The movie had already started—no point dwelling on any of it now.
So Shirai Mio scooted decisively closer to Kato Megumi, as if doing so might settle her nerves just a little.
Catching the faint, delicate scent drifting off Mio, Kato Megumi glanced at her in mild surprise.
At first she'd assumed Mio was just using the chance to tease her, the way she usually did.
After all, that sort of thing was practically routine for Mio.
But she quickly realized Mio was genuinely scared—she could even feel the faint trembling of the body leaning against her.
So Mio's actually afraid of stuff like this?
After a moment's hesitation, Kato Megumi took Mio's hand anyway. "If it's scaring you this much, why don't we just put on a different movie?"
Just as Mio was about to nod and agree, the System's voice piped up in her ear: "I know, I know—popping in to hog the spotlight while my host's sitting here shaking like a leaf isn't exactly a great look~ But no choice—work just came in."
"Host, your task: before Kato Megumi leaves, maintain continuous physical contact with her for one full hour. Break contact at any point and the timer resets. Success may earn you the Kato Megumi Card Set or an Item Reward. Failure means drawing from the Penalty Card Set."
She was too scared to even fire back a retort.
To avoid flunking such a simple task, Mio forced a thin smile and managed, "N-no need. If we switch movies, then I won't have an excuse to lean on you like this anymore."
She's terrified out of her mind and STILL finding a way to flirt with me?
For a moment Kato Megumi had no idea what to say.
Right then, Shiina Mashiro emerged from the bathroom, freshly washed up. There were a few obvious wet patches on her clothes—though compared to how she used to end up soaked at the drop of a hat, this was already a big improvement.
The moment she stepped out, Mashiro's eyes landed on Mio, huddled against Kato Megumi and shivering.
She had a rough idea it was the horror movie's doing—but somewhere in her chest, a small, prickly displeasure stirred.
So she walked straight over, sat down beside Mio, and said, in complete earnest, "Mio. I'm here."
As if she'd seen this coming all along, Mio didn't panic in the slightest. She just murmured to Mashiro, "Um, Mashiro—why don't you go eat your breakfast first? Or you can bring it over here to eat, that works too."
"Oh."
Mashiro made a small sound of agreement, then pattered off to the kitchen and came back to the living room carrying today's breakfast.
Once Mashiro had settled in, Mio shifted her posture, pressing her back into the couch—wedged neatly between the two of them. That way she got a decent sense of security and a guilt-free, aboveboard way to clear the task.
Now all she had to do was hold out for one hour and the task would be done.
The idea was lovely. Reality was merciless.
When the movie's progress bar passed the halfway mark and Mio's task timer had only a dozen-odd minutes left, Kato Megumi suddenly stood up. "I'm going to use the bathroom."
And with that—under Mio's pleading, puppy-eyed stare—she walked off into the bathroom.
At the same instant, the countdown in Mio's vision snapped back to 60 minutes.
It wasn't like she could forbid Megumi from using the toilet—and she couldn't exactly follow her in, either. That wasn't a question of whether her face was thick enough; it was a question of whether she'd get branded a pervert.
The one saving grace was that the task only required contact before Kato Megumi left. In other words, she still had a shot.
The thought lifted Mio's mood a little—though she also felt distinctly cheated.
The whole reason she hadn't swapped out the horror movie was to use her own fear as a pretext to clear the task.
Now that the timer had reset, she'd basically sat through most of a horror flick for nothing.
And with the progress bar already past halfway, she couldn't very well switch to another genre at this point.
Resigned, Mio could only grit her teeth and watch the horror movie to the end.
Compared to the trembling Mio, the other two were the picture of composure.
Kato Megumi wasn't the least bit scared—she was actually watching with relish. As for Shiina Mashiro, she didn't understand any of it, but she wasn't frightened either; her expression never shifted from start to finish.
Not even a supporting character's gruesome death could move a single muscle on her face.
As the movie ended, Mio let out a quiet breath of relief.
Then she looked up at the clock on the wall—a little over an hour until noon.
There'd be plenty more chances for physical contact with Kato Megumi, sure, but none of them would last very long.
No matter. Worst case, after lunch she'd just put on another horror movie. She refused to believe that she—a self-proclaimed old pervert—could flunk a task this simple.
Oh, right. And Shiina Mashiro—she seemed terrified of having Mio snatched away from her. For the entire length of that movie, Mashiro's attention had been fixed almost entirely on her.
It made Mio feel, once again, just how much Mashiro depended on her.
While Mio was plotting out the afternoon, Kato Megumi turned to look at her.
If it were anyone else who hated horror movies, wouldn't they wear a look of relief once the film was over?
So why did Mio look so... let down?
Could she be one of those legendary types—the more scared they are, the more they love to watch?
Before Kato Megumi could think on it any further, Mio was already on her feet. "Um, Megumi, you just sit here and relax—watch whatever movie you like. I'll go get lunch started."
"Oh, by the way, is there anything in particular you feel like eating? I can make pretty much anything. Even if it's—never mind. It's nothing." Mio shot Mashiro a glance; she'd very nearly trotted out her usual teasing spiel.
Good thing she'd caught herself in time.
"Anything's fine."
"In that case, I'll just improvise~"
As she spoke, Mio got up and walked over to the fridge. She opened it, made a show of peering inside for a few seconds, then mumbled to herself, "Oh dear, looks like we're all out of ingredients."
"I need to run out and grab some groceries. Could I trouble you to come along with me?" Mio turned to Kato Megumi.
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