"I was thinking, if you keep clinging to me like this, people are going to misunderstand pretty easily."
Hearing Shirai Mio's words, Isshiki Iroha tilted her head and said in confusion, "But we're both girls. It should be fine, right?"
"It's exactly because we're both girls that there's a problem," Shirai Mio said earnestly.
"Whatever."
They had already walked all the way out of the school building like this, so plenty of people had probably seen them. Letting go now would not make any difference. Besides, Shirai Mio smelled really nice, and Isshiki Iroha rather liked it.
Since Isshiki Iroha had already said that, Shirai Mio did not say anything more.
The two left the school together, and under Shirai Mio's lead, they soon arrived at a dessert shop.
The shop happened to be near the school, and classes had just let out, so quite a few students were here eating desserts and chatting. There were plenty of couples among them too.
The two had only just found seats, and Shirai Mio had not even decided what to order yet, when the System's voice sounded beside her ear. "There's such a strong couples' atmosphere in here. It feels like it'd be such a waste if Host didn't do something."
"Can't you come up with a different line?" Shirai Mio could not help complaining.
During the opening ceremony that morning, discussing the possibility of completing every task with the System had improved her opinion of it somewhat. Now that it had come out to stir up trouble again, Shirai Mio realized that, sure enough, she still could not bring herself to like the System very much.
"Before leaving the dessert shop, Host must find a way to have one indirect kiss with Isshiki Iroha and make at least three people mistake the two of you for a couple. Success may grant an Isshiki Iroha-series card or item reward. Failure will require drawing a penalty card."
"This mission is pretty easy."
But that made sense. Isshiki Iroha's conquest rating toward her was not very high yet, so a mission related to her naturally would not be too difficult.
"Senpai, you still haven't decided what to order?"
"I have now."
Shirai Mio was a regular here. After confirming which dessert Isshiki Iroha was ordering, she deliberately chose a different flavor for herself. That would make the indirect-kiss mission easier to complete.
As for making people mistake her and Isshiki Iroha for a couple, that part was already complete.
Even though she had not done anything at all.
Shirai Mio felt that she ought to thank the rumors that had been circulating at school. On top of that, Isshiki Iroha had entered the shop clinging to her arm, so quite a few students who knew the rumors automatically misunderstood their relationship the moment they saw the two of them.
She could not decide whether to be happy or sad about it.
"It feels like quite a few people are looking over here." Isshiki Iroha glanced around and found that there really were plenty of students paying attention to them.
"Maybe it's because little kouhai is too cute~"
If someone else had said that, Isshiki Iroha might have pretended to be shy. But when Shirai Mio said it, she actually felt a trace of genuine embarrassment.
She had heard words like that more times than she could count, so why was she still feeling shy!?
Isshiki Iroha could not make sense of it.
After thinking it over, she could only blame it on Shirai Mio being too beautiful.
After the two chatted casually for a while, the waitress brought over the desserts they had ordered.
Before eating, Isshiki Iroha habitually took out her phone. After snapping several photos of the desserts, her gaze instinctively shifted toward Shirai Mio.
Noticing Isshiki Iroha's gaze, Shirai Mio knew what she wanted to say before the other girl even opened her mouth.
Shirai Mio stood up and moved from the seat opposite Isshiki Iroha to the one beside her.
"Let's take a photo together." Shirai Mio took out her phone as well.
"Sure."
Since they were both girls, Isshiki Iroha leaned very, very close to Shirai Mio this time—close enough that she could even feel the other girl's breath.
That made her unconsciously turn to look at Shirai Mio right beside her.
She had never believed there could be a beautiful girl with no bad angles at all, but if it was Shirai Mio, she could honestly believe that the other girl looked perfect from every one of 360 degrees.
"Little kouhai, looking at me is fine too, but I'd recommend looking at the camera."
Only after hearing Shirai Mio's words did Isshiki Iroha realize that she seemed to have been staring at Shirai Mio for quite a while. Could she actually be turning gay?
A trace of panic flashed through Isshiki Iroha's eyes. She hurriedly adjusted her pose, then took several photos together with Shirai Mio.
After taking the pictures, Shirai Mio did not return to her own seat. She simply stayed beside Isshiki Iroha and began tasting the dessert she had ordered.
"Don't just sit there, little kouhai. Try yours and see how it tastes."
"Ah, mm."
Isshiki Iroha answered and began eating too.
After taking just a few bites, she noticed Shirai Mio beside her smiling at her the entire time.
It was making her a little embarrassed.
Just as she was about to say something, Shirai Mio speared a piece of cake with her fork and held it to Isshiki Iroha's lips. "Little kouhai, want to try mine?"
With the cake already right at her mouth, Isshiki Iroha could hardly refuse—and she had no intention of refusing anyway.
After opening her mouth and eating the cake, she said softly, "Senpai's is pretty good too."
"Glad to hear it."
The moment she said those words, the mission was already complete.
This time, her reward was [Isshiki Iroha's Cutesy Skills], which could make her better at acting cutesy.
Shirai Mio did not act cutesy very often, but having the skill was still better than not having it.
A long while later, once Isshiki Iroha had finally gotten her thoughts back in order, she asked Shirai Mio, "Senpai, you must be really popular at school, right?"
"I do all right. Why ask all of a sudden?"
"I-I was just curious. Someone as pretty as Senpai should already have a girlfr—no, a boyfriend, right?"
"I don't." Shirai Mio, having finished her cake, gracefully wiped her mouth with a napkin before continuing, "Let me tell you a little secret."
Hearing that, Isshiki Iroha immediately pricked up her ears and leaned closer.
"The truth is, I don't like boys. I like cute little kouhai like you~"
"Eh!?"
After hearing Shirai Mio's little secret, Isshiki Iroha froze for a moment, her gaze toward Shirai Mio filled with surprise.
But seeing Shirai Mio's smiling expression, she could not tell whether the other girl was being serious or merely joking.
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