"The dolphin show is about to start."
Watanabe Tetsu glanced up at the schools of fish gliding overhead.
"You're amazing," Seino Rin also looked up, smiling with a soft, mocking lilt.
"You can even tell the time just by looking at seawater?"
"Actually, I've conducted research on the correlation between seawater and sunlight. So yes, I can pretty much tell the time from the water."
"You're lying."
"I'm not."
"You're lying again."
"I—"
"Tsu~gu~sawa~!"
Tamamo Emi puffed up her cheeks in displeasure, leaning her face in very close.
A faintly sweet, girlish scent drifted straight into Watanabe Tetsu's nose.
"…What is it?"
Unable to free his arm from her grip, Tetsu had to tilt his head back to keep distance.
He really didn't like girls like Tamamo Emi—gold-digging, acting cute with boys she didn't even like, clinging to them without hesitation.
But life was like this sometimes. Even if he disliked something, he still had to endure it.
Everything was for the sake of his monthly sign-in rewards.
Tamamo Emi pouted her soft, glossy lips.
"Tell me—between me and this woman, which one of us is better?!"
Which one was better?
Seino Rin: sharp-tongued, terrible personality, but brutally honest.
Tamamo Emi: materialistic, careless, but surprisingly trustworthy after taking the money.
"Hm…" Tetsu gave it some thought.
"I guess you two are about the same in my mind."
He didn't hate either of them too much, but he didn't like them either.
But there was no need to say that part out loud.
"Ehhh~~?!"
The women in the underwater tunnel turned to look at Tetsu with a new expression—
A collective "Ah, so he IS a playboy" aura filled the air.
The men, meanwhile, were filled with envy and irritation.
So good-looking guys really DO get special treatment…!
"Is that so?"
Seino Rin suddenly said, as if finally processing the words.
"In your mind, I'm actually on the same level as Tamamo-san. Although this has something to do with your pitiful worldview, value system, aesthetic judgment, narrow vision, lack of knowledge, and limited experience, I suppose I should still reflect on myself."
She pressed her fingers against her chin, lowering her head thoughtfully.
"You can say my aesthetic sense is bad, my perspective narrow, and my experience limited—but my worldview, my values, and especially my knowledge? Absolutely not."
"Oh?"
Rin was surprised he still dared to object.
"I already said—when it comes to being a 'Tokyo Hottie,' I admit I have a little bit of room to grow, but I'm always working hard toward self-improvement.
As for knowledge—I speak Mandarin (innately), English, and I've recently started learning Spanish."
"That meaningless 'Tokyo Hottie' part aside…
The United Nations has six official languages: English, French, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, and Spanish.
You know only two and a quarter of them at best.
Meanwhile, I speak all six—and German."
After this extremely fast explanation, the three-stamina-point Seino Rin exhaled lightly and concluded with warm, gentle sincerity:
"Tetsu-kun, you must be brave enough to admit your shortcomings."
How confident was Watanabe Tetsu in his own brain?
How much effort did he put into studying every day?
How could he allow someone to insult him in this domain?
He countered immediately:
"Seino-san, with all due respect, languages are just patterns.
Once you understand the structure, you can learn as many as you want."
Rin brushed her long hair behind her ear.
"Correct. But for someone like me who speaks seven languages, calling you 'lacking in knowledge' is also not wrong."
"Heh."
Tetsu gave a cold laugh.
"Besides languages, I know plenty of things. I've read many biographies of great people and done personal research in biology, chemistry, astronomy, and marine life."
Everyone around them froze.
Many stared at him with the expression of:
"How is this shameless playboy so well-educated?"
Only Seino Rin laughed.
Not mockingly—genuinely amused.
She said,
"Biology and chemistry? You mean textbook basics?
Astronomy? As in, you can find the Big Dipper while walking at night?
And marine life… you mean what we're looking at right now?"
Damn it—she saw through everything again!
