"Gentle, masculine, considerate, loyal, kind, smart, athletic."
Watanabe Tetsu wrote down these qualities in his notebook as if he were creating a list of personal tags.
After finishing, he headed first to the gym where he had a swimming pass. Because it was raining, the place was barely half as crowded as usual.
Watanabe swam ten laps in the fifty-meter pool, showered in the gym's locker room, then set off for Shinjuku, planning to stop by Kinokuniya Bookstore.
There were bookstores near his neighborhood too, but Kinokuniya had a more complete selection. He figured that even the extremely niche books he wanted—like "How to Seduce an Aristocratic Young Lady"—might be found there.
There were no empty seats on the train. Watanabe leaned against the inner door and looked through a small Spanish vocabulary notebook he had compiled.
When the train pulled into Shinjuku-Gyoenmae Station, a small girl wearing the Shinagawa Private Academy uniform boarded, struggling to carry an oversized musical instrument.
Watanabe glanced instinctively.
It was Hanada Asako, holding her cello.
He paused.
Wasn't this the perfect moment to display "gentleness" and "consideration"?
He reached out to help her—only to almost drop the instrument.
"Sorry!" he blurted.
Hanada Asako's face turned bright red. "N-no! I should be the one apologizing!"
"It's pretty heavy," Watanabe said, setting the case carefully near her feet to avoid bumps.
"N-no, the cello isn't heavy… it's the case. But the hard case protects it really well."
"What did you say?"
Her voice was so small that Watanabe couldn't hear a single word.
Hanada Asako clasped her hands nervously in front of her chest and took a deep breath.
The sudden motion startled Watanabe—he thought she was about to shout on the train.
But she repeated the sentence in exactly the same barely audible volume.
Still hearing nothing, Watanabe nodded politely. "Mm, I see."
I'm actually kind of gentle, he thought proudly. Maybe I won't even need that book on "how to be gentle" after all.
He went back to studying his vocabulary notebook.
Small and shy to begin with, Hanada Asako had her head lowered so much that she completely failed to notice the conversation had already ended.
After struggling with herself, she whispered an introduction:
"I-I'm Hanada Asako from Class 1-A. Thank you for helping me."
She hesitated, then, as a senior who felt she should lead the conversation, forced herself to continue:
"I was at music class earlier, and now I'm heading home. The exam is coming up… Watanabe-kun, where are you going so late?"
"Huh? Mm, I see."
Hanada Asako's mind went blank.
What do I do?! Why is Watanabe-kun treating a senior so casually?! What am I supposed to say?!
The train arrived at the next station.
"Next stop, Shinjuku-Sanchome."
Watanabe closed his notebook, stepped out of the train, and gave what he believed was a "gentle" farewell:
"See you tomorrow, Hanada-san."
"Eh?"
Hanada Asako trembled like a startled rabbit.
See you tomorrow?! Why?!
Where? When? What do I do? Did I just get entangled with a frivolous underclassman?!
The train toward Nakano carried the panicked Hanada Asako away, completely unaware that Watanabe had zero idea of the chaos he had caused.
The next day was the final day before the exam. Students were allowed to self-study:
Sleep to relax, review if anxious, or visit teachers to ask last-minute questions.
Everyone spent the time however they wished.
During lunch break, Watanabe and the other two—Saito Keisuke and Kunii Osamu—were once again leaning on the balcony railing overlooking the courtyard.
"Why don't we have sailor uniforms?" Watanabe asked, sipping strawberry milk through a straw.
"If you like sailor uniforms so much, why didn't you apply to Gakumei Academy?" Saito said while tearing open a rice ball wrapper.
Kunii Osamu stuffed a yakisoba bun into his mouth. "Exactly. When choosing a high school, the first thing you check is whether the uniform is cool. I picked Shinagawa Academy because of the Western-style uniform."
"If it were sailor uniforms, from this angle we might even see their collarbones."
Saito's eyes widened. "R-really?!"
"Well, sailor uniforms have loose collars. When they lean forward, think about it."
"Damn it—!!" Kunii shouted, slamming his hands on the railing. "Watanabe! Why didn't you tell us earlier?! Why didn't you say so?!"
"Yeah! I'm sick of this uniform! Wearing a ribbon at the collar all year round! Isn't it hot?!" Saito complained.
"But conservative uniforms have their advantages," Saito added suddenly. "We can't see other guys' girlfriends, and other guys can't see ours."
"…Do we even have girlfriends?" Watanabe asked calmly.
The trio fell silent.
Watanabe switched topics. "Kunii, how's it going? With that girl from the brass band."
"Yeah, any progress?" Saito asked.
Kunii sighed. "No."
"Another failure?"
"No, I haven't even talked to her yet. But Hanada Asako is a senior… it's too difficult. I think I should start with a girl my age."
"That's true," Saito nodded.
"Start with? What do you think love is supposed to be?" Watanabe asked.
Kunii replied, "Of course I want to like only one girl. But I need to think realistically."
"What reality? Hanada Asako is cute."
"Exactly! That's the problem!" Kunii groaned.
"What's wrong with cute?" Saito asked.
"Think about it. I like her because she's cute, right? But there are so many cute girls in the world! I can't guarantee I won't fall for another one!"
"…Go die," Saito said flatly.
Kunii turned to Watanabe. "Watanabe, you get what I mean, right? Like how you're torn between Kiyono Rin and Yuki Miki!"
"Don't drag me into this," Watanabe said. "I am a 'warrior of loyalty,' and you are a 'slave to temptation.' We are not the same."
"'Warrior of loyalty'?! Since when did you change jobs?!"
"Last night."
Before the other two could respond, Watanabe's phone rang.
"Hello."
"Bring me food."
"Can't you—"
Beep. Beep.
Watanabe sighed and lowered the phone.
The other two immediately leaned in.
"Watanabe! What is going on with you, Kiyono Rin, and Yuki Miki?!"
"What relationship? Kiyono Rin wants me to like her. I'm pursuing Yuki Miki. And Yuki Miki wants to use me to annoy Kiyono Rin."
Watanabe hadn't lied—he simply omitted a lot.
"Go explode, you normie!!"
"A curse upon the entire Watanabe bloodline!!"
"Hey! Apologize to all Watanabes worldwide! They're not necessarily normies—they might be losers like you two! Anyway, I have to go deliver food to the young lady."
Watanabe said this proudly, but in reality, he had already cursed Yuki Miki—who ordered him around so casually—at least a hundred times in his heart.
Watching the other two chew their lunch with murderous expressions, Watanabe laughed.
Being able to find entertainment in the hardships of life, staying positive and ambitious—this is one of the reasons why the great Watanabe Tetsu is destined for greatness.
…Wait. What if Kiyono Rin—the woman whose life is so terribly boring—is also using me as entertainment?
The three boys fell silent again, synchronized in their dread.