April.

The season of meetings and partings, with cherry blossom petals dancing through the air.

I, Misaki, was lying alone on my bed on a lazy afternoon, counting the stains on the ceiling.

"...Haah. Why did I do something like that?"

What came to mind was what happened during New Year’s, when I visited the Nanase household for greetings.

Exposed to that ‘mature composure’ and ‘post-event-like, lingering atmosphere’ from Shizuku-chan and Anju-chan after their sleepover, I—of all things—clung to the chest of my student 'a six-year-old girl' and screamed from the depths of my soul, "I want to wear Shizuku-chan’s pajamas toooo!"

I was completely finished.

As an educator—no, as an adult woman—that was an utterly fatal blunder.

Shizuku-chan’s mother had laughed awkwardly and said, "Don’t worry about it, it’s normal for her," but the damage to my mental state was immeasurable.

Ping♪

A message arrived on my phone, which had been sinking into the depths of despair.

The sender was Eri, a friend from university who worked as a counselor at a marriage agency.

[Misaki, got a minute? About my younger brother 'Naoya' that I introduced to you…]

The moment I saw the screen, my heart jumped.

Naoya-kun. Twenty-three years old.

Excellent at housework and with zero risk of cheating, in this insane world with a 1:15 gender ratio, he would be classified as an ‘SSR’—a top-tier catch.

I had effectively faded out of the arranged meeting with him, using the excuse that Shizuku-chan’s ‘overwhelming handsome aura’ had ruined me to the point I could no longer be satisfied with ordinary men.

'...This must be a rejection message. Of course it is. A mentally unstable near-thirty woman like me would obviously be turned down.'

With trembling fingers, I was about to reply, I’m sorry, I’ll withdraw, but the message that came next from Eri completely shattered my expectations.

[Naoya says he really wants to meet you again, no matter what!]

"...Huh?"

A strange sound slipped out of me.

I hurriedly pressed the call button and phoned Eri.

"Wait, Eri! What do you mean!? What part of me does Naoya-kun even like!?"

"Well... according to him, ‘Misaki-san didn’t have that calculating, greedy look like other women sizing up my face and income. I felt comfortable with her. I thought she was nice.’"

"............"

Well, of course.

During that meeting, my brain had been fully occupied comparing Naoya-kun’s modest escorting with Shizuku-chan’s perfect alpha aura, using all my mental resources fighting against Shizuku’s afterimage.

It wasn’t that I wasn’t desperate for a man.

It was just that I had already been completely captivated by a six-year-old girl, leaving my heart with a strange ‘emptiness disguised as composure.’

"And about that New Year incident. When I mentioned you broke down crying over your student, Naoya said, ‘Being able to care that deeply about a child is a good thing.’ He seemed amused."

"...Isn’t Naoya-kun a bit too detached?"

"Shut up. Anyway, he wants to date you. Even from my perspective as his sister, he likes you… So what’ll you do? If you miss this chance, you’re staying single for life."

At Eri’s words, I held my breath.

Single for life.

In this world, that meant a lonely old age after a life of harsh labor.

If I married Naoya-kun, I’d be freed from that fear forever.

A warm, peaceful, and stable home would be mine.

"...Okay. For now, I’ll meet him one more time and talk."

I replied with resolve.

* * *

A few days later.

At a slightly stylish café near the station, I sat across from Naoya-kun.

"Hey, Misaki-san. Thanks for coming today."

Dressed in a clean spring coat, he wore a gentle, approachable smile.

I had heard he was a shut-in with a fear of women, but even when we first met, he had a strangely mature calmness.

There was something in his words—slightly jaded, or rather, like he viewed the world from a slight angle—that gave him a unique ‘adult composure.’

"Thank you for inviting me, Naoya-kun."

I put on my best salesman smile and enjoyed our calm conversation.

We talked about books, about cooking.

He was a good listener, responding with "Oh, that’s interesting" at just the right moments.

—But.

"Ah, sorry. I dropped my fork."

When Naoya-kun accidentally dropped his fork, he simply muttered, "Oops," called a waiter, got a new one, and handed it to me with, "Here you go."

A completely normal, proper adult response.

But at that moment, the image of that ‘small prince with black hair in a high ponytail’ flashed through my mind.

'If it were Shizuku-chan... the moment I dropped the fork, she’d catch it midair and say, Are you hurt? ...A princess deserves a clean fork, with a wink as she smoothly hands me a new one...'

...This is bad.

Naoya-kun has done nothing wrong.

By any normal standard, he’s more than a wonderful man.

The problem is that my standards have been completely broken by that unconscious handsome seven-year-old girl 'regardless of what’s inside.'

'...I’m sorry, Naoya-kun. I can’t date you after all. My soul can’t live without Shizuku-chan’s perfect escort anymore...'

Clenching my fists on my lap, I inhaled to speak my rejection—

"Hey, Misaki-san."

Naoya-kun looked at me with a slightly serious gaze.

"You know, I feel like women in this world only see me as a ‘rare, valuable man’—like some kind of brand. Honestly, it’s exhausting, so I figured staying home was easier. But you’re different. With you, I feel like I can relax and be myself. If you’re okay with it, would you go out with me?"

A straightforward yet somewhat refined confession.

Normally, this would be the moment to tear up with joy and accept.

'...What do I do? I have to reject him. But can I really let go of someone who likes me this much?'

Naoya-kun’s potential is perfect.

He’s a man, kind, capable at housework and he likes me.

The only thing he lacks is that spine-tingling ‘overwhelming escort ability.’

...Wait.

If his potential is perfect, then if I just install that missing ‘skill’—wouldn’t he evolve into a ‘perfect being’ in this world?

'Combine Naoya-kun’s ultimate hardware with Shizuku-chan’s unconscious charm escort technique as software...'

The moment that realization pierced my mind, something inside me snapped.

"...Naoya-kun."

I leaned forward and firmly grabbed both his hands.

"Huh, Misaki-san?"

"I think you’re wonderful too. But before we start dating... there’s one ‘trial’ you absolutely have to clear."

At my unprecedented seriousness, Naoya-kun widened his eyes.

"Naoya-kun. From now on, I want you to meet my ‘master.’"

"Y-Your master... Your parents or something?"

"No. Someone far greater... and more terrifying."

With a fearless smile like a secret agent, I spoke.

"My student... the seven-year-old girl who embodies the most beautiful escorting in this world. Naoya-kun, observe her behavior for a day and learn the ‘essence of a gentleman.’"

"...A seven-year-old... girl?"

Naoya-kun’s face showed a mix of confusion and disbelief.

Like he was thinking, 'Learn escorting from a seven-year-old girl? What is this woman even saying... well, sounds interesting, I’ll go along with it.'

A shut-in man with a supposed fear of women ‘though it might just be laziness’ and a legendary young girl who unconsciously drives women insane.

When these two meet, what kind of reaction will occur?

'Hehe... just wait, Shizuku-chan. I’m about to send you the most interesting student!'

Thus, the madness of a woman stuck in her marriage hunt finally shifted gears into the ‘ultimate perfect man training plan’ involving others.