Amid the bustling nurse station, Takumi found himself genuinely startled when the petite Kotoko confessed to him.
If anyone overhears this, they'll think I'm some kind of pervert!
His gaze flicked instinctively to the surrounding crowd—only to find their eyes filled with envy rather than suspicion.
To be fair, Takumi's striking looks worked in his favor. Unlike sketchy middle-aged men who might raise alarms, no one even considered calling the police.
Meanwhile, Kotoko pressed a graceful hand to her chest and introduced herself.
"I'm Kotoko Iwanaga, fifteen years old, a first-year high school student here. My family doesn't forbid early relationships, so you needn't worry."
"Why would I even worry about that?!"
Takumi's expression twisted in exasperation. He'd just been flirted with—and by a girl almost his own age, no less!
This was a rare experience. Usually, he was the one doing the pursuing.
"Takumi. First-year at Kuou Academy. We're not even in the same city."
"That's fine! I can transfer schools!"
"Whoa there, dial it back a notch."
"But isn't it natural to be proactive in love?"
Kotoko's earnest words left Takumi speechless. Then he remembered his original purpose and glanced down the hallway— Rikka had vanished.
Extending his senses, he quickly pinpointed her location in a nearby ward. Now that he knew where she was staying, there was no need to rush.
"Hey hey~ Don't ignore me! Were you looking for someone just now?"
Kotoko waved both hands to recapture his attention. Takumi patted her head like soothing a child.
"I was, but I've located her now. No hurry."
He paused, then added an explanation. With Rikka mentally marked, tracking her wouldn't be an issue.
Seizing the opening, Kotoko brightened and pressed closer.
"In that case, why not focus on the present? Like... seriously considering my proposal?"
She tilted her head, eyes sparkling.
"Would you like to date me with marriage in mind? I'm completely serious—no lies here."
Takumi exhaled deeply at the tiny girl's boldness.
"Honestly? This isn't my first time hearing something like this... but you're way more intense than the last one."
He recalled Freya's yandere tendencies, then compared them to Kotoko's meticulously worded confession. Strangely, he felt no sense of coercion—just genuine interest.
Kotoko's eyebrows shot up at his remark.
"'Last time'? You've been confessed to like this before? Well... I can see why. With your looks, girls would easily fall for you. But let me reiterate—my feelings are true love at first sight, not superficial attraction!"
She faltered, then mumbled, "...Though your face does play a small part."
The more she spoke, the more her confidence wavered. How could she explain when they'd only just met? Even their names were freshly exchanged.
Love at first sight could easily be mistaken for lust at first sight—and in her case, the line was blurry.
Male beauty is still beauty!
Takumi chuckled. "Liking someone's looks is part of attraction. If you were ugly, I wouldn't bother learning about your personality."
He waved off her flustered explanation.
"So does that mean you accept?" Kotoko interjected eagerly.
"Turning down a cute girl who's this forward would be downright ungrateful." He winked.
Just as Kotoko beamed and moved to hug him, Takumi raised a finger.
"Ah, but I do have a disclaimer."
"Disclaimer?"
Kotoko blinked as they walked toward the hospital exit. Takumi's voice turned solemn. "I have multiple girlfriends. And I have no intention of leaving any of them."
"Wha—?! That's such a shameless playboy declaration!"
Her eyes widened, but her tone remained steady. After a thoughtful pause, she nodded.
"...Actually, it's predictable. A guy like you, especially in high school? Of course you'd have girlfriends. But multiple? Are you two-timing?"
Takumi silently pulled out his phone and opened his rooftop group chat.
"To be precise, it's more like... this many."
"Hey hey hey—that's double digits?!!"
Kotoko's composure shattered for the first time. Two or three girlfriends? Understandable. Over ten?! That was outright shamelessness!
Takumi scratched his cheek, mentally adding. And this isn't even all of them.
But voicing that would serve no purpose.
They arrived at the secluded hospital garden, where few visitors lingered. Kotoko gasped and immediately reached for his groin.
"N-no way—! You've gotta be kidding me. This is your resting state? No wonder you can handle a dozen girls. The equipment matches the ambition."
Takumi stiffened. "What are you doing? Since when are you the bold one?!"
He suddenly felt like he was the one being harassed.
Kotoko adjusted her glasses with academic seriousness.
"Just verifying my hypothesis. The size exceeds specifications... but what about endurance?"
THOK!
A flick to her forehead sent Kotoko clutching her head with teary eyes. Takumi pinched her cheek mercilessly.
"Don't push your luck! You wanna test that here?!"
"I was curious! It's my first time seeing someone so... well-endowed. No wonder I fell for you. But at this scale, I might face death during sex!" Her expression turned grave, "More importantly, wouldn't excessive blood flow cause dizziness, hypoxia, or—"
Takumi couldn't help but laugh at her serious concerns.