"Ryoko-sensei, to be honest, there's something I really don't understand."
At that moment, Shiro spoke in a voice full of doubt, and the confusion on his face was obvious as he looked at Mikado Ryoko.
Mikado Ryoko stopped spinning her pen as soon as she heard that and looked at Shiro.
"Oh?"
"Shiro, what is it that you want to ask your teacher? But let me make one thing clear first—I can't answer every question you have. After all, I'm just the school doctor."
"Of course, if it's something a little more personal, I might answer it for your sake. Honestly, I have quite a good impression of you."
The moment he heard her teasing words, Shiro immediately straightened up.
"Really? Then how about we start dating?"
Mikado Ryoko was taken aback when she heard his words, then burst into laughter so hard that her whole body shook.
"Is Shiro always this straightforward? By the way, is that exactly how he managed to win over so many girls?"
"Or is he simply shameless enough?"
Shiro immediately put on the expression of someone who had been gravely slandered.
"Ryoko-sensei, I can't agree with what you just said. What do you mean by 'shameless enough'? That's pure slander! At most, you could say I'm just a little more honest and open than other people."
As he spoke, he looked as if he were saying, "You're slandering me, and this won't end so easily."
Mikado Ryoko watched the man in front of her acting like a professional stage actor and found him extremely amusing. It had been a long time since she had met someone who behaved so casually around her.
"So you're so open that you confessed to me the moment you heard I had a good impression of you?"
"Why not? When an opportunity presents itself, you should take it, right? After all, what if it works?"
She had to admit that his words made enough sense that she couldn't argue against them.
Mikado Ryoko felt that this guy was simply gambling on probability. If he succeeded, he would win an enormous reward. If he failed, everything would end as nothing more than a joke.
With that kind of mindset, he practically couldn't lose.
After all, he had nothing to lose and only a great deal to gain.
"Although I'm happy that you confessed to me, your teacher's answer is still no."
Shiro immediately grabbed his chest and put on the expression of someone with a broken heart.
"So I've been dumped?"
"Well… that can't really be called being dumped. It would be more accurate to say your confession was rejected."
Completely immersed in his role, Shiro asked with a pained expression,
"What about me doesn't meet your standards? Can't I change?"
Mikado Ryoko looked at his expression and posture and had to admit that she couldn't find a single flaw. His acting was flawless, even more convincing than reality itself.
"Shiro, you don't need to change anything. If I have to give a reason, it's simply because, as a teacher, I'm not thinking about finding a boyfriend at all right now. But if one day I decide to fall in love, you would very likely be the first person I'd consider."
The moment he heard that, Shiro instantly dropped the broken-hearted expression and looked at her with the gaze someone would give a woman who intentionally keeps people hanging.
Mikado Ryoko watched his expression change completely. Although she had expected some kind of reaction, she never imagined it would look like this.
Seeing the way he looked at her, she was completely confused.
She couldn't understand why he was looking at her like that. Had she said something wrong?
"Shiro, the way you're looking at me makes it seem as if I've done something terrible. I honestly don't understand. Surely I didn't say anything that bad?"
Unable to resist, Mikado Ryoko asked curiously.
Shiro first pointed at her, then at himself.
"Ryoko-sensei, do you really not realize that you're acting like someone who keeps a backup? It's like you're keeping me as your backup option."
Mikado Ryoko was utterly bewildered when she heard that. A backup? What was he even talking about?
"Shiro, could you explain that a little more clearly? I really don't understand what you're trying to say."
Shiro paused for a moment before beginning to explain in complete seriousness.
"Suppose you tell someone that one day you might consider them or that they'll be the first person you think about. Aren't you giving that person hope? But that promise is completely vague, and yet you're still giving them expectations that may never be fulfilled."
"If you say those same words to several people, then all of them will carry that hope in their hearts and wait for you as backups."
"They'll all wait for you to throw out the bait so they can finally bite. While they wait, they'll keep approaching you with hope and try to earn your favor so that one day they can become your real choice."
After listening to him, Mikado Ryoko finally understood why he had said that.
"No, no, no, I never thought about it that way."
She knew situations like that existed, but she had never had such intentions herself. Even less had she expected someone to view her statement from that perspective, which seemed rather unusual to her.
"What I said was sincere. If one day I decide I don't want to be alone anymore, I really would consider you first. Even though you seem perfectly ordinary on the outside, appearances often aren't the most important thing."
Shiro also dropped his previous act at that point, because it really had all been nothing more than a performance. He immediately put on a confident and somewhat narcissistic expression.
"Of course. I didn't expect you to notice my irresistible charm even though I try so hard to stay humble."
Mikado Ryoko couldn't help rolling her eyes at his words, making it obvious that she thought he was far too full of himself.
"Shiro, don't you think you're a little narcissistic? And let's get back to the main topic. What was it that you actually wanted to ask me?"
Mikado Ryoko firmly steered the conversation back to its original course because she felt that if they continued like this, everything would head in a completely different direction.
Shiro didn't think much about it. He simply asked the question he genuinely wanted answered.
"Actually, I'm very curious why Ryoko-sensei decided to become a school doctor."
Shiro truly couldn't understand that decision. In the Multi-Anime world, where everything was so exciting, she had still chosen to become a school doctor. He genuinely couldn't fully comprehend it.
After all, after the worlds merged, literally anything could happen.