Toko-senpai’s Popularity Lecture!

Toko-senpai and I left the coffee shop and headed into a family restaurant along the highway. Our conversation at the shop had dragged on quite a bit, and we figured it was time for a change of scenery—plus, we were both a little hungry. Toko-senpai ordered pasta, and I went for the hamburger steak set.

“So, Toko-senpai, about the ‘strategy’ to make Karen fall head-over-heels for me by X-Day… can you tell me what you have in mind?”

Toko-senpai leaned back deeply into her seat and began her explanation.

“I mentioned two things earlier, right? The first is ‘ruining the trip plans.’ You don’t have to do anything for this one. If Karen-san says she ‘wants to go on a trip with friends,’ just be kind and send her off with a ‘Have a great time!’”

“And that’s where you manipulate Kamokura-senpai into canceling at the last minute, right?”

“Exactly. Tetsuya isn’t ready to date Karen-san at the cost of making me truly angry yet. But Karen-san, having her long-awaited trip canceled at the last second, will be furious. Her view of Tetsuya might change. In that moment, if she notices your presence—the one who is always kindly and warmly watching over her—she’ll remember who is truly #1.”

A seed of doubt crossed my mind as to whether things would really go that smoothly, but when Toko-senpai says it, it sounds strangely inevitable.

“And the second method?”

“Just like I said before: ‘Increase your popularity among women in general.’”

“I still don’t get how to do that. Can you be more specific?”

“Well, first off: don’t do things that make girls dislike you. That’s step one.”

“Doesn’t every guy try not to be disliked?”

“Do they? I think most men are quite lacking in consideration.”

“In what way?”

“Appearance, for starters. Bedhead, nose hairs sticking out, crust in the eyes, unkempt stubble, sloppy clothes. To a normal girl, these are unthinkable.”

I searched my memories. It’s true; you rarely see girls like that.

“Have you ever thought about how much time a girl spends every day on body maintenance? An hour or two is standard.”

Is that so? Come to think of it, whenever I’ve traveled with a girl, they’re always tinkering with their face or body.

“That’s why physical cleanliness is the absolute minimum requirement. It’s not about wearing the latest trends or having a ‘cool’ haircut. Popular men pay attention to the impression of cleanliness.”

Toko-senpai paused, then added: “In that regard, you’ve cleared that hurdle, Isshiki-kun.”

“Thanks. What else?”

“In terms of attitude and speech… those ‘body touches’ you read about in books are hated. Getting a ‘head pat’ from a guy you aren’t close to or don’t like is just unpleasant. You’re many times better off just talking to them from a natural distance.”

Ouch, harsh! Though I’ve always wondered what kind of idiot actually tries “head pats” or “wall slams” (kabedon) in real life.

“When listening to their worries, most guys just don’t get it. They think being consulted means they’re being ‘relied upon,’ so they try so hard to give earnest, misguided advice. Girls aren’t looking for logic or a solution to their problems. They just want to be heard. If you say ‘You should do this’ or ‘Why don’t you do that,’ they just think, ‘Huh? That’s not what I’m talking about.’ And criticism is obviously out of the question.”

Man… Toko-senpai is actually kind of scary today.

“So, from now on, when you talk to girls, basically just listen to what they have to say. Occasionally saying things like ‘I see, I’ve had something similar happen to me’ is plenty.”

That was a relief. I usually get anxious and tongue-tied when talking to girls I’m not close with.

“Oh, but it’s better if the man initiates the first words or topic. If you just stand near them in silence, it’s creepy. They’ll wonder, ‘Does he want something?’”

Girls are complicated.

“Also, always treat a group of girls fairly. Girls are incredibly sensitive to the slightest differences in treatment. While the girl getting special treatment might be happy, the others will definitely be annoyed. Eventually, even the girl getting the special treatment will distance herself because she’s worried about what the others think.”

Toko-senpai continued to lecture me on how much girls value the “atmosphere of the group.”

