Countdown to Heaven

"Are you really not coming with us, Tangze? The banquet might not be much fun, but the food is bound to be good."

"No, thanks. My name wasn't even on the invitation. It'd be too abrupt to just show up."

"Really? What a shame. I wanted to introduce you to Yusuke Kitagawa. Come to think of it, you really haven't met him, have you? Every time we ran into him, you happened to be away..."

"Kitagawa, Yusuke, right? I've seen him on the news. Is he your type, Sonoko?"

"Not exactly..."

Looking at Tangze's face in the mirror—a far cry from Yusuke Kitagawa's style, yet no less pleasing to look at—Sonoko Suzuki lowered her head sheepishly.

Actually, when she had met Heiji Hattori at the school festival before, she had not said anything. If they were really discussing her preferences in a partner, she did lean more toward athletic boys. Whether it was Yusuke Kitagawa or Tangze, she appreciated their looks, but they were merely handsome guys she would not regret failing to win over.

So having to lavish praise on another handsome guy of roughly the same caliber right in front of Tangze made her a little embarrassed.

"I get it, I get it. You just think he's good-looking, so you're getting close to him while you're at it." Tangze patted her shoulder reassuringly to show he understood. "Your real defensive type should be the athletic kind—healthy skin, a sturdier build, and an energetic-looking face. Right?"

"Eh, you could tell?" Sonoko cupped her face and gasped softly.

Oh no. Even Tangze could easily spot the subtle differences in my preferences. Could that be why I never succeed in picking up any handsome guys...

"I got a little sense of it." Not wanting to elaborate, Tangze gave a simple answer