Stop hounding me.

As the eldest daughter of the Suzumiya family, the head of the Health and Welfare Division at the Ward Office, and an ice queen in the eyes of many, Sayaka Suzumiya had experienced a great many things.

Yet, there were far more things she had never done.

Her family background was quite illustrious. Her family had deep roots in the political arena stretching back to her grandfather's generation. While they had never produced a prime minister, the family had never lacked members in the House of Representatives, and older generations had even served as Vice-Ministers in the Cabinet.

Obviously.

She was a member of the so-called upper crust of society.

And Japan's class stratification was severe, showing little improvement even in modern times.

The Emperor remained as powerless as ever, the shogunate had transformed into the Diet, the Kazoku nobility into financial conglomerates, and the samurai into a bureaucratic elite group spearheaded by the University of Tokyo.

It seemed as though everything had changed.

And yet, it seemed as though nothing had changed at all.

Therefore, in this country where the hierarchy, though implicit, was extremely rigid, a child from a political lineage like Sayaka Suzumiya naturally received an upbringing vastly different from that of the common folk at the bottom.

This was especially true for families like hers—not quite at the absolute peak, yet required to step into the public eye to perform before the citizens while sharply demarcating themselves from the so-called lower classes.

Dining, attire, deportment...

Women born into such families were taught an immense number of things from childhood, cultivated to be the ladies their elders envisioned. The slightest misstep could make them the laughingstock of their social circle. Worse still, if they took a liking to hobbies deemed improper by others, they would easily become the mockingstock of their peers and subsequently face stern reprimands from their parents.

Thus, Sayaka Suzumiya had experienced things that ordinary people could scarcely hope to touch in a lifetime. Yet, constrained by pride or various other reasons, there were also many things she had never done. Perhaps she had once felt curious, but as time passed, that curiosity had gradually withered into dullness.

Take marriage, for instance.

Consequently, she was utterly indifferent to the prospect of marriage.

Especially after realizing that her marital fate was entirely out of her hands and that struggling against it would be futile, Sayaka's choice had been to stall indefinitely.

And correspondingly.

She had never experienced anything between a man and a woman.

Had it not been for the appearance of Tsukasa Harano, Sayaka felt that she might never have experienced that tingling sensation in this lifetime—the kind where one could clearly feel the blood rushing through veins and the heart instantly accelerating as if it were about to burst from her chest.

This thrill was exceedingly rare, which made her care deeply about it and, at the same time, ignited an endless curiosity.

Especially because of what Tsukasa had said just moments ago.

It had sent Sayaka's imagination running wild with countless possibilities.

Just like being grabbed by that hot, searing palm in the office back then, or being encircled by those strong arms from which she could not break free, and if things went even further...

Countless images flashed through her mind.

Sitting in the passenger seat beside Tsukasa, Sayaka's breathing gradually grew shallow, and her heart wrestled in turmoil.

Although her rationality told her that if the man beside her truly intended to make her experience those things she had never done, she must absolutely refuse—and that she ought to punish and retaliate against him for his previous deeply offensive actions—her emotions were like an endlessly surging wave, constantly battering the dikes of her reason.

The final outcome was obvious.

No matter how sturdy the dike, it could not withstand the violent onslaught of the tides; there would always come a moment when it collapsed and gave way entirely.

"If I were to act crazy just this once..."

"It should be fine, right?"

"At worst, I'll just dispose of him once I get bored of it."

Once such a thought took root, it was like the malicious entity within Pandora's box. Even if only a single corner was lifted, it could no longer be contained, spreading wildly like creeping vines as her inner self conjured all sorts of reasons to persuade herself.

Yet, just as Sayaka assumed Tsukasa was about to force her into some research on human physiological structures, the car pulled up to an unexpected destination.

And after stepping out, his behavior grew even more perplexing.

