Watanabe Tetsu followed Yuuki Miki out of the school. Passing the baseball field, Kunii Osamu, who was resting, ran over to greet them.
His eyes first lingered on Yuuki Miki—so stunningly beautiful that it was hard to look away—then he gave a playful punch to Watanabe Tetsu's chest.
"I'm really jealous of you, having a girlfriend as beautiful as Yuuki-san!"
"Superficial," Watanabe Tetsu said, feigning pride. "You only see Miki's appearance. You haven't seen her true essence."
If you saw her essence, you'd be running for your life, he thought quietly.
"Where are you two going? Club activities are over?"
"Well… you could say that Miki wants to play a little game with me. You know…"
"Who said you could stop?" Yuuki Miki turned back, grabbed Watanabe Tetsu by the ear, and dragged him toward the oak tree by the school gate.
Watanabe Tetsu, glaring at Kunii Osamu's envious expression, said, "See that? The jealousy and the possessiveness—that's exactly why I love her. Ow, ow, ow! Miki, be gentler!"
Kunii Osamu, green with envy, raised his bat, mimicking a full swing at Watanabe Tetsu.
But he surely didn't realize that Watanabe Tetsu was actually in pain.
Dragged all the way to the oak tree, Yuuki Miki finally released him.
"For the next while, I'll be going abroad."
"Eh—?" Watanabe Tetsu rubbed his reddened ear and let out a disappointed sound.
Freedom! Finally!
Yuuki Miki raised a finger and poked it mercilessly at the tip of Watanabe Tetsu's nose, where a smile was struggling to break free.
"Watch yourself. If I find out you're getting close to any other girl…" Her next words remained unsaid, replaced by a predatory smirk.
"Well, then. It's a promise—I won't associate with other girls, and you won't deal with other boys." Watanabe Tetsu said this to show how much he cared.
Yuuki Miki paused, then withdrew her hand. Her face came close to his, teasing, "Don't worry. I'm yours."
"Th-then… that's good." Watanabe Tetsu leaned back slightly, keeping some distance between them.
He felt his body starting to lose control.
"Here."
"This?" Watanabe Tetsu accepted the card she handed him.
"From now on, you must spend over one million yen every month."
"Huh? Why? I don't need that much! And I'm just a student—I have nowhere to spend it."
"That's your problem." Yuuki Miki straightened, "One million yen is just the beginning. There will be more. You need to get rid of the mindset of obsessing over money. You didn't think being my man just means staying at school studying and taking tests, did you?"
"Are you going to introduce me to… the so-called upper class? Fancy balls? Or going to business meetings with you?" Watanabe Tetsu could only think of these possibilities.
Yuuki Miki neither confirmed nor denied, just smirked. "You'd better pray you don't embarrass me."
Watanabe Tetsu looked at the card. "I'll return it to you. I really don't need this much money. And if I get into the habit of spending recklessly, what if I waste even more on you, or have nothing left if we break up?"
Seeing Watanabe Tetsu's serious expression, Yuuki Miki scoffed.
"You spend as much as I allow. Don't worry about breakups—you won't have to think about money then either."
"Don't have to think about money? You mean the breakup settlement will be generous, right?"
"Guess." Under the green, flourishing branches of the oak tree, Yuuki Miki grinned like a little devil.
The next day, Yuuki Miki took another long leave, disappearing from Kamikawa Prep just like in April.
Somewhere in the world, using her extraordinary intelligence and subtle, high-level skills, she was handling things that most prep students could never imagine in their lifetime.
This was also the final day of her reunion activities with Tamamo Konomi.
Watanabe Tetsu gave up.
With Yuuki Miki's possessiveness, she would undoubtedly have someone watching him.
For his own safety, and for the innocent Tamamo Konomi's, giving up was the right choice.
Life only comes once, for him and for others—it must be cherished.
Unlike the hot-blooded protagonists in manga who rush forward heedless of everything, Watanabe Tetsu, the perennial third-place student and top humanities scorer, would not do such reckless things.
Time seemed to rewind to before the Ochanomizu incident, and Watanabe Tetsu resumed his stable prep school life.
Aside from occasional teasing from classmates about his girlfriend or being ignored by Tamamo Konomi in the hallway, his biggest concern was how to spend one million yen each month.
And so, Friday arrived—another day to go to the clubroom.
