"Kouhai. If you don't watch where you're walking, you're going to walk into someone."
Utaha slanted a glance at Mio. Ever since they'd left the café, the conversation had kept flowing—but she'd also noticed that Mio's eyes kept drifting down to her legs.
She was used to it. She knew her legs were nice; she could feel people sneaking glances all the time. But Mio was a girl—and, more to the point, a frankly stunning one. If she wanted to admire nice legs, she had her own pair to look at.
"S-sorry," Mio stammered slightly. "I just—Senpai's legs are so perfectly shaped, I couldn't help looking. I really don't have any inappropriate thoughts about them, I promise!"
The denial somehow made it worse. Utaha found herself genuinely wondering: did this white-haired kouhai have some specific thing for her legs?
Come to think of it, the girl had been watching her in secret for weeks. And just now in the café, she'd been putting on this intensely devoted display...
Something feels off.
She was still turning it over when she felt her foot connect with something. She glanced down—and found she had stepped on Mio's foot.
At that same instant, the world froze in Mio's vision, and the system's lazy drawl filled the silence: "Mission complete. Kasumigaoka Utaha's conquest rating toward the host increases by 2 points."
"At this rate, nothing's too hard for Host anymore, is it~"
"Less commentary, more reward."
With the task done, Mio's only remaining goal was to walk with Utaha a little longer and then make a clean exit. A low conquest rating meant the target had barely been won over—tasks were easy, but the payoff in terms of genuine closeness was minimal. The sweet spot, in Mio's experience, was the second phase: warm enough that the target actually liked you, challenging enough to keep things interesting.
The rewards materialized before her:
[Kasumigaoka Utaha's Writing Technique]—Permanently improves the host's writing skill and output speed. One of the Kasumigaoka Utaha Series cards.
[Kasumigaoka Utaha's Allure]—While wearing black stockings, the host's charm will be substantially enhanced. Side effect: host may involuntarily begin bouncing one leg. One of the Kasumigaoka Utaha Series cards.
[Kasumigaoka Utaha's Way with Words]—Permanently improves the host's banter and sharp-tongued retorts. One of the Kasumigaoka Utaha Series cards.
Mio scanned the options in half a second and went straight for [Writing Technique] without hesitation. The banter card had its appeal—mostly for talking back to the system—but practical utility won out.
Time resumed.
"Sorry about that," Utaha said. "I was distracted and didn't look where I was going. Are you all right?"
She kept her tone even, but privately she was confused. Mio had been walking to her right—so how had she managed to step on her foot? It genuinely didn't add up.
"I'm fine, don't worry about it."
Before Utaha could think on it too long, Mio pivoted smoothly. "Oh, that reminds me—Comiket's tomorrow. Are you planning to go, Senpai?"
"Too crowded. No."
The name made her think briefly of Aki Tomoya—he'd mentioned it more than once.
"Ah, that's too bad. I was hoping we could go together." The disappointment in Mio's eyes was completely unguarded.
She bounced back quickly though. "Actually, I almost forgot to mention—reading Senpai's work inspired me to try writing something myself. I've entered it in the Fushikawa Bunko grand prize competition. Results should be out after New Year's. If it gets serialized, would it be okay to come to Senpai for advice sometimes?"
"Whenever I have time."
Utaha looked at her with mild surprise. A doujinshi artist and a novelist? She had to wonder what genre this kouhai wrote.
She was, unexpectedly, a little curious.
Their conversation continued easily as they wound their way back to Utaha's neighborhood. Despite claiming not to know where Utaha lived, Mio—who had been carefully tracking and avoiding Utaha for weeks—knew perfectly well.
Sensing the moment was right, she put on a reluctant expression and slowed her steps. "Well... I should go this way, Senpai."
"Take care on the way home," Utaha replied, her voice as calm as ever.
Mio gave a small nod, but didn't move immediately. Instead, she gathered herself and looked at Utaha with quiet resolve. "Senpai—can I invite you out sometime?"
"If I have time."
The same lightly noncommittal answer. But Mio lit up anyway, a smile breaking across her face like sunlight through a gap in clouds. "Then it's a promise~"
She walked away slowly, glancing back more than once, until Utaha disappeared around a corner—and only then did she let out a long, quiet breath.
I cannot believe I just spent the afternoon pretending to be an enthusiastic fangirl.
She rubbed her cheek lightly, then looked around. Unfamiliar streets in every direction. She rarely came to this part of the city.
No matter. She pulled out her phone, opened the map app, and checked—only to find that Utaha's place and her own apartment lay in completely opposite directions.
After agonizing for a few seconds over whether to take some kind of transport, Mio settled on the trusty No. 11 bus—her own two legs. It was a rare holiday, and she'd ended up over here by accident anyway, so she might as well take the chance to wander around a bit.
Maybe I'll run into a cute girl and have a wonderful encounter, she thought idly.
Though given how many names were already stacking up on her system panel, she was mostly joking. She had more than enough headaches already.
Still scrolling the map, deciding where to go next—
Something hit her from behind.
Caught completely off-balance, she stumbled—and just as she was about to go down, a pair of arms caught her around the waist.
The other person hadn't kept their footing either. They both went down.
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