Until a dozen or so minutes later, standing beneath the giant colored billboards on the streets of Shibuya, Sayaka looked at the golden tamagoyaki in her hand. Her eyelid twitched slightly as she raised her head to look at the man who was relishing the exact same snack, and said coldly: "You brought me to Shibuya to eat this sort of thing? Is this what you meant by something I've never done?"

"What? You've eaten tamagoyaki before? Then have you ever had taiyaki, or dorayaki? Kagami mochi? Korokke?"

Tsukasa mumbled indistinctly around a mouthful of tamagoyaki.

"I have no interest in eating these things."

"Meaning you've never eaten them? As I surmised, you've probably never been on a date, right? Eating street food is an essential part of dating. If you've truly never had them before, you should actually give it a try. It tastes pretty good."

"A... a date?"

Sayaka caught only those two words and froze in place, pinching the tamagoyaki in her hand.

Tsukasa looked at her with a half-smile in his eyes: "Otherwise? What did you think I meant by something you've never done? A love hotel?"

"...I didn't think that." Sayaka turned her face away.

"Good. Let's go. Last time I came here, I was too preoccupied with the department store. There are still quite a few fun things along Takeshita Street and around the Nintendo store that you haven't experienced. I've booked two movie tickets—picked them at random for the seven o'clock screening. Right after the movie, we'll head over to Shibuya Sky. There were just enough tickets for tonight's admission slot, so we can view the Tokyo nightscape from afar at the end. If you want a late-night snack afterward, we'll go to Harajuku."

In truth, he had been to Shibuya many times.

And Suzumiya probably had too.

As one of Tokyo's most famous tourist attractions and pedestrian shopping streets, anyone in Japan who had ever visited Tokyo had likely been here. In reality, this dating itinerary was something Tsukasa had just searched for on his phone right after stepping out of the car.

The process didn't matter.

The destination was what counted.

Besides, despite having visited many times, Tsukasa had never actually strolled leisurely through the commercial district in Shibuya.

Yet Sayaka's innate jealousy and suspicion flared up once more. She pulled a long face, just as she had at noon: "You seem awfully familiar with the routine of a date?"

"Stop looking for trouble over nothing. Just tell me, are you going on this date or not? If you don't want to date, we can both just go home." Tsukasa didn't bother being polite with her anymore. Today, either he dealt with her ticking time bomb of a trouble, or she dealt with him. Therefore, seeing this fake ice queen acting up again, he directly deployed the Suzumiya-style coercion method.

Sure enough.

The moment he grew tough, she softened.

Sayaka bit her silver teeth, her imposing aura dimming slightly: "I've been to all the places you mentioned."

"With whom?"

"Friends."

"Won't you go there with me again?"

"...Fine."

Watching Tsukasa turn and stride away, Sayaka drew a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the anger reigniting in her chest, and followed after him anyway.

There was nothing fun about Shibuya.

That was her consistent impression of Shibuya.

Aside from the countless crowds on the street, there were only luxury brand stores. Except for holidays, she had never come here with anyone other than female friends. Firstly, because there was nothing worth browsing, and secondly, because coming here meant coming purely to shop.

As for Takeshita Street and the Nintendo store that Tsukasa had mentioned earlier, it wasn't as if she had never been to them. They were merely a place resembling a bazaar-style pedestrian street and a flagship gaming store crowded with unkempt people wearing cartoon clothing.

It was truly uninteresting.

Things like video games were merely pastimes meant for individuals lacking any ambition in their careers.

Playing games was tantamount to wasting time.

This was the concept instilled in her since childhood.

Therefore, when Tsukasa dragged her through the crowd into the store named Nintendo to try out a console controller game, she had actually wanted to refuse. But when Tsukasa put on a stern face and demanded in a harsh tone that she play along, Sayaka had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

The game was called *Overcooked*.

The very name was chaotic enough.

The gameplay involved her and Tsukasa each controlling a little avatar, cooking dishes in two connected kitchens, and serving them within a designated time limit.

She thought it looked quite simple, and was even somewhat surprised that Tsukasa would play such a childish game.

