"Huh?" Meari was stunned: "Is it that simple?"
Is this the secret to love?
"It's that simple."
Kei Karuizawa said with a smile, "Boys' preferences are very simple. As long as a girl meets one or several of these requirements—being pretty, having a good figure, nice legs, a pleasant voice, a good personality—they will gain boys' favor.
In this regard, girls naturally have an advantage; as long as they dress up nicely, it's easy to get boys to like them.
However, boys are also very fickle. If you wear a skirt today, he'll like to stare at you; if another girl wears black stockings tomorrow, he'll go look at her."
"So, to keep a boy's attention focused on you, you need to have a characteristic that he likes…"
"Question, do you know what about you Kiyotaka likes?" Kei Karuizawa suddenly started a pop quiz.
"...My intelligence? My face? My twin tails? My figure, or my thighs that often wear over-the-knee socks?"
Meari had no experience in love, so she guessed wildly.
"All of the above are correct answers!" Kei Karuizawa happily snapped her fingers.
"Eh? Is that so!?"
"Everything you mentioned above are things that attract boys. To put it in one word, they are [moe points]. Boys can be said to be very casual; as long as a girl has a moe point they like, they will be willing to date those girls."
"So, another question, what else is needed to keep a boy's attention focused on you!?"
Kei Karuizawa posed another question.
"...Take off your clothes and go to bed with them?" Meari pondered for a moment, then gave an answer that surprised Kei Karuizawa.
It was Kei Karuizawa's turn to panic. Blushing, she quickly covered Meari's mouth: "What are you saying! Although what you said is also an important step, it's off-topic, no points!"
Kei Karuizawa admired Meari for being able to say such things with a serious face. Did she not feel shy at all, or did she think she was already familiar enough with her to discuss such private matters?
"The correct answer is confession, confession!"
Kei Karuizawa cleared her throat, blushing, and corrected Meari's misunderstanding.
"Most boys are very rational. For boys, even if a girl has too many moe points he likes, they know that the girl doesn't belong to him, so this liking can only remain a liking.
At most, they'll call her 'wife,' but they don't truly believe they can have any relationship with the other person."
"But once a girl confesses, a boy develops an awareness—that this girl can belong to him, that he has ownership of the other person.
This step is very important. When a boy thinks this way, he will instinctively focus his gaze on you. As long as you have the [moe points] he likes, you can easily take your relationship with him a step further!"
"Meari, do you understand? No matter how many girls like a boy, as long as no girl confesses to him, his affection can easily be scattered.
But as soon as you confess, his attention will shift to you alone, and you'll have enough time to make him fall in love with you!"
Kei Karuizawa proudly uttered a sentence that, to Meari, sounded very philosophical as a summary.
"In love, only those who seize the initiative are the winners!"
Meari listened to a "love mini-lesson" and couldn't help but applaud her teacher: "As expected of Kei Karuizawa, your experience is truly rich! I understand, I'm going to confess to Kiyotaka right now!"
This lesson filled Meari with passion, making her eager to open her phone and video call Ayanokoji to continue her confession right away.
"Don't rush!" Kei Karuizawa quickly stopped Meari: "Confession needs to be timed. Have you heard of the suspension bridge effect?"
The suspension bridge effect refers to the phenomenon where a person's heart rate involuntarily quickens when crossing a shaky suspension bridge.
If, at that moment, they happen to meet another person, they might mistakenly attribute this physiological reaction of a quickened heartbeat to a psychological reaction, believing that they like the other person.
Meari nodded. The suspension bridge effect is a common psychological concept in daily life, and she was certainly aware of it.
"It's good that you understand. If you confess via video call now, the confession will sound dry and it will be difficult for the other person to feel their heart race. Even if Ayanokoji Kiyotaka likes you, he will still have to think about whether or not to agree."
"Then, Kei Karuizawa, what do you think is a suitable place for a confession?" Meari quickly nodded and asked the love expert in front of her.
"A suitable place for a confession, huh…" Kei Karuizawa thought for a moment and said, "It's hard to find cliffs or suspension bridges now. The Mochiyasha at the Amusement Park is quite suitable for confessions, and the rooftop after school is also good…"
"Amusement Park!" Meari's eyes lit up: "Ayanokoji told me he'd take me to the Amusement Park after he met his brother!"
"Isn't that perfect!" Kei Karuizawa also clapped her hands happily: "This is definitely a good opportunity. Maybe he'll confess to you before you even confess to him!"
The two girls were excited for a while, then Meari suddenly became curious about Kei Karuizawa and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's story: "Kei Karuizawa, how did you and Kiyotaka's brother become boyfriend and girlfriend? Who confessed first?"
She hoped to learn some experience from the other person's love history.
"Actually, I was the one who confessed," Kei Karuizawa said with a shy smile: "At first, I didn't really think much of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, but then some things happened, and I slowly started to like him… Do you want to hear it?"
She had already come to see Meari as a good friend and felt she could share her romantic history.
"I want to hear it!" Meari sat up straight, adopting an attentive posture, her eyes filled with anticipation.
"Where should I start…"
Kei Karuizawa looked up, thought for a moment, and slowly began.
"Actually, like you, I have a competitive and strong personality. Soon after entering middle school, I became enemies with similar types of girls over trivial matters.
Later, I was bullied.
Graffiti on my desk or missing notebooks were considered cute behaviors. I was splashed with water in the bathroom, and they recorded me being punched and kicked, using it as a joke for the class.
Thumbtacks were also placed in my indoor shoes, my desk was filled with animal carcasses, and I was often forced to do things I didn't like."
Kei Karuizawa spoke lightly of her painful past.
Meari was stunned. She hadn't expected that the seemingly glamorous Kei Karuizawa in front of her would have such a tragic past.
She continued to narrate.
"I came to Advanced Nurturing High School to escape that past of being bullied, because I knew that the people who bullied me had very low deviation scores and couldn't possibly get into this school."
"Fortunately, there were no girls of my type in our class, and I successfully became one of the people at the top of the class. However, I was still afraid, afraid that my sad past would be exposed."
"I originally thought that just escaping would be enough, but even in this school, someone knew about my past. I was threatened and almost reverted to my past, having no place to belong in the school…"
As Meari listened to her words, she couldn't help but feel sad.
Although she hadn't experienced bullying herself, having a friend who had gone through such an experience, Hanatemari Kazura, she could empathize with Kei Karuizawa.
But at this moment, Kei Karuizawa revealed a sweet smile.
"But it was Kiyotaka who saved me; he was willing to protect me, even if it meant coming out from behind the scenes, he was willing to stand in front of me."
"It was the moment he stepped forward to shield me that I decided; I entrusted my future to him. Even if he abandons me, I will gladly accept it."
...
On the other side, the boys also happened to be discussing this topic.
"Speaking of which, big brother, I didn't realize you could actually fall for someone else. Have you decided when you're going to marry Kei Karuizawa?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka asked with a smile.
"Marry?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka shook his head and said indifferently, "I haven't thought about it. Kei Karuizawa isn't necessarily a suitable person to marry."
"Then what kind of person is she to you?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka became curious.
"...Just a useful tool." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said lightly.
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