At the entrance of the comic convention, Umaru was holding a long cat plushie, which was even taller than her, and gazed at Takashi.
She softly said, "Kitahara-kun, thank you for today."
Takashi smiled and said, "If you want to thank me, think about the possibility of dating me."
"Give up, I'm not planning on dating anyone at the moment."
Umaru's face turned slightly red, and she glared at Takashi, annoyed.
This guy always talks about dating and relationships.
She couldn't help but feel that he was such a frivolous guy.
"Be careful on the way."
"Yeah."
"Make sure to message me when you get home."
"No way!"
Umaru huffed and turned around to leave.
After walking some distance, it seemed like Umaru remembered something. She turned around and was about to call out to Takashi.
But when she turned, she found Takashi still standing in place with his hands in his pockets.
Umaru tilted her head, her golden hair falling in tiny strands over her shoulders. "Why aren't you coming in?"
"I wanted to watch you leave."
Takashi's eyebrows curved like a crescent moon, and a subtle smile played at the corners of his lips.
A breeze blew by, and sunlight filtered through the treetops, landing on her brow and eyes.
Umaru's heart skipped a beat. His teasing made her heart race faster.
Subconsciously, she hugged her plushie tighter.
The words that were supposed to be forceful turned into a small voice, "Next time, I'll be number one in the nation."
Mentioning grades, Takashi's gentle demeanor vanished, revealing his true, ugly side. He replied firmly, "That's impossible!"
He was a slave to scores.
He could make concessions on anything, but not on grades.
"Number one in the nation can only be me."
Umaru stared at Takashi's suddenly sour expression. Her mouth slightly opened in shock.
The sweet atmosphere they had earlier was completely gone in an instant.
After about half a minute, Umaru snapped back to reality, and her tone became firm, "No, I'll be number one in the nation!"
Takashi narrowed his eyes slightly, "Doma, are you challenging me?"
Umaru raised her chin, revealing her elegant and charming jawline. "Yes."
The Doma family only relied on talent.
When it came to talent, she was afraid of no one.
"Fourth in the nation, I have to admire your courage."
Takashi stepped out of the shadows and stood in front of Umaru, his tone dripping with superiority.
Being a talent freak was strong, but he was a cheat!
"But you're only one point higher than me, and you're so proud of yourself? Third in the nation?"
"A point is still a point, right?"
"Did I not study for the exam at all?"
"You start looking for excuses once you lose. No wonder you can only rank fourth in the nation."
"Winning under unfair conditions, and you're only one point higher than me? You really dare to be so proud?"
...
The two seemed to be on the verge of an argument, exchanging words as if they were about to start fighting.
"Then how about we have a competition? Fourth in the nation? Let's see who will be number one next time."
"Sure, third in the nation."
"If you lose, you have to go on a date with me."
After a long build-up, Takashi finally revealed his true intention.
"...So you were waiting for me."
"Huh, you didn't fall for it?"
Takashi looked at her in surprise.
Isn't it always the case in novels? After the clumsy provocation, they get carried away and agree?
Why didn't Umaru fall for it?
"Only an idiot would fall for that."
Since Umaru didn't fall for it, Takashi had to resort to a more despicable threat:
"Doma, you wouldn't want other people at school to find out you came to a comic convention, would you?"
"You!!!"
Umaru's eyes widened in shock.
She had never seen anyone so shameless.
If she didn't fall for the trick, he would resort to threats.
Takashi grinned wickedly: "Do you agree?"
Umaru glared at him, but said nothing.
"Looks like you agree."
Seeing Umaru glaring at him with a fierce expression, Takashi found it quite cute and reached out to pinch her soft cheek.
Maybe his actions were frivolous, but many well-behaved girls liked this bad boy type.
"Don't touch me, I'm leaving!"
Umaru angrily slapped his hand away and stormed off.
Takashi stood there, watching her figure disappear before he turned and went back to Eriri's booth.
He had arranged to meet Marin here.
However, even after he had finished sending Umaru off, Marin and Wakana had not arrived.
Instead, he saw Ohtani Shota and Tanaka Kouta sitting dejectedly on the ground, like a Tom cat abandoned by a goddess.
"Rejected?"
Takashi didn't need to ask to know the answer.
"Takashi, are we really that bad?"
Ohtani Shota asked in frustration.
Tanaka Kouta looked at him with the same expression.
"You're not bad, you're great."
Takashi wasn't lying.
Ohtani Shota attended one of Tokyo's top private high schools, comparable to Shuchiin.
He ranked within the top thousand nationally, had excellent athletic skills, wasn't bad-looking, and had even replaced an upperclassman to become the ace of the baseball team in his first year.
Tanaka Kouta's conditions weren't bad either.
With their conditions, they could easily outperform most people.
"Then why would she rather give that fat guy her contact info instead of giving it to me?"
Ohtani Shota pointed to the chubby guy who was taking photos of other cosplayers, his tone frustrated.
Takashi glanced over there: "Maybe it's because he takes good photos?"
"Are photographers popular with girls?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
After all, he knew some people who were into photography, and they always had girls around them.
Tanaka Kouta nodded in realization: "So that's your reason for doing photography?"
"Don't compare me to those people."
He wasn't desperate enough to rely on his skills to get by.
"Then I'll go become a photographer too. By the way, what camera should I get? How about Nikon?"
"Don't even think about it."
"Why? Is Nikon that bad?"
Takashi thought for a moment. Since they might not understand the technical jargon, he decided to explain it simply:
"There's a saying in our circle: Canon uncles' WeChat is about to explode, while Nikon uncles crawl out of the reeds and say, 'That bird earlier was amazing.'"
"After hearing that, do you still want to buy a Nikon?"
"Got it!"
After Takashi explained it, the two seemed to feel a bit better.
"By the way, can I get a selfie with you?"
Just as their mood slightly lifted, a girl cosplaying as Yingmei came over shyly with her phone and quietly asked.
"Sure."
Takashi was so tall that he slightly bent down to match her height for the photo.
"Can you get a bit closer?"
"Go ahead."
"Thanks."
Under the envious stares of Ohtani Shota and Tanaka Kouta, the cosplayer took a selfie with Takashi, their faces pressed together.
One selfie wasn't enough, though. She leaned into Takashi's embrace for another shot.
"Sensei, can I have your contact info?"
Takashi shook his head: "Sorry, my contact list is full."
Ohtani Shota: ノ）?Д?（
Tanaka Kouta: （キ｀?Д??）!!
Wait, who taught you to speak like that?
"My contact list is full, so I'm not adding anyone."
"You could always expand it."
"If I can't expand it, you can at least throw one or two fish into our pond."
"Sorry for bothering you."
The girl, disappointed, was about to leave.
"Actually, we have our contact info too."
Ohtani Shota spoke up.
Tanaka Kouta nodded furiously.
The cosplayer glanced at them, expressionless: "I don't have a phone."
Ohtani Shota: "…"
Tanaka Kouta: "…"
Then what's that thing you're holding? A brick?
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