Men, Honestly...
On the screen, cold sweat poured down Aaron's tanned face as his eyes darted back and forth between the two tokens in disbelief.
"T-Two votes? For me?"
The male contestants were forced to rely strictly on their own intuition to deduce who had deposited each personal keepsake into their boxes.
"Congratulations, Male Number One! From this moment forth, your task is to deduce the owner of each token. You will deliver your final answers once every gentleman's box has been opened. As a friendly reminder, guessing correctly earns you a special perk—while guessing wrong will see you face a penalty!"
"A-A penalty?"
Aaron gingerly picked up the first item: a delicate handkerchief embroidered with vibrant, exquisite blossoms. To everyone's shock, the dainty cloth belonged to none other than Female Number Two, the battle-hardened mercenary Seria.
Both the studio panel and viewers across the Empire were already in on the secret.
Before long, Aaron's frantic murmuring leaked through the broadcast audio—the IBS production crew having cleanly stripped away every other sound to isolate his panicked soliloquy.
"F-First off, this one... Could it be Number One? No, wait, Number Three? Did I see her using this, or am I just imagining things...? God, this is driving me insane... I haven't the faintest clue...!"
The studio panelists and audiences spanning the entire continent erupted into shrieks of laughter at Aaron's bewildered muttering.
While Aaron stood drenched in nervous sweat, frantically racking his brain, Male Number Two, Derikkan, stepped up to open his own box. Resting inside was an ornate ribbon ornament shimmering with an unmistakable crimson hue.
The moment Derikkan laid eyes on the silk trim, he instantly recognized its owner. A trademark rakish smirk curved the corner of his lips.
"I know exactly who this is."
"Oh! Male Number Two is brimming with confidence!!"
Next came Male Number Three, Lucas, who uncovered a tiny, delicate quill pen.
Inside Male Number Five Edgar's box sat the lavish perfume bottle that the Minister of Finance had previously inquired about.
Finally, Male Number Six, Julius, lifted his lid to find a slender romance novel resting all by itself.
"Phew... I survived. At least I managed one vote."
"Someone actually chose Julius! Ah, I was certain he'd walk away with zero votes. He's simply far too greasy."
Madame Verna chuckled softly behind her fan.
"Fufu, men of his archetype always maintain steady demand. Women naturally have a weakness for sweet-talking suitors."
"Wh-What? Truly?"
"Of course. Why not steer yourself in that direction as well, Lord Damon? It would suit your handsome face splendidly."
"Ah... I've often been told that my personality completely ruins my good looks."
Just as the panelists were trading lighthearted banter, the broadcast transitioned into a shocking scene destined to serve as the brutal climax of the first-impression segment. Aedus let out an ear-splitting shriek.
"Wait, wait, hold on!! What on earth is this?! Male Number Four's box!!"
Male Number Four, Drexler—heir to the greatest merchant consortium in the Empire—had boldly proclaimed at dinner that he had found his ideal match in Female Number Six, Marie, swearing he would charge straight ahead with unwavering devotion.
Yet his box was completely hollow.
"Ah! There is nothing inside but empty air!!"
The humiliated contestant whose face had been obscured behind heavy mosaic blur in the preview trailer was none other than Drexler himself.
"Haah... I never imagined I wouldn't receive even a single vote..."
Staring down into the vacant box, Drexler dropped his head in bitter dejection.
"Aaaah! Lord Drexler!! Zero votes after staging that entire public declaration?!"
"Behold the cruelty of unscripted reality! A man's one-sided romantic charge does not guarantee success!"
"He was already dating her in his head!! The poor lady hadn't even given him a second thought!"
It was absolute pandemonium born of total information asymmetry between the contestants and the viewers.
As Aaron stood on screen, his face burning crimson as he agonized over the tokens, the broadcast smoothly intercut with the female contestants' one-on-one confessionals to expose the truth. This was the crowning jewel of dating shows—the deep-dive interviews that scratched every voyeuristic itch the audience harbored.
The screen dimmed, revealing Rosalyn seated gracefully in casual attire.
[Question: You placed your keepsake in Male Number Two's box. Is there a specific reason?]
Rosalyn crossed her legs with regal poise, offering an aloof, knowing smile.
"Well. Perhaps because of the private conversation we shared during our walk? We found ourselves surprisingly in sync on several matters. As for the specifics... that remains a secret for now. Fufufu."
The frame shifted to Female Number Two, Seria.
[Question: You chose Male Number One. Was that born of disappointment toward Male Number Two?]
Seria started in surprise, clearing her throat with a loud, flustered cough.
"A-Ahem! What nonsense are you spouting? I never said I fancied Number Two! Number One just seemed... well, dependable. And more than anything, he's totally my type. You know, those thick forearms of his... and... his, um, face... Was that a bit too blunt?"
