If It Was Natsu-kun...

"What should I do, then?"

Fukada temporarily put aside her thoughts of leaving and asked again.

U Amakusa thought for a moment. "Did a girl who got along well with your childhood friend suddenly show up by his side?"

"Yes, yes, exactly! How did you know? I'm the one who knows Natsu-kun best..."

Fukada began to believe U Amakusa a little. After all, they had been complete strangers, yet he'd managed to get things right again and again.

Good grief, a textbook case of the childhood friend losing to the girl who showed up later.

U Amakusa said, "Don't panic. At least they're not together yet, right? But if you keep acting tsundere without showing him your softer side..."

Fukada asked anxiously, "What should I do? I don't want to lose Natsu-kun!"

U Amakusa gently patted her shoulder. "Don't worry. Just make a bold move. Better yet, tell him how you feel outright. You'll succeed in no time."

With a typical Japanese light-novel protagonist like him, the childhood friend couldn't lose as long as she was brave enough to confess directly.

He'd win himself over, after all. Fukada was a rare beauty, too.

Once a simple-minded boy going through puberty found out a girl really liked him, he'd start convincing himself to fall for her.

Of course, the girl had to be pretty. It seemed girls were the same way, too.

"Huh...? Would that really work? If I just confess..." Fukada imagined Natsu accepting her confession, and her cheeks turned red.

"No, he'll reject you," U Amakusa said without hesitation.

"Ahaha, Master, what are you saying? I must've heard you wrong, right?"

"No, you heard me correctly."

It was the truth—something U Amakusa had seen with his cheat ability.

Then U Amakusa continued:

"Don't worry. That's just the appetizer. After he rejects you, he'll be unable to stop thinking about you. You just have to ignore him and go to school as usual. It'd be even better if you chatted and laughed with other boys."

"Huh? Why? I don't want to! I only like Natsu-kun!"

"Hey, don't rush. This trick is called playing hard to get. It works every time, so just trust me. I guarantee you'll win him over."

Fukada made a troubled face as she thought it over, then nodded. "All right, I'll trust you this once. I'll give it a try."

With that, Fukada stood to leave, but U Amakusa stopped her and held out something.

"Don't rush. This method works, but you can't be impatient. You'll need to keep it up for at least a month. Otherwise, it won't work well."

"Huh? That long? I can't talk to Natsu-kun for more than a month..." Fukada visibly began to have second thoughts.

"Hey, you're rushing again. See this?" U Amakusa waved the thing he'd just handed her.

"This is the lucky pouch I prepared for you. When your childhood friend can't hold back and comes to talk to you, or when you don't want to keep following this plan anymore, you can open it. It'll give you a helping hand."

"Really? Thank you so much!"

Fukada excitedly tried to take the pouch from U Amakusa, but he pulled his hand back, and she missed it.

"I guarantee it'll work. If it doesn't, I'll pay you back tenfold. That'll be 5,000 Private Points. Scan the code to pay."

As he spoke, U Amakasa pushed the payment QR code beside him closer.

"...You said it was free, didn't you?"

"Fukada, the fortune-telling was free. The lucky pouch wasn't, right?"

"..."

Fukada bit her lip and hesitated for a while, but in the end she made up her mind, scanned the code, and paid 5,000 Private Points. Then she took the pouch from U Amakusa.

"I hope it really works." Fukada gripped the pouch tightly and turned to leave.

U Amakusa watched Fukada's retreating figure, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

Who would've thought? Who would've thought?

That thing Shimizu gave me would actually come in handy one day. I guess I'm helping two people find happiness, too.

Thinking about the moment Fukada opened the pouch, U Amakasa couldn't stop grinning. His cheat ability had told him Fukada really would dare to do it.

The result? The boy named Natsu would be hers in no time.

Natsu... You'd better thank me.

Just look at Fukada. She's a rare beauty, too.

Especially her bust, which really lived up to her name. She'd made the first move, so you couldn't just let her down, could you?

In the days that followed, Fukada did her best not to talk to Natsu-kun.

Natsu-kun seemed confused and lost over Fukada's sudden coldness. And whenever he saw her happily chatting with other boys, he felt a pang of jealousy.

It was as if something of his had been stolen. He'd been there first. He and Fukada were the childhood friends.

At last, Natsu-kun couldn't take it anymore and went to see her, wanting to get everything out in the open.

"Naoka, I... No, why have you been avoiding me whenever you see me these past few days?"

Natsu rubbed the back of his head with a frown. His face was slightly flushed, and he looked very awkward.

Seeing Natsu-kun looking awkward and unable to get the words out, Fukada started to panic, too.

She remembered the lucky pouch and, with her back to Natsu-kun, opened it with trembling hands. Inside was a Faint-Inducing Pouch.

Fukada's eyes instantly turned into dots. Her cheeks flushed, and smoke seemed to billow from her head like a steam engine.

So this was the master's secret weapon...!

No! No way! This is too embarrassing!!

What if Natsu-kun thinks I'm an easy woman!? No way, no way! Absolutely not!!

What kind of master was he? He was just a pervert!

Anyway, no way!!

Seeing Fukada stand with her back to him without saying a word, Natsu-kun felt utterly defeated, as if something were missing from his heart.

He lowered his head and said, "Is it because of that after all? I rejected you, Naoka, but... surely that doesn't mean you can't even talk to me... We're still childhood friends, aren't we?"

But Fukada, holding that thing, wasn't really listening to what Natsu-kun was saying. Her mind was still racing.

So she didn't answer him.

Natsu-kun clenched his teeth, his face showing his frustration.

"I still want to be friends with you, Naoka. Just like before. I don't want us to be like strangers... And Naoka, you..."

Had she really changed her mind that quickly? It was only the second day, and she was already laughing and chatting with other boys.

The Naoka I knew wasn't like this!

Only then did Fukada snap back to reality. She opened her mouth, but didn't know how to respond, and just lowered her head instead of looking at Natsu-kun.

In truth, Fukada simply didn't want Natsu-kun to see how red her face was.

"...We can't even be friends? I'm sorry for bothering you, Fukada. Goodbye."

With that, Natsu-kun turned to leave.

Fukada panicked and hurriedly grabbed him. "Natsu-kun, that's not it!"

"Naoka..."

"I still like you, Natsu-kun!"

At that, Fukada gripped the lucky pouch tightly and made up her mind.

If it was Natsu-kun...