The Couple Dance Begins

As the crowd settled down after the first round, May turned toward Isagi with curious eyes. "How did you know so much about me?" she asked softly, her voice a mix of suspicion and surprise.

Isagi smiled calmly, keeping his cool despite the unexpected question. "It's not that hard when you observe someone closely," he replied smoothly. "I just noticed the little things — the colors you wear most often, the way your eyes light up when you talk about certain foods, and the way you mention places you'd love to visit. The rest… was just good guessing."

May blinked, her cheeks flushing a soft pink. "I… I didn't think you paid that much attention."

Before Isagi could respond, the host's voice boomed through the microphone. "And now, we move on to the second round — the Couple Dance! Contestants, please take your positions on the dance floor. You have one minute to prepare before the music begins!"

May's face paled slightly. She tugged on Isagi's sleeve. "I-I don't know how to do couple dancing!" she whispered, her voice laced with panic.

Isagi chuckled gently, trying to ease her nerves. "Don't worry… I don't either," he admitted, though in his mind, he remembered a few steps from a random anime he had watched in his past life. "But hey, we'll figure it out. Just follow my lead, okay?"

May hesitated, then nodded. "Okay… I trust you."

As they stepped onto the dance floor, the soft sound of a slow, romantic song began to play. Isagi held out his hand, and May slowly placed hers in his. He placed his other hand gently on her waist, and she rested her hand on his shoulder.

"Just relax," Isagi whispered. "Follow my steps."

At first, their movements were a bit awkward. May kept looking down at her feet, trying not to step on his toes. But slowly, as Isagi guided her with gentle, steady movements, they began to fall into rhythm. Drawing from the dance scenes he remembered from anime, Isagi led confidently — spinning her softly, swaying in time with the music, and covering up her small mistakes with smooth transitions.

Before they knew it, they were gliding across the floor. May's initial stiffness faded, and she started smiling, her eyes sparkling as she moved in sync with him.

As the song reached its climax, Isagi twirled May one last time and pulled her back into his arms. They froze in place as the music ended, their faces just inches apart. The room was filled with applause, but neither of them heard it — they were too busy staring at each other, their breaths quick and hearts pounding.

Realizing how close they were, they quickly stepped back, their faces burning red.

"Nice job," Isagi said, trying to cover his own embarrassment.

"You too…" May murmured, brushing her hair behind her ear, unable to meet his eyes.

The host returned to the stage, announcing the end of the contest. "And the winners are… our newlywed couple!" The crowd cheered as the winners accepted their special gift. "As for all our lovely participants — you'll be receiving a free ice cream as a thank-you for your wonderful efforts!"

A little later, as they walked back toward the dormitory, Kaito and Akari couldn't resist teasing them.

"You two were pretty close back there," Kaito grinned mischievously. "I thought you were gonna kiss for a second!"

Akari giggled. "You both looked so red — it was adorable!"

"Sh-shut up!" May stammered, her face heating up again.

Isagi scratched the back of his neck, trying to keep his cool, but the teasing was getting to him, too.

As they reached the dormitory, one thing was clear — the night had brought them closer than ever before. And while Isagi knew there were still many challenges ahead, tonight felt like a step in the right direction.