“But Toko-senpai, will just raising my general favorability really bring Karen’s feelings back?”

Toko-senpai nodded.

“From what I’ve seen, Karen-san is the type with a strong desire for self-display—a high need for approval. With that type of girl, just being kind isn’t enough. If you clear one hurdle, they want the next thing. The ‘bar for confirming your love’ just keeps getting higher.”

That hit home. Or rather, she was exactly right.

At first, Karen would ask for small, cute favors. But gradually those became the norm, and she started demanding more and more. If I couldn’t fulfill them, she’d stay in a foul mood for ages or even snap at me out of nowhere.

“Girls like that are also prone to cheating. They stop being satisfied with one man and seek out others. Then they justify the affair by saying, ‘It’s his fault for not understanding me. He doesn’t sense my feelings. It’s because he doesn’t love me enough.’”

Toko-senpai, maybe you should quit engineering and become a psychiatrist or a psychologist…

“People with a high need for approval care deeply about how they are perceived by the group. So, if the girls around her are saying, ‘Isshiki-kun is great!’, she won’t want to let a boyfriend like that go. It’s likely because Karen-san is that way that she cheated with Tetsuya—someone popular with the girls and a central figure in the circle.”

That made a lot of sense. I couldn’t say a word; I just listened to her in silence.

“So, no matter how kind you are, she sees it as ‘natural,’ so her feelings won’t return. It’s better to raise your evaluation among the surrounding girls and make her think, ‘I don’t want to lose him’ or ‘I want him all to myself.’”

I was completely floored by Toko-senpai’s powers of observation and insight. Especially the part about Karen’s demands escalating—it was as if she had been watching us.

“After that, if you can draw the girls’ attention just a little bit more than the guys around you, it’ll be perfect.”

“How do I do that?”

At that, Toko-senpai’s expression became nuanced—a mix of teasing and asking a favor.

“Free consultation ends here. From here on out, I want a reward.”

“A reward? Money?”

“I don’t need money. I want something much more important to me…”

“Something important to you?” I couldn’t imagine what it was.

“I want you to… ****************”

Toko-senpai’s voice suddenly became very quiet.

“Huh? What was that?”

“I said… *************”

For someone like Toko-senpai, she was being uncharacteristically hesitant—fidgeting, even.

“Sorry, I can’t hear you. Could you say it a little louder?”

“Oh, honestly!”

Toko-senpai’s face turned red, and she spoke as if she were angry.

“I want you to teach me how to be a ‘cute girl’!”

“…”

For a moment, I was speechless. Toko-senpai was beet-red—even her ears.

“I told you the other day, didn’t I? ‘I want to be cute too.’ So, I want you to teach me what men consider a ‘cute girl’.”

She fidgeted as she spoke.

That behavior is already ‘cute,’ Toko-senpai…

I found it hilarious. The cool, rational, perfect beauty Toko-senpai was asking me for help with this.

“Pfft.” I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

“W-what? Why are you laughing?” She looked at me frantically, her face still red.

“No, sorry. It’s just… hard to believe.”

“What is?! I just told you, those are the kind of things that, from a girl’s perspective…”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m not rejecting what you said.”

My apology seemed to make her pull back her words for now. But she still pouted, her face still flushed.

“But are you sure you want me? Just what a guy like me thinks is ‘cute’?”

That part was funny too. A perfect beauty asking a completely average guy like me to teach her how to be cute.

“I’m asking because it’s you. I couldn’t ask anyone else for something like this.”

Still embarrassed, she looked up at me from under her brow while keeping her head down.

“Understood. If you’re okay with me, I’ll put my thoughts together on what a ‘cute girl’ is by next time.”

“The report must be between 5 and 10 pages. Summarize the main points concisely! Anything below a C grade requires a rewrite!”

She made the joke out of embarrassment and turned away with a huff. She was still blushing.

That right there is actually really cute, Toko-senpai.