Golden Week had ended. It was the first day back at school.
After finishing breakfast, the Kiryu siblings got ready and stepped out of the house—only to find Tamago-chan standing right outside the Kiryu residence, holding a piece of bread in one hand and a book in the other.
Her large square-framed glasses framed her petite nose perfectly.
Her thick braided hair was looped forward over her shoulder, naturally draping along the curve of her chest.
The whole scene, coupled with the fresh morning air tinged with dew, was… rather captivating.
If Chiyoko hadn't spoken up so abruptly, Kazuma might've stood there a while longer, appreciating the view.
"Wow, Tamago-chan is going full-on surveillance mode today! Bro, you're really popular," Chiyoko teased, elbowing Kazuma in the side. "You heart-stealing rogue, doomed to make girls cry!"
"Wait a sec, where'd you even learn such cringy lines?" Kazuma asked.
Though he said that, it didn't surprise him much. After all, Japan was the kind of country where sports commentators would unabashedly dub athletes 'Imperial Dragonbreaker' or 'Imperial Fierce Tiger' during live broadcasts.
Chiyoko grinned. "That's how they talk in shōjo manga."
Shōjo manga are really that over-the-top? Kazuma thought. Then it hit him—Right, in this era, the standout title is The Rose of Versailles. Yep, those lines definitely fit that style.
Just then, Tamago-chan noticed the two siblings watching her and whispering. She closed her book and turned toward them.
As she moved, her braid swayed gently, and Kazuma noticed that this time she'd tied a sky-blue ribbon at the end—instead of her usual plain hair tie.
Kazuma liked the color blue. It reminded him of the sky and the sea. So he complimented her, "That ribbon looks nice. Really suits you."
That last part—"Really suits you"—was something he'd tacked on. At first, he'd only meant to compliment the ribbon, because it was blue.
"Really? I happened to find it in my jewelry box this morning—not sure when I bought it—so I thought I'd give it a try. Glad to hear it looks good."
Yeah right! Kazuma thought. The way you said that makes it sound totally deliberate!
"So, uh… why are you waiting for me to walk to school? We didn't plan that, did we?" he asked.
"I made a notebook for you to use during the walk to quickly review Japanese literature points. I'm here to supervise and make sure you actually do it." With that, Tamago-chan handed him a handmade pocket study book, crafted from a stationery kit.
Chiyoko peeked at it and exclaimed, "Hey! Isn't this the set that's super trendy among gyaru lately? Usually they just decorate it with cute stickers. I've never seen someone turn it into a study tool."
"This kit is perfect for making notebooks," Tamago-chan replied, pulling out a matching one. "I even made one for vocabulary. The way gyaru use it is such a waste. But well, they're airheads—of course all their nutrients go to their—"
"Wow! That was harsh," Chiyoko gasped, glancing at Tamago-chan's chest. "And hey, you've got plenty of 'nutrients' going there too! You totally roasted yourself! And me! And Mikako! And Nanjo-senpai!"
Kazuma added, "And me."
He straightened his shoulders and puffed out his chest to show off his pecs.
Chiyoko and Tamago-chan both stared at him. Then Tamago-chan suddenly burst into giggles.
She quickly composed herself, putting on a serious face again.
"Come on!" Chiyoko said. "Your smile is really cute—right, Bro?"
"Yeah," Kazuma agreed.
"There are plenty of girls with cute smiles. I'm not special," Tamago-chan replied earnestly.
"Oh." Kazuma nodded.
He silently decided that from now on, whenever he had the chance, he'd try to make Tamago-chan laugh again.
He didn't realize that this sort of thing—trying to make a girl laugh—was, in fact, flirting.
In his past life, Kazuma had been single for thirty years. The main reason was that whenever he consciously tried to pursue a girl, he'd end up stiff and awkward, and the natural fun would disappear.
So all his relationships back then followed the same pattern: in daily interactions, he'd get along great with girls, make them laugh constantly, and grow close.
But the moment things reached a point where he thought "I can make a move now" and started actively pursuing them, the girls would immediately pull away.
Now, though, things were different. He wasn't trying to pursue anyone. With such a dangerous bet hanging over him, deepening relationships was the last thing on his mind.
And ironically, that left him more relaxed than ever.
Tamago-chan started explaining how to use the notebook to review Japanese literature points during their walk.
After listening, Kazuma asked, "Wouldn't it be better to just read more classics? Wouldn't that naturally improve my language skills?"
"Don't think like that. Test scores can absolutely be improved with exam strategies. Everyone aiming for Todai uses those strategies—if you don't, you'll fall behind. Sure, reading classics can help your language sense, but it's too inefficient compared to focused test prep."
Kazuma nodded. So it's the same everywhere: when the focus is on tests, there'll always be students with high scores but low ability. Though for real top students, scoring high isn't hard. Those stories about low scores but genius talent are rare—mostly exaggerated in feel-good articles.
Tamago-chan urged, "Since you know how to use the notebook now, let's get started."
Chiyoko chimed in, "Bro, you're still walking me to school today, right?"
"Of course. Remember how those delinquents showed up at the dojo on the first day of Golden Week? I can't guarantee there won't be more trouble."
Kazuma kept his answer vague. Chiyoko would understand. And for Tamago-chan, some things were better left unsaid.
Tamago-chan didn't press. "No problem. A longer walk just means more review time. Let's go."
Meanwhile, at another school, also on the first day back after Golden Week, Ikeda Shigeru was cornered by his usual friends—Miura, Irie, and Asano.
"You seriously went through with it? You didn't have to shave your whole head!" Miura said dramatically.
"No, no," Asano countered. "Shaving your head to show resolve is a thing! We're finally gonna take over Kitakatsushi!"
"So we're gonna mess with those guys at Nankatsu High now?" Irie chimed in.
"I'm done with that life!" Ikeda Shigeru said firmly. "From now on, stop walking to school with me."
With that, he shoved past Miura and strode away.
The three left behind could only stare at each other in confusion.
(End of Chapter)