Nope, this isn't the epilogue!

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

Well, what a surprise.

She took an eternity to say the words.

“Oh.”

He wasn’t expecting to hear that from her.

But he couldn’t deny the truth.

He couldn’t lie.

He didn’t want to lie.

“Um... Mai. I...”

She looked at him. Her eyes were shining like blue sapphires.

“I... um...”

“Hm?”

“Um... um...”

He couldn’t say anything.

He just stared into her eyes.

He felt his heart racing and his breath getting short.

“Hey, Ryota, I love you!”

“I heard you the first time!”

He felt embarrassed. He blushed. “I thought my first love confession would be a bit more romantic and... cooler.”

Mai rubbed the back of her neck, smiling awkwardly.

“Well, it’s your fault!” she said. “You’re the one who made me say this!”

She leaned closer, whispering into his ear.

“So, you’d better take responsibility, d-a-r-l-i-n-g!”

Her lips were so close to his ear that her warm breath made him shiver.

He didn’t want to move.

He wanted to stay like this forever.

It was the perfect moment.

He stared at her, watching as her lips curved into a big smile.

“Mai...”

He called her name, his voice almost inaudible.

“What?”

She looked at him. She was waiting.

“I...”

His phone started ringing.

“Of all the times? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I’m sorry...”

“Who’s calling you?”

“Um... my dad.”

“Don’t answer it.”

“But...”

“Forget it. The moment is over.”

He didn’t want to upset her.

He looked at her and smiled.

“I’ll call him back later,” he said, reaching into his pocket for the phone.

“Okay, back to what you were about to say,” she replied, raising a finger.

Ryota glanced at her, and he froze.

He felt his heart beating fast.

“Um... I um...”

“Hmm? What’s wrong?” she asked. “You’re so cute. I am going to get a nosebleed.”

“And there goes the cliché from cheesy romance anime.”

Mai burst into laughter, clearly amused by his tsundere response. “Oh, come on, Ryota! You don’t have to act all tough. Just say what you want to say.”

The blush on his cheeks turned pinker, but he couldn’t deny her teasing request. “Fine, fine. You are a pain, you know. But I guess. I guess I kind of like you, too.”

“Kind of?” She raised an eyebrow, pretending to be offended.

“Okay, fine!” he grumbled, his embarrassment overcoming his usual calm demeanor. “I like you, okay? Happy now?”

Mai’s laughter echoed in his ears, and he realized he couldn’t help but smile despite his attempts to maintain his facade. She had a way of breaking down his barriers, and he realized he didn’t mind it so much.

“See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Mai grinned, leaning closer to him.

“Don’t get used to it!”

“Oh, come on, darling. Lighten up a bit, will you? There’s no need to get all embarrassed.”

Ryota sighed, shaking his head.

Mai was having too much fun teasing him.

He figured it would take him some time to get used to it, but at the very least, it didn’t seem like he’d be getting bored for a while.

“What do we do now?” Mai asked. “I mean, about us.”

“I guess we should take things slow, right?”

“Fine...”

****

Things took an unexpected turn after that day.

Hashiba confessed his love for Izumi and started going out with her.

They became the most famous couple at school.

It was worth the fight he had.

The investigation of the anonymous letters also ended.

It was so sudden that even Ryota couldn’t believe it.

It was over.

Nothing came out in public.

It was as if it had never happened.

“Why would I tell you who did? You’re Little Poirot! Find the answer yourself!”

Mai laughed, watching as Ryota groaned in frustration.

He had a hunch but no actual evidence.

There were too many suspects, and it was impossible to identify which one was the culprit.

The investigation had ended, and there was no way for Ryota to figure out who sent the anonymous letters.

But one thing was unmistakable.

One mystery was unsolved.

There will be an opportunity to clear this up in the future.

Maybe a few days from now.

Maybe a few months from now.

Who knows?

It was hard to say.

Meanwhile, Ryota had other things to worry about.

His new relationship with Mai was one of them.

Putting all that aside, he sighed.

He stood before the door, ready to enter.

He took a deep breath and slammed the door open.

“February has ended!”

“Talk about energy! That’s my boy!”

“Yay, Yay!”

He walked into the room, The Whimsical Matchmaking Brigade clubroom, and sat down.

That was the start of another day, another whimsical day, in the Whimsical Matchmaking Brigade.