"Mio, were you drawing something during class?"
After the bell rang, Yuigahama Yui walked over to Shirai Mio's desk, curiosity written all over her face.
Hearing Yui's question, Mio didn't answer directly. Instead, she replied with a tone that mixed surprise and delight: "So Yui's been watching me even during class? I'm so happy~"
"I..." The relaxed expression on Yui's face instantly turned nervous. She stammered for a long time but couldn't find a proper explanation.
Because she had been sneaking glances at Mio during class. She didn't really know why—maybe she just wanted to see what Mio looked like when she was in class.
But now that Mio called her out like this, Yui felt like someone who'd been caught stealing glances at their crush. Where was this weird sense of déjà vu coming from?!
Yep, a flustered Yui was pretty adorable too.
After a while, once Yui had recovered a bit, Mio pulled out another sketchbook—this one filled with casual sketches of pretty girls, the totally normal kind. She'd prepared it specifically for situations like this.
Looking at the beautiful line art in the sketchbook, Yui blinked. She had no idea Mio could draw, and apparently pretty well too.
After showing Yui the drawings, Mio continued, "Yui, want to play a game with me?"
"Hm? What kind of game?"
"Stare into my eyes for thirty seconds. If you don't look away within those thirty seconds, you win. If you do look away, I win. If I win, you treat me to ice cream. But if you win, you can ask me for anything you want~" As Mio finished speaking, she licked her lips—a small gesture that made her look absolutely irresistible.
Even Yui, who was also a girl, couldn't resist. Strange thoughts even floated through her mind, like wondering what it would feel like to kiss those lips.
Snapping back to reality, Yui quickly averted her gaze. If she kept looking, her sexual orientation might actually be in danger.
Normally, Mio gave off the vibe of a pure, innocent beauty, but sometimes she exuded this seductive, almost provocative charm. Two completely opposite qualities coexisting in one person, yet somehow not contradictory at all.
"Why do you suddenly want to play this game?"
"Because I want to see how many seconds you can last."
"How many seconds?"
Yui felt underestimated.
She bent down slightly, looking down at Mio from above. It was just thirty seconds of eye contact, right?
As if she'd anticipated Yui's reaction, Mio pulled out her phone, opened the timer, and started the countdown.
If you didn't overthink it, thirty seconds would pass quickly. But when facing Mio, even Yui, despite being a girl herself, couldn't relax her thoughts.
"Mio's eyes are red like mine. Her eyelashes are so long."
"Why do Mio's eyes have this... tender look to them?"
"My heart's beating faster. Why?"
"Hasn't it been thirty seconds yet?"
...
Various chaotic thoughts flashed through Yui's mind. She wanted to check the time, but if she looked away, she'd lose.
She'd never felt thirty seconds drag on for so long.
"Time's up." Just as Yui was about to give in, Mio's slightly regretful voice suddenly rang out.
Hearing Mio's words, Yui secretly breathed a sigh of relief. But just then, a female classmate walked past from behind, eyes glued to her phone. By the time she noticed Yui, it was too late to dodge, so she accidentally bumped into her. That one bump sent Yui tumbling straight toward Mio.
Because of the staring contest, they were already close to begin with. Even Mio, who'd been on alert the whole time, didn't have time to react to this sudden development.
Just as the two were about to make intimate contact—
Time froze.
The System's voice chimed in: "Good thing I reacted fast and hit pause! See how thoughtful I am, Host~"
Looking at Yui's face mere millimeters away, Mio said expressionlessly, "I've been wondering why this task seemed so easy. Now I get it."
At this distance, even with preparation, there was no way to dodge. Mio was 1000% certain the System had set this up. Too bad when time stopped, she couldn't move either—she could only communicate with the System through her thoughts.
Looks like next time there's a similar task, she'd need to find somewhere with no one around. This time, she'd just chalk it up to carelessness. She didn't dodge.
"Host, what are you talking about? I have no idea~"
Seeing that the host had no reaction, the System cleared its throat theatrically before announcing: "Task complete. The host's conquest rating with Yuigahama Yui has increased by 3 points."
[Yuigahama Yui's Blue-White Panties]Yuigahama Yui's signature blue-white panties. Wearing them slightly boosts the effects of cards in the Yuigahama Yui set.
[Yuigahama Yui's Singing Voice]Host's singing skills improve. This card is part of the Yuigahama Yui set.
[Emperor's Luck]Host's luck will receive a certain boost. If selected repeatedly, luck will improve further.
Among the three options, [Emperor's Luck] was undoubtedly the most attractive. But after just one glance, Mio gave up on it. No matter how much you boost a non-chief's luck, they're still a non-chief. The blue-white panties were way more practical.
More importantly, right now the tasks triggered randomly. Who knew if improving her luck would also increase the task trigger rate?
What a shame—these panties were just replicas.
The instant Mio made her choice, time resumed its flow.
Since Yui was already right in front of her, Mio knew there was no escaping. So she didn't even try to move, simply letting their lips press together.
This wasn't her first time kissing a girl. Sure, she'd never had a girlfriend before transmigrating, but she'd filmed kissing scenes before—way more intense than this, even.
But that had been acting. This was different.
Even Mio, battle-hardened as she was, felt her heartbeat accelerate.
Only she didn't even have time to savor the sensation before Yui jerked back like she'd been electrocuted, putting distance between them. A faint blush bloomed on her fair cheeks, and her heart raced wildly.
She covered her mouth, staring at Mio with wide eyes, her red pupils flickering with shock and embarrassment.
Even though what just happened was an accident, she could confirm one thing: she'd accidentally kissed Mio.
She'd thought this kind of thing only happened in fiction. She never imagined it would happen to her someday.
What was she supposed to do now?
...