After finishing what I had to do, and spending almost the entire day with Carlotta, I was completely exhausted.
So all I wanted was to go back to my room and sleep.
That was the plan, until I saw Maxine walking down the hallway.
Naturally, I decided to talk to her.
We exchanged a quick greeting and kept walking until we reached an area where there were no more students around.
Glancing at her from the corner of my eye, I couldn't help but say something that had been on my mind since I saw her.
"Damn… you look awful, girl."
That's what I told Maxi the moment I saw her.
I didn't say it to offend her, it's just that she really does look bad.
Super tired, like she just went through some kind of torture!
So yeah, it was the first thing that came out of my mouth.
"Thanks? It's always such lovely to hear that."
Obviously she didn't like that. I mean, who would like being told they look awful?
"No! Wait, that's not what I meant… I mean, you look like you had a rough day. Is there something you wanna talk 'bout?"
"…Nah. Let's leave it at that. But who are you to say that? You look bad too. Let me guess… Lady Wiebke?"
I turned my face slightly, avoiding her gaze.
"You said it…"
I sighed.
The memories of all the comments from Carlotta I had to endure made my body feel heavy; her tone, her gaze, the way she crushed me without even raising her voice.
So heavy… that I just let myself drop to the floor.
Right there in that empty hallway, where no other students passed— for some reason— I let my worries fade away.
"Ah… yeah… this feels just right…"
The cold tiles seeped through my uniform, but it wasn't unpleasant. Quite the opposite.
To finish off my stress cleanse, I untied the bow of my uniform, opened my coat, and unbuttoned the first three buttons of my shirt.
Letting myself breathe more freely.
"That was kinda lewd."
"Mmm… say whatever you want, but this is life… It's like I'm part of the tiles… no worries… nothing…"
I closed my eyes.
Tick-tock.
Tick-tock.
The mechanical sound of the gears on the walls helped me relax even more.
So I decided to lie there for a bit.
Now I'm one with the floor.
Mission? Countdown to death? What even is that? Right now I'm just… a tile.
"This is the first time I've seen someone lie on the floor with such a relaxed face… Is it really that comfortable?"
"Ah… yeah…" I murmured. "It feels amazing to think you're part of the floor. Wanna try?"
I patted the spot next to me playfully.
Like saying: come on, come lie down with me.
Obviously, it was a joke.
Maxi would never-
"Alright. Move."
"…Huh?... Eh!?"
Wait.
What?
WHAT!?
Were my ears working right?
Did Maxine… accept?
There was no doubt.
She stepped away from the wall she was leaning on. Her long legs passed close to my face, and for a second… a soft strawberry scent brushed against my awareness.
She adjusted her skirt carefully, as if even that small gesture carried dignity.
Then she sat down.
"What are ya staring at? Weren't you the one who offered? To be honest… it was an exhausting day for me too… can I?"
"S-Sure…"
My voice came out smaller than I wanted.
She adjusted herself… and then let her body fall next to mine, leaving her face at a dangerously close distance from my heart!
Beside me, she just breathed. Calm. As if being this close meant nothing.
My eyes traced her profile, lingering on every line, every curve, like I was memorizing a map I could never get tired of. The soft edges of her face outlined slightly rounded cheeks that gave her a sweet, almost innocent look. A sweetness that clashed sharply with the maturity present in the rest of her features.
Her pale pink lips, barely noticeable, moved with each calm breath. Small hypnotic movements that made my own breathing turn clumsy, like I had forgotten how to do it properly.
And then there were her eyes. Eyes marked by dark circles that spoke of sleepless nights, yet never managed to dull the brightness of her silver irises. And those eyelashes… long, dark, resting on her cheeks like little silk fans.
The silence grew heavy, but not uncomfortable. It was a warm silence, like a blanket wrapping around both of us.
My throat went dry.
My heart was beating so hard I was afraid she might hear it.
"…Wow."
It slipped out.
"What happened?"
She turned her face toward me.
And that…
That was a critical hit straight to my heart! It's like she's trying to kill me with her beauty!