Yet once she actually played for a bit—especially since Tsukasa's little pig avatar kept lingering in the kitchen hallway with its snout blocking her path, and even directly shoving her far away—she was so furious she felt like smashing the controller buttons to pieces.

He was truly despicable!

And how on earth were these dishes supposed to be made!

Why couldn't she do anything except chop meat!

Sayaka was sweating profusely from anxiety. Although she wasn't the one actually doing the cooking, every time she saw the frying pan flash with a red warning triangle, she panicked more than anyone else. Less than ten minutes in, the palms of her hands were slick with sweat.

Yet the result was quite gratifying.

They completed 61 orders, earning a total of 2,956 points including tips, and secured a full three golden stars!

We two are really good at this!

No, *I* am good at this, that's right!

Retaining the relaxed feeling after a great battle, Sayaka tossed down the controller whose buttons had become loose from her heavy grip, let out a triumphant huff toward Tsukasa, and paid him no mind when he didn't react. With a cold expression, she stood up and left the seat—doing so purely to demonstrate how effortless the game truly was.

Later, they went to see a movie.

Prior to this, Sayaka had never sat in such cramped seats. Compared to the oppressive narrowness of a cinema where two seats were practically glued together, she much preferred lounging in her apartment's living room and watching the high-definition projection on the wall.

Yet she also perceived a difference.

Compared to the spaciousness of her home, in this dimly lit setting, besides the movie screen directly ahead, there was also the man sitting right beside her.

Every time Tsukasa shifted his posture, or took a sip of his drink, it drew her attention.

It felt...

It truly did feel different.

It seemed as though she was observing him more than she was watching the movie.

Thus, upon exiting the cinema, let alone recalling the plot of the film, Sayaka couldn't even remember the title. It was as if during the two hours she had sat in that seat, she had spent the entire time watching Tsukasa's profile and observing whatever it was he happened to be doing at any given moment.

Night fell swiftly.

The date had reached its final destination.

The July summer night was somewhat sultry, but the wind at the Shibuya Sky observation deck was fierce—so fierce it bordered on cold.

Standing beside him on the transparent glass elevator, overlooking the vast expanse of Tokyo shimmering with neon lights, she felt as though she could perceive the pulse of the entire city.

The elevator descended slowly, seemingly pulled by some invisible force, giving the sensation of traveling through the urban skyline. Aside from the whistling wind, there was only the faint mechanical hum of operation and the soft interior lighting.

"We've walked the entire day. Are you feeling tired?"

Tsukasa's voice suddenly drifted to her ear.

"Hmm?" Sayaka started slightly, then shifted her gaze away from the transparent glass and turned toward him.

The descending sightseeing elevator was quite narrow, chiefly because of the transparent glass on both left and right sides, with a protective mesh overhead, leaving room for only a single person's body width.

After walking all day, she was indeed somewhat tired.

Had she worn the high heels she usually wore to work instead of the sneakers she had chosen today, she feared several blisters would already have formed on her feet.

"If at a moment like this, you could lean into your boyfriend's embrace while looking at the night view, wouldn't that be a rather beautiful scene?" Tsukasa's gaze remained fixed on the distant sky.

"Are you trying to take advantage of me again?"

"What do you mean by 'again'?"

"I was merely giving you an analogy."

"It sounded like an analogy, but in reality, you were trying to use that method to express your desire to hug me, weren't you?"

"Not at all." Tsukasa said with an inexplicable trace of emotion in his tone: "I merely meant to say that even if you don't intend to choose me as a partner, you ought to find a significant other of your own. The path of life is ultimately walked farther—and far more securely—when people support one another."

"There is no need for you to lecture me with grand principles. What is it you actually want to say?" Sayaka frowned slightly as she spoke.

"Very well, then I'll be honest." Tsukasa steadied himself against the elevator wall and turned back to face her, smiling as he said: "I hope you'll stop pestering me."