Rito Yuuki's Point of View
After packing his things and watching Kaito leave the classroom first, Rito also headed out shortly afterward.
The afternoon sun filtered through the school windows, casting long golden reflections across the hallway floor while students slowly dispersed toward their clubs, homes, or whatever plans they had after school.
Rito walked casually toward his locker—
Only for someone to suddenly throw an arm around his shoulders.
"Hey, Yuki! Already heading home?" Saruyama asked with a shameless grin. "Come on, let's stop by the arcade for a bit. Apparently, there've been a lot of girls hanging around there lately."
Rito immediately gave an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, Saruyama, but I need to stop by the market before going home today. Maybe next time."
Honestly, he genuinely felt bad turning his friend down.
"Aww, what a waste…" Saruyama sighed dramatically before leaning closer with a suspiciously sly expression. "But are you really sure about that?"
"Huh?"
Saruyama's grin widened.
"There's a chance Sairenji-san might be there."
The instant that name reached his ears—
Rito froze.
"S-Sairenji-san…?"
A faint blush spread across his cheeks almost immediately.
And before he could stop himself—
His imagination started running wild.
Maybe they'd accidentally meet alone.
Maybe they'd walk together.
Maybe they'd finally have a proper conversation.
Maybe—
'Could this actually become my chance to confess?!'
Rito swallowed nervously.
For a brief moment, he seriously considered abandoning his original plans and going to the arcade with Saruyama instead.
Unfortunately for him—
A sharp female voice suddenly interrupted the atmosphere.
"Stop trying to drag Yuki-kun down the wrong path, Saruyama-kun."
Both boys turned toward the hallway entrance.
Standing there was Kotegawa Yui.
Long black hair.
Sharp golden eyes.
A perfectly straight posture.
And an expression strict enough to make even teachers feel pressured.
The moment Saruyama saw her, his face twisted.
"Tch… disciplinary committee monster…"
"I heard that," Yui replied instantly.
Saruyama immediately looked away and began whistling awkwardly.
Rito laughed nervously.
"G-Good afternoon, Kotegawa-san."
"Good afternoon, Yuki-kun," she replied politely before directing a cold stare back at Saruyama. "Unlike certain people, Yuki-kun actually has responsibilities."
"Hey, hey, don't make me sound like some kind of criminal," Saruyama protested.
"Aren't you?"
"That hurts."
Yui crossed her arms.
"Arcades are fine in moderation, but trying to lure people there by mentioning girls is shallow behavior."
Saruyama dramatically clutched his chest.
"You wound me, Kotegawa-san! The dreams of a healthy young man are not shallow!"
"They are when they're yours."
"Too cruel…"
Rito watched the two bicker with an awkward smile.
At this point, he was honestly used to their strange dynamic.
After a few more seconds of arguing, Yui adjusted the bag resting on her shoulder.
"Well, I'm leaving now. Try not to cause trouble on your way home."
"I never cause trouble," Saruyama replied instantly.
Yui stared at him silently.
"...You were banned from the rooftop last year."
"That was a misunderstanding."
"You tried to spy on the tennis club."
"A tragic misunderstanding."
Yui looked entirely unconvinced.
Meanwhile, sensing danger, Rito quietly started backing away before he somehow got dragged into the conversation too.
"Ah, I should get going as well," he said quickly.
"Alright," Yui nodded calmly. "Be careful on your way home, Yuki-kun."
Saruyama smirked mischievously one last time.
"And if you happen to run into Sairenji-san at the market, don't waste your chance!"
"W-Wait, don't say things like that out loud!"
Rito's face instantly turned bright red.
Yui blinked once before slowly turning toward him.
"...Sairenji-san?"
"AH—?!"
Rito immediately panicked while Saruyama burst into laughter beside him.
And so—
After barely escaping with his dignity intact—
Rito quickly left the school building and headed toward the market.
Meanwhile — Kaito's Room
Back inside his room, Kaito stared blankly at the mountain of papers spread across his desk.
Maps.
Strategies.
Escape routes.
Possible scenarios.
There was even an "Emergency Plan" circled three separate times.
The room itself was quiet, filled only with the faint ticking of the wall clock and the soft evening breeze entering through the slightly open window.
After several long seconds of silence—
Kaito slowly spoke.
"...That was it?"
{ Apparently. }
Kaito stared at the papers again.
Then sighed deeply.
"I spent thirty minutes thinking about this."
{ Yes. }
"I'm an idiot."
{ Very much so. }
"You agreed way too fast."
He tossed the pencil onto the desk before leaning back in his chair.
"Alright then. The plan is simple."
He raised one finger.
"I'll have dinner at Rito's house."
A second finger.
"I'll keep an eye on him."
A third finger.
