"Finally done~"
Mio finished cleaning up the last of the dishes, stretched her arms above her head, and turned her thoughts to the critical question of the evening.
Go home and draw doujinshi. Or go home and draw doujinshi.
Tough call, really.
She was still working through this dilemma when the system chimed: "Ding-dong~ You have a new task order, Host! Please check it~"
"...Huh???"
The cheerful ping hit her like a bucket of cold water.
She'd already cleared two tasks today. Ever since picking up the [Unlucky Star] card that tanked her luck stat, days with more than two task triggers were practically unheard of. Sometimes an entire day went by without a single one.
And yet here was a third.
Did this mean her luck was actually good today?
...She'd have preferred it not to be.
But there was nothing to do about it. She sighed and said flatly, "Fine. What is it this time?"
"Please find a way to have Yukinoshita Yukino push you down before she leaves—voluntarily! Succeed, and you may receive a card or item from the Yukinoshita Yukino series! Fail, and you'll draw from the penalty deck. I'm cheering for you, Host~!"
"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you." Mio pulled a corner of her mouth, then turned and glanced into the living room.
Yukino was seated beside her sister, listening while the two teachers talked shop with Haruno about lesson planning.
If it were just the two of them, maybe she could work with this task.
But in front of Haruno? Anything even slightly off would go straight into the little black notebook.
Haruno was an absolute, undeniable, capital-S Siscon. Everyone knew it.
As if she'd sensed the stare, Yukino glanced toward the kitchen. She was pretty sure Mio had been looking at her—but the moment their eyes almost met, Mio had looked away like she'd been caught doing something wrong.
Mio took a quiet breath, walked out of the kitchen, and said with her best smile: "Yukinoshita-san, this is your first time visiting this building—want to come see my apartment? It's right next door."
Honestly, Yukino hadn't been particularly curious. She'd actually been about to leave. But there was something in Mio's expectant expression that made the refusal stick in her throat.
"I wouldn't want to impose."
"Then I'm coming too~" Haruno was already on her feet.
Mio pressed her lips together.
She genuinely did not understand what Haruno was getting out of tagging along. She already knew exactly what Mio's apartment looked like.
Mio's expression slipped just a fraction—barely a flinch when she heard Haruno volunteer herself. If Haruno hadn't been watching her face like a hawk, she would've missed it entirely.
So. Why didn't Mio want her there?
Why had Mio specifically invited Yukino?
Haruno's eyes sharpened.
Sensing the shift, Mio let out a quiet sigh and led both sisters next door.
For Haruno—who'd been here enough times that the place had long since become familiar territory—the tour was a non-event. She immediately launched into guide mode for Yukino, introducing the apartment like it was her own home.
Watching her sister navigate the space with that kind of ease, Yukino had every reasonable suspicion that Haruno was basically living here part-time.
After the tour, Yukino settled on the living room couch. Mio slipped into the kitchen to put on tea.
That was when Yukino noticed something on the floor near her feet. She bent down and picked it up.
A lipstick.
If she wasn't mistaken, it was her sister's brand.
Haruno spotted it too, and took it out of Yukino's hand with mild surprise. "Oh—isn't this the one I thought I'd lost? Must have dropped it here at some point."
"...That's yours?" Yukino's eyebrow went up.
"Mm. Probably fell out on one of my visits." Haruno was completely unbothered.
"Do you come here often?"
Haruno tilted her head. "Sure, fairly regularly. Is that a problem?"
"N-no." Yukino paused. "Just... please be more mindful of appearances when you're out."
Haruno stared at her, genuinely baffled by the non sequitur.
That was when Mio returned from the kitchen with two cups of freshly brewed tea.
She set them down, let her gaze drift briefly between the sisters, and sighed very quietly.
From the moment they'd arrived until now, Haruno had been at Yukino's side the entire time. There had been absolutely zero opportunity to maneuver Yukino into anything like pushing her over.
And honestly? Even without Haruno hovering, convincing Yukino to do something like that voluntarily would've been a climb from the start.
Whatever. Mio made her peace with it. Taking the task failure was fine. She needed to fail some tasks on purpose anyway—conquest ratings had to be managed. Letting them run too high was its own problem.
Consider this one an investment in future losses.
The moment she mentally let go of it, she felt unexpectedly lighter. Her gaze stopped drifting toward Yukino every few seconds.
Another ten or so minutes passed. Yukino finished her tea, set the cup down, and rose to her feet. "It's getting late. I should head back. Thank you for having me."
"Don't mention it. Come by for a meal anytime you feel like it, Yukinoshita-san."
"I will."
Yukino gave a small nod, then looked at her sister—a silent coming?
Haruno stretched lazily against the couch cushions. Not moving an inch. "I'm staying the night. I already called the driver—he should be downstairs waiting for you."
"...Understood."
After Yukino left, Haruno turned to Mio with a slow, considering look.
"Since when are you and my little sister so close, kouhai~?"
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