"Then, I’ll get going first. Work hard."

"Are you leaving already?"

"I plan to do the rest in the dormitory. If I stay here longer, I think I'll just get absorbed in conversations."

Mary smiled back at Emily, who was smiling at her.

"So, you won’t be bothering Ken anymore in the future, right?"

"Y-yes, really? Before, it was just me being a little foolish for a moment."

Emily blushed and waved her hand awkwardly at Mary's teasing words that continued to the end.

Mary waved back as she saw her off.

'We’ve somehow become quite close.'

Surprisingly, the conversation flowed well, which was unexpected.

Originally, she intended to have a brief conversation and then focus on studying, but it seems like their hearts connected well.

They ended up chatting for a long time, even though it was in the library.

"By the way, ...Ken is pretty late."

Despite a considerable amount of time passing, Ken still hadn't arrived.

Mary glanced at the clock hanging in the library, tilting her head in slight confusion.

Although the sun had not yet set, she felt a bit worried since it was getting a bit late.

"…This Wish Ticket… what is it?"

Why was there a chill in the air even though Mary wasn’t here?

I didn’t know when she learned such a unique skill, but my spine tingled with a cold sweat running down.

Is this some kind of curse-related skill?

No, it was just that Raphne's gaze was scary.

"Well, it's like this, haha, the Student Council President suddenly started some strange event…"

In front of Raphne's piercing gaze, I couldn’t bring myself to lie.

If I lied, the trust I had finally built could collapse.

Trust is important.

Especially in Raphne's case, she equates ‘lost trust = imprisonment,’ which is a frightening way of thinking.

"Hmm…."

Raphne intently looked at the contents of the parchment in response to my answer.

"So, Ken."

Then she smiled brightly and hugged me.

She wrapped her arms around my waist, looked up at me, pressing her body close.

━Soft.

'Ugh….'

When she’s in the tower, she usually wears delicate, flowing dress-like underwear, making the sensation all too obvious.

But I must not get distracted.

This is Raphne’s ploy.

She’s trying to create a distraction with physical contact to coax an answer out of me.

The reason is clear—the smile on Raphne's face still didn’t reach her eyes, which remained dark.

"This Wish Ticket, does it mean you’ll do anything for the one who wins it?"

"No, no! Anything, you say! There's no way I'd do that over something like this."

Raphne tilted her head in confusion.

"Then what? How far does it go?"

Her eyes demanded an answer, even if her words didn't.

"…a date."

"I can't hear you, Ken."

"It's, it's a date ticket… given by the Student Council President."

Snap.

"Ahhhh━! It hurts, it hurts━! My waist hurts a lot, Raphne━!"

"Oh! I-I'm sorry, Ken! Are you okay?!"

It seemed unintentional as Raphne hurriedly released her grip from my waist, looking startled.

The pain was intense, but thankfully, it seemed not to have caused any lasting damage.

Thank goodness for my diet.

"I'm sorry, sobbing, I'm sorry, Ken…"

Fortunately, my pain seemed to have calmed Raphne down a bit.

The scary atmosphere dissipated, and she was now in a remorseful state, gently rubbing my waist.

In this state, I might be able to explain things away smoothly.

"Anyway, it’s just a passing event, so don't worry too much about it."

"…But."

Raphne stopped touching my waist and looked me in the eyes again as she leaned in.

Thankfully, this time her eyes were teary, not frightening.

"You’re going on a date with the person who gets first place."

"That doesn’t mean a girl will definitely come in first! Besides, I'm also aiming for first place!"

Despite my answer, Raphne didn't look fully satisfied.

At least she wasn’t in a furious state anymore.

Raphne will have to stay in the tower for a while.

"Uh, and Raphne, don’t you also have good grades? You could come in first this time."

"Oh… do you think I can?"

"Yes, of course! Since you also have to take the skills test, Raphne."

Upon hearing my words, Raphne's eyes brightened again.

"Then… I want Ken's Wish Ticket."

"No, no, as I said before, the Wish Ticket is strictly limited to a date!"

