Chapter 343: Rinji Wants to Give a Gift

The room was completely dark. In this dim and narrow space, two men sat facing each other.

They stared in silence for a long time until one of them finally spoke.

"You know why I asked you to come here?"

"I can guess."

"I think it's time."

"..."

Ishigami looked expressionless as he reached out and flipped the switch on the wall.

Click.

Light from the ceiling lit up the room, making it bright.

"Why the hell did you set the room up so dark before calling me in? And what's with that horror story tone? You sounded like you were planning something shady."

"It adds atmosphere."

"...We're just talking about giving a gift to a girlfriend. It's not that serious."

After Tanuma Tsubasa gave a necklace to Kashiwagi Nagisa to celebrate six months of dating, Rinji started thinking about doing something similar.

He realized he had been dating Karura for a while too—not quite six months, but still, he hadn't given her a single gift. That fact made him reflect.

But as someone experiencing his first relationship, Rinji had no idea what kind of gift to give a girl. After thinking it over, he turned to the "love mentor" Ishigami for advice.

As for why he didn't ask the great "love detective" Fujiwara...

Rinji wasn't the kind of person who had a death wish.

Giving a gift to a girlfriend—this was a real problem for someone who'd only been dating for less than half a year.

After all, there's no guarantee a girl will like what you give. If you mess up and give the wrong thing, it might even ruin the relationship.

Lipstick? Not a chance. He had no idea what color would be right. Snacks? She might get mad and think he's saying she needs to diet. And the whole "as long as it comes from the heart" thing? Yeah, that was obviously a lie.

So what to give, and how to give it—these were real problems worth considering.

"You've never given a gift before?"

"I gave the president something for his birthday once. On Mother's Day, I give my mom flowers—usually carnations. On Father's Day, I give my dad stuff like Frostmourne or a signal axe."

"...So basically, you've never given a gift to a girl your age?"

"Nope."

"Same here."

"...Damn, so you don't know either."

"It's not that I don't know. I've never done it, but I get the general idea," Ishigami said. "First, the best option is figuring out what your girlfriend likes."

"Let me think..."

————Flashback————

"I want to have a baby with Rinji!"

"Rinji! Let's [beep—] right now!"

————Flashback ends————

"That one's too advanced for me. Pick another."

"Okay, so what kind of girl is your girlfriend?"

"Just a regular girl."

"I mean type. Is she a bookworm? Athletic? An otaku? Someone who loves to travel or listen to music?"

"Uh..."

Rinji fell into deep thought.

At school, she acted like a normal girl. Her club was the wind ensemble, so she was probably the music-loving type.

But she was also a member of the Kure clan, the clan leader's eldest great grand-daughter, and a professional assassin. Her daily work involved sending various people to meet their creator.

Looking at it that way, Karura was definitely a sporty girl.

"Uh... she likes music, but I'd say she's a sporty type."

"I see."

Not knowing Karura's true profession, Ishigami nodded thoughtfully, feeling like he understood.

"In that case, start with the sports she likes. If it's badminton, get her a racket or new shoes. If it's skating, go with skates."

"Oh, I get it."

In Rinji's mind, all sorts of high-grade weapons began flashing by—knives, missiles, and their price tags rapidly scrolling through his mental list.

"Also, since it's a gift, the packaging matters too. Just handing it over bare looks insincere."

"Got it."

In Rinji's mind, a Tomahawk missile had a cute ribbon tied around it with silk.

"And if possible, include a message with it."

"Right."

Now, besides the ribbon, the missile in his imagination also had "I LOVE YOU" written on it in marker.

"Of course, if your budget allows, something more expensive is fine too."

"Understood."

In his mind, the payload upgraded from high explosives to a nuclear warhead.

Basically, Rinji's thought process was getting further and further off-track.

"Anyway, that's all from me."

Ishigami stood up, planning to head home.

Before leaving, he turned to Rinji and said, "If you still can't decide, just ask online. I'm sure helpful netizens will give you some good advice."

"Alright. Thanks a lot today."

"No problem."

…

After closing the door, Rinji pulled out his phone, logged onto the forum, and posted his question in the community.

[IAmABuffDude]: "Is it appropriate to give your girlfriend a nuclear bomb as a gift?"

[Anonymous User]: "Are you stupid?"

[Anonymous User]: "I feel like you're joking."

[Anonymous User]: "wwwwwwwwww"

[Anonymous User]: "lol"

[Anonymous User]: "If you can actually afford a nuke, why would you even be struggling to buy a gift?"

[IAmABuffDude replies]: "Then do you have any suggestions?"

[Anonymous User replies]: "Sure. If you can afford it."

"..."

———————————————————————————————————

The next afternoon.

Student council office.

"Rinji, have you picked the gift?"

"I have. I even processed it last night," Rinji said with a smile. "Thanks to the advice from some netizens."

"What exactly did you get…"

Click.

"Hey."

Sagara Kaname opened the door to the student council office and addressed everyone. "The principal wants to take a group photo of the student council members. Please come to the rooftop."

"Alright."

Hearing there was a task, the student council members put their work aside and followed Sagara to the rooftop.

Walking beside Rinji, Shirogane asked in a low voice, "So you picked a gift for your girlfriend?"

"Yeah, it's already bought."

"What did you get?"

"You'll see when we get to the rooftop."

"Huh?"

When they arrived, the principal was already there with a camera.

Rinji led Ishigami and Shirogane to the railing of the rooftop. A gentle breeze stirred their hair.

Pointing in the direction of the city, Rinji said confidently, "That's the gift I got her."

In the distance, the view revealed a sprawling and vibrant cityscape.

Ishigami and Shirogane were momentarily surprised, then smiled knowingly.

"I see... so that's what it is."

"'A gift is the scenery we enjoy together.' That's so poetic, Rinji."

"Didn't know you had such a romantic side."

"Impressive."

Rinji: "…"

His hand was still raised, frozen mid-gesture, face slightly flushed.

What he actually meant to point to was "an entire office building three blocks down," but hearing Ishigami and Shirogane's compliments, he couldn't bring himself to explain.

"...Yeah. You're right."