"Finally done with the bath!"
Mio emerged from the bathroom wearing pajamas borrowed from Shiina Mashiro. Whether it was because she'd soaked in the tub a bit too long, or perhaps some other reason entirely, her face was flushed crimson. Combined with her damp hair and the slightly form-fitting sleepwear, she radiated an alluring charm that was impossible to ignore.
Too bad the only person who got to witness Mio in this state was Mashiro, her roommate.
Originally, Mio had thought this task would be a piece of cake—just take a bath with Mashiro, how hard could it be?
And honestly? Aside from feeling a bit embarrassed when they first undressed, nothing particularly eventful happened. That is, until they finished washing up and got ready to soak in the tub.
The bathtub wasn't exactly small. If they each stayed on their own side, it would've been perfectly fine. But the problem was, Mashiro didn't play by conventional rules. The moment Mio settled into the tub, Mashiro plopped herself right down in Mio's lap.
Mio's brain short-circuited on the spot.
Sure, she basically hugged Mashiro to sleep every night now, but during sleep they were both clothed. This situation was on a completely different level.
From a certain perspective, this was definitely premium fanservice material. But for Mio, it felt more like a test of her willpower.
She felt incredibly grateful all over again that this task hadn't triggered yesterday. Otherwise, she couldn't guarantee what might have happened.
And for some reason, after completing this task, Mashiro's conquest rating on her jumped by a whole 4 points, hitting the major milestone of 30!
Good thing one of the rewards was exactly what she needed: [Shiina Mashiro's Photographic Memory].
Compared to Mio's beet-red face, Mashiro remained remarkably calm. She actually thought being held by Mio while soaking in the bath felt pretty nice. She wanted to bathe together again tomorrow.
"Just now, Host's physiological responses indicated you really wanted to do something to Shiina Mashiro. So why didn't you actually do anything?" The System's voice suddenly rang in Mio's ear, its tone unusually puzzled rather than its typical playful self.
Though she wasn't sure why the System was asking, Mio explained anyway: "Wanting to do something and actually doing it are two different things. There are things I might not be able to stop myself from thinking about, but I still can't actually do them."
Of course, if she and Mashiro were in a romantic relationship, that would be a different story.
For a split second, Mio even felt like being someone's girlfriend might actually be... not so bad.
"You asked me a question just now, so can I ask you one? Why did this task increase Mashiro's conquest rating by 4 points?"
"That question is useless to ask this System. Host should ask yourself that question~"
Hearing this, Mio fell into silence.
Thinking about it carefully, she had just entertained the thought that being Mashiro's girlfriend might not be so bad. Maybe that's exactly why the conquest rating had increased so dramatically.
In other words... her own feelings could influence the conquest rating?
But even knowing this, it didn't really help. After all, she couldn't lie to herself about her own emotions.
With a soft sigh, Mio finished blow-drying Mashiro's hair and asked, "Mashiro, do you want to come sleep at my place tonight?"
"Yes!" Mashiro's answer came without a moment's hesitation.
"Then take this." Mio handed over the spare key she'd prepared in advance, smiling gently. "Just let yourself in when you come over. That way you won't have to worry about me not hearing the doorbell."
"Oh."
Mashiro gave a simple acknowledgment, thought for a moment, then placed the key somewhere visible so she wouldn't forget. Then she immediately returned her attention to her painting.
Watching this, Mio couldn't help but laugh helplessly. She'd been wondering what kind of reaction Mashiro would have upon receiving the key.
But this was pretty much what she expected.
Seeming to notice Mio's slightly disappointed expression, Mashiro blinked, then leaned over and planted a quick mua on Mio's cheek.
Caught off guard by this sudden "attack," even Mio didn't know how to react for a moment.
"Mio, you don't like it?"
"It's not that I don't like it, but Mashiro, you can't just go around kissing people randomly." Mio had reason to suspect that she was the reason Mashiro had become like this.
"I won't," Mashiro said seriously. "I only do this with Mio."
"Mashiro, do you have any idea how deadly that line is?"
As Mio said this, the System notification chimed in her ear, informing her that Mashiro's conquest rating had increased by another point.
It couldn't be helped. When Mashiro said something like that right to your face, who could possibly resist? Mio certainly couldn't. Her heart was racing.
"Hm?" Mashiro looked at Mio with confusion in her eyes, apparently not understanding what she meant.
"Never mind, forget it. I'll head back now. Remember to lock the door properly when you leave."
"Mm."
Having a beautiful girl around might boost study efficiency, but Mio was starting to worry that if she stayed in Mashiro's room any longer, the conquest rating might tick up again at any moment.
Better to play it safe and go home to be a heartless studying machine.
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The clock struck midnight.
[Schrödinger's Card] refreshed. Maybe it was the law of conservation of luck at work, because this time Mio actually rolled [Slacking Off Card]—a card that would prevent any tasks from triggering for 24 hours. Too bad today wasn't the weekend. Otherwise, she could use the other [Slacking Off Card] she had saved up and get two whole days of rest.
Still, this was pretty great. At least tomorrow she wouldn't have to worry about the System popping up to cause trouble.
"Wait, how did Host's luck suddenly get better?" The System's voice rang out, full of confusion.
"You just can't stand seeing me happy, can you?"
"How could that be I just don't really want to see Host slacking off, that's all. After all, only by completing more tasks can Host become someone's girlfriend sooner"
"Scram!"
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