Chapter 3

In the first class of the afternoon, it was Ms. Koizumi's English lesson, and she was explaining the dull points of past tense in English.

"Here we are looking at the usage of 'insist'..."

Watanabe Tetsu's English was decent in his previous life, so while looking at the blackboard, he was also brainstorming ideas for his submission article in his head.

Whenever he needed to take notes, he would write a couple of lines on the blank paper under his English textbook.

By the time class was over, he had written about half of it. He left his seat and walked towards Ms. Koizumi, who was surrounded by many female students.

He waited silently for a while, and finally, Ms. Koizumi finished answering all the questions, then called out "Watanabe" and walked towards the door.

Watanabe Tetsu followed her, and the two headed towards the teachers' office.

The young and beautiful Ms. Koizumi, who was also very patient, was very popular. Along the way, students greeted her from time to time, and she responded warmly to each one.

Upon arriving at the teachers' office, Ms. Koizumi sat at her desk, which was piled high with books, and turned to Watanabe Tetsu.

"Is it about the club?"

"Uh-huh."

Compared to yesterday, Watanabe Tetsu noticed that there were a few small succulents on her desk.

Perhaps noticing his gaze, Ms. Koizumi also glanced at the succulents she had bought on her way to school that morning.

"Did you find it?" she asked.

"Uh-huh, it's called the Human Observation Club."

"That one... Do you know what she plans to do?" Ms. Koizumi smiled bitterly, as if Watanabe Tetsu had done something foolish.

"No, I didn't ask."

While it was rare for a club's activities to be unclear, there were plenty of meaningless groups, and since he could leave early, Watanabe Tetsu didn't pay much attention.

"Didn't you join just because you found Seino-san pretty?"

Faced with the teacher's lecherous look, Watanabe Tetsu nodded and replied, "She is pretty."

"You... Forget it. Change clubs. There's no need to join the Human Observation Club."

"Why? Is it not a club?"

"Not exactly." Ms. Koizumi smiled, "Seino Rin, like you, initially refused to join any club, so the school specially allowed her to create a club of her interest."

"Teacher, please allow me to create a 'Study at Home Club.' I'll show you my workbook."

"Think again."

"Is there no democracy in this school?"

"Seino Rin had the highest entrance score in the school. What about you, Watanabe?"

"......Third isn't bad, right?"

"It's not bad." Ms. Koizumi nodded in agreement, looking at Watanabe Tetsu with an appreciative eye. "But her father is the president of a large company that sponsors this school."

"I was born in a small village and am part of a disadvantaged group. Shouldn't I be given more care? Even if the school doesn't waive my tuition, shouldn't I get special treatment for creating a club?"

"Hahaha, you're a funny student." The English teacher from the neighboring class, who was sitting next to Ms. Koizumi, laughed without any feminine reserve and interjected.

Ms. Koizumi glanced at her colleague and best friend, then gave Watanabe Tetsu a kind yet ruthless smile, as if to say, "You're not a child anymore, you should understand the dark side of society."

"Alright. But I still insist on joining the Human Observation Club. I'm very interested in humans."

"What's my full name?" Ms. Koizumi leaned in slightly, looking directly into Watanabe Tetsu's eyes.

Watanabe Tetsu took two steps back. "Teacher, you're too close, it smells good."

"You see," Ms. Koizumi sat up straight, "if you don't even know your English teacher's full name, don't talk about being interested in humans."

At this moment, the English teacher from the neighboring class leaned over, resting her upper body on Ms. Koizumi's chest, and interjected again.

"Student, I can tell you her name if you call me 'sister.'"

"Hajime!" Ms. Koizumi straightened her colleague's body with a scowl.

"Alright, alright, I won't disturb your teacher-student talk." Fujiki Hajime picked up her textbook and stood up. "I'm going to class."

Ms. Koizumi lifted her fair, slender wrist and glanced at her watch, realizing it was almost time for class.

She said to Watanabe Tetsu, "If you insist on joining, I'll let you. But you must attend the club activities properly, and I'll check with Seino-san."

"Understood."

"Go to class."

Saying he was going to class, Watanabe Tetsu didn't return to school but went to the cooking classroom.

It was Wednesday, and the last class of the afternoon was the weekly home economics class—cooking or sewing.