Behind the rough-and-tumble swagger of an A-rank mercenary lay a pair of burning red cheeks.
Her transparent interview—driven by petty revenge against Derikkan for snubbing her and unabashed lust for Aaron's muscular physique—instantly struck a chord. Viewers across the continent immediately took up arms to ship Aaron and Seria.
[Question: You presented your keepsake to Male Number Five.]
Female Number Three, Vivian, offered an elegant, coy giggle.
"Well... Number Five mentioned he was fond of reading books, but when I looked closer, his hands were covered in tiny cuts and calluses. The unmistakable marks left by chisels and fine crafting tools. He clearly isn't just an armchair scholar—he's someone who builds extraordinary things with his own two hands... Isn't that deliciously unexpected? That contrast gap appeal! I adore men with hidden depths like that."
Watching from the control booth, I let out a dry snort.
"She caught the scent."
Sylvia tilted her head, her dark-circled eyes blinking behind her spectacles.
"The scent, Director?"
"She deduced he was an artisan just by the scars on his hands and instantly calculated how useful he'd be to her family's merchant enterprise. Well, I suppose that counts as love in its own pragmatic way."
Next came the confessional of Female Number Four, Chloe.
[Question: Is there a reason you selected Male Number Three?]
Chloe stared blankly into empty space with dreamy, vacant eyes, her voice shrinking to a tiny, reclusive murmur.
"I-I have terrible communication skills, you see... Seeing Lord Lucas pour out an endless fountain of amusing words at the dinner table made me somewhat envious, I suppose...? I thought the vocabulary spilling from the tip of his tongue might serve as fertile manure for my artistic inspiration... Not that I intend to use his physical corpse as literal fertilizer, of course. That would be homicide, which is a felony..."
The interviewing producer asked in utter bewilderment.
"...Pardon??"
"Ah, that is a rather difficult mind to parse. I now see why the other contestants refer to her as four-dimensional."
"Good grief... Manure... homicide... felony... I'm starting to feel genuinely unnerved."
Then came Female Number Five, Cecilia.
"Doesn't Male Number Six look the most like Prince Charming straight out of a romance novel? Well, that is certainly how he appeared through my eyes. Some might call his gallant conduct a facade, but he is consistent! If a man can maintain a polished facade and treat you with unwavering tenderness for his entire life, does that not become sincere in the end? That is precisely the brand of romance I desire."
Finally, the broadcast arrived at the confessional that had thrown the entire production team into turmoil: Female Number Six, Marie.
[Question: Despite Male Number Four's unyielding declaration of love, you chose to place your keepsake in Male Number One's box. What was your reasoning?]
Marie fidgeted with her fingertips in bashful hesitation, her clear brown eyes curving into a warm, luminous smile.
"That is... while listening to Male Number One speak during dinner, I couldn't shake the feeling that we share a great deal in common."
"What sort of common ground?"
"Male Number One has thick calluses covering his palms, and he said he was looking for a partner who would quietly endure harsh, grueling labor by his side for the rest of their days. I have also spent many years doing work that could hardly be called easy. In that respect, I felt a deep sense of kinship."
"And his physical appearance?"
Marie's face flared a brilliant crimson as panic overtook her features.
"Th-Th-That's, um..."
Unable to withstand the embarrassment, she buried her face deep in her hands.
"H-He is terribly handsome... Eeek... what am I saying...!"
Witnessing that innocent, unfiltered reaction, Aedus erupted into breathless roars of delight.
"Gaaahhhh!!! Look at this reaction!! Hey! Everyone!! Did you just witness that reaction?! Pure-hearted romance fans across the entire Empire, this is the one!! She is the chosen one!! She is the living incarnation of delicate purity!!"
Madame Verna, however, merely crossed her arms and cocked her head with an icy, cynical squint.
"Hmph. Laying the coy innocence on far too thick..."
Damon went one step further, shouting at the top of his lungs in theatrical protest.
"An act?! How could you call that an act?! That was a one-hundred-percent pure, unadulterated critical strike of genuine innocence! Am I right?! Am I not right?!"
Madame Verna shook her head, letting out a weary, disdainful sigh.
"Men, honestly, I swear..."
After the wave of uproarious laughter triggered by Madame Verna's savage reaction subsided, the solemn voice of the producing director returned over the footage.
"Now then, we shall commence the deduction phase. Male Number One, are you prepared to state your answers?"
"W-W-Wait just one second!!"
The broadcast suddenly zoomed in tight on Aaron's flabbergasted, deer-in-the-headlights face—and the screen abruptly faded into total darkness.
Before the viewers could riot, Aedus's rapid-fire voice cut through the darkness.
"Dear viewers, it is not over yet!! We will return right after a brief word from our sponsors!! Cue the commercials!!"