Ren was momentarily surprised but quickly understood what was happening.
"Well... it shouldn't be possible."
Sonoko nodded in satisfaction.
"So, I want to make a bet with you."
"The bet is whether or not I'll receive a diary."
"So, Amamiya, you have to bet that I won't."
Having been forced into choosing "no," Ren felt his odds of winning were incredibly low.
From what he understood about how the diary system worked, the second wave of diary recipients would likely come soon after the first.
And after the heroines, the next ones to receive diaries would probably be key female supporting characters.
Which meant that Sonoko had a very high chance of getting one.
Choosing "no" now was practically throwing himself into a pit.
Looking at Sonoko, who was clearly excited about this, he hesitated.
She was being a little willful, but it wasn't the kind of willfulness that was unpleasant.
"Alright, so what happens if one of us wins or loses?"
Sonoko toned down her excitement slightly before stating her terms.
"If I win, Amamiya, you have to date me."
The outcome of the bet was directly tied to dating?
Ren hadn't expected the conversation to take this turn.
"Suzuki, I'm not really good at interacting with girls."
"What does 'good' or 'bad' even mean?"
That response completely shut him down.
"Who in this world is naturally good at interacting with girls?"
"Isn't that something you learn through experience, little by little?"
No one was born knowing how to interact with the opposite sex.
Everyone picked it up gradually.
"If you're okay with it, we can date..."
"But Suzuki, you do realize that girls are usually at a disadvantage in relationships, right?"
"I don't feel like I'd be at a disadvantage."
It wasn't that Sonoko was unaware of the risks of dating.
But that was only true when dating other guys.
"Besides, I really don't think I'd be at a disadvantage dating you."
"...That's hard to argue with."
Ren honestly didn't know how to refute that.
Since he wasn't particularly skilled at dealing with girls, he wouldn't be the type to cause them trouble.
If anything, what Sonoko said was probably true—he wouldn't make things difficult for her.
"How about it? What do you think?"
She leaned forward, placing both hands on the table, her face mere inches from his.
"It's a fun bet, isn't it?"
"If I win, I get both a diary and a boyfriend."
"And you, Amamiya, would get a cute girlfriend with a great personality."
"You wouldn't be losing out."
Her self-promotion was almost shameless.
Just how much did Sonoko want to date him?
It was clearly not for any deep, complicated reason—she just liked good-looking guys.
Looking at her with mild helplessness, he sighed.
"Suzuki, you don't need to sell yourself like that."
"You're already cute, and your personality and figure aren't bad either."
"I only hesitated because I'm not great at handling relationships."
"...If you really want to make this bet, I'm fine with it."
After thinking it over, he realized he didn't actually have a reason to refuse.
This bet was something Sonoko had initiated.
So, why not go along with it?
Sonoko's smile widened instantly.
She had never been the type to worry about whether she was the one doing the chasing.
If you meet someone you like, you go for it.
If you hesitate, someone else might swoop in and take them.
And she knew that Amamiya would eventually attract a lot of girls.
If she didn't seize the opportunity now, would she really just stand by and watch others move in first?
If she was going to make a move anyway, she might as well do it now.
She sat back with a satisfied smile.
Glancing at the time, she realized it was nearly dinner.
"Amamiya, should we—"
Before she could finish, she noticed Ren's gaze had shifted elsewhere.
Following his line of sight, she spotted four elementary school students.
"Amamiya, do you know them?"
"Pay attention to the one wearing the backward cap."
Her eyes focused on the boy, and an inexplicable sense of familiarity washed over her.
She searched through her memory—
And finally locked onto one person.
Upon receiving confirmation, Sonoko's eyes widened in shock.
She hadn't expected to run into Kudo, now in the form of a child, here of all places.
The sound of Ren tapping the table brought her back to reality.
"Look at what he's holding."
"And take a look at the three men in black hiding in the alley over there."
Following his directions, Sonoko turned her gaze.
She noticed Kudo holding a piece of paper, studying it with intense focus.
She saw the three suspicious figures lurking in the alley.
Her eyelid twitched involuntarily.
"...Why does that guy always run into trouble?"
She had told Ran to cut ties with Kudo, and now she really felt that was the right choice.
Wherever Kudo went, trouble followed.
"This isn't even his fault."
"But the real problem is how focused he is on his own business while completely ignoring the danger right behind him."
"This is the second time."
Sonoko kept watching the three men in the alley.
She couldn't help but agree.
Encountering trouble wasn't the issue—
Failing to realize he was in trouble was the real problem.
At this point, she just felt like grinding her teeth.
She wanted to march over there and smack him.
Today was her date with Ren, and now they had to deal with Kudo's mess?
"Let's just go and deal with it quickly."
"No, we're not getting involved."
Ren shook his head and pulled out a phone card from his bag.
"Suzuki, let me tell you something important."
"When you run into a situation , don't get directly involved."
"As law-abiding citizens, we pay taxes for a reason."
"The police exist to protect us."
"So the best thing to do right now—"
"Is to call the cops."
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