"Mio, why do you look so down?" Yuigahama Yui asked, looking at the visibly troubled Mio.
"It's nothing. Just thinking about some stuff." Mio flashed Yuigahama-san a sweet smile.
Though she said it was nothing, internally she was incredibly troubled.
That's because Mashiro's conquest rating with her had already reached 43 points. After completing just a few more tasks, Mashiro's conquest of her would break through the 50-point mark.
Breaking through 50 points meant the task difficulty would enter the next stage, and she'd be one step closer to becoming someone's girlfriend.
Right now, aside from failing tasks, she had no other way to lower the conquest rating. That was what troubled Mio.
Making tasks fail was simple, but the consequences of failure? Not so simple.
Actually, she did have a way to temporarily avoid increasing Mashiro's conquest rating with her.
She could stay away from Mashiro and spend time with other targets instead. That way, even if tasks triggered, they'd only select from targets closest to her.
But that was basically impossible.
She could only take it one step at a time.
Yuigahama Yui was quite perceptive. She could tell at a glance that Mio really did have something on her mind, but since Mio wasn't saying anything, she couldn't pry.
She could only tell Mio seriously, "I don't know what you're worried about, but if you ever need someone to talk to, you can come find me anytime. I think I could be a decent listener."
"Yui, you're basically an angel~"
While speaking, Mio pulled Yuigahama-san into a hug.
Even though she was used to Mio's sudden attacks by now, Yuigahama Yui still felt a bit flustered.
Fortunately, the class bell rang just in time, allowing her to escape Mio's clutches.
Returning to her own seat, Yuigahama Yui took a deep breath. When Mio had hugged her just now, her heartbeat had uncontrollably sped up again.
Today, Mio's luck wasn't great. No tasks triggered all the way until school ended.
After school, Mio didn't go to club activities. Instead, she went straight back to the apartment, then carried Cake toward a nearby pet hospital.
She planned to get the kitten checked out and vaccinated.
What surprised Mio was that she actually ran into someone she knew at the pet hospital.
Seeing Mio, Yuigahama Yui asked in surprise, "Mio, what are you doing here?"
Mio pointed at Cake in her arms. "Found it on the road yesterday. Brought it in for a checkup today. What about you?"
"Sablé's appetite hasn't been great lately, so I brought him in to get checked." Yuigahama Yui curiously sidled up next to Mio, looking at the kitten in her arms. "Why'd you suddenly decide to get a cat?"
"Mainly because Mashiro wanted one."
Hearing Mashiro's name, Yuigahama Yui blinked. For some reason, she suddenly felt a sour feeling in her heart, like she'd just eaten a lemon.
"You're really good to Shiina-san."
"Are you jealous, Yui?"
Looking at the smiling Mio, Yuigahama Yui knew she was joking, but her face still turned bright red.
Was she jealous?
No way!
She was a girl, and Mio was a girl too. How could she possibly be jealous?
"Jeez, stop teasing me."
"Sorry, couldn't help it~" Mio cutely stuck out her tongue, then carried Cake to the front desk to register.
Sablé's checkup finished quickly, but Yuigahama Yui didn't leave early. Instead, she stayed with Mio until Cake's examination was done.
By the time they left the pet hospital, the sky had already darkened.
The two walked to a fork in the road. Mio turned her head toward Yuigahama-san. "Yui, want to come over for dinner?"
"Maybe... next time."
Honestly, Yuigahama Yui was tempted, but she hadn't told her mom about it beforehand. Her mom had definitely already prepared dinner for her, and if she didn't go home, she'd inevitably get lectured.
"Alright then. Next time you come over, I'll make you a feast~"
Watching Mio's figure gradually fade into the distance and disappear, Yuigahama Yui finally headed toward her own home.
Passing by the park near her house, she instinctively glanced inside. She could see quite a few people exercising there, and even a couple kissing like nobody else was around.
Hm?
Wait!
That couple kissing—they looked like two girls!?
Yuigahama Yui instinctively stopped, taking a closer look. After confirming it, she realized the kissing couple really was two girls.
Girls and girls could... do that?
Yuigahama Yui suddenly fell into deep thought.
After a long while, when she finally came back to her senses, the couple had already left.
Though she felt like this wasn't something she should think about, she couldn't help imagining—what if the kissing couple had been her and Mio...
A faint blush appeared on her face. Yuigahama Yui fled the area as if running away.
"I... I'm home."
"Welcome back~"
Hearing her daughter's voice, Mrs. Yuigahama, who was busy in the kitchen, looked up at her. "Why are you out of breath? Are you that hungry? Dinner still needs a bit more time, so hang in there a little longer."
"Ah, okay."
Yuigahama Yui absent-mindedly replied, then quickly returned to her room.
She lazily flopped onto her bed, feeling its softness. Yuigahama Yui tried to forget what she'd just seen, but the more she tried to forget, the more she couldn't.
Just like that accidental kiss with Mio.
Even now, she still couldn't forget it. In fact, the memory had only grown more vivid.
After five or six minutes like this, Yuigahama Yui suddenly flipped over, stood up, and walked to her computer.
She turned on the computer and opened her browser.
She knew curiosity killed the cat, but she was genuinely curious about the... possibilities between girls.
Originally, Yuigahama Yui had only intended to look around a bit to satisfy her curiosity, but once she started looking, she didn't stop until dinnertime.
Mrs. Yuigahama pushed open her daughter's door. "Yui, dinner's ready!"
"Okay, I got it!"
"Hm? Why are you so nervous? And what's so interesting about a computer desktop?"
······