Sunday, Room 217.
"To be or not to be—that is the question. What do people live for, anyway?"
Tatsuya Sakuya had no idea why he had started pondering such pointless things when he was not even a pilot.
I'm bored. I need to find something to do.
Lying on his bed, Tatsuya stretched out his right hand and stared blankly at the ceiling.
Then, he suddenly thought of a way to pass the time.
He opened his phone and swiped to Karuizawa Kei's Line chat.
Tatsuya Sakuya: [My dearest, dearest, dearest girlfriend, your rental boyfriend is at your service.]
Karuizawa Kei was browsing the latest clothes on her phone when Tatsuya's Line message suddenly came through.
Karuizawa Kei: [I'm looking at clothes. I currently have no obligation to be serviced.]
For a moment, Karuizawa Kei had no idea what he was trying to do.
Tatsuya Sakuya: [As your boyfriend, I have a boyfriend's duties to fulfill. Please meet me at Keyaki Mall at 2:00 p.m. for an operation called a date. Otherwise, I will begin an activity called ditching the order.]
Is this guy really not a bad person?
Karuizawa Kei began regretting whether she had picked the wrong person. She regretted paying the points upfront. She was clearly the client here.
To keep her points from vanishing into thin air, Karuizawa Kei chose to reply.
Karuizawa Kei: [Fine. See you this afternoon.]
Having received a satisfactory answer, Tatsuya Sakuya suddenly found a direction in life.
But it was only eleven in the morning. He still had plenty of time.
There had been no movement from Kamuro Masumi for several days, so Tatsuya Sakuya decided to ask what was going on.
Tatsuya Sakuya: [You there, beautiful phantom thief?]
Several minutes passed, but Tatsuya Sakuya received no response.
Tatsuya Sakuya sent another message: [Are you there, Kamuro Masumi?]
He stared at the top of the chat window and saw the words [Typing...] flash briefly beneath Kamuro Masumi's name. Then, there was no activity for several more minutes.
Is she pretending she didn't see it?
Or am I seeing things?
Tatsuya Sakuya came up with a good idea.
He opened Line and sent her a red packet worth 100 points, with a note saying it contained ten thousand points.
Sure enough, the very first second the red packet appeared in the chat—before even half a second had passed—a notification instantly popped up on the screen:
[Kamuro Masumi has successfully claimed your red packet.]
The next instant, two messages appeared in the chat almost simultaneously.
Kamuro Masumi: [Liar. It's obviously only one hundred points.]
Tatsuya Sakuya: [So you were online.]
Looking at Kamuro's message, Tatsuya Sakuya leaned against his pillow and rapidly tapped at the screen.
Tatsuya Sakuya: [Consider the hundred points my treat for ice cream. By the way, how have you considered the matter from last time?]
On the other side of the screen, Kamuro Masumi looked at the messages on her phone. She took a deep breath, as though she could imagine Tatsuya Sakuya's punchable expression behind the screen.
Kamuro Masumi: [I have no obligation to consider it, hentai.]
After sending that, Kamuro directly closed the chat.
Tatsuya Sakuya looked at his phone screen. Teasing someone when he was bored was one way to pass the time.
Noon.
Tatsuya Sakuya went to the cafeteria and ate a large steaming bowl of beef banmian, along with a stuffed flatbread.
Full and satisfied, he returned to his dorm room, intending to rest for a little while.
However.
When he opened his eyes again, the time on the screen read:
[2:25 p.m.]
"Fuck, I overslept."
He threw off the blanket, grabbed his coat, and rushed out the door.
2:30 p.m., the central fountain plaza at Keyaki Mall.
Karuizawa Kei stood anxiously by the fountain, pacing back and forth.
"That damn guy... He actually made me wait for half an hour. He's nothing but a liar who doesn't keep his word."
A brisk set of footsteps suddenly sounded behind her.
"Sorry, sorry. I got carb coma from eating banmian at noon and accidentally slept until now."
Karuizawa stamped her foot in anger and raised her head with an indignant pout.
"You still have the nerve to say you overslept? Look what time it is! Don't think you can fool me with some random excuse!"
"So, to apologize for being late, I'm paying for everything today."
Tatsuya Sakuya leaned a little closer and naturally reached out. His long fingers slipped through her soft golden hair and tucked it behind her ear.
"Don't be mad."
The warm touch above her head made Karuizawa's breath catch. She quickly retreated several steps.
"Y-you... Why are you touching my hair like that? I specifically did this hairstyle before coming out!"
Tatsuya Sakuya spread his hands.
"I'm just fulfilling my boyfriend duty of making amends. Come on, let's go buy clothes."
Second floor of Keyaki Mall, trendy women's clothing section.
Karuizawa Kei stood before a rack of autumn clothes, her fingertips lightly brushing along it. At last, they stopped at a soft beige knit cardigan, and she looked hesitant.
Before she could make up her mind, Tatsuya Sakuya had already moved close from behind, casually taken the garment down, and held it against her to compare.
"W-why did you suddenly come so close?"
She flusteredly took a small step forward, warmth creeping up her neck.
"You've been staring at it for ages. This outfit suits you."
Tatsuya Sakuya spoke naturally.
"If you like it, take it to the fitting room and try it on."
Holding the clothes in her arms, Karuizawa still gave a huffy snort.
"You picked it so quickly... Is your taste even reliable?"
Though she said that, she still walked into the fitting room.
A few minutes later, the wooden fitting room door creaked open.
Karuizawa Kei emerged wearing the beige cardigan and a plaid pleated skirt.
The soft beige made her petite, well-proportioned figure look even sweeter, giving her a unique, gentle charm.
She walked up to Tatsuya Sakuya, anticipation impossible to hide in her eyes.
"How does this... look?"
Tatsuya Sakuya: "Very pretty. Even prettier than I imagined..."
Karuizawa Kei's cheeks heated up. She took half a step back as if startled and hurriedly turned her face away.
"I-I'll give you some credit for having taste."
Tatsuya Sakuya took out his phone and scanned the code to pay, cleanly spending twelve thousand points.
While Karuizawa went back into the fitting room to change, he also paid for an exquisite little heart-pendant hair accessory beside the counter and quietly tucked it deep into the paper bag.
Evening.
Karuizawa Kei and Tatsuya Sakuya walked back toward the dorms.
Carrying the clothes in her hand, Karuizawa suddenly quickened her pace, lightly spun around, and walked backward with both hands hidden behind her back.
"Today's performance was probably worth ten points."
Karuizawa spoke first.
"Just asking, what's the full score?"
With his hands in his pockets, Tatsuya Sakuya asked curiously.
"Of course it's one hundred points."
Karuizawa lifted her petite chin.
"Why is my score so low?"
"First,"
Karuizawa held out a slender index finger and waved it in front of him.
"I deducted fifty points on my own initiative."
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
Tatsuya Sakuya sighed, looking helpless.
"Second, you were half an hour late for our first date, so another fifty points deducted."
Karuizawa continued gesturing numbers in the air, a hint of smugness flashing through her eyes.
Tatsuya Sakuya: "I can sort of accept that one, but doesn't that make my score zero now?"
Karuizawa Kei stopped walking.
The evening glow painted the street golden-red, stretching the girl's slender shadow long behind her.
She turned her head in the backlight, her small hands hidden behind her back, and a beautiful smile curved her lips.
"Because I had a lot of fun today, I've decided to give you an extra ten points."
Before you continue