Chapter Ten: Please Date Me with Marriage in Mind!

“Idiot, moron, pervert, filthy-minded creep…” Kotori Itsuka unleashed a barrage of insults at Su Mo, not repeating a single word, making one marvel at the breadth of her vocabulary.

Meanwhile, Su Mo walked beside her, his face twisted in agony, his head bobbing up and down repeatedly—a state he’d maintained since last night. Never had he imagined Kotori would react so strongly after he removed her ribbon.

At that moment, Kotori could only be described as small and pitiful, but incredibly prone to tears. It was as if she’d shed all her disguises; even in her usual commander mode, where she appeared strong, sharp-tongued, and calculating, Kotori still harbored a vulnerability unseen by others. In that instant, the urge to gather her gently into his arms was overwhelming. Yet, Su Mo soon regretted it, for once Kotori returned to her commander persona, she flew into a rage and nearly struck him down on the spot.

If not for Shizhi’s timely intervention, Su Mo doubted he’d have lived to see the morning sun, let alone be walking peacefully to school now.

“Perverted brother, to think you’d do such a thing to your own sister—unforgivable!” Kotori snorted coldly, her gaze icy as she looked at him.

“Don’t use that kind of misleading tone with me,” Su Mo muttered, glancing anxiously around. Thankfully, no one was nearby, or he’d have been dragged away as a deviant. Left with no choice, he pressed his palms together in a pleading gesture. “I’m really sorry! Dearest little sister, please forgive me! I swear I’ll never do it again!”

“Hmph, you call that an apology? If you really mean it, then kneel down and lick my toes—maybe I’ll consider forgiving you.” Kotori turned away, humming softly.

“That’s—”

“Please, allow me!” Out of nowhere, Kyohei Kannazuki sprang forward, gazing at Kotori with hopeful eyes.

“Drop dead!”

Already irked, Kotori didn’t hesitate; she sent Kannazuki flying with a punch, then turned back to Su Mo. “Anyway, don’t forget the bet we made yesterday. I’ll be monitoring you from Ratatoskr. Here, wear this on your ear so I can contact you. Don’t disappoint me, my idiotic brother!”

With that, she tossed him a device resembling a Bluetooth earpiece and, as if dragging a dead dog, hauled the writhing Kannazuki away.

Judging by Kannazuki’s expression, he almost seemed to enjoy it.

A true masochist, through and through.

With a sigh, Su Mo finally turned toward the school.

…

With the earpiece in place, Su Mo strolled through the campus of Raizen Metropolitan High School. It was still morning, before classes had begun, so the school buzzed with noise.

Wearing the earpiece Kotori had given him, Su Mo’s eyes flicked over every girl that passed by—he was scouting for his next target for a confession. But to onlookers, his gaze was positively lecherous, the image of a predatory womanizer.

“So, have you decided who you’re going to confess to yet?” Kotori’s voice came crisply through the earpiece.

“Don’t rush me, I’m still looking. If I just blurt out a confession to anyone, I’ll be branded a pervert,” Su Mo whispered back.

“You already are a pervert, so cut the nonsense and pick someone!”

At that moment, Kotori was sitting in the Ratatoskr command room, a live feed of Su Mo’s view displayed on the console before her. Her eyes suddenly lit up as she scanned the scene. “Listen up, Su Mo—no need to choose. I’ve already found you the perfect confession target. Right in front of you, there’s a woman in a uniform. Go confess to her.”

Su Mo was walking down the corridor, heading toward his classroom. Ahead of him was a petite woman dressed in professional attire—a teacher’s suit—her figure curvaceous despite her childlike stature. She was none other than Miss Tamaki Okamine, affectionately dubbed Little Bear, and also his homeroom teacher.

She carried a stack of teaching materials in her arms. Her voluptuous curves made her the object of immense popularity at school, the dream of countless male students, and the indirect cause of many “murderous” rumors and bestselling love letters.

“You want me to confess to Miss Tamaki?”