"Hehe, Ken’s Wish Ticket..."

I tried to explain the limitations of the Wish Ticket to Raphne, but it seemed the switch was already turned on.

"I'll work hard, Ken! I'll definitely win the Wish Ticket!"

"Uh, okay."

I’m worried about what she might wish for.

However, if she's determined to win the Wish Ticket herself, at least she won't be upset about the exam event anymore.

On the other hand, now I have one more reason why I must come in first in this exam.

'I need to study until I bleed.'

Of course, if it's Raphne's request, I'll try to accommodate whatever it is to some extent.

Even if there’s no Wish Ticket involved.

But those eyes are dangerous.

They’re exactly like the eyes Raphne had when she was betting on owning me not long ago.

"Then, I’ll head to the library."

"Okay! Do your best!"

I was able to safely leave the Tower after dinner.

“Sorry, Mary. I’m really late.”

“No, it's alright.

...Did something happen?”

“Haha, just, uh...”

I couldn’t be honest about Raphne, so I mumbled evasively.

The library was more crowded than I’d expected.

‘Everyone seems to be studying so hard.’

Is it because of the Wish Ticket event, or are they always such diligent students?

Anyway, the only empty seat was the one next to Mary.

It seemed like Mary had saved the spot for me.

Scrrr.

I pulled out the chair and sat down.

‘Alright, I need to study hard to come in first...’

Scrrr.

Then, I felt a strange sense of closeness.

“Um, Mary? Isn’t this a bit too close?”

“Is it? I thought this distance would be good for studying together.”

She moved her chair close enough that our shoulders were almost touching and looked at me expressionlessly.

I see, for the sake of studying together...

But, is it really necessary to be this close?

Moreover, Mary's scent was so strong that it might be hard to concentrate.

‘If I move away, she might get hurt...’

Having lived as chubby Ken, I know all too well how hurtful it is when someone avoids you.

Besides, I wouldn’t want any misunderstandings unless I’m avoiding her out of dislike.

“Is it this part? You can substitute the third magical formula here…”

“Oh…”

Indeed, studying together with Mary was comfortable, just as she had said.

Being so close meant there was no need to lean over; we could easily view each other's textbooks.

Of course, maybe because we were so close, whenever Mary leaned over to write in my notebook...

━squish.

As she held my arm with one of hers, there were quite a few places where our arms made contact.

'...Hmm.'

...Could it be an accident?

Perhaps she was just so comfortable around me that her guard as a woman naturally dropped.

It's like the feeling when you kiss or snuggle with a pet.

‘No, but I don’t look like that anymore.’

The reflection in the mirror showed that I looked much more handsome than before.

I couldn’t possibly be seen as some creature with the aura of a pet.

‘Does Mary really not care about appearances?’

Even when I was chubby Ken, her attitude seemed similar.

Sometimes she would get so close that she almost sat on my lap.

Perhaps Mary's attitude toward me isn’t significantly influenced by my appearance.

“Ken, is it alright if I ask you something I'm curious about this time?”

“Oh, yes. If it’s something I know well, I’ll answer anything.”

While studying together, we complemented each other's weak points.

We reviewed the expected questions together, and easily explained what we knew well to one another.

Though, it felt more like I was being helped as Mary seemed to know much more than I did.

Although not often, I sometimes did help Mary with parts she didn't know.

‘Alright, time to repay the favor this time.’

I felt it wasn't fair if I was the only one learning, so I decided to do that.

“What are you curious about? Just tell me anything!”

When I confidently said this, Mary fell silent for a moment.

She seemed hesitant, just staring at her notebook.

After a brief pause, she glanced up at me and spoke.

“…Ken, what is your ideal partner?”

“Oh, if it's about that, well, someone who is kind to me… Wait what?”

What did I just hear?

“Uh… um, you mean for the test, right?”

I wanted to confirm in case I misheard, as giving the wrong answer could lead to an embarrassing situation.

This time, Mary looked up at me directly and softly blushed as she replied.

“I'm curious about the type of woman Ken likes.”