How terrifying could one woman be?
Did she have mind-reading powers on top of seeing through lies?
Even a player like him envied such a cheat skill!
Tetsu was just about to explode with frustration when the aquarium broadcast saved him.
"Announcement: The dolphin performance will begin shortly on the outdoor stage on the second floor. Please proceed to the venue!"
"See?"
Tetsu switched gears instantly, speaking with perfect righteousness.
"I told you I could tell the time by looking at the seawater. And look—it's starting soon."
Rin sighed helplessly.
"Tetsu-kun… I don't lie, so I must admit—you are a very outstanding human being.
If only you didn't lie so much… then even with your terrible worldview, awful values, weak aesthetic sense, narrow perspective, shallow knowledge, and limited experience—I would still have a very good impression of you."
"Thank you for your twisted compliment.
But my talents don't end there.
I attended only a few art classes, and I still managed to get a B."
That was true!
"The caveman drawing you got a B for because it was too funny?"
Sensei… art teacher…
What are you doing?!
How dare you show another class my work?!
What about my privacy rights?!
"Do you even understand Picasso?"
"Heh."
"…I still got third place."
"Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"
Rin gently placed a hand on her chest, radiating haughty elegance.
"T-Tsk… Seino-san, I'm a delicate soul.
Please phrase your insults more gently."
Tetsu shot a fierce glare at her absolutely nonexistent chest.
"My, my. If I have wounded your tender, immature little heart, I apologize."
"Shut up already. You'd be cuter as a silent display doll than as a girl who can talk."
Tetsu did NOT say this out loud.
Even when the other side was being cold and harsh, he would never resort to personal attacks—no matter what.
He looked at his reflection in the aquarium glass and felt oddly proud of himself.
Feeling better after finding something to comfort himself with, he changed the subject:
"The dolphin show is starting soon. Let's go."
"You're right. Let's go."
Rin dropped the topic easily, as if their argument had simply been a game.
She didn't gloat, didn't press forward, didn't boast that she was right.
Only then did the others finally snap back to reality—and their expressions toward the two completely changed.
Knowing three languages counts as lacking in knowledge…?
Being able to identify most aquarium fish means limited experience…?
Third place in art isn't even worth mentioning…?
So is one of them first or second place?
Why were these two not in a research institute, museum, or library?!
Why were they in an aquarium?!
Tetsu turned to Tamamo Emi, still clinging to his arm.
"I'm going to watch the dolphins. Please let go now."
Emi blinked, then hugged his arm even tighter.
"We're going too!"
Time had already slipped away during Tetsu's "partial defeat," and afraid they would be late, the five of them quickly left the "Undersea Tunnel" and followed the signs toward the second floor.
Seino Rin walked at the front.
She usually carried a dignified, aristocratic air, but right now her steps were light and almost lively—like an energetic anime heroine making her first appearance among falling sakura petals.
Behind her were two "couples."
Tamamo Emi clung tightly to Tetsu's arm, while Ikeda Noriko held onto Emi's arm—still upset about how her boyfriend had stared open-mouthed earlier.
"Emi," Noriko whispered excitedly,
"your boyfriend is amazing!"
"He's average at best. Just barely qualified to date me," Emi said modestly—though secretly thrilled.
"How is that average?!"
"What's the big deal? He was the one who approached me first, begged me to be his girlfriend, and wouldn't take no for an answer~~"
"Ehhh—?! Really?!"
"Isn't that right, Tetsu?"
Emi tugged on his arm.
"…Yeah."
"Emi, you're so lucky!"
Noriko sighed enviously, then leaned closer and whispered:
"But be careful. I know they're arguing, but… he seems pretty close with that girl."
At that, Emi's good mood evaporated instantly.
She stared daggers at Seino Rin's back, thinking hard about how to surpass her—
How to make everyone see that:
Tamamo Emi is the true Number One Beauty of Kamikawa High.