Along the way, through the car window, Watanabe Tetsu caught a fleeting glimpse of the Imperial Palace.
It seemed their destination was Chiyoda Ward.
The Imperial Palace was the symbolic heart of Chiyoda—tourists could enter certain areas by reservation, without an admission fee. Back when he had first arrived in Tokyo and had no money, Watanabe Tetsu had visited once.
After passing the Palace, the car wound through several turns and finally entered the grounds of a sprawling courtyard-style mansion.
In this political, economic, and cultural core of the capital, building an estate like this was something that, in Watanabe Tetsu's mind, would require conquering at least a thousand Tamamo Emis.
Unless, of course, he conquered one specific girl—
Yuki Miki.
The courtyard was filled with Japan's beloved black pines and emerald cypress, interspersed with countless flowers he couldn't even name. Black-suited men who were unmistakably bodyguards stood throughout the garden like it was a movie set.
Seeing the guards reminded Watanabe of the incident in Ochanomizu.
His first thought was:
Yuki Miki might not be living a comfortable life either.
When the car finally stopped, the four of them stepped out.
The bodyguards didn't form an exaggerated welcoming line, but they still bowed politely from their posts.
Inside the mansion's entrance—
maids.
Not the Akihabara cosplay type, but traditional black-and-white uniformed maids, covered neatly and fully.
Back in his previous life, he had been born into socialism; in this life he had grown up in the rural countryside where public buses came once every two hours.
Scenes like this were utterly foreign to him.
He couldn't stop his eyes from drifting toward the maids.
I've decided—when I take first place in the whole school, the first thing I'll make those two wear is maid outfits!
While his mind wandered, one maid approached.
"Sir, please follow me."
"Oh, okay," Watanabe replied.
He guessed they were going to check him for weapons—just like in movies.
"No need. Let him in," Yuki Miki said from the front.
Immediately, Watanabe noticed something strange.
The maid—
No, not just her.
Shizuru, and all the other maids around,
were looking at him with visible surprise.
Watanabe smiled softly at the maid.
"Sorry. I happen to be someone she trusts absolutely."
Yuki Miki gave a small, dismissive huff.
There was clearly a trace of contempt…
and disdain for his lame joke.
The maid stood frozen, dumbstruck.
Who knew whether she was charmed by his smile, shocked by his relationship with Yuki Miki, or both?
Inside, Yuki Miki went off alone, while another maid led Watanabe Tetsu and Kiyono Rin to the guest room.
"Tetsu, do you know what this is about?" he asked Rin.
He didn't believe for a second that he was here to meet the parents.
"You'll see soon enough," Rin replied, clearly uninterested.
Then she turned her head. "So what exactly is your relationship with Yuki Miki?"
Before Watanabe could answer, she added, "Never mind. I don't care."
"You don't care, yet you ask?!"
Kiyono Rin propped her chin with mischief in her eyes.
"Maybe I should act a little more affectionate around you in front of her."
"I'm sorry! That was my bad."
Talking like this, they entered the massive guest lounge.
Watanabe felt as if he were walking into an entirely separate dimension—the size alone made his head spin.
The interior décor was equally impressive, but the most striking thing was a massive portrait.
The woman in it had elegant features, wearing a luxurious kimono and holding a folding fan.
Watanabe had seen her in books.
Empress Teiko Yuki, mother of ten emperors—
the matriarch of this ancient and powerful aristocratic lineage.
After defeating the Yuki household… will everything really end just like that?
Watanabe stared at the portrait.
Rin and Tetsu sat across from each other at a long table as maids brought tea and exquisite snacks.
Watanabe, who had been exercising heavily lately, was starving.
He ate without a shred of hesitation, drinking tea as needed.
Because he was eating quite boldly, he felt like one of the maids standing nearby was sneaking glances at him.
Then again, maybe that was because he was handsome.
He was handsome.
Undeniably.
After three cookies and a slice of cake, he began to feel a little overwhelmed.
Just then, a woman in her early thirties entered the room, wearing sharp professional makeup and attire.
Thanks to his habit of observing Yuki Miki lately, Tetsu noticed instantly—the woman's eyes widened when she saw him in school uniform.
Do these upper-class people or their servants have no worldly experience at all?
Although… he was very handsome.
That part was beyond dispute.
"Rin," the woman greeted and sat beside her.
"Mmh." Rin nodded without expression.
Watanabe glanced between them but didn't pry.
Instead, he turned to a maid.
"Could you bring me something salty?"
The maid bowed silently and left.