I hadn't misheard.

“Is it troublesome if I ask?”

Although Mary usually didn't show much emotion, somehow I sensed a bit of trembling and embarrassment in her eyes.

Maybe it was because her eyes looked a bit moist, or perhaps due to her reddened cheeks.

Something felt different from the usual atmosphere.

‘She might genuinely just be curious…’

I didn’t want to misunderstand Mary's response, so I tried to interpret it as I usually would.

‘…No, but I'm not chubby now.’

Besides, I wasn’t unattractive either.

Of course, Mary’s attitude toward me hasn’t changed at all since the time I was chubby.

Now that I've become more handsome, I find myself imagining things from Mary’s behavior in a more positive light.

Mary… with me...

“Well, I'm not entirely sure either... but I think I'm attracted to someone who is kind and likes me.”

“That sounds like quite the playboy's ideal type.”

“I-I mean, I really don't know...”

Flustered by Mary's sudden teasing, I started offering excuses, and she did something rare: she smiled.

Mary giggled, adorably putting her hand over her mouth.

‘Ah, it was a joke.’

Mary had teased me in her own way.

Feeling awkward, I scratched my cheek, and Mary, with a faint smile, looked at me with a curious expression and said, “I also like kind people.”

“...What?”

Startled by her sudden words, I blankly stared at her for a moment, and Mary, now expressionless, tapped her notebook with her pen.

“Then, I'm curious about this next problem, could you explain it?”

“Oh, yes. This is...”

Soon, we returned to studying, and I couldn't dwell on Mary's words.

Afterwards, we studied together in the library until late at night.

“There are so many stars in the sky tonight.”

I felt refreshed after working hard and had an invigorating sense of accomplishment.

Mary, seeming to share the sentiment, gazed at the sky, discussing the stars with a gentle air.

“But Ken, why are you working so hard? There won’t be any prize for being in first place.”

Mary asked, as if suddenly curious.

“Well, I think I’d rather be first than let someone I don't know take it.”

“Are you aiming for first place without any reward?”

“...That's how it is, I guess?”

Upon reflection, that's exactly what I'm doing.

If others get first place, they can ask me for one favor.

However, I'm aiming for first place to prevent that from happening.

I hadn’t realized how unfair it seemed because I was just thinking of it simply.

Being first overall is a great reward in itself, but it’s a bit unfair that there are no additional rewards for me.

“So if Ken comes in first place...”

Thud.

Mary, who was walking beside me, came closer and lightly bumped my shoulder.

She then kept her arm close to mine and looked at me.

"Shall I grant your wish?"

Though she always maintained an emotionless expression, I could oddly sense different feelings at times.

But deciphering the exact emotion was challenging.

‘…Mary granting my wish.’

Before indulging in any inappropriate thoughts, I shook my head, dismissing the random musings.

“What about you, Mary? Didn't you say you had something to ask of me too?”

Fearing the conversation might steer in an odd direction, I quickly shifted the topic.

After all, this whole exam event originated with Mary and Emily.

I was somewhat curious about what their request might be.

I asked lightly with this in mind.

Mary stopped in her tracks.

“We've arrived.”

“Oh, right.”

We had reached the Girls' Dormitory.

Chatting as we walked, we arrived without realizing it.

“Then, see you tomorrow, Mary.”

Since Mary was heading into the dormitory and I needed to return to the Boys' Dormitory, I waved my hand.

But Mary didn’t move yet.

She simply stared at the dormitory for a moment.

Then, looked back at me.

"A date..."

"...Pardon?"

Then she suddenly spoke up.

"If I get first place, I'm going to ask you out on a date, Ken."

Her face remained as expressionless as usual, revealing no emotion.

However, her eyes quivered as if they were revealing her true feelings.

Her moist eyes seemed to plead earnestly to me.

"...Well then. See you tomorrow."

With that, Mary, who had sent me these bewildering emotions one-sidedly, quickly turned and went into the dormitory.

"...Huh?"

Startled by her sudden actions, I felt my face growing hot and could do nothing but stand there dazed.

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