59: Date Change

"Takashi?"

Hearing someone call his name, Takashi turned his head.

Standing next to him was a handsome man with well-defined features and an outstanding presence.

Seeing this person, Takashi's face lit up with delight.

"Kato-senpai, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here for a family gathering." Kato Keiichi sat down across from Takashi and smiled. 

"I thought I was seeing things, but it really is you."

"How have you been lately?"

Takashi put down his chopsticks. "Barely scraping by. At least I won't starve in Tokyo."

"You make Tokyo sound like some kind of cannibalistic hellhole," Kato Keiichi chuckled.

"Well, the cost of living here is pretty much the same as being eaten alive."

To be fair, Tokyo's prices were about the same as those in Shanghai, but the transportation costs were undeniably high.

Forget taxis—just talking about train fares, the starting price was 150 yen.

If you had to transfer once or twice, a round trip could easily cost 300 to 500 yen.

Those railway companies might as well just rob people directly.

Kato Keiichi smiled and changed the topic. "Speaking of which, what brings you to Chiba?"

"I made plans to watch a movie with someone."

"A date? You're in a relationship?"

Kato Keiichi's gossip-loving instincts kicked in.

He knew how popular Takashi was at school.

He was extremely curious about what kind of girl had managed to win him over.

"Senpai, don't joke around. Do you think someone as broke as me can afford to date?"

When he was alone, he could make do with a cup of instant noodles.

But if he had a girlfriend, he couldn't exactly ask her to sit there and eat instant noodles with him, could he?

Gone were the days when holding hands, taking a walk, and strolling through a park were enough.

Love might not need money, but every part of maintaining a relationship did.

He had never seen a romance that didn't burn through cash.

Not to mention, he was attending Aoba Private High School.

Most of the students who could afford private school tuition—especially the girls—came from wealthy families.

Dating a rich girl? Takashi figured his wallet would last maybe a month, if he was lucky.

If the relationship started off unbalanced, even if the girl was willing to lower her standard of living for him, both of them would end up exhausted.

A poor guy shouldn't fall for a rich girl—Takashi was well aware of that.

"Are you waiting until you're perfect before you start dating?" Kato Keiichi asked.

Since they weren't in the same school—one in college, the other in high school—they didn't see each other often, but they kept in touch regularly.

He had a good understanding of his junior.

"Something like that."

Takashi nodded.

Kato Keiichi sighed. "But the essence of an intimate relationship is two flawed people coming together."

"You don't have to be perfect to deserve love. Someone who truly likes you will accept you as you are now."

Takashi let out a small laugh.

It was a casual laugh, with a hint of self-mockery. "Senpai, no one likes a sensitive, insecure, and overly suspicious guy."

He didn't believe a girl would fall for someone who was average-looking, had no great physique, came from an ordinary family, and was introverted on top of that.

"I can't argue with you." Kato Keiichi didn't press the issue and instead changed the subject. "By the way, where's your friend? Shouldn't she be here?"

Takashi took a sip of cold water to moisten his throat and casually replied, "She's off on a date with her 'white moonlight.'"

"You got stood up?"

Kato Keiichi looked at him like he had just heard that a superstar had been dumped.

Wait, even a guy this good-looking gets ghosted?

"Yep, and I already bought the movie tickets, too."

Takashi wasn't particularly upset.

Just like he had told Kashiwagi Nagisa, he wasn't trying to compete with anyone.

He was just a little annoyed that he had an extra movie ticket now.

Kato Keiichi opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just let out a sigh.

His junior was handsome, had a good personality, was academically excellent, had a great sense of humor, could be both sunny and goofy, and was well-liked by teachers and students alike.

Teachers saw him as a model student, and his peers always included him in outings—he was practically the group's beloved mascot.

Kato Keiichi was genuinely curious. Just how outstanding was the guy who had outshined Takashi?

"Cousin."

At some point, a girl in a Toyonozaki Private Academy uniform appeared behind Kato Keiichi.

She had a short bob haircut, well-defined facial features, and an average height. 

Her skin was smooth, and her figure was well-proportioned—curves where there should be, and none where there shouldn't be.

Overall, she was an undeniably cute girl.

"Megumi? When did you get here?"

Kato Keiichi was startled.

Even though he was used to his cousin's sudden appearances, it still caught him off guard every time.

"I—"

Megumi was about to answer when Takashi spoke up first. "She just got here."

Megumi was taken aback and glanced at the handsome boy across from her, who looked like he had stepped right out of a manga.

She hadn't expected him to notice her arrival.

Takashi looked back at her—or rather, at the sudden character panel that had popped up.

[Target: Kato Megumi]

[Age: 16]

[Intelligence: 5]

[Charm: 9]

[Stamina: 5]

[From: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend]

[Crush: Aki Tomoya]

[Single, available for dating.]

"Her charm is that high?"

Takashi found it hard to believe.

He admitted Megumi was pretty, but was she really more attractive than Utaha or Eriri?

Even those two only had a charm rating of 8.

How exactly was this charm score calculated?

[Charm is an overall evaluation based on appearance, figure, aura, and popularity.]

For once, the usually dormant system spoke up.

"So she's really popular?" Takashi raised an eyebrow.

It couldn't be her looks or figure.

Her aura… did having no presence count as an aura?

Then it had to be her popularity.

[Extremely high.]

The system gave a strong assessment.

"How high?"

Takashi grew interested.

[About three to four stories high.]

After a brief pause, the system's emotionless voice continued:

[If you put Utaha, Eriri, and Megumi together, most guys would choose her as their wife.]

"Aki Tomoya sure is living the dream." Takashi thought sourly.

A cool senior, a blonde twin-tail childhood friend, and a quiet, ideal wife—what window had God closed for that guy?

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't notice you," Kato Keiichi pressed his hands together apologetically.

Megumi shook her head, signaling that it was fine.

She was used to being overlooked.

What surprised her was that Takashi had actually noticed her.

"Oh right, let me introduce you two." Kato Keiichi turned to his cousin. "Megumi, this is Kitahara Takashi, the junior I always talk about."

Then, he turned to Takashi. "Takashi, this is my cousin, Megumi. She's a first-year, just like you."

"Nice to meet you."

Even though he had already learned about Megumi through the system, he figured it was best to pretend otherwise.

After all, he didn't want to go through another Kashiwagi Nagisa situation.

"Nice to meet you, Kitahara-kun."

They exchanged a brief handshake.

At that moment, the system notification popped up again—

[Date Change: View?]

"Date change?"

Takashi was puzzled.

This had never happened before.

He silently thought, View.

[Date Partner: Megumi]

[Activity: Read whatever page the wind blows open. If you don't accompany me, someone else will! Whoever stays with me, I will love.]

[Date Time: May 15, 6:00 PM]

[Date Location: Rokuten Shopping Mall]

[Date Rewards: 10,000 points, Piltus Training Plan, 50% Discount Coupon]

[Accept?]

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