My Infamous Bride Is A Mermaid

Episode 17: Popularity Contest

With the way things were going, Takashi was looking for every opportunity to get some kind of peace of mind and the one place that never failed to provide that was the nurse's office at school. The reason why that was a safe place was because Ren was always a good person for Takashi to talk to whenever he was reaching his limit. She'd be willing to talk and she would Takashi rest on the beds. She just provided a good atmosphere and she always gave pretty decent advice.

Ren: Life has gotten you down again?

Takashi: More like I'm tired of putting up with Lunar all the time.

Ren: She can be a handful.

Takashi: She can get any guy wrapped around her finger yet she is obsessed with me. Why?!

Ren: You might've just answered your own question.

Takashi: I what now?

Ren, who was finishing up some work behind her desk, walked over and took a seat on the bed that Takashi was resting on.

Ren: She can get any man wrapped around her finger. Are you saying that you're not a man?

Takashi: I hope I'm not.

Ren laughed.

Ren: It's because you can resist her that she wants you.

Takashi: Seriously?

Ren: Think about it, any other man would grovel and worship her because they're such a fanboy. You, on the other hand, were able to toss those aspects of her aside and see her for what she truly is.

Takashi: I'm still only making partial sense of this.

Ren: She wants someone who will love her for her. You may not lover Lunar for being Lunar but you see her for being Lunar. You look past the fame, and the accomplishments and you saw Lunar as a person, granted it's an annoying one.

Takashi: One whose jaw I'm constantly itching to break.

Ren: But you understand now. She wants you because you see her for what she truly is. If she can convince you to love her for it then she has what she always wanted but it's hard to do that with competition like Sun and Akeno.

Takashi: When did Sun become competition?

Ren: Any female that isn't a blood relative is competition to Lunar. She probably sees Mawari as a threat as well.

Takashi: Another pain in my ass.

Ren: You are quite popular with women. I've noticed it increasing overtime.

Takashi: Well can I have a day where no girl wants anything to do with me? I miss being a normal guy who had guy friends to hang out with.

Ren: Well......I might be able to work something out.

Takashi: I don't like the sound of this.

Ren walked over to a medicine cabinet where she pulled out a vial containing a blue liquid.

Ren: This can actually fulfill your wish for a whole day.

Takashi: Are you serious? What's the catch?

Ren: No catch, not even any side effects except for drowsiness when the chemicals take effect and when they wear off. You'll be completely unlike by women but men should see you as a lost brother that was finally found.

Takashi: And the only downside is getting a little dizzy? I'll take it.

Ren: Good, let me just-

Takashi quickly got out of bed. He took the vial out of Ren's hands and stalled the liquid inside in a single gulp. It wasn't until Ren slapped the vial out of his hand that Takashi realized he may have been in a hurry.