From afar she was pretty. From the side… beautiful.
But like this, so close… her face was...
"Gorgeous…"
"Huh?"
"Ah! No! Nothing! I said… uh… the floor is gorgeous."
"…"
Without saying anything else, Maxine looked away.
Damn it.
Why do I always end up acting like an idiot in front of Maxine?
So unfair…
As I sank into my own embarrassment, I heard something strange.
A heavy sigh.
… I think it was the first time I'd heard her sigh like that.
"What happened to you today?"
"…"
"I just… understood your weirdness a little. I even got why you're so… well, so you."
"What?"
"Nothing. Just… a bad day."
There was an awkward silence.
"It's really nothing serious. It's just… now I think I understand your weirdness a bit more. At least why you seem allergic to men. You know? At first I thought you were just a weirdo… a very, very weird weirdo. But now… you've been upgraded to very weird weirdo."
"…Thanks? That doesn't sound like an improvement, though."
I wanted to ask her more.
I really did.
But when I saw her eyes… so tired…
I decided not to.
"Well… whatever it is, for now, let's forget the outside world. Right now… we're just part of the floor."
She didn't respond.
But she moved.
She turned her body toward me, slowly, like letting herself be carried by gravity.
Her torso faced my direction. Her legs crossed softly over each other. Loose strands of hair fell over her forehead and cheeks.
There was something… peaceful about that image. It gave her a soft, just-woke-up kind of vibe.
So cute…
"…Yeah. This floor is really comfortable."
"Ha. See? Nothing to worry about when you're part of the floor."
"You know… if someone finds us like this, they'll scold us for dirtying our uniforms."
"Then let's not get caught. Easy."
Without saying anything else, we stayed quiet, looking into each other's eyes.
Finally, a bit of peace and calm-
[Protagonist Mission: Let skin and feelings come together. Share a sweet moment with one of the main characters. Time remaining: 00:01:00.]
…Are you freaking kidding me
RIGHT NOW!? We're clearly having a moment, learn to read the room!!!
Screw you, you stupid piece of trash system!
I sat up abruptly.
The world came back with a punch straight to the jaw. The weight, the stress, the pressure… everything returned.
I had to read it a couple of times and… yep, it definitely says skin contact!
What the hell does that even mean? That I have to… have skin-to-skin contact with one of the main characters?
No! That sounds really bad!
And what the hell is with that tiny time limit!?
Does that damn thing seriously want me dead that badly!? I curse my sh*tty luck!
What do I do? What do I do!?
There's no way I can find one of those crazy girls before time runs out. And the heroes are absolutely out of the question!
Then what the hell do I do?
If the time hits zero, I'll… die.
"Hey, are you okay? Why did you suddenly sit up?"
Maxi spoke in a slightly sleepy voice.
She had also sat up. She looked a bit worried and half-asleep. It was kinda cute.
That's when the answer hit me.
<<…Share a sweet moment with one of the main characters.>> That part might be the key!
Last time, I confirmed that Maxine von Ryu is now part of the main characters… for some reason.
If that's still true, and nothing has changed… I think I have a chance.
The problem is this might permanently damage my relationship with her.
Oh God, what do I do!? Do I risk it? Do I not!?
My chest tightened.
If I do it… I might lose her.
If I don't… I die.
[Protagonist Mission: Let skin and feelings come together. Share a sweet moment with one of the main characters. Time remaining: 00:00:40.]
"…Screw it."
SCREW IT! SCREW THIS TRASH SYSTEM! SCREW MY LUCK! AND IF MAXINE STOPS TALKING TO ME… I'll cry the whole year…
Before I could regret it, I grabbed her bow.
And pulled her toward me.
Taking advantage of the neckline that had formed when I loosened my white shirt earlier, and that she had called lewd, I grabbed Maxine by the bow and pulled her in.
"Surprise hug!"
…Surprise hug?
Even for me… that was way too cringe…
At least I hope this amount of contact is enough.
[Protagonist Mission: Let skin and feelings come together. Share a sweet moment with one of the main characters. Time remaining: 00:00:31.]
