While Kitahara Takeru and Tanaka Kōta were talking, the gyaru-styled girls across from them were also quietly sizing him up.
He wore a white baseball cap low over his head, and a mask that obscured the lower half of his face, making it impossible to see his full features.
But his eyes were stunning.
Jet-black irises against whites clear as porcelain, the outer corners tilting up just slightly, giving off a hazy, languid charm—like distant rivers shrouded in morning mist.
He wore a simple, off-white T-shirt with short sleeves, exposing forearms paler than any of the girls'.
On his right wrist: a Longines Moonphase watch.
On the left: a black beaded bracelet.
His shorts were a dark ink-paisley pattern that ended just above the knees, making his legs look unusually long.
Black-and-white athletic sneakers completed the look.
He's definitely got a good sense of style.
That was the first thought all four girls had after sizing him up.
The second was more of a worry: I just hope he's not one of those mask-handsomes.
You know the type—drop-dead gorgeous with the mask on, turns into "that guy" the moment it comes off.
Sometimes, all it takes to become hot… is a mask.
All the girls silently hoped Kitahara Takeru wasn't one of them.
Tanaka didn't bother to introduce Takeru. He clapped his hands instead and said, "Alright, everyone's here. Let's head inside—way too hot out here."
In the ten minutes they'd been standing outside the karaoke bar waiting for Takeru, no fewer than ten different guys had tried to chat up the girls.
Tanaka was worried his carefully-invited dates were going to get snatched away, so he ushered everyone inside.
In Japan, there's a particular cultural phenomenon called nanpa—street pickup.
It's incredibly common. If you're a girl, chances are, you've been nanpa'd.
Guys do it for one of two reasons:
To hook up.
To scout for adult film prospects—"down to the sea," as they say.
They go wide-cast. Ask enough people, and someone's bound to say yes.
After 6 or 7 PM, in places like Shinjuku or Shibuya, any girl just standing around will eventually be approached.
Technically, there should be fewer of them during the day.
But maybe the girls from Shinkawa High were just too attractive—some of the guys couldn't resist and came prowling even in broad daylight.
Takeru had been living in Tokyo for nearly half a year. He understood the nanpa culture well.
So he just nodded. "Let's go."
The four girls had no objections. They all nodded and followed the group through the red, prominent sign that read "BIG ECHO."
Unlike the dizzying variety of karaoke chains around the world, Japan's karaoke scene is relatively consolidated.
The big three are: Karaoke-kan, BIG ECHO, and Uta Hiroba.
Uta Hiroba, however, mostly exists in the Kanto region—only Karaoke-kan and BIG ECHO have true nationwide coverage.
The store they went to was the flagship BIG ECHO location in Shibuya, only a five-minute walk from the station.
Unlike the dimly lit stereotype of most karaoke joints, this place had themed rooms—most popular among girls was the Princess Room.
Tanaka had booked one called The Little Mermaid.
A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. The walls were painted with crescent moons, sailing ships, and underwater scenes.
Pink pearl sofas and seashell-colored cushions gave the whole room a dreamlike, oceanic glow.
"Wow, it's beautiful!"
Takeru turned his head toward the voice. The girl who spoke had pale blue eyes, waist-length pink hair, a killer figure, and a cute face to match.
She wore long dangling earrings. The blouse she wore had a button or two left undone, with a giant red ribbon on her chest.
A scrunchie was wrapped around one thigh below her miniskirt—what for, he couldn't guess. Aesthetic? Probably.
But if that was the goal, wouldn't a leg garter be more effective?
While Takeru was lost in that random train of thought, the system popped up.
[Target: Watanabe Akari]
[Age: 15]
[Intelligence: 4]
[Charm: 8]
[Stamina: 4]
[Source: More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers.]
[Crush: Minami Tenjin]
[Single, Dateable]
Bingo. Look what I found.
A new tool—er, target.
Takeru's eyes gleamed like a predator catching sight of fresh prey.
"This room's really hard to book. How did you manage it?!" another girl asked excitedly. She had a black choker around her neck, a tongue piercing, and four removable earrings plus a hoop in each ear. Her golden waist-length hair was streaked with coral-pink. Her face, despite the flashy getup, looked almost innocent.
[Target: Kitagawa Marin]
[Age: 15]
[Intelligence: 3]
[Charm: 8]
[Stamina: 5]
[Source: My Dress-Up Darling]
[Crush: Gojo Wakana]
[Single, Dateable]
Whoa—double the pleasure.
Takeru hadn't expected to hit the jackpot with two potential marks at this mixer.
But he didn't act on it immediately.
Not every target was worth pursuing.
There were only thirty-one days in a month.
Even if he scheduled one date per day, that still only allowed for thirty-one girls. And let's be real—things never went that smoothly.
Juggling that many "tools" was asking for trouble.
Besides, it wasn't like he wanted to spend every waking moment orbiting women.
Takeru wasn't greedy. Ten solid targets—that was enough for him.
With just ten, he could afford to be selective.
And so, Takeru had his own criteria:
First, the girl had to be rich.
The system didn't require him to be paid—but he needed it.
Because he didn't want to waste points exchanging for cash.
And honestly, if he had to spend a whole day eating, drinking, shopping, and sometimes even playing "stand-in boyfriend," wasn't he entitled to a little kickback?
That wasn't mooching. That was compensation.
And the system hadn't objected, had it?
In Takeru's book, silence meant consent.
Aside from issuing tasks, notifying completions, or flagging new targets, the system never said a word.
Second, the girl couldn't be too high-profile.
He just wanted to scam—ahem—earn some extra spending money, not end up floating in Tokyo Bay.
Targeting someone like Kasumigaoka Utaha—wealthy but without serious social standing—was fine.
But if the girl was the daughter of a tycoon, or some yakuza princess? Hard pass.
Third, never more than three targets in the same city.
Too many, and fate was bound to catch up with him. He'd be exposed.
"Come on, Takeru, introduce yourself," said Ōtani Shōta, nudging him after everyone sat down and ordered drinks under the "All You Can Drink" menu.
Before Takeru had arrived, both Shōta and Tanaka had already introduced themselves to the girls.
Takeru wasn't shy. He spoke clearly:
"Kitahara Takeru. Sixteen. First-year at Seijō Gakuen. Favorite things: gold jewelry. Favorite celebrities: Phoenix Legend. In my free time I like reading, fiddling with prayer beads, fishing, playing mahjong, drinking tea, and photographing plants…"
The girls blinked in confusion.
Reading—okay, fine. Seijō was a top-tier school with an academic deviation score of 75. It made sense there'd be some bookish types.
But the rest of it?
He wasn't even eighteen, and he already had the hobbies of a middle-aged uncle.
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T/N: Phoenix Legend is a popular chinese music duo yep yep