"We're on a date."
Just as Shirai Mio was wondering what excuse she should use to explain the situation, Yuigahama Yui suddenly spoke up—and gave such an explosive answer.
It was not only Shirai Mio. Everyone else present froze for a moment too.
Shirai Mio and Yuigahama Yui often gave off rather yuri-ish vibes, but given the nature of their relationship, nobody paid it much mind. Aside from Ebina Hina constantly shipping the two of them, that was about it.
This was the first time they had heard Yuigahama Yui answer so decisively.
Ebina Hina had already covered her nose and crouched down on the ground. They could vaguely hear her muttering something under her breath, but not clearly enough to make it out.
Miura Yumiko narrowed her eyes. She had not expected Yuigahama Yui to say something like that in public either.
A strange look flashed through Hayama Hayato's eyes. If Shirai Mio and Yuigahama Yui were on a date, then what exactly was going on between Mio and Yukinoshita Haruno?
Could Shirai Mio be two-timing them?
Wait. It seemed like there were more than two.
Hayama Hayato subconsciously glanced at Miura Yumiko. Her relationship with Shirai Mio did not seem like simple friendship either. He had even happened to run into the two of them on a date before.
What in the world was going on?
Even Hayama Hayato's mind was a complete mess at this point.
"So, are we interrupting you?" After being shocked at first, Kakeru Tobe quickly returned to his usual carefree self.
Yuigahama Yui actually wanted to nod, but it was obviously not appropriate to do that in this situation. Instead, she shook her head lightly and said, "It's fine. You can still have a date with more people around~"
While everyone was talking, the System's voice once again sounded in Shirai Mio's ear.
Given how awkward the situation already was, the System appearing now clearly could not mean anything good.
And Shirai Mio's guess proved correct.
"Um, sorry to suddenly pop up, but the Host seems to be pretty lucky today. As for what I'm about to say next, you should already understand, right?"
"I don't. Get lost!"
"Before you leave this park, please make Miura Yumiko feel satisfied with this date. Success may grant a Miura Yumiko-related card or Item Reward. Failure will require drawing from the Penalty Deck~"
It was exactly the same mission, except Yuigahama Yui's name had been replaced with Miura Yumiko's. Shirai Mio's head was already starting to hurt.
How could making both of them feel satisfied possibly be that simple?
Still, it did not matter. If things really came down to it, she still had a [Giveaway Card] she could use. And even if the mission failed, the impact on her would not be that serious. It was only one draw from the Penalty Deck.
She had not failed a mission in a long time anyway.
When she thought about it, that made sense. The higher someone's conquest rating was, the closer they were to her. With intimacy this high, it was naturally much harder for a mission to fail.
Pulling her wandering thoughts back, Shirai Mio began thinking about how she could complete both missions at the same time.
Even if the possibility was vanishingly small, she would not give up.
"Since we happened to run into each other, how about we find somewhere to sit and enjoy the blossoms together?" Shirai Mio suggested.
"Sounds good to me," Miura Yumiko immediately agreed.
Now that she had run into Shirai Mio here, there was no way she would let this opportunity slip away.
At the same time, warning bells went off in her head. The next time she went on a date with Shirai Mio, she absolutely had to choose somewhere far away from school. Suddenly running into acquaintances like this was genuinely difficult to deal with.
Shirai Mio had actually mentioned this to her before during their practice date.
She had said that they should avoid places they usually visited with friends whenever possible, because the world was very large, but also very small. Sometimes, people simply ran into each other.
At Shirai Mio's suggestion, the group found a patch of grass and spread out a picnic blanket.
Shirai Mio also began taking out the desserts she had prepared in advance.
Looking at the desserts, Miura Yumiko asked curiously, "Mio, did you make all of these yourself?"
"I'm pretty proud of them. Remember to eat plenty."
"Don't worry. I won't hold back."
Seeing this, Yuigahama Yui pursed her lips. Those desserts handmade by Shirai Mio were originally supposed to belong to her. Why? Why had things ended up like this!?
With a soft sigh, Yuigahama Yui took out the Japanese sweets she had made herself. These were the results of all the hard work she had put in since Spring Break began.
They did not look especially impressive, but there was absolutely nothing wrong with the taste.
Miura Yumiko naturally noticed Yuigahama Yui's sweets too. She looked at the snacks she had bought at the supermarket and somehow felt as though she was already one step behind Yui.
As Yuigahama Yui's close friend, how could she not know how awful Yui's cooking used to be? The fact that Yui could now make sweets like these showed just how much effort she had put in.
After Shirai Mio and Yuigahama Yui took out their food, everyone else began adding all sorts of things as well. Before long, the picnic blanket was covered with food.
Looking up at the sky filled with drifting cherry blossoms, Shirai Mio suddenly felt that having a little alcohol at a time like this would probably be quite nice.
Unfortunately, she was still not old enough to drink.
Even once she reached the legal drinking age, though, she probably still would not drink. She had never particularly liked alcohol in the first place.
"Once Spring Break ends, we'll be second-years. I wonder if we'll get any cute little kouhai~" Kakeru Tobe sighed while drinking his beverage.
Hearing Kakeru Tobe's words, Shirai Mio suddenly thought of Isshiki Iroha. If nothing unexpected happened, she should be able to see Iroha at school once the break ended.
"Mio, try the sweets I made." Yuigahama Yui picked up a skewer of three-colored dango and held it to Shirai Mio's mouth.
"Then don't mind if I do."
Shirai Mio opened her mouth and vacuumed the whole thing down, then gave Yuigahama Yui a thumbs-up.
Faced with Shirai Mio's praise, Yuigahama Yui smiled proudly—then noticed Miura Yumiko rapidly clearing out the desserts Shirai Mio had made by hand.
At the sight, she immediately forgot about continuing to feed Shirai Mio and joined the battle herself.
Watching the two girls compete head-on, Shirai Mio let out a long sigh. She could not find a good opening to intervene at all.
She was already starting to worry that both missions might fail.
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