The cooking classroom was already full of students from Class 1-1 and Class 1-4.

Watanabe Tetsu and Kuni井 Shuichi were in a group with two other girls from their class. They were responsible for assisting, with the main work done by the girls.

Watanabe Tetsu was assigned the task of peeling potatoes.

"Does Kuni井 have a girlfriend?" a girl named Yamaguchi Naomi asked.

"Me?" Kuni井 Shuichi looked surprised.

He had short hair, an average appearance, and a noisy personality, so he had never been asked this question by a girl before.

"Uh-huh~" Yamaguchi Naomi nodded cutely.

"Uh, no, not yet." At this moment, Kuni井 Shuichi was no longer his usual carefree self and appeared quite shy.

"Is that so? Do you have any plans to find a girlfriend?"

"Ah? I guess, I guess I do."

"Hehe, Kuni井 is so interesting."

"Is, is that so? Hehe."

Yamaguchi Naomi then turned to Watanabe Tetsu, who was peeling potatoes. "What about you, Watanabe? Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No."

"Really? Do you have any plans to find one?"

Before the math class today, Watanabe Tetsu would have firmly answered no, but now he hesitated.

"I don't necessarily need to find one, but if I meet someone I like, I would want them to be my girlfriend." He answered.

Another girl with glasses, who had been silent, asked, "Have you met someone you like, Watanabe?"

"Not yet." Watanabe cut the peeled potatoes into pieces, rinsed them, and placed them on the cutting board.

"Thank you." Yamaguchi Naomi politely thanked him.

At this moment, the sound of a stainless steel basin falling to the ground echoed, and the entire cooking classroom fell silent.

"Hey, pay attention! When we formed groups, didn't you say you could cook?"

"Sorry, Tamamo-san, it was my mistake!"

"Stop talking and pick it up!"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

A few seconds later, the cooking classroom returned to its noisy state, with the sound of knives chopping on cutting boards, spatulas clashing with pots, and students arguing about cooking methods...

"Tamamo Hōmi from Class 1-1." Yamaguchi Naomi said in a strange tone.

Kuni井 Shuichi, curious, asked, "Yamaguchi, I heard Tamamo isn't popular among girls?"

"A classmate from my junior high school said that Tamamo Hōmi often takes money from boys." The girl with glasses answered.

"Take money from boys?" Kuni井 Shuichi's eyes widened. "How?"

"How else?" Yamaguchi Naomi's answer was vague, leaving endless possibilities.

Kuni井 Shuichi took a deep breath, feeling very surprised. He leaned towards Watanabe Tetsu and said excitedly,

"A real-life bitch, I've never seen one before! It's actually real, not in manga or anime!"

Watanabe Tetsu also felt somewhat surprised.

Just like when he was in college, he suddenly heard that a female classmate had been a mistress to a middle-aged man.

While he knew such things existed and was prepared to accept them, when it actually happened in his own life, he couldn't help but marvel at how strange the world was.

Watanabe Tetsu glanced at Tamamo Hōmi. The same Western-style uniform on her gave a sense of fashion, and she was a very cute girl.

Wait.

Just as he was about to lower his head to help Kuni井 Shuichi with the carrots, he suddenly remembered something.

He aimed the last use of the [Detector] at Tamamo Hōmi, who was still scolding the boys in her group.

[Character: Tamamo Hōmi]

[Age: 15]

[Intelligence: 5]

[Charisma: 8]

[Stamina: 6]

[Information: Pursues fashion; takes money by agreeing to be someone's girlfriend; looks down on ugly people; looks down on poor people]

[Relationship Record: 4, can be pursued]

After tasting the mediocre potato curry, the home economics class ended.

Watanabe Tetsu, Kuni井 Shuichi, and Saito Keisuke walked back to the classroom together.

"Saito, Yamaguchi asked me if I had a girlfriend and if I had any plans to find one!"

"Really?!"

"Of course, don't believe me? Ask Watanabe!"

"Uh-huh." Watanabe Tetsu nodded.

"It looks like your spring is coming!" Saito Keisuke punched Kuni井 Shuichi. "Let's make a deal, whoever finds a girlfriend first will treat the others to a meal!"

"No problem!" Kuni井 Shuichi not only didn't mind being punched but happily agreed to the terms.

Saito Keis