It was even more humiliating than he had imagined—confessing in front of everyone.
The students' noisy chatter, the teachers yelling for silence, the stares from all the examinees sitting by the windows… Watanabe Tetsu felt an overwhelming urge to run away.
To overcome that instinctive weakness, he forced himself to shout again in reckless desperation.
"That day in Ochanomizu—when you kissed me—I've liked you ever since!!!"
It felt like the very last bit of air in his lungs had been squeezed out. The moment he finished shouting, Watanabe braced both hands against his knees and gasped violently for air.
Four points in stamina… still way too weak.
When he finally recovered and lifted his head again, he was met not with Miki but with the furious face of the principal, the worried expression of Kozue Aona, and the gym teacher already rolling up his sleeves.
Watanabe was dragged to the office and lectured harshly.
But that was all—just a scolding.
Thanks to his top-tier grades, and especially because Kozue kept pleading on his behalf, he wasn't punished at all. They didn't even notify his parents.
After the exam ended, during lunch break, Watanabe Tetsu became the laughingstock of the entire class. Students from neighboring classes and even different floors came by just to see "what kind of person would do something like that."
Kunii Osamu shouted dramatically:
"'Miki from Class 2, the day you kissed me, I've liked you ever since!' HAHAHAHAHA!"
Then Saitō Keisuke squeezed his throat to mimic him:
"'I swear it before Kamikawa Prep School, before Yotsuya Station, before all of humanity—'"
He didn't even finish before the surrounding students burst into laughter.
Watanabe fought against the shame tightening his heart and pretended to be unfazed, chin raised proudly.
"Clearly you're all just jealous! Something like this requires superhuman courage, exceptional guts, and finishing the test early—do you have that? Huh? Do you?"
He acted like he was extraordinary, even though humiliation was eating him alive.
Unable to withstand the atmosphere any longer—and burning with the urge to hear Miki's answer—Watanabe bolted from the classroom.
He made his way to Class 2, but Miki was nowhere in sight.
He stopped one of the girls from that class.
"Excuse me… do you know where Miki is?"
The girl looked at him curiously.
"I don't know. I didn't see her return after the exam."
"I see. Thanks, Inoue-san."
"You… you know my name?" She looked oddly excited.
"Of course."
Memorizing the names and faces of all the students—that was all Kiyono Rin's doing.
"Watanabe-kun, can I ask you a few questions—"
"Sorry, I have to go find Miki right now."
He smiled politely, and while the girl was still dazed by his attention, he slipped away.
Passing by Class 1, he instinctively peeked inside. Rin wasn't there. Instead, he made brief eye contact with Tamamo Harumi.
She didn't laugh with the others. She didn't look pleased, or jealous, or even curious—she simply treated him like air, indifferent and unreadable.
Thinking about how he still needed to figure out how to make her date him within the next five days made Watanabe's head throb.
But right now, finding Miki was what mattered most. If he didn't get her answer, then the shame he endured today—all his effort—would be for nothing.
He sprinted toward the club building. Along the way, students pointed at him and whispered, barely suppressing their laughter.
After today's spectacle, he would definitely achieve one thing:
He would learn to ignore other people's stares.
Finding growth amidst humiliation—that, too, was part of what made Watanabe Tetsu "remarkable."
Both Yuki Miki and Kiyono Rin were in the club room.
Rin being there wasn't surprising—she always spent lunch there—but Miki's presence was strange.
Though she and Rin were competing for the captain position, that was pure competitiveness—she had no real interest in the Human Observation Club. She had only joined to meet extracurricular requirements, and she had never been there during lunch.
Was she waiting for him?
Watanabe wondered this as he stepped inside.
"Miki."
"Hm?" Miki answered lazily, tapping away at her handheld game.
"I confessed. What's your answer?"
"You confessed?"
Her puzzled tone made Watanabe freeze.
"Yeah. During the first exam—around eleven."
