When they stepped out of the ramen shop, it was already seven in the evening.
Even though it was mid-May, the night breeze still carried a chill.
She hadn't noticed it inside the shop, but the moment they were outside, Fujiwara Chika—wearing only a sleeveless top—couldn't help but shiver.
"So cold…"
She instinctively wrapped her arms around herself.
Tanaka Masao naturally knew what he was supposed to do in a situation like this.
"Here, Fujiwara-senpai, wear my—"
He stopped halfway through his sentence.
Only then did Tanaka Masao realize that today, he himself was wearing nothing but a shirt.
Fujiwara Chika also noticed what he had on.
For a moment, the air grew awkward.
"Uh… do you still want it?"
Fujiwara Chika lowered her head and replied at lightning speed,
"No, thank you."
That simple exchange caused Tanaka Masao to suddenly gain a three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment in his mind.
(※ metaphorical inner chaos)
Awkward as it was, they couldn't just stand there doing nothing. It was better to hurry and walk Fujiwara Chika back.
Since he couldn't take off his clothes for her, Tanaka Masao voluntarily stepped upwind, positioning himself to block the breeze for her.
It worked surprisingly well. Fujiwara Chika could barely feel the wind anymore. It was still cold, but much better than before.
[Tanaka-kouhai isn't really handsome, but he gives off this inexplicable sense of security.
Even though he's not handsome.]
Fujiwara Chika couldn't help thinking to herself.
Tanaka Masao: Thinking "not handsome" twice was unnecessary.
As they walked, Fujiwara Chika began to feel a bit bored and spoke up.
"Tanaka-kouhai, don't be so quiet. Say something."
"Say what?"
"Anything is fine."
"Oh… then—what's your dream?"
"Wow, starting with that kind of question right away. Looks like you're not very good at chatting, Tanaka-kouhai."
"You told me to talk all of a sudden. My mind went blank—I honestly couldn't think of anything else."
"Alright, alright, I get it. Let's go with this. It feels like we can talk a lot about it."
Fujiwara Chika didn't nitpick and followed the topic along.
"My dream is… to become Prime Minister."
For most people, saying something like that would just be a dream.
But for Fujiwara Chika, it was actually possible.
Her family held a very high position in political circles. They'd even produced a Prime Minister before—her background was practically perfect.
On top of that, she herself was outstanding.
If it were a public election based purely on approval ratings, Fujiwara Chika absolutely had what it took to become Prime Minister.
"Prime Minister, huh… that's amazing. Fujiwara-senpai is so capable—you'll definitely succeed."
Tanaka Masao said sincerely.
Hearing Fujiwara Chika talk about her dream, Tanaka Masao suddenly thought of his past life.
Whether it was called having dreams or just being ignorant, when he was young, his dream wasn't that different from Fujiwara Chika's.
Later, he even thought becoming the UN Secretary-General would be even cooler.
But by the time he understood that the Secretary-General wasn't actually that powerful, his dreams had already changed.
At that thought, a helpless smile appeared at the corner of Tanaka Masao's mouth, mixed with a faint bitterness.
Since Tanaka Masao was walking slightly ahead, Fujiwara Chika didn't see his expression.
Instead, she asked curiously,
"Then what about you, Tanaka-kouhai? What's your dream? Let me hear it."
Tanaka Masao steadied his emotions.
The ordinariness of his previous life had made him forget many things—and left behind many regrets.
But in this life, with the system by his side, he was determined to live in his own colors.
Hearing Fujiwara Chika's question, his eyes shifted, and an idea suddenly came to him.
"Actually, I have an idol. I want to become someone like him. Fujiwara-senpai, want to guess who it is?"
"Huh? That sounds hard… let me think…"
Fujiwara Chika raised her right index finger and pressed it to her temple, spinning it slightly as she put on a serious thinking pose.
Remembering how Tanaka Masao had praised her earlier, she answered hesitantly,
"Could it be… me? You want to become Prime Minister like me?"
Tanaka Masao turned around and gave her a big thumbs-up.
"As expected of Fujiwara-senpai. Amazing. You hooked right onto the correct answer—well, you're already very close."
"Alright, stop dragging it out. Just tell me already."
Fujiwara Chika gave up guessing and urged him on.
Under her expectant gaze, a smile appeared on Tanaka Masao's lips as he spoke those four words.
"Yamagami Tetsuya."
Fujiwara Chika: anticipation → confusion → shock → fear → escape...
She turned around and immediately walked away, as if she'd made some firm resolution.
"Don't go, Fujiwara-senpai! Let's keep talking about dreams!"
Just as she took a step, Tanaka Masao grabbed her wrist.
Hearing that devil-like whisper by her ear, Fujiwara Chika shook her head violently and struggled.
"No!!"
Seeing Fujiwara Chika's frantic struggle and desperate cries, Tanaka Masao could only try to calm her down.
"Alright, Fujiwara-senpai, I was just joking."
If he let this continue, there was a very real chance he'd be mistaken for a pervert.
And he wasn't even sure whether there were bodyguards secretly protecting Fujiwara Chika nearby.
Sure enough, as soon as Tanaka Masao finished speaking, Fujiwara Chika stopped struggling and carefully turned her head to look at him.
"Hontō ni? (Really?)"
"Hontō da. (Really.)"
Once she realized she'd been tricked, Fujiwara Chika became furious. She puffed out her cheeks and clenched her small fists, pounding Tanaka Masao's chest repeatedly.
"Tanaka-kouhai, you're so mean! How could you mess with me like that? That's not cute at all!"
Her punches didn't have much force, but Tanaka Masao still put on an exaggerated expression of surrender.
"Alright, alright, my bad. I was just joking. I didn't think Fujiwara-senpai would be this easy to scare."
Seeing him give in, Fujiwara Chika pulled back her fists, crossed her arms, and remained clearly upset.
"Is that something you can joke about casually? Do you have any idea how much psychological damage that name causes me?"
That name carried far too much intimidation.
To every Prime Minister of Japan—and everyone who aspired to become one—it was practically the name of a Demon King.
When that incident first happened, Fujiwara Chika had taken several days off and didn't even dare go outside. Whenever she ran into someone with the surname Yamagami, she'd deliberately take a wide detour.
She pointed at Tanaka Masao and warned him,
"Tanaka-kouhai, you're not allowed to mention his name in front of me ever again. Otherwise… otherwise I won't talk to you."
"Okay, I get it. Then from now on, in front of you, I'll just call him 'that person.'"
"That's even worse!"
Laughter and bickering drowned out the cold night wind.
...
At the same time, inside a luxurious villa somewhere in Chiba Prefecture.
After studying at her desk for a long time, Yukinoshita Yukino stretched her body slightly.
She looked out the window. She'd spent the entire day alone at home today.
When she thought about how tomorrow she could go to Tanaka Masao's house again to tutor him—a feeling of anticipation quietly surfaced in her heart, one she didn't even notice herself.