"Watanabe, want to go to the arcade after club?" Saito Keisuke asked as they packed up after the last class.
"Sure. By the way, do you two want to go swimming with me?"
"Swimming?"
"At the gym. Just for fun."
"Need a membership?" Kunii Osamu asked.
"No, it's a one-time thing."
"Then okay. Arcade first, then swimming, then dinner!"
Going out Friday night was a routine for most prep students. Even the diligent Watanabe Tetsu wouldn't miss it.
Those who played while studying, and those who studied but didn't play—who's smarter?
Of course, the latter.
Watanabe Tetsu had no doubt he was among the smartest.
Grabbing his bag, he left the classroom and headed to the club building.
The corridor windows were covered in raindrops. The rainy season, stretching from Okinawa to the north and over Tokyo, was expected to last until July.
Sliding open the clubroom doors:
"This is…" Watanabe Tetsu looked at a girl seated at the beechwood table, unfamiliar to him. "A new member?"
The girl stood and bowed slightly. "Hello, Watanabe-san. I'm Ichiki Aoi from Class 3. I came to request something from the Human Observation Club."
Someone actually believed the 'big money for help in love' flyer?
"Oh." Watanabe Tetsu nodded. "Hello."
After greeting, he walked to his spot at the table and sat down.
Just as he was about to put on headphones and practice Spanish listening, he noticed there was no tea for Ichiki Aoi.
Thinking that the guest should be served, he went to Yuuki Miki's tea cabinet.
"Black tea okay?"
"Ah? Yes, thank you," Ichiki Aoi replied quickly.
Watanabe Tetsu boiled water and poured tea for himself and the other two, though Seino Rin and Ichiki Aoi used disposable cups.
Serving others Yuuki Miki's tea would surely get him scolded; giving them her cups would likely result in immediate retaliation.
Seino Rin's gaze lingered on the white cup, hesitant.
Watanabe Tetsu sipped through the steam, looking at her, and said, "Miki is part of the Human Observation Club too."
Seino Rin nodded barely perceptibly and took a sip from the cup. "Then, Ichiki-san, let's continue from where we left off."
"Ah, okay." Ichiki Aoi snapped back from the aroma of the tea. "Sorry, where were we?"
"Experience."
"Oh, right. We've been in the same school since childhood. I came to Kamikawa because of him."
Watanabe Tetsu glanced at Seino Rin. She looked back, sharing the same thought.
They realized it together—Ichiki Aoi had liked him since elementary school and continued to like him to this day.
Seino Rin, feeling slightly shy about this silent agreement, gave him a sharp look.
"?" Watanabe Tetsu looked puzzled.
Seino Rin placed a fist near her lips and coughed lightly. "Ichiki-san, may I ask… why do you like him? What are his strengths?"
Ichiki Aoi answered immediately: "He's really handsome."
Watanabe Tetsu and Seino Rin stared at her.
"Really, really handsome!" Ichiki Aoi emphasized.
"Am I handsome too?" Watanabe Tetsu asked with curiosity.
He had never seen a man more handsome than himself, and never would.
Not even Lady Yuuki had been able to resist his looks.
Ichiki Aoi's reaction surprised him. She said "Eh?" in confusion, puzzled why he would ask.
"Quiet, Watanabe-san," Seino Rin said flatly.
Watanabe Tetsu shrugged. He didn't care—no one could be more handsome than him anyway.
Seino Rin turned to Ichiki Aoi: "Any other strengths?"
There were none more beautiful than her, yet she hadn't won Watanabe Tetsu's affection. Looks weren't the point.
"He's really good with instruments!"
"Talented, huh?" Seino Rin murmured.
While he wasn't a master of everything, he excelled at what most people would consider talent but didn't showcase. Usually, he only let Watanabe Tetsu see his scholarly side.
Seino Rin nodded. "Anything else?"
"And… no friends!"
"Ah?"
Seino Rin looked at a surprised Watanabe Tetsu. "Does having no friends really attract you?"
"If he has no friends, he won't be hanging out with other girls. That way…" Ichiki Aoi's voice faded, but the other two understood.
Seino Rin, having no friends herself, didn't think this would make Watanabe Tetsu like him; if anything, it was a point she could tease him on.
"Anything else?"
"Um…" Ichiki Aoi frowned. "I can't think of anything."
