Aoi Kazama woke up bright and early the next day. She began wandering around the estate, scouting for suitable "kissing" targets.
"Aoi-chan!"
Just as she turned a corner along the corridor, she was hit by a flash of bright pink. Mitsuri Kanroji threw her arms around her, bringing with her the sweet scent of sakura mochi as she virtually engulfed Aoi in a hug.
Dizzy from being shaken, Aoi heard a sudden ding! in her mind.
[Mitsuri Kanroji has been added to the list of available targets for kissing.]
Oh! So girls count too?! That makes things much easier! Aoi thought, absolutely delighted.
"Why are you standing there looking so dazed, Aoi-chan?" Mitsuri released her, her fingertip gently poking Aoi's soft cheek.
Aoi's gaze landed on Mitsuri's pink, tender lips. Noting a tiny crumb of sakura mochi stuck to the corner of her mouth, Aoi's heart inexplicably skipped a beat.
"Kanroji."
A cold voice suddenly cut in, carrying a trace of barely perceptible displeasure.
Aoi and Mitsuri turned simultaneously to find Obanai Iguro standing in the shadows beneath a wisteria tree. His heterochromatic eyes were fixed intensely on their joined hands, and his mouth beneath the bandages was set in a tight, straight line.
Almost the exact moment his voice fell, another ding! sounded in Aoi's mind.
[Obanai Iguro has been added to the list of available targets for kissing.]
Aoi: "..."
She silently withdrew her hand, which had been halfway extended. Never mind. She was terrified Obanai would beat her to death.
"Um, Mitsuri, since Iguro-san clearly needs to speak with you, I'll take my leave. Let's chat next time, okay?" Aoi beat a hasty retreat, running as if her shoes were greased, terrified that another moment under Obanai's icy glare would results in mental vivisection.
"Eh? Aoi-chan runs really fast!" Mitsuri watched her retreating back, tilting her head and blinking her large, dewy eyes.
Obanai walked over slowly. "Perhaps she had an emergency."
His gaze swept over the sakura mochi crumb on the corner of Mitsuri's mouth, and his brow furrowed almost invisibly. "You have a crumb on your mouth."
As he spoke, he raised his hand, intending to wipe it away for her. Just as his fingertip was about to touch those soft lips, he jerked to a stop. Instead, he ended up brushing the edge of his own sleeve against her face, the motion laced with an unnatural stiffness.
Mitsuri didn't notice his awkwardness. She just smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she raised her own hand to haphazardly wipe her mouth. "Ah, sorry, sorry! I was so busy talking to Aoi-chan, I didn't even notice."
The tips of Obanai's ears flushed red. He turned his face away, his voice dropping a register. "It's fine..."
Meanwhile, Aoi had slipped away to the vicinity of the Butterfly Mansion.
She was just about to lean against a wall to catch her breath when she spotted Shinobu Kocho standing on the porch, hanging up herbs to dry. Sunlight spilled across her fair profile, outlining her gentle features.
Aoi's footsteps instinctively faltered. Before she could react, the notification sound chimed in her mind once again.
[Shinobu Kocho has been added to the list of available targets for kissing.]
"Aoi?" Shinobu turned around. When her purple eyes landed on Aoi's face, a slight smile rippled across them. "Why are you standing there staring? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
Aoi snapped back to reality, her fingernails instinctively digging into the plaster of the wall. She let out a couple of dry laughs. "Haha, n-nothing's wrong..."
As she spoke, her gaze uncontrollably drifted toward Shinobu's lips.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit her. The System only said "kiss"; it didn't specify where. A kiss on the cheek was still a kiss!
Giving herself a pep talk in her head, Aoi shambled forward on hesitant feet. "Shinobu-san, I-I have a small favor to ask."
Shinobu smiled at her. "My, my. What is it that has our Aoi-chan looking so conflicted?"
Aoi took a deep breath, looking as though she had made a momentous resolution. She suddenly stood on her tiptoes and planted a lighting-fast peck on Shinobu's cheek.
[Ding! Mission Progress: 1/9. Keep up the hard work, Host!]
"S-Sorry!" She waved her hands frantically in panic. "I didn't mean to offend you, it's just... it's just..."
Shinobu was momentarily stunned by this sudden action. Her fingertip instinctively brushed against the touched cheek, a trace of surprise flashing through her purple eyes before widening into a deeper smile. "Pfft. So that's how it is. Is Aoi-chan being coddled?"
"Anyway, I'm extremely sorry!" With that, Aoi bowed deeply to Shinobu and fled in embarrassment, leaving behind a smiling Shinobu.
Over the next few days, Aoi spent her time loitering in front of the girls, including but not limited to Mitsuri, Kanao, Aoi Kanzaki, and Nezuko.
[Ding! Mission Progress: 2/9. Keep up the hard work, Host!]
[Ding! Mission Progress: 8/9. Keep up the hard work, Host!]
"Still short by one," Aoi muttered, counting on her fingers. The progress bar was stuck at 8/9; she needed one more target to complete the mission.
Feeling rather melancholic, Aoi decided to drown her sorrows. Scrounging up a jug of alcohol from somewhere, she found a secluded spot and started pouring it down her throat. The liquid was crisp with a hint of plum sweetness, but it burned like fire as it went down. After several large gulps, a rosy flush bloomed on her cheeks, and her gaze grew unfocused.
Perhaps due to the influence of alcohol, she began venting all the grievances she'd accumulated since her transmutation. She sniffled, speaking in a thick, nasally voice, "Why did it have to be me who transmuted? Fine, I transmuted. But when other people do it, they become young misses or have cheat codes to stomp over everyone. Why am I stuck here working every single day for this shameless System, doing such mortifying things?"
The more Aoi spoke, the more aggrieved she felt. Her eyes rimmed with red, and tears welled up, though she stubbornly refused to let them fall.
She raised her hand to aggressively wipe her face, grabbed the alcohol jug, and took another huge swig, only for the spicy liquid to cause a coughing fit.
"Everyone bullies me..." she choked out, mumbling. Before she could finish her thought, she heard a very soft sigh from behind her.
"Who's there...?" Aoi turned around fuzzily, bumping into a pair of deep, coppery-brown eyes.
"Oh, it's Sanemi~" she drawled, letting the end of his name trail off. She flashed a silly grin, tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes, looking particularly pitiable yet adorable.
Sanemi Shinazugawa looked down at the jug in her arms, his brow furrowing tighter. "Drinking this much—aren't you afraid of drinking yourself to death?"
He reached out and snatched the jug away.
"Give it back!" Aoi grew anxious, standing on her tiptoes to grab it, but he easily held it out of reach.
She jumped several times without success. Her anxiety made her eyes redder, and tears finally spilled over, unable to be held back any longer. "Give it back to me... I worked so hard to find that... Why are you stealing my things...?"
She cried harder and harder, her shoulders shaking with each sob.
Sanemi froze.
As he watched her crying hysterically, the alcohol jug in his hand suddenly felt scorching hot.
If there was one thing in this world he was completely incapable of dealing with, it was a girl's tears.
He awkwardly tried to push the jug back to her, yet was worried she would drink more and harm her health. He hesitated for a long moment, ultimately sighing as his voice softened considerably. "Stop crying. I never said I wouldn't give it back."
"Drink less. It'll give you a headache." Sanemi scratched his head uncomfortably.
Aoi sniffled, tears still clinging to her eyelashes, yet she broke into a goofy smile. "Sanemi... you're so nice..."
"I want a hug." Aoi held out her arms, her voice soft and slurred, heavy with nasality and the scent of alcohol.