The movie Takashi chose was We Made a Beautiful Bouquet, directed by Yukihiro Doi, with a screenplay by Yuji Sakamoto, and starring Kasumi Arimura and Masaki Suda.
Set in modern-day Tokyo, the film tells the story of Mugi Yamane and Kinu Yatsuya, who meet after missing the last train.
While passing time at a bar, they discover their remarkably similar interests and tastes, leading to a relationship that spans five years, from an unexpected encounter to an eventual farewell.
The movie was well-made—at least, that was Takashi's opinion.
At the very least, couples who walked into the theater smiling didn't walk out the same way.
One pair even broke up on the spot.
Takashi had noticed that many couples who watched romance movies together rarely made it through unscathed.
He still vaguely remembered the chaos on his social media feed back when Ex-Files 3 was released.
Those who were dating either shared Breakup Happy or posted nostalgic messages about their exes, even hoping to reconcile.
As they stepped out of the theater, night had already taken over the city.
Street Lights flickered to life one after another, while the vibrant neon lights intertwined, sketching a mesmerizing cityscape against the darkness—like thousands of diamonds embedded in the canvas of the night.
To Takashi's right, Megumi walked beside him and tossed him a question.
"Kitahara-kun, why do couples who are so in sync still break up?"
Mugi and Kinu hadn't done anything wrong. They were a perfect match, and yet they still parted ways. Why?
"Because their meeting was too idealized, and reality inevitably introduced conflict." Takashi pondered for a moment before slowly voicing his thoughts.
"They got together because of their shared interests, and at first, it felt wonderful—like finding a soulmate."
"Everything aligned so perfectly, as if they were looking into a mirror, seeing another version of themselves."
"Meeting someone so similar gives a sense of belonging, a feeling of being completely understood and accepted. That's why they fell in love."
"But for that same reason, when the person in the mirror starts to change and no longer resembles them, the joy and sense of belonging fade, replaced by resentment."
"Similar personalities make great friends, but complementary personalities are what sustain a relationship."
"We Made a Beautiful Bouquet looks beautiful on the surface, but in reality, it isn't meant to last."
"The cruelest part of this kind of love is that it peaks from the very first meeting."
"That overwhelming desire to be with each other, the dreams of the future—they're all front-loaded at the beginning of the relationship."
"From then on, every step forward is a downhill journey."
Megumi nodded occasionally, her expression shifting between contemplation and understanding.
"Kitahara-kun, if you were the male lead, would you try to win the female lead back?"
This time, Takashi didn't hesitate.
"No."
"Kitahara-kun, wouldn't you at least consider it? That's your girlfriend of five years." Megumi looked at him under the scattered city lights.
"A gambler always thinks he can turn things around before losing his last chip. I prefer to cut my losses in time."
They continued chatting as they walked, eventually arriving at the underground parking lot.
Near a black Audi, Keiichi waved them over.
"Takashi, Megumi! Over here!"
"Keiichi-nii."
"Kato-senpai."
Keiichi clasped his hands together in an apologetic gesture.
"Sorry, Megumi! My phone was broken, and I just got it fixed."
Megumi stared at her cousin in silence.
Did he think she was an idiot?
What kind of excuse was that?
Feeling guilty, Keiichi avoided his cousin's gaze and turned to Takashi instead, giving him a light punch on the chest.
"You didn't bully my little sister, did you?"
Takashi thought for a moment.
"Does tricking her into eating ice cream loaded with matcha powder count?"
"Wait, don't tell me you guys went to that ice cream shop with all five-star reviews?" Keiichi's expression turned strange.
"Senpai, you know about it?"
Keiichi covered his face with one hand.
"Why do you think they dump so much matcha powder? It's to make you choke."
At that particular ice cream shop, no first-timer had ever escaped without getting covered in powder.
"A variety show even did an interview there. They had random people try the ice cream, and every single one of them ended up coughing. You guys really didn't know?"
Takashi: "…"
Megumi: "…"
—
[Task Completed. Calculating Rewards.]
[Player has received: 10,000 points, a Piltus training plan, and a 50% discount coupon.]
[Date count: +1 (Kato Megumi)]
Back home, Takashi received his rewards just as he arrived.
Ignoring them for now, he collapsed onto the sofa.
Exhausted.
"Woof woof!"
Just as he lay down, his little husky pounced on him, wagging its tail enthusiastically, its face full of flattery.
"You're the best, buddy. I'll buy you some snacks tomorrow."
He gave the dog a good ruffling.
But the moment it got what it wanted, the little husky turned cold, immediately jumping off him.
A sweaty, smelly human wasn't worthy of its presence.
"You little traitor."
If he weren't so tired, Takashi would have grabbed the laundry rack and given the dog a good whack.
Lying on the couch, he checked his phone to review today's schedule.
Saturday Morning: Accompany Nakano Yotsuba – ✓
Afternoon: Accompany Shijo Maki – ✓
Evening: Accompany Kasumigaoka Utaha (crossed out), Accompany Kato Megumi – ✓
After going through everything, Takashi concluded that there were no loose ends. He rested for a while before finally getting up to take a shower.
Less than ten minutes later, he was back in bed, ready to check his rewards.
With this latest addition of 10,000 points, he now had a total of 25,000 points.
He opened the system store.
[Money: 100 yen per 1 point][Intelligence: 1 point per 100,000 points][Charm: 1 point per 100,000 points][Stamina: 1 point per 100,000 points]
Skills:
[Beginner Photo Editing – 100 points][Proficient Cooking – 1,000 points][Expert Writing – 10,000 points][Master Fishing – 100,000 points][God-Tier: Meditation Battle – 1,000,000 points]
Passives:
[Sword Mastery – 10,000 points](Next refresh: 10 hours, 21 minutes, 43 seconds)
Takashi scanned through the options.
[Beginner Photo Editing]—Useless. He wasn't planning to become a photographer.
[Proficient Cooking]—Sounded nice, but his current cooking skills were sufficient.
Of course, if [God-Tier Cooking] ever appeared, he might reconsider.
[Expert Writing]—He would rather starve, jump off Tokyo Tower, and be a substitute boyfriend for life than become a writer and suffer constant editor deadlines!!!
[Master Fishing]—Too expensive, and even if he could afford it, it would take the fun out of fishing.
[God-Tier: Meditation Battle]—Interesting, but he was broke.
That left only [Sword Mastery] as a viable option.
Takashi rubbed his chin.
"…Come to think of it, I haven't joined a club yet."
Aoba Academy had a kendo club, though it had never won any notable awards.
In fact, all of their sports clubs were underwhelming—except for baseball.
They had never won a championship, but making it to Koshien every year still made them a baseball powerhouse.
"Alright, let's go with this one."
Back in his home country, conditions hadn't allowed him to try everything.
Now, he wanted to fully experience high school life.
…It definitely wasn't just because winning competitions could earn him a university recommendation.
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