TLPSO 08

chapter 8:

The Battle of Wits with My Observation Subject

I’ve obtained the ultimate trump card — something I call our “Secret Agreement.”
From the next day onward, my investigation activities became bolder — and perhaps even more public(?).

Every break time, I would stride confidently toward Kirishima Rei’s desk, “Observation Journal” in hand.
“Alright! It’s interview time!”
“…You seriously plan on doing this every day?”
Rei looked up at me with a tired expression. Our classmates, now completely used to our routine, watched the scene unfold with amused smiles — “Ah, they’re at it again.”

“Of course! It’s a top-secret interview, after all. So, first question — what did you have for breakfast today?”
“…Why do I have to tell you that?”
“Eh? Wasn’t our agreement that you’d cooperate with my interviews in exchange for me keeping your secret?”
When I said that, he sighed deeply — the kind of sigh that comes from pure resignation.
“…Toast.”
“What about to drink?”
“…Milk.”
“Did you spread any jam?”
“Enough already!”

His curt, irritated replies — but to me, every single one was a precious piece of data. I jotted them down in detail in my Observation Journal.

As this little comedy of ours continued, I stumbled upon yet another new side of him.
It was right before lunch break, a time when the classroom’s energy usually starts to dip.

“Hey, Rei-kun — what’s your favorite food?”
I asked casually, and he hesitated for just a second. Then, after making sure no one else was around, he murmured softly:

“…Sweet things.”

“Eh!?”
I couldn’t help but blurt it out. The cool, stoic Ice Prince… is a sweet tooth!?
“…What?”
“N-no, it’s just… unexpected! Like, what kind of sweets?”
“…Anything’s fine.”
He turned his head away quickly. But I didn’t miss how his ears were noticeably redder than before.
Observation Note #5: Secretly has a sweet tooth. Gets extremely flustered when teased about it.

After school, I stopped him in the hallway as he headed to basketball practice.
“Today’s interview is officially over! Thank you for your cooperation, Your Highness!”
I gave a crisp salute. He let out the deepest sigh of the day.
“…Stop coming.”
His voice sounded utterly exhausted — and completely genuine.

But I knew.
When he turned his face away from me, the corners of his mouth — just slightly, ever so slightly — had softened.

My persistent interviews must be annoying and troublesome for him.
Even so, if they added just a bit of excitement and laughter to his otherwise boring days…
Thinking that made this strange relationship of ours feel even more fun — something I didn’t want to stop.

(See you tomorrow, Rei-kun.)
I whispered that in my heart as I watched his tall figure disappear down the hallway.