May 24th, Saturday.
As usual, Watanabe Tetsu woke up at six, lifted dumbbells until six-thirty, and then headed to the nearby park to follow the morning radio calisthenics, accompanied by music broadcast by the Radio Association.
These days, very few young people bothered with radio calisthenics. As Yuki Miki had said, it looked silly.
In the park, his only companions were elderly men and women from the Showa era, along with a group of elementary school kids in shorts.
Because Watanabe Tetsu was a kind, handsome older brother type—and his calisthenics form was impeccable—he had unwittingly become their leader for the exercises.
The female teacher responsible for supervising the kids even prepared an attendance card for him, stamping it with little animal icons.
"Jumping exercise, one, two, three…"
[You have a new notification]
After finishing the exercises, Watanabe Tetsu waved goodbye to the children and opened the translucent sky-blue panel on his device.
[Stamina: 3 → 4]
He clenched his fist. No sudden surge of strength, no mysterious confidence that he could punch through the sky or stomp the ground into cracks.
Still, compared to this spring, he did feel a slight increase in the power of his grip.
As he left the park, he noticed a tall, bluish weed by the roadside. Still warmed up from exercise, he instinctively spun and delivered a whip-like kick.
The weed snapped in the middle, soaring high into the air before landing in the yard of a house with a "Murakami" nameplate.
'Combat power reaches 7!' Watanabe Tetsu nodded in satisfaction.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
The small dog in the Hirahara yard barked in terror—probably hit by the flying weed.
A gentle female voice came shortly after, soothing the dog.
Watanabe Tetsu remained expressionless, calmly leaving the "scene of the crime."
As long as he wasn't caught, it didn't count as illegal. He had learned this from Yuki Miki.
'If I keep studying like this, it's hard to imagine how amazing I'll become!'
Because Yuki Miki had unilaterally announced the date, Watanabe Tetsu couldn't go to the library to study. Instead, he stayed in his apartment, researching date ideas.
By nine o'clock, he gave up.
Everything online was either a conventional "ordinary" date or some exaggerated drama-style plan. Nothing would entertain an angry Yuki Miki.
Better to stop wasting time.
With stamina at 4, he figured he could still take on Shizuru without relying on terrain or a shot put. If worse came to worst, he'd waste his limited points on stamina.
After deciding on a "normal" date, Watanabe Tetsu picked up the Spanish Grammar and Vocabulary book he had bought at the bookstore yesterday.
He was deep in study when the doorbell rang. He instinctively assumed it was NHK and ignored it.
Japan had one absurd law: if you had a device capable of receiving NHK, you had to pay a fee. Yet there was no penalty for refusal. So, people who no longer wanted the service were stuck with constant harassment.
After three rings, the doorbell fell silent.
His phone vibrated on the table. A glance showed an unfamiliar number—but he decided to answer.
"Open the door. Three seconds," Yuki Miki's voice commanded through the phone waves.
"I thought it was NHK."
"Beep… beep… beep."
Watanabe Tetsu looked at the screen—9:40. Still twenty minutes before ten.
He got up, unlocked the chain, and opened the door.
"Too slow!" Yuki Miki, wearing a white dress, scolded him without restraint and walked in on her own.
Shizuru followed silently behind her.
"I'm studying," Watanabe Tetsu said.
Yuki Miki glanced at the room, spotted the dumbbells in the corner, and sneered.
She plopped herself down on his study table—he had no chairs in his room, and the bed was only made up at night.
"Take out the thigh-high socks I gave you. I'm inspecting them," Yuki Miki said, legs crossed and arms folded, looking down on him.
Watanabe Tetsu hadn't expected her to actually check—and as a surprise inspection!
Fortunately, he had stored them properly.
He retrieved the two black thigh-high socks from the cabinet and handed them to her.
"Perfect condition," he said.
"Never worn," Yuki Miki's smile darkened. "I'll have to punish you."
"Wait! How could a guy possibly wear thigh-high socks?"
Oblivious, Yuki Miki swung her legs. "What punishment should I give you?"
"W-wait! Yuki-sama, you're far above me! I never even imagined it!"
Yuki Miki frowned slightly, then reluctantly admitted, "You're right. I really am too unattainable."
Watanabe Tetsu exhaled. Good thing the Human Observation Club had no normal people besides him—all narcissists.
"That's why I've kept your socks safe."
"Forget it. I'll let you off this time. Next time, I'll check again." Yuki Miki stood.
"Wait a second, I need to change."
She sat back on the table. "Thirty seconds."
Watanabe Tetsu blinked and glanced at Yuki Miki and the female android, Shizuru. "Could you two maybe step out first?"
Yuki Miki looked him over, smiling confidently. "No."
Shizuru, expressionless as always, gave him a slight cold smile at his embarrassment.
"Fine," Watanabe Tetsu gave up. "I won't change. Let's just go."
"Thirty seconds."
"I'm not changing."
"Twenty-nine."
He really wanted to curse, but his manners wouldn't allow it.
So he grabbed a black shirt and casual pants and dashed into the cramped bathroom.
"Haha, you're shy," Yuki Miki's teasing voice followed him.
"Your audacity is the problem!" he shot back.
He stripped his faded sleep T-shirt.
"Being bold isn't a flaw. If you want to serve me, you need to train," Yuki Miki's tone sounded pleased.
He tossed his shorts onto the toilet and put on the casual pants.
"Do bodyguards have to meet such high standards now?!"
"Of course. Otherwise, if a naked woman tried to assassinate me, all the guards would close their eyes?"
"That's different. Don't worry, I'd protect you without blinking!"
Watanabe Tetsu put on his shirt without buttoning it and stepped out.
Yuki Miki held the calisthenics attendance card, studying which animals were stamped, then glanced at Watanabe Tetsu's lean upper body.
"Lucky for you."
"How could I let Yuki-sama wait?" he muttered, fastening his buttons.
Yuki Miki put down the card and, a little bored, stood. "Let's go."