"Yukinoshita Haruno's affection toward the host has increased by 2 points."
As Shirai Mio was considering how to respond, the system's voice suddenly rang in her ear, interrupting her thoughts.
The system's voice was filled with delight. It hadn't expected that even without an active task, it could still watch some entertainment. This was pure profit.
"I... forget it."
Mio had wanted to argue, but she'd definitely felt her heart rate accelerate just now. After all, she wasn't into guys—being kissed by a top-tier beauty, how could she not have some reaction?
The silence between them didn't last long. The surprise on Yukinoshita Haruno's face was quickly replaced by her familiar pleased smile. "Little kouhai, so who do you think won?"
Right now, Yukinoshita Haruno looked completely unbothered, as if nothing had happened. Combined with her already flushed face from the alcohol, Shirai Mio couldn't read her thoughts at all.
Hearing Yukinoshita Haruno's words, Shirai Mio said helplessly, "Senpai, is that really what we should be focusing on right now?"
"If we're not focusing on who won or lost, then we can only focus on that little accident just now. I didn't expect kouhai would be so bold~"
"I didn't expect senpai wouldn't pull away."
Yukinoshita Haruno carefully observed Shirai Mio's expression. There didn't seem to be any particular change—if anything, she seemed a bit too calm.
Even though they were both girls, after that accident, even Haruno's heart wasn't as calm as her surface suggested. She didn't know if Shirai Mio was deliberately putting on a calm act like her, or if she was genuinely unbothered.
As if thinking of something, Yukinoshita Haruno asked curiously, "Kouhai seems really calm. Are you already used to this sort of thing?"
Actually, if you put it that way, it wasn't entirely wrong. After all, before her transmigration, as an actress, she'd performed quite a few kissing scenes.
But she was supposed to be a pure and innocent little girl now, so she definitely couldn't say that. Shirai Mio deliberately put on a shy expression and said, "How could I be? I haven't even dated anyone yet~"
Though Shirai Mio's performance was spot-on, her excessive calmness earlier made Yukinoshita Haruno see right through the act.
Still, Yukinoshita Haruno didn't call her out. Instead, she continued asking, "So does that mean that was kouhai's first kiss?"
Shirai Mio gently shook her head. "No."
Before Yukinoshita Haruno could ask, Shirai Mio explained first, "I had a similar accident with a friend while we were playing around before."
"Boyfriend?"
"Girlfriend—no wait, a female friend. One of my classmates." Shirai Mio felt like she'd almost gotten tripped up by Yukinoshita Haruno's wordplay.
Hearing this explanation, Yukinoshita Haruno nodded thoughtfully. She suddenly remembered chatting with Hiratsuka Shizuka before—Hiratsuka-sensei had mentioned that after Shirai Mio transferred in, her popularity had been consistently high. Quite a few boys had confessed to her, but she'd rejected them all.
She didn't even have any particularly close male classmates, but got along really well with many girls.
Yukinoshita Haruno suddenly felt like she'd discovered something interesting.
Maybe she could try a different approach to teasing kouhai in the future. Should be quite fun.
"We didn't settle the match earlier. Want to go again?" Yukinoshita Haruno pulled out another Pocky stick, her tone full of temptation.
Shirai Mio didn't even need to look at Yukinoshita Haruno's expression. Just from her tone, she knew Haruno was trying to stir up trouble. So she said without hesitation, "Nope. I'll just take the loss. I still have homework to do."
"Aww~"
Just as she was about to say something else, the sound of keys unlocking the door suddenly rang out. Before long, Shiina Mashiro appeared at Shirai Mio's bedroom doorway.
Since the bedroom door hadn't even been closed, Mashiro immediately saw Yukinoshita Haruno clinging to Shirai Mio's side as soon as she walked over.
In Shiina Mashiro's usually emotionless eyes, a rare flash of wariness appeared.
Yukinoshita Haruno caught that wariness, and also noticed the keys in Shiina Mashiro's hand.
"Mashiro, why'd you come over so early today?"
"Looking for you. Need the script for the next chapter."
"You've already finished everything I gave you before?" Shirai Mio looked at Shiina Mashiro in surprise. She'd given her three whole chapters of script last time. She hadn't expected Mashiro to finish them all so quickly. As expected of a genius, huh?
Yukinoshita Haruno suddenly stood up, stretching lazily. "It's already this late. I should head back too."
"Oh, and about what just happened—I'll keep it as our little secret between us. Don't worry."
"Gee, thanks so much, senpai." Shirai Mio knew for a fact this troublesome woman only said that on purpose because Shiina Mashiro was there.
Hearing Yukinoshita Haruno's words, Shiina Mashiro silently turned her gaze to Shirai Mio. Though her expression didn't change, her eyes seemed to be asking what exactly this "little secret" was.
Feeling Shiina Mashiro's gaze, Shirai Mio coughed awkwardly a few times and said, "Actually, it's nothing. We just played a game earlier and I accidentally lost."
"What. Game?"
Shirai Mio glanced at the unfinished Pocky on the nightstand, then explained it to Shiina Mashiro.
After hearing the explanation, Shiina Mashiro silently pulled out a Pocky stick and said seriously, "I want to play too."
As if anticipating Shiina Mashiro would say exactly that, Shirai Mio didn't refuse. She opened her mouth and bit the other end. After all, she didn't have any competitive spirit anyway—she'd just pretend to eat a bit then let Mashiro win.
That was Shirai Mio's plan, anyway. But who knew Shiina Mashiro wouldn't play by normal rules at all? Before Mio could even react, Mashiro ate the entire Pocky in one bite. Caught completely off guard, Shirai Mio once again experienced the soft lips of a beautiful girl.
"Congratulations, Host! Shiina Mashiro's conquest rating of you has increased by 2 points. Shiina Mashiro's conquest rating of the host has now reached 45 points. You'll enter the next stage soon. Keep up the good work~"
"Shut up!"
Coming back to her senses, Shirai Mio pulled back slightly from Shiina Mashiro, then said helplessly, "Mashiro, you can't just eat it all in one bite like that."
"Normally, that's how you eat them. Is there a problem?" Mashiro said while pulling out another stick and popping it in her mouth.
"Forget it, never mind. You be happy."
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