There was no reply for the entire night.
If this were Hanada Asako or Asuma Mai, Watanabe Tetsu would have given up already.
But this time it was Tamamo Harumi—the girl with whom a relationship could be maintained purely through money—and for that reason, he decided to try a bit longer.
Besides, the system event had no restrictions on how to approach Tamamo Harumi. If money alone could resolve the situation, that would naturally be ideal. If not, he would simply think of another method.
But regardless of how it turned out, Watanabe Tetsu had no intention of deceiving her—or deceiving anyone except Yuki Ayame.
And even with Yuki Ayame, he wasn't sure if deceiving her was even possible.
Most importantly, the system had warned him that trying to reconcile with Tamamo Harumi came with a "huge life-threatening risk." Rushing in recklessly would only get him killed.
And above all—this was the truly important part—a proper "Tokyo Handsome Guy" should never toy with girls' feelings.
As someone who had suffered under Yuki Ayame for so long, he wanted revenge, but since he wasn't in immediate danger of dying now, there was no harm in taking things slowly.
If revenge ultimately proved impossible… then he could always swallow his pride and marry into her family.
In that case, Yuki Ayame would probably give him four children, and within that time, he could think of methods to seize the family assets.
"Agh… it's way too early in the morning to be having this kind of nonsense."
Watanabe Tetsu shook his head and went to wash up, but his thoughts were still a complete mess.
He decided not to lift dumbbells today and instead go for a run—hoping the morning wind would clear his muddled brain.
He put on his earphones.
Inside were the Spanish example sentences he had personally selected.
From Yotsuya Station to Shinjuku-Gyoenmae was a full two kilometers.
Watanabe Tetsu jogged along Shinjuku Avenue while practicing pronunciation.
"No he estado nunca en España, pero tengo muchas ganas de ir."
I've never been to Spain, but I really want to go.
"¿Cómo se dice esto en inglés?"
How do you say this in English?
"¿Podría hablar más despacio?"
Could you speak more slowly?
It was the last day of May.
At six in the morning the sky was already bright, and the air was so fresh it almost rivaled the countryside back home.
The sky was like the blue water of a swimming pool, while the white clouds looked like the lather of shower gel expanding in warm steam.
Placed simply together, they created a vivid and innocent harmony.
If he used Seino Rin's words, it looked "like a Dick Bruna illustration"—though Watanabe Tetsu only knew that Bruna was a famous Dutch artist; he couldn't recall any specific works.
"Hff… hff…"
He panted, feeling a strange, full-body rush of energy.
It was his body celebrating—telling him, Watanabe, you really are becoming someone remarkable, step by step.
He felt like Forrest Gump, running his way into the life he wanted.
His mind gradually cleared, thoughts sharpening one by one.
That's right. I need to work toward my dreams like Gatsby, becoming someone remarkable.
But at the same time, I have to stay true to myself like Forrest Gump—no matter when, where, or who I'm with.
I must uphold the code of a "Tokyo Handsome Guy." I must do what I should do.
Having purified his soul and let go of shameful ideas like marrying into a family to seize their wealth, Watanabe Tetsu felt like he could run straight from Shinjuku, Tokyo, all the way back to his hometown in Iwate.
[You have a new message]
[Stamina: 4 → 5]
Ten minutes later, Watanabe Tetsu arrived at Akiha Shrine near Shinjuku-Gyoenmae.
He realized the plan to run from Shinjuku all the way to Iwate still needed some reconsideration.
He bought a sandwich and some milk from a nearby breakfast stall, sat down on the shrine steps, took a sip of milk, and bit into the ham sandwich.
Halfway through, his hunger eased.
He set the milk carton beside him and pulled out his phone.
He didn't message Tamamo Harumi again.
If she replied, he would discuss the monetary arrangement.
If she didn't, then the matter would end here.
It was the same with Hanada Asako and Asuma Mai—if the only path forward required deceiving their feelings, he would have no choice but to give up.