Su Mo hesitated, and Kotori’s ambiguous, wicked laughter crackled in his ear. He could almost taste the mischief—Kotori was definitely getting back at him for removing her ribbon.

“That’s right. Think about it: if you confess to a classmate, you’ll probably get rejected outright, and the story of your failed confession will spread like wildfire. But Miss Tamaki is an adult. Even if she turns you down, she’d never tell anyone—after all, being confessed to by a student would be mortifying for her. Besides, if you’re rejected, you can always call it a prank. In short, you won’t be humiliated. Well, my dear brother, aren’t you touched by how much your adorable sister looks out for you?”

Thank you so much—for nothing, Su Mo thought, lips twitching. Yet, glancing at Miss Tamaki ahead, a sly grin crept across his face.

“If that’s the plan, then I’ll go confess to Miss Tamaki.”

With a confident smile, Su Mo jogged forward and called out to her.

Miss Tamaki turned, her oversized glasses making her look all the more adorably absent-minded. Seeing it was one of her students, she smiled gently. “Ah, Su Mo, is there something you need from me?”

Sensing the opportunity, Su Mo paused, as if building anticipation.

Then, raising his head to meet her gaze, he declared solemnly, “Miss Tamaki, I want to pursue a relationship with you—with marriage as my goal. Will you accept me?”

Even as the words left his lips, Su Mo’s heart hammered wildly. Confessing to a teacher—this was the stuff of anime, not real life. In reality, he’d be lucky to escape with his dignity, if not his life.

Almost immediately, Kotori’s furious roar exploded in his ear. “Idiot brother, what are you doing? Who starts a confession by proposing marriage? You fool! Utter fool!”

Her exasperation was palpable, as if she could hardly believe his stupidity. Of course, Kotori was certain Su Mo’s confession would fail. After all, what woman in her right mind would accept such a proposal from a not particularly handsome or wealthy high school boy?

But Tamaki Okamine was not a normal woman.

While everyone else expected failure, Miss Tamaki’s cheeks twitched. Her head drooped, bangs hiding most of her face, making her expression unreadable. After a long, heavy silence, a faint voice emerged from her downturned lips:

“Really?”

“Do you mean it?”

She lifted her head, excitement and joy lighting up her face. Gripping Su Mo’s shoulders tightly, she bombarded him with questions. “If you’re willing to wait until you’re old enough to marry, I’ll already be over thirty by then—is that really all right? Should we meet your parents? You don’t mind marrying into my family? Will you take over my family’s business after you graduate?”

It was as if she’d become a different person—her eyes sparkled, her breath quickening.

Su Mo recoiled in shock, instinctively taking two steps back. He’d anticipated this outcome, but the reality was far more terrifying than he’d imagined.

The truth was, for a single woman of twenty-nine, marriage was almost a magic spell—a killer move. Picture all your friends and close companions starting families one by one, parental pressure mounting, the looming crisis of turning thirty. It was no wonder Tamaki Okamine’s reaction was so extreme.

In the original anime, when Shido Itsuka accidentally mentioned marriage, her response had been even more intense. That was why Su Mo had looked so confident when Kotori picked Miss Tamaki as his confession target.

Yet, though the confession was a “success,” Miss Tamaki had clearly lost her grip.

From somewhere, she produced a marriage application, her eyes gleaming. “Su Mo, you’re not yet eighteen, so you’re underage, but we can sign an intent agreement for now. Just press a bloody fingerprint here. Oh, I don’t have red ink… Shall we borrow a carving knife from the art room? Don’t worry—it won’t hurt!”

As she closed in, their bodies nearly pressed together. The feel of her ample curves sent Su Mo’s mind reeling. He hastily backed away.

“This is too much—if I stay any longer, I’ll lose my hard-earned innocence,” Su Mo thought, spinning around to flee. “Miss Tamaki, I’m sorry! I’m not ready for marriage—just treat what I said as a joke, please don’t take it seriously!”

And with that, he bolted from the scene at full speed, desperate to escape the consequences of his “crime.”