Well, what a surprise!

“I guess you’ve figured it out,” she said. “You’re pretty smart.”

“We’re both culprits.”

“Since when did you figure it out?”

“You were the one who sent the love letters to Hatsumi, weren’t you?”

Mai remained silent, looking away.

“I thought so.”

He paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts.

“But... I didn’t figure out the entire story. Not completely.”

She looked at him, her eyes wide open.

“You remember when you said you’ve stumbled upon a secret admirer of mine?”

She nodded.

“Minutes later, Hatsumi came with the secret admirer mystery. The coincidence was too much to believe. It all seems to be connected. I kept the possibility of you being the culprit in mind, but I also considered the other options.”

Mai froze, her eyes wide open. She stared at Ryota, speechless.

“When I thought I solved the mystery, and it turned out I was half wrong, my doubts became even bigger. That’s why I sent an anonymous letter to the student council about the shy couple in the dance club.”

Mai continued to stare at him.

He glanced at her, noticing her shocked expression.

He laughed.

“What’s wrong? You’re acting weird.”

“Um... I was just. I didn’t expect you to figure out the entire thing.”

She took a deep breath, calming herself down.

“Rumors about Koyama’s secret crush were already out there,” she said, glancing at him. “I was surprised when I saw my brother bringing an anonymous letter to the club.”

“It was the only way I had to verify my doubts.”

Mai nodded, sighing. She looked away, staring at the ground.

“One day when I was changing my shoes after gym class, I noticed someone was sliding a letter into Hatsumi’s shoe locker,” she said, remembering the day. “It was the first time I saw that guy. He was a first year.”

She paused, taking another breath.

“I don’t know why, but I had a feeling this wasn’t the first time he slipped letters into the shoe lockers. That’s when I got the idea to send the anonymous letters.”

“...”

Ryota remained silent. He knew what was coming next.

“So... um... the budget issue...”

Mai continued to stare at the ground, not making eye contact with him.

“We’re talking about 10 thousand yen here, right?”

“Yeah...”

He took a deep breath and sighed.

“You sponsored the dance competition, right? And that’s how we passed to the second round.”

“Um... I was afraid if I did nothing, we were going to lose.”

He glanced at her and chuckled.

Passing to the second round was a miracle.

They needed that kind of miracle to succeed in the mission.

“I see,” he said. “The only mystery left is the anonymous letter you sent to Hashiba.”

Mai glanced at him, surprised.

“You’re not the one who wrote that letter?”

“Of course not! I was with Sato in the clubroom when Hashiba came with the letter.”

“Oh...”

She paused for a moment. She thought about it for a second and turned back.

“We’ve reached the ground. Let’s go on the next ride.”

Ryota could see the disappointment in her eyes, and he could see she was trying to hide it.

She was obviously trying to avoid the subject.

He knew it was an awkward topic, and that she didn’t enjoy talking about it.

It was also the main reason he didn’t want to bring it up.

He didn’t want to ruin the mood.

But he knew he had to be honest with her.

“I still don’t know who the culprit is,” he said.

“What?”

“It’s still an unknown variable.”

She didn’t respond. Instead, she jumped up and looked at Ryota.

“The next ride!”

She sounded cheerful.

Ryota chuckled. He couldn’t help but smile.

She was trying too hard.

The next ride was a drop tower. It looked scary.

Ryota was nervous about it.

He didn’t like the idea of falling from such a height.

But he also didn’t want to ruin the mood.

They got into their seats and waited for takeoff.

The drop tower started moving, and the ride began.

The steel cables groaned, and the engine roared.

The young man felt his heart racing.

Mai was laughing and screaming, having a good time.

He glanced at her, watching her smile.

He took a deep breath and sighed, then closed his eyes and waited for the ride to end.

After a minute, the ride ended, and they left the tower.

“That was fun!” Mai said, walking over to the exit. “So, what’s next?”

She looked at him with a bright smile on her face.

“Um...”

Ryota paused for a moment. He couldn’t think of anything.

Mai’s plan to distract him failed.

She didn’t want to talk about the love letters anymore.

“Um...”

“I think we should eat something,” she said, staring at a small restaurant near the exit. “The food is good here.”

“Yeah, okay.”

They walked to the restaurant and entered, finding a seat next to the window.

A waitress brought them some menus and took their orders.

Mai’s smile was radiant. Her eyes were glowing.

Her excitement was overwhelming.

She ordered some fries, pasta, and a pizza.

Ryota had little appetite. He ordered a salad and pasta.

The waitress came back with their orders, and they began eating.

The food was good.

Mai continued to laugh and joke, telling funny stories.

She talked about her brother, his friends, and their school lives.

Ryota listened, enjoying her company.

They talked about a lot of things.

They even talked about their hobbies and favorite colors.

Ryota had never had this kind of conversation with her before.

He found it strange that they knew so little about each other.

But simultaneously, he also felt they understood each other.

It was strange to think about it.

“Ryota, can I tell you something important?”

She paused for a moment. Her eyes remained glued to the table.

“Of course.”

“I love you! And I want you to become my boyfriend!”

Well, what a surprise.