"Hm? Isn't that Yukinoshita-san?"
The moment Mio stepped into the infirmary, her gaze landed on Yukinoshita Yukino, sitting on the edge of one of the beds with her eyes closed.
Yukino looked pale. Even her lips had lost their color, lending her an air of fragile, almost piteous beauty.
At the sound of Mio's voice, Yukino slowly opened her eyes and looked toward the unexpected visitor.
Ever since Yukino's older sister had dragged her over to Mio's place for dinner, the two of them had barely interacted. She certainly hadn't expected to bump into this white-haired beauty here, of all places, while she was unwell.
She also wondered, briefly, how things were progressing between her sister and Mio these days.
"Is Shirai-san here looking for the school nurse? She seems to have stepped out for something urgent," Yukino said softly.
"No. I'm just here to slack off."
The school nurse being out was actually a stroke of good luck for Mio—at least now she didn't have to come up with an excuse to loaf around.
Yukino blinked, evidently not expecting Mio to admit to slacking off so brazenly. She recovered quickly. "Finals are right around the corner. Is it really okay for Shirai-san to be skipping class to laze around in here? Or did you come hoping I'd help you study?"
"Next period is P.E., so it's fine," Mio explained with a smile. "Um, can I ask—where exactly is Yukinoshita-san feeling unwell?"
"It's nothing. I just need to rest for a bit," Yukino said evenly.
Mio noticed the way Yukino was lightly pressing one hand against her lower abdomen, and something clicked. She stood up. "I'll be right back."
Without giving Yukino a chance to respond, Mio strode briskly out of the infirmary.
Yukino watched the door swing shut, frowning slightly. But she didn't think much of it—just closed her eyes again and returned to her quiet rest.
She didn't know how much time had passed when she heard the door open again. Opening her eyes, she saw Mio walking in carrying a thermos.
Mio set the thermos down on the small side table. "It's hot water. Be careful when you drink it—don't burn yourself."
She then dug a disposable heat pack out of her pocket and pressed it into Yukino's hands. "Try this too. It should help, at least a little. And if it really hurts, I've got painkillers on me as well."
As for why Mio happened to have all this on hand—well, that came down to one very memorable disaster.
When Mio had first transmigrated, she hadn't given a single thought to her cycle. The day before her first one hit in this body, she'd been guzzling cold drinks and pulling all-nighters without a care in the world. The reckoning had been swift and merciless.
Mio could still vividly remember the agony of nearly dying in that stretch.
The supplies had been bought afterward, in the wake of that catastrophe, and had lived in her schoolbag ever since—just in case.
Yukino blinked at the heat pack in her hand. She hadn't told Mio anything. How had she figured it out?
Mio seemed to read her thoughts. She reached out and gave Yukino's shoulder a light pat. "I've been through it, so I can tell at a glance."
"Th… thank you."
"Oh, also—this thing works pretty well, but it's best stuck on your lower back, with one layer of clothing in between."
Just as Mio finished her advice, the System's voice piped up in her head. "Host, you're getting better and better at being thoughtful~"
The System making an appearance right now was, predictably, not great news for Mio.
And sure enough, after a brief tease, the System's tone shifted into something businesslike. "Your task: before the bell ends this period, get Yukinoshita Yukino to kiss you of her own initiative. Success will yield a chance at the Yukinoshita Yukino series card pack or item rewards. Failure will require drawing from the punishment deck."
"Yukinoshita Yukino's conquest rating with the Host is still very low, so the task isn't all that hard. But even so, I'll be cheering Host on~"
"Should I thank you, then?"
Mio's mouth twitched, but inwardly she stayed calm.
The moment she'd walked into the infirmary and seen Yukino, she'd already braced herself for a task trigger.
As long as Haruno-senpai wasn't in the picture, tasks involving Yukino were relatively easy. And this one didn't even specify where the kiss had to land—plenty of room to be creative.
Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Mio glanced at her phone. Almost half an hour left before the bell. Plenty of time.
After using the heat pack and drinking some hot water, the worst of Yukino's discomfort had eased. The constant tension in her brow loosened.
When Yukino's eyes drifted back to Mio, she found Mio quietly watching her in turn.
Most girls would've gotten flustered under that gaze. Yukino didn't. From childhood on, no matter where she went, she'd been the most-watched person in any room. The downside of that attention had given her plenty of unpleasant memories.
Mio's gaze didn't actually unsettle her. Still, she asked mildly, "May I ask—is there something strange about me?"
"Strange?" Mio tilted her head, then said without hesitation, "Of course not. I just think Yukinoshita-san is very pretty, so I couldn't help looking."
"Although—you and Haruno-senpai are sisters, and your faces are so similar in a lot of ways, but why is there such a huge gap in your figures?"
Yukino's eyes narrowed.
"Shirai-san, you should know there are some things one really shouldn't say to someone's face."
Besides, she was still young. There was room to grow yet. Not that she would ever say that out loud—the moment she did, it'd feel like a concession.
"Sorry. I was just thinking out loud. I'll watch what I say next time." Despite the apology, Mio's face showed not a hint of remorse.
Yukino sighed quietly. As expected, no matter how she looked at it, Shirai Mio was the kind of person she just wasn't equipped to handle.