"The most important one? If that's missing, you wouldn't like him?"
Ichiki Aoi thought hard. "In the end… it's looks! He's just too handsome!"
Seino Rin sighed.
"What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?" Ichiki Aoi asked Watanabe Tetsu.
Before he could answer, Seino Rin said, "Looks aren't the point. Judging only by appearance won't reveal a man's essence. Of course, this is just my view, differing from Ichiki-san's taste in men."
She explained further: "A man must first be intelligent, work hard, then have some talent… like the one sitting there, telling lies with a smug face. Even I have to admit he's a little handsome."
"'A little handsome' for humanity's peak looks? Your standards are high," Watanabe Tetsu teased.
Seino Rin gave him the same exasperated expression he gave the kids he tutored.
"Watanabe-san, are your ears only picking up Spanish now? I said I judge a man's handsomeness by actions, right?"
Watanabe Tetsu put a hand to his ear, replying in broken Spanish: "Qué dices? No lo entiendo." (What did you say? I don't understand.)
Seino Rin turned her face, her shoulders trembling slightly with barely audible laughter.
When she turned back, her cool, beautiful face returned, this time with the expression one reserves for a kindergartener.
Ichiki Aoi glanced between them, envious: "If my relationship with Asuka-senpai were as close as Seino-san and Watanabe-san, my confession would surely succeed."
"Close? Ichiki-san, watch your words," Seino Rin said, unwillingly staring at her.
"Wait!" Watanabe Tetsu said. "What about the previous comment? Asuka-senpai?"
"Ah, sorry. Actually, I like Asuka-senpai. I should have said 'she.' But…" Ichiki Aoi blushed. "I subconsciously thought of Asuka-senpai as 'he.'"
"Girls like girls?" Seino Rin rubbed her forehead in frustration.
Does this even provide a useful reference?
"Asuka-senpai?"
"Yes," Ichiki Aoi said automatically.
"She likes girls?" Watanabe Tetsu stared at Ichiki Aoi.
"I'm not sure. Asuka-senpai hasn't said she prefers girls."
System, are you alive? Can you come out so I can beat you up?
Ichiki Aoi looked at Watanabe Tetsu, whose looks had dipped to an 8 out of 10 due to confusion, and asked, "Watanabe-san, do you dislike same-sex love?"
"No, no, no." Watanabe Tetsu waved his hands. "It's my own issue, not yours or anyone else's. I support all true love—especially yuri, particularly between cute girls. For example, if Seino-san and Miki—"
He stopped mid-sentence under Seino Rin's sharp glare.
Though some boys at Kamikawa Prep got excited under her icy stare, Watanabe Tetsu wasn't one of them.
He just felt the clubroom's temperature drop.
Seino Rin withdrew her "ice beam" glare and said to the flustered Ichiki Aoi, "Since Asuka-senpai likes girls, it's easy to handle."
"Really?" Ichiki Aoi asked, excited.
"Though completely unreliable as reference, let's ask: Watanabe-san, as the only male here, what kind of girl do you like?" Seino Rin asked.
"Yuuki Miki."
Seino Rin smiled knowingly, letting Ichiki Aoi wonder.
She said to Ichiki Aoi: "Since we don't know what kind of girl Asuka-senpai likes, play it safe—follow me. No one dislikes me, except this lying boy next to me."
"Eh? Seino-san? Uh…" Ichiki Aoi looked conflicted.
"Huh?"
Ichiki Aoi looked at Watanabe Tetsu, thinking: Do I get stuck with this cursed task? You think Seino-san would let me off?
Seino Rin's legs were pressed together, her back perfectly straight as she stared at Watanabe Tetsu. "I hate lies most of all, so if you have anything to say, speak up."
"You won't get angry?"
"Of course not."
"Alright, then I won't hold back."
"First, flat as the Kanto Plain; second, doesn't joke and dislikes others joking; third, has high expectations of others; fourth, will confront lies directly, even if well-intentioned. In short, Seino-san, besides natural beauty and intelligence, you have nothing else that makes you a typical role model of a popular girl."
"From next week, the Human Observation Club member—no, Watanabe Tetsu-san—you must come to the clubroom every day."
"You said you weren't angry!"
"I'm not angry. Just being stubborn," Seino Rin said kindly, but with no warmth.
"…Watanabe Tetsu."