"And when he tries to take a bath…"
A grin slowly appeared on his face.
"I'll stop him."
{ …That sounds incredibly improvised. }
"Because it is."
{ And how exactly are you planning to stop him? }
"I don't know."
{ … }
"I'll improvise when the time comes."
Kaoru remained silent for several seconds.
{ …Unfortunately, that actually makes sense. }
"See?"
Kaito grabbed the papers and crumpled them into a ball before casually tossing them toward the trash can.
PLFT.
The paper missed completely.
{ How embarrassing. }
"It was the wind."
{ The window is closed now. }
"...Details."
Kaito threw himself backward onto the bed with a loud BOF before staring at the ceiling.
"Now that I think about it…"
{ Hm? }
"This is probably the night that changes the entire story of To Love-Ru."
{ Technically, yes. }
"And I'm about to personally interfere with it."
{ Nervous? }
Kaito stayed silent for a few moments.
Then finally answered quietly.
"...A little."
After all—
He was about to interfere with the beginning of one of the most chaotic stories he knew.
Or at least try to.
{ There's still time to give up. }
"And get punished by the system?"
{ Fair point. }
Kaito closed his eyes slowly.
"...I seriously hate systems."
{ And I seriously hate lazy hosts. }
"Perfect partnership."
{ Unfortunately. }
A small smile appeared on Kaito's face.
And little by little—
He began resting while waiting for dinner time to arrive.
Unbeknownst to him—
At that exact same moment—
Something from outer space was already approaching Earth at terrifying speed.
Evening — Rito's House
Kaito stood in front of Rito's house before pressing the doorbell.
A few seconds later, the door opened.
Mikan greeted him with her usual gentle smile.
"Good evening, Kaito. Come in."
"Good evening, Mikan. Sorry for bothering you again."
"It's not a bother at all," she replied warmly while stepping aside. "The house feels livelier when more people are around."
Kaito entered the house and slipped into the indoor slippers near the entrance.
"Rito's upstairs changing right now," Mikan explained. "I'm heading back to the kitchen."
"Alright. I'll wait in the living room."
The living room itself wasn't particularly large, but it felt warm and comfortable.
The sofa sat neatly in front of the television.
Several magazines rested on the coffee table.
Everything was organized perfectly.
Small details like the spotless curtains and neatly arranged cushions made it obvious how much care Mikan put into maintaining the house.
Kaito sat down quietly.
'This place really is comfortable.'
{ Your own house isn't even that messy. }
'That's because my house barely has furniture. But you've seen my room.'
{ You sound proud of that somehow. }
'Keeping a room intentionally messy requires talent.'
{ That's called laziness. }
'Maybe.'
A few moments later—
The sound of footsteps descending the stairs echoed through the house.
Rito finally appeared wearing casual clothes, his hair still slightly messy from rushing.
"Sorry for taking so long," he said while scratching his cheek. "Mikan started complaining that I was changing too slowly."
"She probably just didn't want you showing up looking homeless."
"Hey!"
Rito immediately looked offended before throwing himself onto the sofa beside him.
"You can be surprisingly cruel sometimes."
"I just tell the truth."
{ That was direct. }
'That's how male friendships work.'
Rito sighed dramatically.
"First Saruyama bothers me at school, and now you too…"
Kaito turned slightly toward him.
"Speaking of school… how was the market?"
"Normal," Rito replied casually. "I bought what Mikan asked for and came home."
"That's it?"
"Hm?"
Kaito tried to sound casual.
"You didn't happen to run into Sairenji there?"
The effect was immediate.
Rito froze completely.
Then slowly—
His face turned red.
Kaito stared at him.
'...Critical hit.'
{ He really is easy to read. }
"I-I did run into her…" Rito admitted awkwardly. "But it was just a coincidence!"
"I'm sure it was."
"It really was!"
Kaito nearly laughed.
"So how did this coincidence go?"
"Normal!"
"What did you talk about?"
"About… normal things!"
"That explains everything."
"You're definitely making fun of me."
"Maybe."
Rito groaned and sank deeper into the sofa.
"Ahh… it was so awkward…"
"You really like her that much, huh?"
Rito instantly panicked.
"W-WHAT?!"
Kaito smirked.
"Relax. Anyone with eyes can tell."
Rito covered his face in embarrassment.
"I just… never know how to act around Sairenji-san…"
'Which is completely true,' Kaito thought.
{ At least he's self-aware. }
"But did she talk to you normally?" Kaito asked.
"Yeah…" Rito admitted. "Actually… she even asked if I wanted to walk home together for part of the way."
Kaito raised an eyebrow.
'Oh?'
{ That sounds like progress. }
'Looks like my little interference earlier actually helped,' Kaito thought proudly.
