"Mio, what are you looking at?"
Yuigahama Yui had noticed Shirai Mio craning her neck to look around and asked curiously.
"I think I spotted someone I know among the first-years."
"Someone you know?"
Hearing Shirai Mio's answer, Yuigahama Yui tilted her head and instinctively asked, "An old classmate from middle school?"
"No. I only met her after I transferred here—a very cute little kouhai."
"A cute little kouhai, huh."
Miura Yumiko, who had been silent until now, could not help chiming in after hearing Shirai Mio's words.
All of a sudden, Shirai Mio sensed danger.
She coughed twice and said, "It's not what you two are thinking. We only happened to run into each other once in a while."
By now, Shirai Mio had thought things through. There was probably nothing she could do about the girls whose conquest ratings had already risen high, but as for those still hovering in the teens or twenties, she would avoid provoking them whenever possible.
Otherwise, if she ended up being conquered, there would only be more people left heartbroken.
But then again, was it possible for her to conquer everyone instead?
The thing she had was a system for being conquered, but nowhere did it say she was not allowed to conquer other people.
She was just a little worried about what might happen to her thoughts once her conquest rating reached 100.
What would happen if, at the same time, she managed to raise everyone's conquest rating to 100?
Shirai Mio suddenly grew curious.
Unable to resist, she asked the System, "System, if—just hypothetically—I managed to raise everyone's conquest rating to 100 at the exact same time, what would happen?"
"Then I imagine you'd be cut into seventeen pieces," the System said flatly.
"Don't say something that terrifying. I'm serious."
"I haven't experienced anything like that either, so I don't know. But getting everyone's conquest rating to 100 at exactly the same time is basically impossible. You've noticed it yourself, haven't you? A conquest rating can change at any moment because of a single thought or idea of yours."
"And the higher the conquest rating gets, the more easily that happens, right?"
Now that the System mentioned it, Shirai Mio did vaguely remember that. Shiina Mashiro was a perfect example.
Sometimes, a single thing the other person said or did would make her conquest rating rise.
But there was no helping that. You could lie to anyone except yourself. If you were moved, then you were moved.
"Still, it's not as though you can't try. If you want to give it a shot, I can help you out a little."
"How?"
"I can lock the conquest ratings at 99. In exchange, whenever one of the corresponding conquest ratings would rise, you'll have to draw a penalty card. There's no way around that."
"You can really do that?"
"I should just barely be able to manage it."
"I'm curious. Why are you helping me?"
Thinking about it carefully, the System was usually the type that loved stirring up trouble. Now it had suddenly offered to help her. Even Shirai Mio felt a little uneasy.
"Because it sounds like it'll be fun. You haven't forgotten, have you? For this System, entertainment always comes first."
Right. Shirai Mio really had almost forgotten that her System was the sort of thing that lived for amusement.
If she truly wanted to do this, then she would have to keep everyone's conquest rating within a certain range and raise them steadily from there. That would minimize the number of penalty cards she had to draw.
In theory, that part should be manageable. The real problem was the final step: how was she supposed to make everyone's conquest rating toward her hit 100 at the exact same time?
If she could not solve that problem, then even with the System's help, it would probably be useless.
Shirai Mio felt that she needed to make a detailed plan for this. She could not rush into it. Otherwise, if everyone's conquest rating reached 99 only for her to be conquered by just one of them, how heartbroken would everyone else be?
After all, conquest rating closely corresponded to affection. The higher someone's conquest rating toward her was, the more that person liked her. There could be a little discrepancy, but not much.
While Shirai Mio was talking with the System, Yuigahama Yui beside her was also watching her.
She noticed that Shirai Mio, who had still looked a little nervous a moment ago, had suddenly entered zoning-out mode.
After spending enough time with Shirai Mio, you eventually noticed that she had a habit of spacing out every so often. Yuigahama Yui was already used to it.
Still, wasn't she spacing out for a little too long this time? The opening ceremony was almost over, and she was still lost in thought.
If only she were as good at zoning out as Shirai Mio. At least it would be better than sitting here listening to the principal ramble.
Only when the opening ceremony ended did Shirai Mio finally bring her discussion with the System to a temporary close.
The problem was still that final step. For now, neither of them had come up with a good solution.
"You're finally done spacing out." Miura Yumiko poked Shirai Mio's soft cheek as she spoke.
"Sorry. I was thinking about something just now. The opening ceremony's already over?"
"What, did you want to keep listening to the principal?"
"No, no. If I missed it, then I missed it." Shirai Mio spoke with complete seriousness.
This was one of the advantages of being able to talk with the System. Whenever she was bored like this, chatting with it was perfectly good for passing the time.
And the System knew that she was a transmigrator, as well as plenty of memes from the world she had lived in before transmigrating, so talking with it could actually be pretty entertaining.
If only this System were not so fond of stirring up trouble, it would be even better.
Unfortunately, that was impossible.
Reining in her wandering thoughts, Shirai Mio followed the crowd back to the classroom.
There was still homeroom and all that next.
And just like that, the entire morning passed.
Just as Shirai Mio took out her bento and was about to eat and chat with the rest of the riajuu group, she suddenly heard someone call her name. "Shirai, someone's here to see you."
Hearing that, Shirai Mio turned toward the classroom door and saw Isshiki Iroha's pretty face.
Although she had no idea why the other girl had come looking for her, Shirai Mio still stood up and walked to the doorway. Smiling at Isshiki Iroha, she said, "Little kouhai, long time no see. Did you miss me~?"
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