The elegant woman turned to him again.
"I'm Satoko Kiyono, executive director of the Kiyono Group. And you are?"
"Me? A humble student of Shinagawa Private Academy, future great man Watanabe Tetsu."
"'Future great man' was unnecessary," a calm voice said.
Yuki Miki entered the room wearing a fresh set of clothes, Shizuru following right behind her.
"What, Miki? Are you saying you think I'm already great? I'm touched!"
Kiyono Rin burst into laughter.
But the moment the name "Miki" left Watanabe's mouth, both the maids and Satoko Kiyono froze in shock.
Yuki Miki ignored all of them and sat in the main seat.
Her simple yet perfectly tailored white dress highlighted her flawless figure—full bust, slim waist, curves that would inspire envy in any woman.
She was beautiful enough to make even other women fall for her.
"Begin," she ordered.
Satoko Kiyono nodded and produced a stack of documents from her briefcase.
What followed was a barrage of technical terms completely foreign to Watanabe.
Every time Yuki Miki spoke, Satoko would glance at Kiyono Rin.
Only when Rin nodded would she continue.
Good. I hereby name you "Lie Detector Rin," Watanabe thought while munching on the salty snack the maid brought him.
…until Yuki Miki scolded him.
"Be quiet."
"These snacks are crunchy, I can't help it—"
Her murderous glare silenced him.
He obediently put down the food and endured the incomprehensible discussion.
This world was still far above his reach.
He was still learning Spanish—though that, too, was impressive.
Two full hours passed before the meeting finally ended.
"You stay," Yuki Miki said, then left.
Watanabe assumed, with malicious imagination, that she had simply been holding her bladder this whole time.
Meanwhile, Rin and Satoko left together. At the gate:
"That boy—Watanabe Tetsu. What is he to the Yuki heiress?" Satoko asked.
"Who knows."
"No man has stepped into that house since Miki moved in," Satoko said. "Rin, you could find out, right?"
"That's not part of my duties. Goodbye."
Rin turned away.
"I'll drive you," Satoko offered.
"No need."
Back inside, after a short wait, Watanabe finally saw Yuki Miki again—wearing yet another outfit.
They ate dinner together.
"You eat this late every day?" he asked while slicing into a piece of beef and placing it in his mouth.
He wasn't sure what cut it was, but the fat melted instantly on his tongue.
For a brief moment, he felt that maybe getting into that car today wasn't completely foolish.
"I eat when I finish what needs to be done," she replied.
She showed little interest in the food itself—she was merely refueling.
He thought about how she was always sleeping during the day.
Maybe her life wasn't easy either.
Not that it mattered to him.
He had zero intention of sympathizing.
He took a sip of juice.
"Actually, I came here today because I needed to ask you something."
"Oh?"
Watanabe cleared his throat silently.
"What do I have to do for you to take me back?"
The room had already been quiet, but after that sentence, the silence thickened like a funeral hall.
"You like me?" Yuki Miki asked with a smile.
"Of course. You're beautiful, your legs are gorgeous, and you're rich. Honestly, my original dream was to become a public servant and let taxpayers support me for life."
"You can do that now."
"I'm the eldest son of the Watanabe family. I have to marry and have children. But you wouldn't allow me to be with anyone else, right?"
Yuki Miki set down her utensils and rested her chin on her interlocked fingers.
"Of course. You can forget about that for your entire life."
"See? In that case, being with you is my only option."
"Even so," she said, smiling, "if you want to be with me, you have to marry into my family and take my surname."
"Family names are outdated feudalism. I don't mind at all."
A moment ago he had insisted on preserving the Watanabe lineage; now he was dead serious about abandoning it.
Yuki Miki chuckled.
"Is that so?"
"And we can be like Emperor Taishō and Empress Teiko Yuki—have four kids. As long as one of them can take the Watanabe surname, I'll be satisfied."
"Hmmm~" she made a thoughtful sound.
"And my looks aside, my fighting ability can protect you any time, and my brain is sharp. I never slack off. I may not help with your work, but at least I won't drag you down."
"Go on."
"And… and…" He racked his brain.
Then finally: "If you find someone from a noble family, that man will definitely covet the Yuki family's power and wealth. But I won't. I'm a nobody from the countryside. No one supports me."
"What if your supposedly smart, diligent brain decides to steal power from me while I'm giving you four children?" she asked with a bright smile.
Watanabe straightened.
"I have absolute confidence in my desire to live a lazy life. I study to enrich myself, not to gain anything from it."
Yuki Miki rested her cheek on her hand.