Unfortunately—
Rito continued.
"But then I got nervous and tripped into a guy carrying grocery bags…"
"…"
"The groceries flew everywhere…"
"…"
"And Sairenji-san helped me pick everything up…"
Kaito slowly covered his face.
"Rito…"
"I KNOW."
"You really are a romantic comedy protagonist."
"What's that even supposed to mean?!"
Dinner eventually began shortly afterward.
As expected, Mikan's cooking was incredible.
The three of them chatted casually while eating together, most of the conversation revolving around embarrassing stories from Rito's childhood.
Which naturally made Rito suffer immensely.
"Please stop telling those stories…" he groaned.
"But they're cute," Mikan replied innocently.
"They are NOT."
Kaito quietly laughed while continuing to eat.
Honestly—
This atmosphere felt strangely peaceful.
Unfortunately—
Peace never lasted long around protagonists.
After dinner ended, Mikan began washing the dishes while Rito stood up and stretched.
"Well then, I'm gonna go take a bath."
The instant Kaito heard those words—
His body tensed.
'It's happening.'
{ Now let's see how you handle this. }
Kaito immediately stood up.
"Rito, wait. I need to ask you something."
"Hm?"
Kaito coughed awkwardly.
"You know I live alone, right?"
"Yeah?"
"And my parents send me money every month for living expenses."
"Right…"
"Well…"
Kaito scratched his cheek.
"I may have spent almost all my money buying manga."
Rito immediately sighed.
"I told you you were overdoing it."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. But because of that…"
Kaito looked away awkwardly.
"I kinda forgot to pay the water bill."
Rito blinked.
"…What?"
"And apparently I also forgot the previous months too."
"YOU WHAT?!"
"So… my water got shut off."
Even Mikan paused slightly while washing dishes.
Rito looked genuinely horrified.
"But they don't usually shut off water after just one missed payment!"
Kaito coughed awkwardly.
"Apparently they do after several."
"Idiot…"
"So…" Kaito continued carefully. "Could I take a bath here tonight?"
After a few seconds, Rito sighed.
"Of course you can. We're friends."
"I think so too," Mikan added warmly from the kitchen.
"How are you hearing this from over there?" Rito complained.
Mikan smiled proudly.
Kaito laughed softly.
"Seriously, thanks."
Then—
Without wasting another second—
He immediately walked past Rito and headed straight toward the bathroom.
Leaving Rito blinking behind him.
"…But I wanted to go first…"
Inside the Bathroom
The moment the door closed behind him—
Kaito quietly made a tiny victory pose.
{ That was actually smart. }
"..."
{ Kaito? }
"…It wasn't a lie."
{ Ah. I see. }
Kaito sighed tiredly.
A few minutes later—
He relaxed inside the hot bathtub water.
"Honestly…" he muttered while leaning back. "I think this mission is basically complete already."
{ Maybe. Probably. }
"Of course it is. Rito isn't entering the bathroom anymore, so he won't meet Lala."
{ True… but I think you forgot something important. }
Kaito opened one eye.
"What?"
A bad feeling suddenly crawled down his spine.
{ The way you stopped Rito from entering the bathroom… }
Kaoru paused dramatically.
{ …was by entering the bathroom yourself. }
Kaito blinked.
Once.
Twice.
"…Ah."
His eyes widened instantly.
"WAIT—CRAP!"
He immediately stood up—
And at that exact moment—
A blinding white light suddenly filled the bathroom.
Kaito instinctively raised both arms to shield his eyes.
Several seconds later—
The light vanished.
{ Too late. }
Boing.
Kaito suddenly felt his hand sink into something unbelievably soft.
"…So this is how people on this planet greet each other?"
A gentle feminine voice echoed through the bathroom.
Kaito slowly lowered his arms.
And froze completely.
Standing directly in front of him—
Was an unbelievably beautiful naked girl with long pink hair and a black tail ending in a heart-shaped tip.
His brain stopped functioning instantly.
And then—
He realized something horrifying.
His hand—
Was firmly grabbing her chest.
The pink-haired girl tilted her head curiously while glancing downward.
"…Are you going to keep squeezing it?"
"AH— S-SORRY!"
Kaito immediately pulled his hand away.
Unfortunately—
Fate itself apparently hated him.
The wet floor caused his foot to slip.
"WOAH—?!"
BAM!
The back of his head slammed violently against the wall.
'…This seriously brings back bad memories…'
That was Kaito's final thought before darkness consumed him completely.
And just before his consciousness faded—
A mechanical voice echoed inside his head.
[ Congratulations on completing the mission: The Pink-Haired Girl. ]
[ Reward will now be distributed. ]
Unfortunately for Kaito—
He was already unconscious and unable to hear any of it.