpretation wasn't exactly wrong.
"Third, you must do what your role requires you to do."
"What your role requires?" Koizumi echoed.
"My identity is that of a student, so I must work hard and refine my academics. As a child, I must honor my parents and repay their expectations and sacrifices. As a friend, I must treat people sincerely. In short, you should fulfill the responsibilities of your role, not simply do whatever you feel like doing."
Koizumi Aina looked deeply moved."Watanabe, for someone your age to have such awareness… Sensei is genuinely proud."
"That sounds way too exhausting," Hirako objected. "How is that the Tokyo Ikemen lifestyle? I thought a Tokyo Ikemen just needed a pretty face, money, and the ability to stay cool even when surrounded by cute girls."
"That's just a playboy."Tetsu shook his head."Hirako-sensei, a true Tokyo Ikemen works hard."
"You brat, what kind of nonsense are you spouting? Go on—tell me what a 'Tokyo Ikemen' is supposed to be!" Hirako laughed, half-scolding.
"Hirako!" Koizumi frowned slightly. "Mind your language when talking to students."
"Yes, yes, my dear Koizumi-sensei. Watanabe-kun, please continue—"
"Fourth, you must have the confidence to succeed at anything. For example, I'm bad at sports… but I'm confident that if I train for a month, I'll be better than most people."
Hearing this, Koizumi looked him straight in the eye and spoke earnestly."Watanabe, confidence is a good thing. But you must also stay humble. Never look down on others."
"What do you mean? I think it sounds really cool!"
"Hirako!"
Koizumi lifted the textbook in her hand as if she were about to smack Hirako with it.Hirako dodged exaggeratedly, winking at Tetsu in a playful, improper way.
Tetsu pretended not to see it and continued, "Koizumi-sensei, a Tokyo Ikemen must have this level of confidence."
"Alright, confidence is better than none… just don't get arrogant."
"Education time is over," Hirako declared, making a dramatic "stop" gesture with both hands. "Watanabe, you said 'fourth'—so there's one more, right?"
Tetsu nodded."Finally… be prepared to get stabbed at any time."
"Ahhh! That one I understand! Like in School**!"
"'School***'? What's that?" Koizumi asked, confused.
Hirako whispered into her ear.Koizumi's face reddened instantly. She rolled up her English book and lightly smacked Tetsu on the head.
"Not allowed!"Her tone was so stern it almost sounded like an order.
Not allowed what?Tetsu felt completely lost.
What he meant was simply:A Tokyo Ikemen must always have crisis awareness.
Life was full of unpredictable things—betrayal, resentment, jealousy—anything could happen at any time. One had to be mentally prepared.That was all.
Not wanting to waste more after-school time, Tetsu cut off the Tokyo Ikemen topic."Koizumi-sensei, why did you call me here today?"
Koizumi gestured behind him."Seino-san, you can come in now."
Tetsu turned around.
There, at the doorway, stood the beautiful Seino Rin, her arms crossed—perfect in every aspect except her modest chest.This was the first time Tetsu had ever seen her standing.Her slender legs and white indoor shoes stood out beneath her pleated skirt.
"When did you get here?" he asked.
Seino Rin pushed her hair behind her ear and smiled."First, second, third, fourth, and last."
"So you were here from the beginning?! Why didn't you say something?"
"Interrupting others—is that what a Tokyo Ikemen~ is supposed to do?" Her smile sharpened slightly.
"…Why did you put emphasis on 'Tokyo Ikemen'? Are you making fun of me? This is my life dream!"
"Tokyo Ikemen… life dream."She turned her head away, her shoulders trembling faintly.
"You're laughing at me?"
"Yes."
Ah.Such a clean, merciless answer.Did Seino Rin truly lack the ability to lie? Couldn't she at least offer a small white lie to make the world kinder?
Not everything had to be absolute…
"You two seem to get along quite well. That puts me at ease," Koizumi said warmly.
"This man lies every waking moment. There's no way I'll ever get along with him, Sensei—don't misunderstand," Rin said calmly, in a tone that suggested she was only correcting a minor error.
Since she couldn't lie, the fact that she said their relationship was bad… meant their relationship was truly bad.
After correcting Koizumi, she continued as if nothing had happened:"Sensei, what did you call me for?"
Koizumi glanced at Tetsu, still uncertain about their relationship.
"The Literature Club filed a complaint with the Student Council, and they reached out to me as the advisor of the Human Observation Club."
"It's about the submissions, right?" Rin asked—not questioning, but stating.
"Yes." Koizumi sighed."Seino-san, your argumentative essay insulting the Literature Club… won first place in the voting."
"Too cruel!"Tetsu exclaimed—except his tone was almost admiring.
Not only did she win first place, she insulted the organizers, and the organizers still had no choice but to print her essay in the club magazine.As expected of a girl with Intelligence 8 who claimed she could see through every lie.
"You too, Watanabe!" Koizumi snapped, turning her anger to him.
"What did I do?!"
"Your piece, 'The Future Us', took second place—and you used the Literature Club's signature writing style."
"Their writing style?"
"You used their strongest style to defeat them. What do you think they would feel?"
Tetsu waved his hands."Misunderstanding! It has nothing to do with me! I only skimmed their past magazines before writing, and I must've been influenced without realizing it!"
Koizumi gave him a look that clearly meant:Explain that to the Literature Club and see if they believe you.
"That's why they complained about you two."
"Instead of working harder, they complain?" Rin let out a small amused snort. Not angry at all—if anything, she sounded sympathetic toward the Literature Club.
"You two would've been fine if you'd submitted normally, but you deliberately caused trouble!"
"A Tokyo Ikemen is a natural-born troublemaker~~"Hirako chimed in from the side, joining the drama.
Tetsu, who had finally found a direction in life, was now being criticized from all sides—he was furious.
"Hirako-sensei, this was the club president's order! It has nothing to do with me—I'm innocent! And I said the writing-style thing was a misunderstanding! Seino-san, help me explain! You know I'm not lying!"
Rin covered her charming lips with her hand, turned away, her shoulders shaking again."Tokyo Ikemen…"
Apparently, the term Tokyo Ikemen was incredibly funny to her.
Koizumi sighed deeply—so beautifully and dramatically that it carried the melancholy of a neglected noblewoman.
She said, "From now on, all Human Observation Club activities require my approval. The Literature Club matter ends here."
"Whatever," Rin said flatly.
To her, the winning article had cost half an hour of boredom. She hadn't invested any effort, so canceling it meant nothing.
"…," Tetsu thought.
What about the hours I spent memorizing every club member's face and name for that submission?!
Ignoring his silent suffering, Koizumi opened a drawer and took out a stack of papers.
"Actually, there's something I'd like to ask of you two."