Huh? W-Why is it still going down?
"What the hell?" Maxine said as she managed to pull her face slightly away from my chest.
I immediately pushed her face back into my chest.
This has to work!
"I-I heard hugging reduces stress! Tell me… you feel the stress of today fading away, right!?"
"Mnnh! Mnnh! mnnh!"
Maxi tried to say something, but with her face pressed against my chest, she couldn't form coherent sentences.
But obviously she wasn't going to stay like that—she pushed me away with force.
"What the hell was that!? Were you trying to kill me with those mountains you're carrying or what!?"
"M-Mountains…?"
My brain froze for a second.
That was the first time in my life someone had said that to me… well, it made sense.
My real body didn't have this pair of big boobs, I was more on the flat side. But Kathryn's body? Damn, she was stacked…!
No! Idiot, focus on the problem!
[Protagonist Mission: Let skin and feelings come together. Share a sweet moment with one of the main characters. Time remaining: 00:00:25.]
The time! The time!
"L-Like I said… hugs cure stress…"
"…If you wanted a hug, ask like a normal damn person."
She rubbed the back of her neck, adjusting her bow.
"God… I thought you were breaking my neck."
"Eh…? So I can hug you if I ask first?"
"Why are you saying it like it's something foreign? That's normal, actually. Hugging out of nowhere is what should seem weird to you. Anyway, go ahead."
Maxi opened her arms and moved closer to me.
I-Is it just me or is she being way too affectionate!?
Not that I'm complaining… it actually feels really nice…
Seeing that only a few seconds were left, I decided to go all in with that hug.
Our arms wrapped around each other. Our cheeks brushed softly together—curiously, her temperature was a bit cold, yet I felt really warm right now.
It was like a warm sensation spread through me from where our skin connected.
Soft, pleasant, and incredibly relaxing.
Like the world… had finally gone silent.
Like being wrapped in a cloud of cotton.
[Protagonist Mission Completed! You have unlocked a new exclusive scene with the character "Maxine von Ryu". Protagonist Points +20]
WHAT!?
WHY NOW!?
"What's wrong with you? You've been super quiet."
"Uhm… nothing. Just… thinking."
"Whatever. Bye."
"Byee~! Sweet dreams, 'kay?"
I said goodbye to her, since we were about to split off in the next hallway.
Honestly, ever since I finished that mission, I've been wondering why the second time we hugged actually worked.
That had never happened before. Up until now, it was always enough to fulfill whatever weird condition the mission gave me.
It had never taken me more than one try to complete it.
So then… why didn't it work the first time, and only worked the second time?
Think, Julia… think…
Then it hit me: If my memory isn't failing me, I think that at this point—after the practices and all that—the relationship with the route's hero should've already progressed a bit.
Is that the answer?
Let's see… This time, an event was supposed to happen.
My mind flashes back to it —it was a scene where the protagonist got hurt while practicing sword techniques, and the current hero helped her.
He carried her to the infirmary like a princess.
Holding her, and according to the novel's narration, sharing a feeling of warmth and comfort.
And I swear, in the illustration, they were touching cheeks…
Was it because of that?
Maybe the world… maybe the world is trying to fix the mess I made?
I mean, I have no idea what kind of effects it could have that I've been completely avoiding the heroes like, ugh, hard pass…
But I think I'm starting to see a pattern.
It looks like there are two types of "missions." The ones that just go: do something stupid. Those I can get out of pretty easily.
And then the ones that are more like: do exactly what I'm telling you.
For example, the mission I had at the mall.
Where I had to accomplish a specific objective.
In this case, the mission said: Let skin and feelings come together. Share a sweet moment with one of the main characters.
Maybe it wasn't just about touching skin, but about sharing a feeling.
But then… what feeling did we share?
A-And how am I supposed to get out of those kinds of missions?
If my theory is right, doesn't that mean I could run into a mission that forces me to do something I don't want… with someone I absolutely don't want… and I won't be able to avoid it?
Oh my god… my head hurts. I'll just let future me deal with that… ugh, bye.