As the clock hit 11:59, just when Mio was about to reach her limit, time froze again and the system's voice rang out: "See? I told you this task wouldn't be hard. Sure, the Lucky Card makes tasks trigger more frequently, but it also makes them a bit easier."
"You call this easy?!" Mio said through gritted teeth.
Even with time frozen, Mio didn't dare relax for a second, terrified that once time resumed, she'd lose control and perform an absolutely mortifying social death right in front of Mashiro.
"All you had to do was maintain physical contact for thirty minutes, and the target was Mashiro. For you, Host, isn't that super simple~?"
"Stop talking and settle up already!"
"Alright, alright. Task complete. Shiina Mashiro's conquest rating with the host has increased by 2 points. Due to the effect of [I Want It All], you will receive all rewards from this task."
[Shiina Mashiro's Eidetic Memory]
The host's memory will be moderately enhanced. This card is part of the Shiina Mashiro series.
[Charm Maxed]
The host's charm will be slightly enhanced. Selecting this card again will increase the effect.
[Keen Observation]
The host's perception will be slightly enhanced, making it easier to notice things that would normally go unnoticed. Selecting this card again will increase the effect.
Because of [I Want It All], there was no selection phase—Mio received all the rewards directly.
The moment she claimed them, time resumed.
Mio tensed her body and said to Mashiro, "Mashiro, could you stand up for a second?"
"Oh." Mashiro responded and obediently got up.
Seizing the moment, Mio slowly rose from the chair, then shuffled toward the bathroom with tiny steps under Mashiro's puzzled gaze.
Just as Mio entered the bathroom, the clock struck midnight, and a semi-transparent card appeared before her eyes.
[Animal Affinity]
Increases small animals' affection toward the host and enables simple communication with them. Selecting this card again will increase the effect.
A skill that looked decent but wasn't particularly useful. Still, compared to punishment cards or another [Lucky Card], it was pretty great.
After taking care of her business, Mio returned to Mashiro's room. By now, Mashiro had finished drawing and was already lying in bed.
Noticing Mio enter, Mashiro asked with a hint of concern in her voice, "Mio, are you okay?"
"It's nothing, I just drank too much water tonight."
Hearing this, Mashiro blinked, seemingly pondering what happens when you drink too much water.
Mio had no desire to discuss this topic further with Mashiro. She climbed into bed with practiced ease, snuggled under the covers, and wrapped her arms around her. "We have class tomorrow. Let's get some sleep."
"Oh."
...
"Good morning, Yui~"
Walking into the classroom, Mio immediately went in for a big hug with Yuigahama Yui.
Caught completely off guard by Mio's surprise attack, a faint blush instantly spread across Yui's fair cheeks.
She did this kind of affectionate stuff with other girls all the time, but for some reason, whenever Mio hugged her or she hugged Mio, her heart would race.
Fortunately, Mio only hugged her briefly before lazily settling into her seat.
For some reason, Yui felt like after just one weekend, Mio seemed to radiate an inexplicable sense of exhaustion.
"Mio, what did you do this weekend? You look so tired."
"Nothing much, just went to Akihabara."
She couldn't reveal the system's existence to anyone.
Mio had once asked the system what would happen if she told someone about it.
The answer was simple: the other person's memories related to the system would be erased, and Mio would receive a ten-pull.
A punishment card ten-pull.
One punishment card was already enough trouble. Ten at once? She'd probably become the protagonist of an 18+ doujinshi within days.
Seeing that Yui still seemed worried about her, Mio smiled. "Relax, I'm really fine. Anyway, what about you—did you finish the cookies?"
"Yep, all done and delivered."
Mio raised an eyebrow. "Did it go smoothly?"
"It was just delivering something. Though he wasn't home when I went, so I gave them to his sister instead. I didn't expect him to have such a cute little sister."
For some reason, hearing Yui's words, Mio quietly let out a breath of relief.
"Oh, and I accidentally made too many cookies, so I prepared some for you too. They're in your desk drawer."
After saying this, Yui subconsciously pressed her lips together. She didn't know why she was nervous—it felt like giving a gift to a crush, both nerve-wracking and exciting.
No, wait, what crush? She was just nervous because she was worried the cookies wouldn't suit Mio's taste!
Yeah, that's definitely it.
Mio reached into her desk drawer and quickly found the cookies Yui had prepared for her.
The appearance was... mediocre, but as Yui's former cooking instructor, Mio knew how much effort it had taken her to get this far.
"Thank you. I'll savor them properly." Mio flashed Yui a sweet smile.
Just as Yui was about to say something more, the bell rang, and she had no choice but to return to her own seat.
While the teacher hadn't arrived yet, Mio leaned over to whisper to Miura Yumiko beside her. "Yumiko~ Did you miss me?"
Hearing Mio's sweet voice, Yumiko couldn't help but recall their "date" last Saturday. She shot Mio a helpless look. "Mio, this is the classroom. Have some awareness."
"Don't worry~ I definitely won't tell anyone about our date last Saturday."
"You—!"
Before Yumiko could say anything more, the teacher walked in.
Mio completely ignored Yumiko's "friendly" glare. Instead, she scanned the classroom. Maybe because she'd gained [Keen Observation], something about today's classroom felt slightly different from usual.
It felt like... something had been added.
...