"It's about time I headed back."
Shirai Mio stretched lazily, finished the remaining coffee in her cup, then slowly stood up and prepared to go home.
But at that very moment, the System's voice suddenly sounded in her ear. "Has the Host really not noticed that there's another acquaintance in this café? Wouldn't it be rather rude not to go say hello?"
Hearing the System's voice, Shirai Mio's previously relaxed expression immediately became complicated.
She instinctively looked around and finally fixed her gaze on a corner, where Kasumigaoka Utaha was sitting quietly.
At the sight, Shirai Mio sighed faintly. Anyone else would have been fine, but missions involving Kasumigaoka Utaha were still rather difficult for her to complete.
The System had not issued a mission yet, but judging from that gloating tone of its, Shirai Mio did not need to think very hard to know that one was definitely coming.
As it turned out, Shirai Mio's guess was correct.
The System's voice soon sounded again. "Host, before Kasumigaoka Utaha leaves the café, please find a way to stroke her thigh continuously for at least three minutes. Success may grant a Kasumigaoka Utaha Series Deck or Item Reward. Failure will require drawing from the Penalty Deck."
"Why is it the thigh again? You really aren't some kind of pervert-training System, are you?"
"I'm only trying to take the Host's feelings into consideration. Does the Host dare say she isn't interested in Kasumigaoka Utaha's legs?"
"I..."
For once, even Shirai Mio had nothing to say.
She really did like Kasumigaoka Utaha's long legs, but that did not mean every mission involving Utaha needed to make Mio do something to them.
At this rate, Shirai Mio felt that sooner or later she really was going to be mistaken for some kind of pervert.
Still, now that the mission had been issued, she had no choice but to complete it.
With that thought, she worked to adjust her expression, then slowly walked over and sat beside Kasumigaoka Utaha. "Senpai, I didn't expect to run into you here~"
Hearing the voice, Kasumigaoka Utaha turned to look at Shirai Mio, silently drew her legs farther inward, and only then said, "So, what do you want?"
"I just saw you sitting here, so I thought I'd come over and say hello."
"I see. I thought you wanted to do something to my legs again."
Shirai Mio had already organized everything she planned to say, but after hearing Kasumigaoka Utaha's response, she suddenly did not know whether she should say it at all.
She glanced at Kasumigaoka Utaha's long legs covered in black stockings, leaned closer, and whispered, "Senpai, could I..."
"No."
Before Shirai Mio could finish, Kasumigaoka Utaha cut her off without hesitation, as though she already knew exactly what Mio was going to say.
Once or twice would have been one thing, but now, every time Shirai Mio appeared in front of her, she wanted to do something to her legs. It was hard for Utaha not to suspect that this pretty white-haired kouhai was secretly a pervert.
"Just three minutes. If Senpai agrees, I'll do anything you want."
"Why do I get the feeling that even if I really asked you to do something, you'd still be the one coming out ahead?"
"Come on, I'm not a masochist." Shirai Mio gave a couple of awkward laughs.
Kasumigaoka Utaha sighed softly, then turned toward Shirai Mio and asked, "So what's the excuse this time? You've already used reference gathering more than once."
"I want to touch them!"
Shirai Mio could no longer think of any other excuse, so she decided to be direct. At this point, she felt that no matter what reason she invented, Kasumigaoka Utaha would not believe her anyway.
"My, my. Kouhai is much more direct this time."
"So, can I?"
"Three minutes, and you owe me a favor."
"Deal!"
After getting Kasumigaoka Utaha's permission, Shirai Mio placed her hand on Utaha's thigh. She did not move it at all; she simply rested it there.
While Shirai Mio focused on the countdown, Kasumigaoka Utaha was watching her.
Utaha noticed that after Shirai Mio placed her hand on her thigh, Mio did not look particularly pleased. Instead, she seemed relieved.
It was almost as though there were some unavoidable reason forcing her to keep her hand on Utaha's thigh.
And this was not the first or second time something like this had happened. It had been the same before.
It was not as though Kasumigaoka Utaha had never considered the possibility that Shirai Mio was deliberately putting on this performance for her, but somehow it did not feel that way.
Kasumigaoka Utaha felt that she still knew far too little about this pretty white-haired kouhai.
Three minutes passed quickly. Fortunately, there were not many people in the café, and the two of them were sitting in a corner, so Shirai Mio completed the mission without trouble.
After choosing [Kasumigaoka Utaha's Writing Skills] as her reward, Shirai Mio took her hand back on her own and said to Kasumigaoka Utaha, "That's enough. I'm completely satisfied now. Then I'll head out first, Senpai. If you need anything, remember to call me."
Watching Shirai Mio's hurriedly departing figure, Kasumigaoka Utaha grew even more interested in this white-haired kouhai.
If Mio really were some kind of pervert, she should at least have shown some reluctance just now.
Instead, she had shown none at all. If anything, it almost seemed as though she wanted to get away from Utaha as quickly as possible. Could something bad happen if she stayed by Utaha's side?
Elsewhere, after getting far away from the café, Shirai Mio quietly sighed in relief.
She had left in such a hurry just now that she had not even asked why Kasumigaoka Utaha was sitting there alone.
She could only wait until she had another chance next time.
Although Shirai Mio did not particularly want to trigger missions related to Kasumigaoka Utaha, such things were basically unavoidable.
After all, she was still responsible for drawing illustrations for Kasumigaoka Utaha's new work.
Forget it. She would just let things take their natural course.
Pulling back her wandering thoughts, Shirai Mio soon returned home.
The moment she walked in, she saw Rita Ainsworth sprawled unceremoniously on the sofa watching television with a bag of chips in her hand.
Seeing this, Shirai Mio could not help complaining, "You really have started treating this place like your own home."
"What's wrong with that? You were the one who told me to treat this place like my own home," Rita Ainsworth said, putting on an innocent expression.
She had originally meant to tease Shirai Mio, but to her surprise, Mio not only failed to argue, she even said with a completely serious expression, "Since you've said that, I'll leave the cleaning to you. Make sure you clean it the way you would your own home."
"???"
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