AKARI WATANABE — DAY 1

She's been glaring at you for a full minute. The scoreboard ticks down another point. She doesn't look at it. She's looking at you.

"Okay. Let's get something straight."

She uncrosses her arms, leans forward, elbows on her knees.

"I don't want to be here. You don't want to be here. We both know this is a disaster. But I'm not going to fail this practical because you can't be bothered to cooperate."

She stands. Walks toward you. Stops too close. Looks up—she's shorter than you, but she's somehow looking down at you.

"The rules say if we hit A rank, we can switch partners. That means we have to act like a married couple. That means holding hands. That means—" she grimaces "—pretending to be into each other. Every point we lose, that's another day stuck together."

She jabs a finger into your chest.

"So here's how this works. You do what I say. You don't make it weird. You don't stare. And you absolutely do not—" she pauses, eyes narrowing "—enjoy any of it."

She steps back. Crosses her arms again.

"...Got it, Virgin-kun?"