"So—have you decided which high school you're aiming for, kouhai?"
"Sobu High, I think. It feels a little out of reach, but it's pretty close to home, and if I really push myself, I might be able to get in."
"Is that so? Then I'm looking forward to the day you become my actual kouhai. If there's ever anything you need help with, come find me anytime—I'm fairly confident when it comes to studying."
"If it comes to that, I definitely won't hold back." Iroha flashed a sweet smile.
Truthfully, she was a little tempted. Mio was a Sobu High student, after all—her grades couldn't be anything to sneeze at.
And more importantly, with a face as pretty as Mio's to look at, Iroha had a feeling her study efficiency could shoot up by more than a notch.
Ahem.
Reining in her increasingly runaway thoughts, Iroha sidled back up to Mio. "Senpai, where are we headed next?"
"To buy what we need for Valentine's." As Mio spoke, she pulled out her phone and checked the time—less than an hour left until the task was complete.
They'd already spent over an hour on Iroha's clothes shopping, hitting several stores, and Mio had picked up a few things herself to help stretch out the time.
With what was left, she figured getting ready for the upcoming Valentine's Day would be no problem at all.
The two of them arrived at the supermarket and started picking out what they needed.
Iroha's list was simple: chocolate and a mold. Once she got home, she'd melt the chocolate, pour it into the mold, and—just like that—handmade chocolate, done.
Mio's list, on the other hand, was considerably longer.
Watching Mio load an absurd amount of chocolate into the cart, Iroha asked, a little curious, "Senpai, can you really get through that much chocolate?"
"Don't worry, I've got plenty of people to give it to."
Mio was planning to use this Valentine's to give a portion of chocolate to every single target on her System Panel.
"I can't believe it—Senpai's actually a fickle bad woman. Boo hoo hoo." Iroha made a show of rubbing at her eyes.
But a good while passed with no response from Mio, and Iroha had no choice but to lower her hands and look over at her.
Mio's expression, she found, had gone slightly distant.
"Senpai? What's wrong?"
"It's nothing. Let's go."
As the two of them walked out of the supermarket, the sound of the task completing chimed in Mio's ear.
Hearing it, Mio let out a long breath, then turned to Iroha. "We've spent a good chunk of the day already. Let's call it here for our date."
"It was just ordinary shopping. Since when was it a date?" Iroha shot back.
"Yes, yes. Well, I'll head off first. Remember what I told you earlier—if there's ever anything you need from me, come find me anytime."
"Mm."
After seeing Iroha off, Mio finally set off toward home, arms loaded with bags.
Feeling the weight dragging at her hands, she suddenly regretted coming all the way out to this supermarket to buy all this—there was one right near her own place, after all.
Just as she was wondering whether she should call someone to lend a hand, a familiar figure appeared in her line of sight.
It was Yukinoshita Yukino.
Spotting her felt like grabbing hold of a lifeline. "Yukino, over here!" Mio called out.
Hearing the voice, Yukino turned toward its source and found Mio.
She eyed the load in Mio's hands and frowned. "What on earth did you buy all that for?"
"Valentine's is coming up, so I'm stocking up. If there's anything you'd like to eat, feel free to let me know anytime—but before that, I'm hoping you could do me a favor."
Taking in Mio's visibly struggling state, Yukino had a pretty good idea what the favor was.
She let out a soft sigh, then picked up one of Mio's bags.
With someone to share the weight, Mio's whole demeanor lightened considerably.
Before long, the two of them reached the foot of the apartment building. Mio had meant to invite Yukino up to sit for a while, but Yukino simply handed the bag back and turned to leave—almost as though she really did have somewhere urgent to be.
Hauling her bags upstairs, Mio got home and was about to call out her usual greeting when she noticed there was a stranger in the living room.
A blonde, blue-eyed, busty beauty.
If her memory served, this was Shiina Mashiro's good friend: Rita Ainsworth.
While Mio was studying her, Rita was doing the exact same thing to the white-haired beauty in front of her.
Even Rita couldn't help but be a little stunned by Mio's looks the moment she first laid eyes on her.
"You're Shirai Mio, right? I'm Rita—Mashiro's... friend, from back in England."
"Hello. Mashiro's mentioned you before."
In the original story, Rita's arrival had been to persuade Shiina Mashiro to return to England. Was she here with the same goal this time?
At the thought, a flicker of wariness surfaced in Mio's eyes.
She didn't know what the other girl was after, but there was one bit of good news: Rita hadn't been registered onto the System Panel. That, at least, let Mio quietly relax.
It seemed things were just as she'd guessed—only people who held a truly significant place in the original story had any chance of appearing on the System Panel.
Tucking away her wandering thoughts, Mio walked over to Shiina Mashiro. "Weren't you going to see that former teacher of yours? How come I don't see her around?"
"Sensei's staying at a hotel."
"I see. Well, you and your friend have a nice chat. She came a long way to see you, after all—I'll go get started on dinner. There's something you love on the menu tonight."
"Oh!" The instant she heard there'd be one of her favorite dishes, Mashiro couldn't hold back a little cheer—and promptly planted a kiss on Mio's cheek.
Rita, who'd been observing the two of them the whole time, felt her expression shift ever so subtly at the sight.
Mio touched her own cheek, then reached over and patted Mashiro's head. "Next time, at least give me a little warning first, okay?"
"Oh." Mashiro nodded obediently. Whether she'd actually change, though—only next time would tell.
······