Akane Nanao's routine was the same as always. She walked alone, took the bus alone, and returned to her silent home.
"I'm home."
Turning the key and opening the door, Akane stood in the entryway and whispered to the quiet living room.
There was no reply, but that was expected.
Bending down, she took off her sneakers. Looking at her slightly damp white socks, the sticky discomfort made Akane frown slightly. Although a baseball club manager didn't need to do intense exercise, she still had to frequently stay by the athletes' side, cheering them on, and preparing things like water. Sweating on a hot day was normal.
Usually, after club activities, Akane would take a quick shower in the free facility provided, change into clean clothes, and then go home to thoroughly wash herself.
But today, because of Coach Tōgō, she didn't have the spare time to do any of that.
Logically, Akane should now grab clean clothes, take a refreshing shower in the bathroom, prepare and eat dinner, then comfortably sit on the sofa to watch TV for a while, perhaps have a clumsy chat with Shōya Katase, review the subjects for tomorrow, and finally, after everything was done, have a good night's sleep.
But for some reason, today, after taking off her white socks, Akane went straight back to her bedroom, locked the door, and plunged under the covers, looking terrified.
Two or three minutes passed.
"Why are you in my head?"
Akane cautiously poked her delicate head out from under the covers, looked left and right, then stared at the familiar ceiling and suddenly spoke to herself.
[Ding! Host permission is insufficient. The System cannot answer.]
The next moment, a mechanical female voice sounded in her ear, making Akane's heart pound faster.
'It really wasn't a hallucination. There really is something in my head...'
Hearing the voice, Akane immediately retreated into the bedding like a startled bird. Even her beautiful small feet, inadvertently exposed, were pulled back. Her entire body was tightly wrapped in the covers, like a mummy.
Akane had seen this online accidentally: supposedly, when encountering a ghostly entity, as long as you lie on the bed, curled up under the blanket, and don't expose any part of your body, the ghost cannot harm you. This was allegedly referred to as the "Ghost Realm Law."
A few more minutes passed.
"Are... are you a ghost? Or something else?"
Aside from her own hurried breathing, there was no other sound in Akane's ear, so she cautiously asked again.
[Ding! The System is not a ghost, nor is it anything else. The System is simply the System.]
Hearing the voice say it wasn't a ghost soothed Akane's frightened heart a little. Although she had never seen a ghost, the unknown was what was truly terrifying. Just imagining a terrifying, blue-faced, fanged monster made one shudder.
"What is your purpose?"
Akane felt frustrated as well as scared, unable to understand why she was encountering so many unlucky and troublesome things today. First, being threatened by a scumbag coach, and then the abrupt voice in her head. Coach Tōgō's motives could be understood—he coveted her beauty. But what about this voice?
When Akane finished this sentence, a panel appeared before her eyes.
She blinked first, then rubbed her eyes, but the panel didn't disappear. It remained even when she closed her eyes.
Akane simply gave up trying to make it disappear and focused her attention on trying to see what was on the panel.
"Task... Target... Capture Ho Fei-yu... Success Reward... Youth Preservation Pill... Failure no... Punishment..."
Akane murmured to herself, roughly reciting what she saw on the panel.
"Capture? Does that mean I have to pursue this person named Ho Fei-yu... If successful, there's a reward, the Youth Preservation Pill... What is that? It... it can make a person eternally youthful!"
Akane interpreted the information. She understood the general meaning. When she saw the item named Youth Preservation Pill, the girl's mouth instantly dropped open, displaying an expression of incredible shock.
The girl unconsciously swallowed. Although she was at her most beautiful age and far from aging, eternal youth was incredibly attractive to a woman.
If one could preserve their prime forever, who would only want a fleeting moment of glory?
But when Akane saw the prerequisite, it was as if a basin of cold water had been dumped on her, instantly calming her down.
"Only after capturing... Ho Fei-yu can I get the reward... Do I really have to do that?"
Akane didn't worry about whether it was real or fake, but asked herself aloud.
"No... No! I, Akane Nanao, am definitely not someone who acts solely for profit! I've already promised to reach Koshien with Shōya, so I absolutely cannot betray my word!"
In less than a moment, Akane made her decision. Recalling the boy sweating out his youth under the setting sun, the girl's heart became resolute.
After thinking everything through, Akane's mood improved. Perhaps even without Shōya Katase, she wouldn't pursue a stranger for a so-called Youth Preservation Pill. This went against her core principles.
"Luckily, I can refuse..."
Akane looked down at the panel again. In the bottom left and right corners, there were two icons for "Agree" and "Refuse," making the girl sigh in relief.
"Since you call yourself the System, I'll call you the System. System, if I choose to refuse, what problems will arise?" Akane cautiously inquired.
[Ding! If the Host chooses to refuse, the System will terminate the binding with the Host, and the Host's related memories will be erased.]
"Phew!"
Hearing this, Akane breathed a sigh of relief. Simply having related memories erased was not a big deal and was within her acceptable range.
By now, Akane no longer doubted the so-called System in her head. The fact that it could speak in her ear without revealing itself indicated the System's power and mystery.
"Then I choose to refuse."
Akane no longer hesitated, her eyes showing a flash of resolve, her tone decisive.
[Ding! To ensure the Host is not acting on impulse, the choice can only be made after two weeks.]
"Two weeks? Well, fine. No matter how many weeks, I, Akane Nanao, will not make a decision that goes against my heart!"
The fact that she couldn't refuse immediately and had to wait for some time made Akane feel a bit exasperated. However, she trusted herself not to violate her nature for the sake of some reward.
"..."
"Don't... separate... Just... stay... like this..."
At 3 AM, Ho Fei-yu was gently stroking Kurumi Tsuma's delicate back, watching her tired, beautiful face tenderly. When he felt her breathing become steady and rhythmic on his chest, Ho Fei-yu wanted to place Kurumi Tsuma on the bed to let her rest properly. They were still connected, so he moved very gently, afraid of disturbing her. Unexpectedly, Kurumi Tsuma still sensed his subtle movement. She tightly hugged him with the hands placed on either side of his body, and her pink lips slowly uttered the words.
"Mhm, okay. Just like this. Go to sleep, Sister Kurumi."
Ho Fei-yu stopped moving. He looked at Kurumi Tsuma with even more gentle eyes. The hand that was stroking her also stopped and gently embraced her waist.
"Little brother, I love you..."
"I love you too, Sister Kurumi."