Chapter 5: The Southern Hemisphere?

3:00 p.m. was precisely the time for afternoon tea.

Shibuya Crossing was already bustling, and the Starbucks was no exception. Inside, the queue stretched into a long line, the store packed to capacity.

Japanese people had a fondness for queuing; they believed that if many people were waiting in line, the item or experience must be valuable and worthwhile—the longer the queue, the better the thing.

Moreover, influenced by a collective cultural mindset, everyone in line behaved orderly, without noise or the occasional line-cutting seen elsewhere.

Ryuuichi Sugawara actually disliked queuing. He saw it as a waste of time and had no inclination to follow the crowd. Yet this time, ironically, he found himself unusually patient.

It was because Tsuki Yamabuki stood before him, holding his hand. Even after leaving the sea of people at the crossing and entering the café, she never let go.

The change in their seating arrangement was due to Tsuki’s thorough understanding of the “rented boyfriend” rules... For example, the one who rents the boyfriend covers all expenses during the date, so she naturally took charge of ordering and paying.

After twenty minutes of waiting, Ryuuichi and Tsuki finally received their coffees.

Fortunately, a couple had just left, freeing up two seats inside.

“So many people,” Tsuki remarked, sitting on the second floor of Starbucks. Through the glass wall, she gazed at the dense crowd crossing the intersection, coming and going—an impressive sight.

Although she had felt this while among the throng, viewing the bustling intersection from above was truly breathtaking.

“I’ve seen similar shots in many an anime—those overhead views of the crossing,” Ryuuichi said, also captivated by the scene outside.

Though it was his first time visiting Shibuya, the sight felt strangely familiar to him.

“You watch anime, Sugawara?” Tsuki asked, surprised by his comment.

Though they rarely interacted at school, and only exchanged a few words during class, Ryuuichi Sugawara was a notable figure at Takeno High—three consecutive years ranked first in his grade, receiving heaps of chocolates on Valentine’s Day, and known as a studious loner who never socialized.

“I watched some as a kid. What about you?” Ryuuichi replied.

He hadn’t really kept up with anime, being absorbed in his studies, so this was not a frequent topic for him.

“I used to watch shows like ‘Sailor Moon’ in elementary school but stopped after middle school,” Tsuki confessed openly, relieved to find he also enjoyed anime and not worried about being labeled an otaku.

“Sailor Moon, huh?” Ryuuichi pondered her answer, stealing a sideways glance at her.

The Sailor Moon franchise was well-known—a beloved national treasure even—in Japan.

Though this was a parallel version of Japan, many things resembled the original island nation, especially in the realm of sports.

“What was that look you gave me just now?” Tsuki sensed a hidden meaning in his glance.

“Sorry, sorry. I was just imagining what you’d look like in a sailor uniform,” Ryuuichi admitted, realizing denial would only make things awkward.

“I thought you’d think Sailor Moon wasn’t my style. I actually wore a sailor uniform in high school,” Tsuki said, relieved to understand his gaze.

“You wore a sailor uniform? Like cosplay?” he asked, intrigued.

“No, it was my high school uniform. Because I liked Sailor Moon, I chose a high school whose uniform was a sailor suit when I applied,” she explained.

“No way. Do you have a photo? Can I see?” Ryuuichi was surprised by this revelation.

Though many Japanese schools used sailor suits as uniforms, they were not exactly “JK uniforms,” and there were essential differences.

“No,” Tsuki refused decisively.

“Why? If it’s a school uniform, a lot of people have seen it. No need to be shy,” Ryuuichi didn’t understand her refusal.

If it were cosplay, shyness would be natural, but a school uniform was different.

“I don’t have any photos from my student days on my phone. I can’t show you,” she insisted firmly.

Though she felt no shame in wearing the sailor uniform then, since everyone did, years had passed. Now she found the idea of Ryuuichi seeing those photos embarrassing.

“Alright,” Ryuuichi accepted her refusal gracefully, sensing her reluctance and choosing not to press further.

“Maybe another time,” Tsuki added, not wanting to leave it hanging.

“Deal,” Ryuuichi agreed, letting things be.

After their light chat, Tsuki turned to the main matter.

“There’s just over an hour before the meetup. Let’s get on the same page first.”

“Okay.”

The class reunion was the highlight of this date, and Ryuuichi was well aware, treating it seriously.

Seeing his attentiveness, Tsuki began to explain:

“Quick recap: My high school friends all have boyfriends now. They noticed I’m still single and worried I might be too late to start dating. One of their younger brothers likes me, and his sister wants to play matchmaker. I don’t like that, so I lied about having a boyfriend. Since then, they’ve been pestering me to introduce him. I’ve dodged a few times, but if I keep it up, I’ll get caught. So I resorted to renting a boyfriend.

“Just so you know, in their minds, you’re my junior at Waseda’s Faculty of Education, three years younger than me, and we’ve been dating for a year.

“Important: There will be five of us at the reunion including you. Since there are more girls, they might be a bit rowdy.”

“I’ve got it all memorized,” Ryuuichi said confidently, used to quick recall from years of study.

After explaining, Tsuki took a sip of her coffee, swallowed nervously, and braced herself before continuing:

“To test if you’re real, they might ask some personal questions... like my exact height is 166 cm, bust 91 cm, underbust 76 cm, waist 65 cm, hips 92 cm, a mole below the left ‘southern hemisphere,’ and my weight is a secret.”

“...”

Hearing this, Ryuuichi, despite his self-control, couldn’t help but glance at Tsuki’s curvaceous figure, curious about what those measurements translated to.

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