"Oh, I was already asleep by then. Didn't hear it."
"…"
Come to think of it, for Miki, finishing the exam early would be abnormal. She was always sleep-deprived, and since the rules didn't allow turning in papers early, the only thing left to do was sleep—
Watanabe being dragged away for a scolding was the exception.
"But I already confessed! The whole school can vouch for it!"
"I didn't hear it."
Miki smiled sweetly.
"Do it again this afternoon."
"Again?!"
"Of course. Something like this must be heard by the person involved, right?"
"Lies."
Rin's cool, calm voice suddenly cut in from the window.
Miki's smile vanished instantly. She shot Rin a sharp glare.
"I don't recall you being the type to interrupt others."
"Watanabe-kun is different from you. He's a proper club member, and making sure he isn't deceived is part of my responsibility as president."
Rin fired back coldly.
Feeling that Rin's words had a hidden meaning, Watanabe panicked and hurried to redirect their attention.
"Miki, this isn't what we agreed on! You can't just break your promise!"
"When did I ever promise not to break promises?"
Miki smiled—a cold, cruel smile.
"…"
Watanabe had nothing to say.
"And besides—"
Miki's expression brightened into a brilliant smile.
"I only said I'd think about it. I never said I'd definitely say yes, did I?"
"Then what do I have to do for you to say yes?"
"You really like me that much?"
"If I didn't like you, why would I willingly approach a dangerous woman like you instead of staying safely away?"
Tokyo Handsome Rule #2: Always keep 30% mystery.
No one would ever imagine he had a dating-game system.
Miki thought for a moment, then curled her finger at him in a beckoning gesture.
"Come here."
Watanabe stepped forward until he stood beside the sofa.
Miki grabbed his tie and yanked him closer. He nearly fell on top of her, but thanks to quick reflexes, he caught himself on the sofa back.
While holding his tie, she lifted her other hand and traced it along his cheek, smiling playfully.
"Now that I look closely… you really are pretty good-looking."
Then she leaned in and kissed him, their lips brushing together.
Watanabe's eyes flew open wide.
With a sharp snap, Rin closed her book.
"If you're going to flirt, do it outside."
Miki released his tie and pressed her foot lightly to his stomach, pushing him back.
"Physical contact isn't completely intolerable. I'll allow you to be my boyfriend."
She lounged against the sofa armrest, one fist propping up her cheek, speaking in a tone like she was granting him a privilege.
[You have two new messages]
"Awesome!"
Seeing his excitement, Miki sneered.
"Listen carefully. From this moment on, if you make me even a little unhappy, the consequences won't be a normal breakup. As for your exact fate… the worse you imagine it, the closer you'll be."
Then she pronounced his sentence:
"Watanabe Tetsu—don't ever think you can go back to your old life again."
Her words dripped with malice, threat, amusement…
Yet somehow, Watanabe felt a strange illusion—as if she genuinely intended to be his girlfriend.
But no matter what she thought or did, his resolve to take revenge remained unshaken.
"I understand."
Watanabe straightened his tie.
Miki lifted her foot again.
"Put my shoes on."
"…I'm your boyfriend, not your servant."
"A boyfriend should help his girlfriend put on her shoes. Isn't that normal?"
Her smile grew darker.
'I'm benefitting. I'm benefitting. This is me benefiting.'
Watanabe chanted internally as he picked up the pair of indoor shoes and slipped them onto her feet.
"Your technique is mediocre. Not comfortable at all… but considering it's your first time, I'll forgive you."
Though he disliked Miki intensely, he couldn't hold back a sarcastic mutter:
"This is just putting on shoes—you're talking like I did something else."
"Oh, you'll have the chance someday,"
she teased from above,
"after you learn the proper way to put my shoes on."
"…"
As soon as he finished, Miki abruptly left the club room.
Watanabe guessed the worst immediately:
She must be going to the bathroom. With diarrhea.
Absolutely.