Her fingers tapped lightly against her flawless white skin like the keys of a piano.
"Fine. I'll give you one chance."
"Really?!"
"I read a light novel the other day. The male lead confessed to the heroine in front of the entire school during exams so she wouldn't disappear. And tomorrow is exam day. If you do the same, I'll consider it."
Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai.
There was no mistake—that was the light novel.
Watanabe remembered that Yuki Miki actually had no interest in manga or light novels.
She had only flipped through the books in the clubroom.
So she must have opened a random page and happened to land on that scene.
But the image that popped into Watanabe's mind wasn't a lovesick protagonist chasing after a bunny girl.
It was Qi Tongwei kneeling on the sports field, proposing to his older teacher Liang Lu in front of the entire school, using that moment to secure his meteoric rise in politics.
And now, Tetsu, too, needed to do the same—
to obtain the power for revenge.
He probably wouldn't be expelled for confessing publicly.
But how would he continue pursuing the other three girls afterward?
A thorny problem.
Are you scared of just this? Pathetic!
Watanabe, you've worked so hard to get here. You're someone who will accomplish great things!
Even if worse hardships come, you must not shrink back!
Believe in yourself. You are destined for greatness!
"…Fine," Watanabe agreed.
That night, he returned safely to his rented apartment—
except that his closet now contained another pair of worn long socks.
Considering Yuki Miki might have a fresh pair every day, he strongly suspected she treated him as a garbage bin.
May 29 — Exam Day One
The joint exam between the three academies covered all entrance exam subjects, with varying difficulty levels.
For a select few, their test venue today could very well be the same one they'd encounter in January's national entrance exams—maybe even the same classroom and seat.
As The Great Gatsby said:
Not everyone is born with the same advantages.
While other, less-demanding schools were enjoying their carefree student life, students like them were battling in exam halls that would shape their lifelong future.
Those from weaker schools could look forward only to direct employment, vocational college, or expensive third-rate private universities.
The nine Imperial Academies were an unreachable dream.
On his way to school, Watanabe saw many students clutching textbooks, desperately cramming.
During the homeroom session, Koizumi Aona sternly reminded everyone of the exam rules and gave them encouragement.
After homeroom, she called Watanabe aside.
"Confident?"
"First place is mine."
Koizumi smiled.
"So you want Rin to be your girlfriend? Or Miki?"
"I want both!"
He said it boldly, but in truth he was only 40% confident.
With the personalities and intelligence of Kiyono Rin and Yuki Miki…
they weren't people who would lose easily.
This absurd wager had already become a three-person human observation experiment the moment Watanabe decided to become a "Tokyo Hunk."
"You…" Koizumi sighed and tapped his head with her lesson plan.
"Do your best."
"Don't worry, sensei."
Watanabe had chosen the humanities track.
The first exam was Japanese History and Geography, 100 points total, 9:30 to 11:40.
And by pure chance, the test included the Northern Territories dispute.
Watanabe smirked to himself.
His confidence inflated instantly.
See? When I will it, fate always stands with me.
This, he believed, would be the downfall of Kiyono Rin—
the battle where the "Perfect First Place" would fall from her throne.
By 10:47 AM, Watanabe had finished everything.
After another fifteen minutes of checking, he was certain he'd get full marks if he were the grader.
At 11:02, he raised his hand.
The proctor approached.
"Watanabe, what is it?"
"I need to use the restroom."
"Alright, go."
He exited into the nearly silent hallway.
The quiet was so deep he could hear the scratching of pens inside classrooms.
He went downstairs to the vending machine, inserted a hundred-yen coin, bought a bottle of water, drank it, then tossed the empty bottle.
Then he walked slowly into the courtyard surrounded by the school buildings.
He stood at the center.
Took a deep breath.
Raised his voice from the pit of his stomach—
"I am Watanabe Tetsu from Class Four, a man destined for greatness!"
"Everyone listen up!"
The entire school erupted—
followed immediately by shouts from windows:
"Silence!"
"Maintain exam discipline!"
"Any further noise will be treated as cheating!"
"Yuki Miki from Class Two!"
"I like you—!!!"
Chaos exploded again.
The teachers patrolling the school hurried toward the courtyard.
"I swear this to Shinagawa Private Academy! To Yotsuya Station! To everyone!"
"Miki—!!! I loooove you!!!"
"Please go out with me—!!!"
Summer had truly arrived.
After only a few shouts, Watanabe was drenched in sweat.
The blazing sunlight forced his eyes half-shut.
...
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