But before giving up, he would exhaust every other method available to achieve the goal.
If things went well, great.
If not, then that was the end of it.
As someone who worked as hard as Gatsby, remained pure like Forrest Gump, and had a dating-game system attached to him, the "Tokyo Handsome Guy" Watanabe Tetsu firmly believed that one day, without deceiving any girl's feelings, he would find a method to deal with Yuki Ayame.
"Ayako, where are you?"
"I can't go."
Honma Ayako immediately followed up with a sticker: a crying bunny with tears the size of fists.
"Seriously? I even woke up early and waited at the station for you."
Watanabe Tetsu joked, but he was genuinely disappointed.
Honma Ayako, in light-novel terms, counted as his childhood friend.
Even though they didn't play together much back in the village, both of them subconsciously treated each other as family once they left—like best friends who needed no explanation.
Even without much interaction, they both wanted to look after one another, and they trusted each other completely.
Watanabe Tetsu didn't really understand this kind of instinctive emotional bond that defied logic, and he made a mental note to ask Seino Rin someday.
"I told you, right? I joined the brass band at cram school. The club president says we have a training session—we're performing to cheer for the baseball team."
Honma Ayako sent a screenshot: a chat between her and someone labeled "Hirakawa-buchō."
The timestamp was 6 a.m.
The message told everyone to gather at the school field at 9:30 and reminded them to bring their instruments.
"Guess it'll have to be next time."
Watanabe replied.
"My three-day weekend…!"
She followed with a sticker of a bunny being strangled.
Could she please spare the bunny?
It was so cute—and tasted so good.
After finishing the sandwich, Watanabe Tetsu headed toward the station to take the train back to his rental apartment.
Along the way, he wanted to message Seino Rin to brag about his enlightenment during the run—how he'd grown, how he'd reflected, how he'd evolved.
But he didn't have her contact information, so he could only wait until school next week.
When he reached his apartment building, the national broadcasting service was playing radio calisthenics.
He joined the elementary school kids doing the routine.
Afterward, he showered and focused on the practice tests he'd gotten from Koizumi Aina.
While he was absorbed in solving problems, his phone—on silent—started vibrating.
"What do you want?"
It was Tamamo Harumi.
"Can we talk in person?"
About a minute later, she sent:
"Ten o'clock. Shibuya Center Street, in front of Kokakara."
"Kokakara? What kind of place is that?"
The name was way too strange.
"Come or don't."
Watanabe checked the time. He still had enough to finish the math worksheet, so he didn't rush.
He solved the problems, graded them,整理ed the wrong answers from basic calculus, then changed into a white shirt and light-brown casual pants.
All his clothes were bought in his rural hometown.
Somehow they matched the name "Watanabe Tetsu" and gave off a faint 1950s Shōwa-era vibe.
Thankfully, he was handsome enough to pull it off.
Back when he worked part-time, a girl once asked if he'd bought his retro outfit from a trendy Harajuku shop—similar to how his messy hair was also mistakenly considered fashionable.
After taking the train to Shibuya Center Street, Watanabe finally realized that "Kokakara" was a drugstore.
A three-story building selling medicine, cosmetics, face masks, snacks, and baby supplies.
He waited in front of the entrance for five minutes.
Tamamo Harumi arrived from the station—already in a short skirt despite it only being early summer.
Her white trendy top was tucked into a denim mini-skirt.
Because her waist was so slender, the shirt hung loosely, giving her a stylish, effortless look.
Her fair face had light makeup, and her lips were glossy and soft.
She crossed her arms and asked impatiently, "What is it?"
"You—"
"Jingle bells, jingle bells…"
The sudden blast of Jingle Bells, loud enough to turn heads on the street, made Watanabe Tetsu's expression darken.
He wanted to ignore it and keep talking to Tamamo Harumi, but he had no choice except to answer.
"Where are you right now?"
On the other end, Yuki Ayame's voice oozed pure killing intent.